Moline Committee-of-the-Whole and City Council Meeting – November 21, 2024

The Moline Committee-of-the-Whole (COW) and City Council met at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 619 16th Street, Moline, Illinois. All eight alderpersons were present, and no remote electronic attendance was requested. The combined agenda included oaths of office, two presentations, 14 committee action items, a November status report, a 2025 budget work-session update, and council consent and non-consent items. Note: The agenda supplied is dated November 12, 2024; the meeting date used in this summary is the date provided with the source material, November 21, 2024.

Oaths of Office

• Fire Chief Steve Regenwether introduced Nolan Rademaker, who took the oath as firefighter/paramedic effective October 18, 2024, and Eric Becker, who took the oath as captain following promotion effective November 4, 2024.
• Police Chief Darren Gault introduced Justin Griser, Dalton Martin, and Corbin Timm, who took oaths as police officers. Effective dates were November 3, 2024, for Griser and Martin and October 27, 2024, for Timm.

Presentations & Awards

• Chief Gault announced that the Moline Police Department achieved Tier II accreditation through the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ILEAP), the highest level offered. The department meets or exceeds 181 standards in administration, training, operations, and personnel. Gault stated that only 22 agencies statewide have achieved Tier II, about 2% of Illinois law enforcement agencies; about 6% of Illinois agencies are ILEA-accredited. The re-accreditation is dated September 5, 2024. He credited Lieutenant Derek Collison, police business analyst Summer O'Leary, and Deputy Chiefs Andrew Reya and Steve Van Heisen.
• Stormwater Utility Manager Andy Parer and Keep Moline Beautiful committee member Chris Burgeon presented the 2024 Keep Moline Beautiful Superhero Awards to Nancy Lindstrom and Marlowe. They were recognized for years of walking the Forest Hill neighborhood picking up litter, organizing extra cleanups, and helping form the Forest Hills Partnership in 2023.

Consent Calendar

The council consent agenda was approved by roll call, 8-0. It included:

• Approval of Committee-of-the-Whole, Council, and executive session minutes of October 22, 2024, and Council minutes of October 26, 2024.
• Second-reading ordinances amending the Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use chapter and approving a Preliminary/Final PUD and rezoning from R-2 to R-4 PUD for 1809 14th Avenue and 1803 13th Avenue.
• Resolutions for an Administrative Services Agreement with Renew Moline, Inc. ($151,000 FY2025 allocation); a $12,000 grant to Lighting on the Commons from the Special Events Fund; an honorary street designation for Daniel and Stillman Wheelock; and an Intergovernmental Support Agreement with USAG Rock Island Arsenal for industrial stormwater compliance monitoring.

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public spoke during either scheduled public comment period. During the ODC QC tobacco license discussion, an owner/operator associated with the business spoke in favor, saying the license was the last piece needed to open the shop and thanking the council.

Committee-of-the-Whole Action Items

• 8.1 – Temporary signs on private property: Legal counsel recommended raising the limit from one sign to three based on a sampling of other Illinois municipal codes and content-neutral regulation. The council amended the proposal to five signs on a motion by Alderperson Schmidt, seconded by Alderperson Finch; the amendment was approved on a voice vote with the chair stating 7-1. The amended ordinance then passed 8-0 as a committee recommendation.
• 8.2 – Drainage easement for CIP #1451, 48th Street Reconstruction south of 6th Avenue: Approved.
• 8.3 – Declaring two downtown parklets surplus and donating them to Mercado on Fifth: Approved.
• 8.4 – Change Order No. 1 and Final with Five Cities Construction Company for the 2024 Sidewalk Infill Program: Approved in the amount of $12,512.85, a 5.9% increase.
• 8.5 – Licensing agreement with GRT QC Property, LLC for an existing sign at 4200 38th Avenue in the public right-of-way: Approved.
• 8.6 – ODC QC tobacco license request: The motion to approve failed. Supporters cited the business location outside the existing tobacco-shop cluster and a higher-end product plan; opponents cited proximity to Mercado on Fifth, youth exposure, and proliferation of tobacco-only businesses. The chair counted one audible aye, and nays carried.
• 8.7 – Munchies Supermarket tobacco license request: The motion failed, with one aye and seven nays. Supporters cited filling a vacant former Dairy Queen location and the inclusion of food; opponents cited inability to guarantee non-tobacco sales, consistency with recent denials, and proliferation concerns.
• 8.8 – Agreement with Precision Builders Inc. for the City Hall Controlled Entry Project: Approved in the amount of $304,950.00.
• 8.9 – Agreement with Daxon Construction Company for the Public Works Building Controlled Entry Project: Approved in the amount of $251,424.00.
• 8.10 – Two pipeline license agreements with BNSF Railway: Approved, including a one-time payment of $7,400 for access to water main and sanitary sewer within railroad right-of-way for the 34th Street Reconstruction project and future maintenance.
• 8.11 – Change Order No. 1 and Final with Legacy Corporation for 47th Street Reconstruction: Approved in the amount of $29,515.49; the chair stated the vote as 7-1.
• 8.12 – Joint Funding Agreement and MFT appropriation for Phase I engineering for the 16th Avenue and 15th Street Intersection Reconstruction/Carbon Reduction Project: Approved in the amount of $43,750 with an 80/20 split.
• 8.13 – Change Order No. 1 and Final with Centennial Contractors of the Quad Cities for Avenue of the Cities and 41st Street Pedestrian Improvements: Approved in the amount of $7,385.04. Alderperson Timian thanked engineering for adding crosswalk signals at the busy intersection.
• 8.14 – Government Entity Contribution Agreement with the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau: Approved. It dedicates hotel/motel tax revenue annually equal to 25% of gross revenues to Visit Quad Cities. Alderperson Schmidt disclosed a non-conflict business relationship with Visit Quad Cities.

Informational Reports & 2025 Budget Work Session

• City Administrator Bob Vitas presented the November 2024 Status and Information Report. He noted the successful closing on the Bethany building property and the next steps for painting, carpeting, and staff relocation. On the McManus Pub demolition, he cited title issues, utility conflicts, and utility shut-off delays; bids were expected to be brought forward around November 19. Alderperson Timian asked about $700,000 previously discussed for bikeways and multimodal planning; Vitas said the funds remain earmarked and that the comprehensive plan update, which will include multimodal topics, is expected to go out for professional proposals in January.
• Finance Director Carol Barnes presented the council work-session follow-up on hiring six firefighters to operate the third ambulance effective January 1, 2025. Projected costs are $680,000 in 2025 ($390,000 salaries, $68,000 benefits, $4,800 uniforms, $32,670 gear, and $60,000 training), $636,000 in 2026, and $695,000 in 2027. Funding would come from reducing overtime by $345,000, leaving $625,000 still budgeted for overtime, and from an estimated $116,000 increase in ground emergency medical transport (GEMT) revenue. The remaining $218,000 shortfall would be covered from the $2 million set aside for new fire station design work, leaving more than $1.6 million for design and keeping fire station groundbreaking on track for 2027. The fire chief said the reduction is achievable through staffing and overtime management.
• Barnes also showed that with the one-percent grocery tax excluded, the general fund balance would decline from about 24.25% in 2025 to just above 20% by 2027, which would jeopardize the fund balance policy. The mayor reported that neighboring Illinois Quad Cities communities are keeping the grocery tax and that informal community leaders preferred keeping it to avoid service cuts. After debate, the council majority directed that the budget documents be prepared without the grocery tax for now, with a formal policy decision expected in January or February 2025; the 2025 budget is not affected.
• A new parking system fund was presented to consolidate parking leases, maintenance costs, and a $300,000 transfer for capital projects. Council members asked about a possible future code amendment covering parking-related revenues.
• Barnes proposed an ARPA strategy to retroactively obligate qualifying 2021-2023 sewer and water projects so that 100% of ARPA funds are obligated by December 2024. The approach had auditor approval, involves $9.6 million in transfers out, returns $8.2 million to the adopted ARPA project plan, creates a $17.8 million in-and-out budget amendment, and would reduce the 2025 budget by more than $3 million. Council members indicated support.

City Council Non-Consent Agenda

• Resolution 18.1, authorizing the Joint Funding Agreement and MFT appropriation for 19th Avenue Resurfacing from 7th Street to 16th Street, was approved 8-0 for the amount of $302,146.
• Resolution 18.2, authorizing the Human Resources Director to execute a UnitedHealthcare-BP reinsurance policy for medical and prescription drug claims for one year beginning January 1, 2025, was approved 8-0.
• First-reading ordinances 19.1 through 19.5 were each advanced to second reading by 8-0 votes. They cover: a loading zone on Seventh Street; the 2024 tax levy collectible in 2025; Special Service Area #5 special ad valorem tax; Special Service Area #6 special ad valorem tax; and a request that the County Clerk not extend 2025 taxes for the listed General Obligation bond series.

Miscellaneous Business

The mayor thanked Moline Centre and partners for a successful Holiday Hop and noted the ribbon cutting at Sorbeck Lofts on Fifth Avenue. Alderperson Messias praised the downtown decorations and a new retail shop, Ansel and Elm. Alderperson Timian thanked city staff for supporting the Logan Trunk Retreat and for helping fifth graders plant trees at Optimus Park. Alderperson Finch noted a University of Iowa event scheduled at the arena. The mayor also mentioned ongoing conversations about early child care and education, including a statewide funding-model committee and a connection to United Way.

Key Outcomes

• The Committee-of-the-Whole recommended approval of the temporary-sign ordinance as amended to five signs and approved all construction, easement, licensing, change-order, and funding items except the two tobacco license requests, which failed.
• The City Council approved the consent agenda, approved both non-consent resolutions 18.1 and 18.2, and advanced all five first-reading ordinances to second reading; all council roll-call votes were 8-0.
• Budget direction was set to proceed with hiring six firefighters for the third ambulance, funded through overtime reduction, GEMT revenue, and fire station design funds, while preparing budget documents without the grocery tax until a later formal decision.
• The council supported the ARPA obligation strategy and then moved into executive session for property acquisition discussion before adjournment.