Moline Committee-of-the-Whole & City Council Meeting – December 4, 2024
Moline Committee-of-the-Whole & City Council Meeting – December 4, 2024
Note: The agenda listed the meeting date as Tuesday, December 3, 2024, but the user has specified the meeting took place on 2024-12-04 12:00:00+00:00. This summary uses the date provided by the user.
The combined Committee-of-the-Whole and City Council meeting covered a presentation on stormwater ordinance updates, a draft ordinance to bifurcate tobacco dealer licenses and impose a moratorium on new vape/tobacco shop licenses, approval of several traffic and administrative items, and the adoption of the FY 2025 budget. All votes were unanimous (8-0).
Consent Calendar
- Approved minutes of the November 19, 2024, Committee-of-the-Whole, Council, and Executive Session meetings, as well as appointments made at the Committee-of-the-Whole on December 3, 2024.
- Approved a second-reading ordinance amending the sign code to allow five temporary signs per lot.
- Approved a resolution setting the annual meetings schedule for 2025.
- Approved a resolution establishing a Workplace Bullying Policy.
- Approved the second and final amendment to the FY 2024 budget.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Email from Emily Allen (Friends of Mr. Thanksgiving): Expressed gratitude for city support; reported that Mr. Thanksgiving served nearly 2,000 meals with the help of nearly 100 volunteers at its new venue, Mercado on Fifth. A proclamation presented by Ashley Allen was a special surprise for Mr. Bob Vogelbaugh. The group intends to build on the tradition and continue partnering with the city.
Presentation – Stormwater Ordinance Updates
- Presenters: Andy Parer (Stormwater Utility Manager) and Scott DeSplinter (Crawford, Murphy & Tilly). They presented five recommendations to update the stormwater ordinance:
- Use the most up-to-date rainfall data (Bulletin 75, 2020) incorporating 34 additional years of data.
- Lower the impervious area threshold for a Class II drainage permit from 1 acre to 1/3 acre, requiring engineering analysis and detention for smaller developments.
- Require use of critical storm duration instead of a fixed 24-hour duration for detention design.
- Add best management practices (BMPs) such as rain gardens, infiltration trenches, and volume control (first inch of runoff captured).
- Require velocity control to limit post-development runoff to pre-development levels.
- Discussion: Council members raised concerns about the impact on development costs and “pencilability.” Staff noted multiple compliance options (underground storage, bioswales, larger pipes) and a fee-in-lieu option. Incentives such as stormwater utility credits exist, and a stormwater assistance program for residents is already in place. Alderman McNeil suggested signage to educate about rain gardens. Alderman Timian asked about cost differentials for permeable pavement; staff emphasized engineering analysis would guide choices.
Discussion Items
1. Tobacco Dealer License Amendments (9.1)
- Presenter: Corporation Counsel Margaret Kostopulos. Proposed splitting the current tobacco dealer license into:
- Class A: Businesses whose principal business (≥50% of sales or floor space) is tobacco products/accessories, including smoking lounges and vape shops.
- Class B: Other retailers (e.g., convenience stores, grocery stores) that sell tobacco but not as a primary business.
- Moratorium: A one-year moratorium (until December 1, 2025) on new Class A licenses to allow further study; existing businesses would be grandfathered.
- Caps: Staff suggested keeping the Class B cap at 48 (floating), while Class A cap could be discussed. Council members debated enforcement of percentage-based sales, the need for a third license for head shops (accessories only), and a loophole allowing businesses to sell cannabis pipes without a tobacco license. Alderman Timian flagged this loophole. Alderman Castro questioned the term “tobacco” for products that include nicotine without tobacco. Alderman Razak urged thorough research before decision. Alderman Masias requested an inventory of existing businesses to determine appropriate caps. The item remains draft for further council input.
2. December 2024 Status & Information Report (9.2)
- City Administrator Bob Vitas reported:
- DCP grant kickoff meeting with Department of Defense representatives was successful.
- 176 trees planted this year; arborist Terry Bates recognized by the Old Arborist Association.
- City Hall and Public Works secure entry projects beginning; City Services Center (former Bethany building) renovations ongoing, with painting and carpeting done in-house, expected completion mid-March.
- Compass program has three businesses; urged council to recruit more.
- Leaf collection ends this week.
- Discussion: Alderman Castro asked about snow readiness and communications. Staff confirmed equipment ready and a communication plan is being developed with the new community engagement coordinator. Alderman Timian raised snow route parking issues; Chief indicated towing would be reserved for major events, with ticketing used otherwise. Alderman Murphy noted the Angel Project to help seniors with snow routes. Alderman Masias reported that Aldi grocery store is coming to the former Hy-Vee location, with the space to be subdivided.
3. Arena Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) Draft (Miscellaneous Business)
- Alderman Schmidt presented a draft IGA from the Illinois Quad City Civic Center Authority (the arena). He noted it is a starting point for negotiations, with key sections 2 and 3 being the basis for debate. He discussed concepts for a natural amphitheater style venue and mentioned a positive report from the Sam Schwartz study on site accessibility. Alderman Castro requested a public discussion due to concerns; Schmidt agreed to bring it to a future meeting after further clarification.
Key Outcomes
- All Committee-of-the-Whole agenda items (8.1–8.5) approved unanimously:
- 8.1: Ordinance adding a four-way stop at 18th Street and Fifth Avenue.
- 8.2: Parking restriction amendment near 53rd Street Drive and Sixth Avenue, reducing no-parking zone from 60 feet to 30 feet.
- 8.3: Adding a 15-minute pickup zone at 1509 15th Street.
- 8.4: Approving a law enforcement services agreement with Allied Universal Security Services for SouthPark Mall (cost-neutral to city).
- 8.5: Change Order No. 1 and Final with Walter D. Laud, Inc. for $3,025.60 for the 2024 Inlet/Catch Basin Replacement Program.
- Budget adopted: Resolution 18.1 adopting the FY 2025 Corporate Budget (January 1–December 31, 2025) passed 8-0.
- Change order approved: Resolution 18.2 approving Change Order No. 1 and Final with Emery Construction Group for $8,832.07 for the 2024 Alley Reconstruction Program passed 8-0.
- Alley vacation advanced: Ordinance 19.1 vacating a remnant alley west of 14th Street (approx. 4,764.8 sq. ft.) was advanced to second reading by a unanimous vote.
- Tobacco license amendment: The draft ordinance remains under discussion; a formal proposal will be brought back after further research and council input.
- Arena IGA: To be discussed in a future public meeting, with Alderman Schmidt leading negotiations.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everyone. I'll call our meeting to order here at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers. Roll call, please. Howmer person Murphy? Present. Masias. Present. Razak. Present. Timmy and Present. Finch, present. McNeil. Present. Castro. Present. Schmidt. All right. I do not believe we have any remote electronic attendance. So we'll move to board appointments. I'm reappointing mayor's reappointment of Angela Rule to the Citizens Advisory Council on Urban Planning, the CACUP board for a three-year term to expire July 31, 2027. There's no questions, we'll move to our presentation. Stormwater ordinance updates. Andy Parr. Scott, Ms. Splinter, and Charlie Brown. Sorry. I'm just reading the paper. So kind of the big picture here. A couple years ago, we partnered with CMT to overhaul our stormwater management program. And as part of that, you've seen our plans for capital improvement projects, and you've seen that it would be wise to fund those in our rates. And so the big picture is remember we're trying to have a two-fold effect on this. One is, of course, we want to protect the property of the residents in the city of Moline. And equally important, we also want to protect the health of the river. That plays a vital role in our community. So while we've looked at our capital improvement projects that'll be done, we're financially ready to do it. What we're going to be presenting today is kind of a background though where we're going to be tweaking our ordinance a little bit. The big idea of this is we're going to bring up the science up to date. The science that we've been going on was a little behind. And also to do a little bit of the best management practices on how other communities are doing it and what looks best for the protection of the stormwater flood protection in the city. So with that, I will hand it over to Andy and Scott Displinder from CMT. Good evening. Charlie took really all my good talking points, so I'm trying to have a blank right now. But as you mentioned, for the past couple years, we've been reviewing our stormwater master plan. We've been budgeting for projects, equipment. We've made huge strides that we never have before. And the one of the last pieces to this puzzle is making some ordinance changes to bring it up to date to be a little more responsible with our stormwater. And so Scott Displiner from CMT will be giving a very you know brief presentation tonight. They've been a great partner throughout this endeavor, and we've really appreciated them. So I'll just introduce Scott right now.
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