Moline Committee-of-the-Whole and City Council Meeting - June 3, 2024
Moline Committee-of-the-Whole and City Council Meeting - June 3, 2024
This meeting covered a wide range of routine and non-routine city business, including a police sergeant promotion, multiple zoning and traffic ordinance amendments, significant capital project approvals, and informational discussions on lead service line replacement and fireworks enforcement. Nearly all agenda items were approved unanimously.
Consent Calendar
- Oath of Office: Cesar Lopez was sworn in as Sergeant of the Moline Police Department, effective May 19, 2024. Chief Gault highlighted Lopez's service since 2017 and his roles as detective, school resource officer, and bilingual supervisor.
- Board Appointment: Mayor's reappointment of Jeff Adamson to the Historic Preservation Commission for a term expiring April 30, 2027, was approved.
- Council Minutes and Consent Resolutions (Items 15.1–15.3): Approved by omnibus vote. These included a special event permit for the Morgan Park 4th of July Parade, a sponsorship agreement with Junior Achievement of the Heartland, and an engineering services agreement for the 7th Avenue Reconstruction Project (not to exceed $399,666).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Kim Ellis (Moline resident via email): Expressed concern about the use of Roundup (glyphosate) in city parks this spring and summer. Suggested a safer alternative (vinegar, salt, dish soap) and asked if residents could help mulch around trees to reduce weed growth. The comment was read into the record by Alderperson Murphy.
Discussion Items
- 8.1 & 17.1 – Moline Public Library Garden Contract: A resolution authorizing a $1,287,000 contract with Centennial Contractors of the Quad Cities for the Library Garden project. Staff noted the groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for May 28th at 4:00 p.m. Unanimously approved.
- 8.2 – Parking Prohibition on Ninth Street: Extended no-parking on the east side of Ninth Street from Railroad Avenue south for 110 feet. Requested by a property owner who redeveloped the area and had difficulty maneuvering equipment. Unanimously approved.
- 8.3 – Parking Prohibition on Thirteenth Street: Added no-parking on the east side of Thirteenth Street at the 11th Avenue intersection for 78.5 feet. Staff cited narrow streets (19 feet wide) and access issues at a T-intersection. Unanimously approved.
- 8.4 – All-Way Stop at Eighth Avenue and Thirty-sixth Street: Installed an all-way stop at a newly reconstructed T-intersection due to sight distance complaints. Unanimously approved.
- 8.5 & 8.6 – Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Amendment for 2307 44th Street: Amended the Comprehensive Plan (Appendix Q, Avenue of the Cities Corridor Plan) and rezoned the property from R2 (single-family residential) to commercial. The property had been used commercially but was inadvertently zoned residential in 2006. The Plan Commission recommended approval 9-0. Staff noted the prospective buyer requested the change. Unanimously approved.
- 8.7 – Meeting Schedule for Keep Moline Beautiful Commission: Amended the annual meeting schedule to move commission meetings from 4:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the second Thursday, effective June 2024. Alderperson Timian noted that the 4:30 time was helpful for council representation; staff acknowledged the concern. Unanimously approved.
- 8.8 – Licensing Agreement for Sign at 3156 Avenue of the Cities: Approved a licensing agreement with Trixie Rox Designs LLC for a sign face replacement that overhangs the right-of-way. Staff discovered no prior licensing agreement on file; the new agreement ensures insurance coverage. Unanimously approved.
- 8.9 – First Amendment to Land Lease with GTP Acquisition Partners: Extended a land lease for a monopole on the 42nd Street water tank site by 15 years, with a 4% rent escalation and $15,000 upfront payment. Unanimously approved.
- 8.10 – Parking Lease Agreement with Monarch Investment and Management Group: Leased 36 parking spaces in Lot R at $35/space for the LeClaire Apartments, with waiver of fees from April 2020 through March 2023. Staff reported this brings outstanding leases up to date as a GASB compliance requirement. The previous rate was $8/space from 2006. Unanimously approved.
- 8.11 & 17.2 – Purchase of IDOT Excess Property: Approved purchase of one parcel of excess I-74 Bridge property from IDOT for $196,000 fair market value. The parcel was first offered to Deere & Company, which declined. The city will also acquire two smaller adjoining parcels. Unanimously approved.
- 18.1 – First Reading: Option 5 Alcohol License (Packaged Sales for Class A Licensees): Introduced an ordinance creating Option 5 for off-premises packaged sales under Class A liquor licenses, including a fee. Advanced to second reading unanimously.
Informational Presentations
- 9.1 – Lead Service Line Replacement: Director of Utilities Tony Loete presented proposed code amendments to transfer responsibility for replacing the private-side portion of lead service lines from property owners to the city. The plan is driven by the Illinois Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act. Staff estimated $10,000 per full service line replacement (expected lower in western Illinois). Funding sources include $500,000 from Congressman Sorensen, an Illinois EPA project plan for two census tracts, and a proposed surcharge to be discussed in September. Staff also indicated they may recommend reimbursement for property owners who replaced private-side lines since January 2022. Council members expressed support for a community-wide approach and asked about interior lead plumbing (not covered by regulations).
- 9.2 – Fireworks Enforcement Discussion: Police Chief Gault and Fire Marshal Mitch Cunningham discussed challenges with illegal fireworks during the July 4th period. Complaints returned to pre-pandemic levels (about 30-50 calls per week). Enforcement is difficult due to the transient nature of fireworks use and limited resources. Options considered: raising fines from $25/$50 to a maximum $750, confiscation (risks use-of-force incidents), and increased social media awareness. Council members debated effectiveness of fines as a deterrent, potential inequitable impacts on lower-income communities, and the value of community messaging about neighborliness and safety. No immediate ordinance change was made; staff will continue public education and explore creative outreach (e.g., TikTok).
Key Outcomes
- All votes were unanimous with 8 ayes and 0 nays on every roll call (Aldermen Timian, Finch, McNeil, Castro, Schmidt, Murphy, Masias, Razak). No items were pulled from consent for separate discussion.
- Sergeant promotion and board appointment were executed.
- Contracts, leases, and ordinances as described above were approved and will proceed.
- Lead service line code amendments will be introduced at a future meeting; a reimbursement policy for prior private-side replacements is under consideration.
- Fireworks enforcement will maintain current fine levels; staff will focus on social media education and collaboration with neighboring communities. No formal action taken.
- Executive Session was convened at the end of the meeting for property acquisitions and pending litigation (5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5) and (11)).
Meeting Transcript
All right. Good evening, everyone. I'll call this meeting to order at 6 p.m. here in Council Chambers. I'm gonna briefly turn it over to Chief Galtha with some safety information since we're under some significant watches. Yeah, so as you all know, there's uh kind of a storm that's a little bit west of us or the tornado watch. This is probably the strongest pulling in the in the area, so you're very safe in here, but we just if there are sirens go off on the top of the building here, we'll just move to the center of the building away from the glass. But I don't think there's any reason for anybody to flee out of here, you're probably safe for your thank you so much. All right, we do have uh need for remote electronic attendance, Ms. Finch. Um, I would like to make a motion to approve the remote electronic attendance of Alder Person James Patrick Smith at the committee of the whole and city council meeting May 21st, 2024, due to a personal illness. Second. All right, that's um motion by Finch, seconded by Timian. Roll call, please. Alder Person Timian Finch. Aye, McNeil. Aye, Castro, Murphy, Masias, Razak. Aye. All right, that motion passes. Roll call, please. Alder Person Timian. Present. Finch. Present McNeil. Present. Castro. Present. Schmidt. Present. Murphy. Present. Messias. Present. Rizak. Present. All right. Our first item of business is the oath of office for promotional appointment to the rank of sergeant to Cesar Lopez, effective May 19th, 2024. Thank you, Your Honor. I think I've said this before. This is such a fun times for me to be able to stand up here and get a chance to introduce you to officers and certainly promote officers is another honor that I get to have. Uh you know, over the last four or five years. Uh it's been tough times in the police department. We've um we've seen some 45 officers depart for uh various different reasons and uh 225 years of experience left as command staff, and our command staff starts at a sergeant, lieutenant, deputy chief, and of course the chief. So we've lost a lot of experience. We rebuilt that experience, uh made 14 promotions, 14 out of our 20 command staff that I've promoted since I've been the police chief here. And so it's certainly my honor to add another uh individual to the command staff by promoting Cesar Lopez from his current role as a juvenile detective uh to a sergeant. Um so Sergeant Cesar Lopez is a seasoned law enforcement officer serving with the Moline Police Department since 2017 throughout his distinguished career, Sergeant Lopez Lopez has served in various capacities, including patrol officer, field training officer, uh liaison to the Moline High School as a school resource officer, and his current role as a detective in the criminal investigation division juvenile unit. Uh Caesar is also a bilingual, one of our three bilingual supervisors, who I believe all three of them are here today serving our uh Spanish speaking population, and he does that with just a wonderful uh smile on his face every time. Uh he's also very involved in our homeless initiative team. He's been a part of that for several years.
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