Moline Committee-of-the-Whole Meeting Summary - February 19, 2025

On February 19, 2025, at 6:00 PM, the Moline Committee-of-the-Whole convened at City Hall to discuss two primary agenda items: the National Community Survey and National Business Survey, and the Tree Bank policy. The meeting also addressed several miscellaneous items. No public comments were received.

Discussion Items

8.1 National Community Survey & National Business Survey

• Ashley Allen Smith (Community Engagement Manager) and Alec Vice (Polco representative, appearing virtually) presented the surveys. The National Community Survey will be distributed to a random sample of 3,000 households, achieving a 5% margin of error. It measures 10 facets of livability and supports strategic planning. Data collection spans six weeks, with a follow-up open participation survey in the final two weeks. Results will be provided as a PDF and Tableau dashboard.
• Alec Vice noted that Polco (formerly National Research Center) has collected data from over 600 communities for the community survey and approximately 80 for the business survey. Custom benchmark comparisons are available for the community survey. The business survey targets up to 4,000 businesses and uses a census methodology.
• Council members discussed language options (Spanish is most requested), the ability to segment results by council ward or neighborhood, and the inclusion of custom questions. Concerns were raised about the business survey’s redundancy with existing data from the Chamber of Commerce and school district surveys, particularly regarding workforce development (Section 8). Some members favored removing that section to reduce burden on businesses, while others emphasized the need for a baseline to measure business friendliness. Alec confirmed that questions can be struck without affecting benchmarking, as long as wording and order are preserved.
• Council also explored adding custom questions on social infrastructure and loneliness, with Alec noting his team of survey experts can help craft appropriate wording to avoid cognitive burden and leading responses.

8.2 Tree Bank

• Chris Mathias (Director of Community and Economic Development) reviewed current landscaping and tree protection regulations, including requirements for new developments, thresholds for redevelopment (25% and 75% of building value), and woodland protections focused on forest stands rather than single trees. He questioned the need for a Tree Bank (fee-in-lieu program), citing existing variance processes and successful grant-funded tree planting (e.g., from the US Forest Service, Morton Arboretum).
• Council debated the merits of fee-in-lieu payments. Some members noted that parking lot trees provide environmental benefits (shade, stormwater management) and should not be easily substituted. Others observed that the city has adequate funding for tree planting through grants, and the real challenge is forestry management—addressing dead trees, invasive species, and species selection. Alderpersons expressed a strong desire to reforest street rights-of-way with appropriate, non-invasive species that won’t damage infrastructure.
• A consensus emerged to replace the strategic goal of a “Tree Bank” with a broader “Forestry Management Plan” that prioritizes tree canopy health, public and private property management, and replanting efforts. The zoning code update (planned in 1-2 years) should also revisit the list of approved tree species to emphasize ecological value.

Miscellaneous Business

• A volunteer is needed to replace McNeils on the Bi-State Commission (meets third Wednesday of each month at 11:30 AM).
• The City Manager shared that the city received U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Justice memoranda regarding policies affecting immigrant communities, and noted local “Know Your Rights” campaigns.
• A snow angel call-to-action was announced for February 20; council members were encouraged to assist neighbors with shoveling.
• Staff requested council input on custom survey questions within one week to stay on track for a May launch and June strategic planning session.
• No executive session was held; the meeting adjourned.

Key Outcomes

• The committee agreed in principle to reframe the Tree Bank initiative as a Forestry Management Plan, with further development by Community and Economic Development staff.
• Staff will gather council members’ suggestions for custom survey questions by the end of the week to finalize the survey instrument.