OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Woodstock City Council Meeting - August 16, 2022

City Council — Tuesday, August 16, 2022
BodyWoodstock, Illinois
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, August 16, 2022
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
⇩ GET FROM SOURCE

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

0:02

I'd like to welcome you to this evening's meeting of the Woodstock City Council, despite what that clock says.

0:08

The real clocks all say 7 o'clock.

0:11

So I'm gonna go ahead and uh and begin the meeting on time so somebody doesn't join uh the live stream and wonder why we haven't started at 7 o'clock.

0:18

So a few brief announcements before before we begin this evening's meeting.

0:22

First of all, the Woodstock City Council operates on what's called a consent format.

0:26

Consent format meaning means that all items for action this evening are considered in a single motion or at a single vote.

0:32

If a member of council wishes to have an item separately uh removed and considered and separately voted upon, uh they can uh make that request and it will be uh honored and considered separately.

0:42

If a member of the public wishes to have an item uh removed for separate consideration and voting, uh if a member uh they can make that request and have agreed to by a member of council, then it too will be uh removed from the consent calendar and considered in a separate motion and a separate vote.

0:58

There's two opportunities this evening for public comment.

1:01

The first comes at the beginning of the meeting.

1:03

Um if you're willing, members of the public come forward to the podium, state your name and address for purpose of the record if you're willing to do so.

1:11

Make your comments on any item that are not on this evening's agenda.

1:15

Uh second opportunity for public comment comes uh when council is uh done considering or discussing an item.

1:22

We do invite public comment uh before any action or vote.

1:26

Any questions on those brief announcements this evening?

1:30

Hearing none, I'll go ahead and officially call this August 16th 2022 meeting of the Woodstock City Council to order and ask the clerk, please call the roll.

1:39

Councilman Flynn.

1:41

Councilwoman Lommeyer here.

1:45

Councilman Nearman.

1:46

Here.

1:46

Councilwoman Pearsall.

1:48

Here.

1:48

Councilman Seegers.

1:50

Here.

1:51

Councilman Tebow.

1:52

Here.

1:52

Mayor Turner.

1:53

Here.

1:54

I'll let the record reflect that uh six members of the Woodstock City Council are present this evening, which is enough for us to conduct business.

2:01

Uh I'll ask City to Cindy to please confirm that the uh agenda this evening is the same, is the same as the true and published agenda.

2:08

It is.

2:08

Uh thank you, Cindy.

2:09

That being the case, uh ladies and gentlemen of the council, the people's business is duly and appropriately before us.

2:15

Uh first item on the agenda this evening is floor discussion.

2:19

And uh we have an item on the floor discussion this evening, which is a uh presentation and update uh regarding our real Woodstock uh marketing activities, which we uh have asked to occur quarterly.

2:31

So I'll go ahead and turn it over to you, Roscoe and to staff to uh move forward with that update.

2:37

Thank you very much, Mayor.

2:38

I believe we have members from the chamber uh here tonight to actually make the presentation to council.

2:44

So welcome them to present.

2:46

Hello.

2:47

We just don't see the chamber very much, so I'm glad you're I know we kind of hide.

2:52

I'm joking.

2:52

Don't write that down.

2:54

I was gonna wonder what they've been doing lately.

2:56

I can't believe the chamber's here doing this after the weekend we just had.

3:00

So especially you, Melissa.

3:01

So please, the floor is yours.

3:02

All right.

3:03

Well, thank you very much.

3:04

This is the quarterly report.

3:06

It's February 23rd through July 31st of 2022.

3:10

On the next page there, you will see our overall numbers with website, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, which is our main avenues that we're using these days.

3:20

Um everything has gained.

3:23

Um we are up new visitors of 19,333 to the website itself.

3:30

You can see where we're getting those numbers from.

3:33

All is organic search for the most part, some is social direct.

3:36

Um I'd like to draw attention to some of the referral sources.

3:40

Um that makes up 5.5% of the total.

3:43

And those in order are Star 105.5, the Woodstock Illinois Gov, which is the city site, Chicago Curbed, Betty and Bo, uh, Groundhog Day, Cherry Tree Inn, the Woodstock Independent, and then various search along with the Woodstock Chamber.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Tourism Marketing███████████████████████████████████████████43%
Procedural████████████████████████24%
Technology and Innovation████████8%
Economic Development██████6%
Public Engagement█████5%
Public Works█████5%
Parks and Recreation███3%
Building And Zoning███3%
Youth Programs██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Woodstock City Council Meeting - August 16, 2022

The Woodstock City Council met on Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers. The meeting included a quarterly update on the Real Woodstock marketing initiative, public comments from a youth baseball tournament organizer, council member reports on major community developments (T-Mobile concert, a $2.96 million state grant, and courthouse renovations), and unanimous approval of the consent calendar.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: August 2, 2022 City Council minutes.
  • Warrants: #4015 and #4016.
  • Minutes and Reports: Woodstock Public Library minutes (June and July 2022) and Police Pension Board minutes (July 2022).
  • Manager's Report No. 209:
    • Sister City Program – Formal designation of Jerez, Zacatecas, México as Woodstock's third official sister city.
    • D200 School Resource Officer Agreement – Authorization to execute the Police/High School Liaison Agreement for School Year 2022-2023.
    • Ordinance – Sale/Disposal of Surplus Equipment – Authorizing sale or disposal of personal property designated as surplus.
    • Purchase – Apple Creek – Extreme Weather Warning Siren – Approval of $38,065.40 for shipping and installation of one Whelen electronic warning siren from JS Communications Technologies, LLC.
    • Schedule of Authorized Positions – Addition of one full-time Information Technology employee and adoption of the revised schedule.
    • Change Orders – Old Courthouse & Sheriff’s House – Approval of various change orders from Bulley & Andrews totaling $125,652.92.
  • Council Discussion on Consent Items: Councilman Gordy noted that the new IT employee would improve library support and fire department partnerships. Councilman Bob expressed that future leasehold improvement change orders should be the tenant's responsibility, though staff noted this was a comment, not policy. Councilman Pearsall highlighted staff diligence in scrutinizing change orders.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Dan Malone (Heron, Woodstock) – Representing MCYSA Summer International Baseball Tournament. Expressed gratitude for the city's cooperation, noting that despite rain, only three of hundreds of games were lost. Reported 575 hotel room nights booked in Woodstock hotels. Teams from Puerto Rico, San Diego, Alameda, Fresno, and Japan participated. Praised the can-do attitude of city staff, especially the parks department. He noted that the tournament is not-for-profit and brings significant economic impact.

Real Woodstock Quarterly Update

  • Melissa (Chamber of Commerce) presented a quarterly report covering February 23 through July 31, 2022.
  • Website: 19,333 new visitors; average session duration of 1 minute 11 seconds (above average of 37 seconds). Referral sources included Star 105.5, Woodstock IL Gov, Chicago Curbed, Betty and Bo, Groundhog Day, Cherry Tree Inn, Woodstock Independent, and others.
  • Social Media: Facebook followers grew to 13,103 (274 new); Instagram steady with 33% local audience; YouTube added one new subscriber but expects growth from new content.
  • Advertising: 23 half-page ads and 5 full-page ads in the Woodstock Independent; co-op campaigns with 6–8 businesses; total market coverage to all homes in 60098 and part of 60097.
  • Engagement Highlights: Clossen Pickles post reached 14,000 with 1,900 engagements; Food Truck Festival reached 16,000; International Women's Day post (first woman mayor) reached 10,000; National Tile Day post engaged public on Century Tile redevelopment ideas.
  • Partnerships: Northwest Quarterly (Chicago and Rockford editions) gave a 6-page article; Geneva Lakes Area Visitors Guide (60,000 circulation) included a full-page ad; Chicago Wolves Calder Cup championship led to additional banner takeovers during playoffs; Jim McGivon's Main Streets (Emmy-winning travel show) filmed an episode in Woodstock (airing March 2023 on Fox affiliates).
  • Council Questions: Councilman Bob asked about "post engagements" (interactions like likes, comments, shares). Melissa explained that organic engagement rates of 8-15% are considered strong. Councilman Seegers asked how the Main Streets show found Woodstock; Melissa replied that a producer who previously dated someone in Woodstock suggested it and was impressed by the Real Woodstock website. Council members praised the presentation and the collaborative work with city staff.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar Approved Unanimously: All items A through D6 passed on a single motion (Councilman Tebow motion, Councilwoman Pearsall second). Roll call: all six council members present voted yes.
  • T-Mobile Concert & 5G Infrastructure: Mayor reported that the Florida Georgia Line concert was a success. T-Mobile senior executives offered to address coverage gaps (contact provided) and revealed that Woodstock's T-Mobile 5G network has the same capacity as Navy Pier in Chicago ("six-lane superhighway"). Mayor emphasized that Real Woodstock's branding was key to winning the T-Mobile contest.
  • $2.96 Million State Grant: The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity awarded Woodstock $2.96 million for rehabilitation of the Opera House and downtown projects. Mayor thanked Terry Wilcoxon for grant writing. The grant will accelerate $4.6 million in planned CIP projects at a net cost of $1.6 million. Councilman Bob requested that this be publicized via city website, social media, and press.
  • Courthouse RFP Released: Request for proposals for the Old Courthouse was released; council encouraged broad and creative distribution.
  • New Conference Table: A locally crafted square table (by Dan from Bowl Valley Woodworking) was installed in the mayor's conference room, designed to last 100 years and replicate the square's ironwork. Mayor stated it conveys professionalism and was cost-comparable to pre-manufactured tables.
  • Future Agenda Items:
    • Joint meeting of City Council and Plan Commission on August 22, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. at Stage Left Café to discuss the comprehensive plan update.
    • Performance-based property improvement program will be discussed at the September 6, 2022 meeting. Staff will post a landing page with information.
  • Donation: Tom Wilson from MBI donated $15,000 to the Woodstock Fire and Rescue Department for a Jaws of Life purchase.
  • Adjournment: Motion by Councilwoman Lohmeyer, second by Councilman Seegers; passed unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to welcome you to this evening's meeting of the Woodstock City Council, despite what that clock says. The real clocks all say 7 o'clock. So I'm gonna go ahead and uh and begin the meeting on time so somebody doesn't join uh the live stream and wonder why we haven't started at 7 o'clock. So a few brief announcements before before we begin this evening's meeting. First of all, the Woodstock City Council operates on what's called a consent format. Consent format meaning means that all items for action this evening are considered in a single motion or at a single vote. If a member of council wishes to have an item separately uh removed and considered and separately voted upon, uh they can uh make that request and it will be uh honored and considered separately. If a member of the public wishes to have an item uh removed for separate consideration and voting, uh if a member uh they can make that request and have agreed to by a member of council, then it too will be uh removed from the consent calendar and considered in a separate motion and a separate vote. There's two opportunities this evening for public comment. The first comes at the beginning of the meeting. Um if you're willing, members of the public come forward to the podium, state your name and address for purpose of the record if you're willing to do so. Make your comments on any item that are not on this evening's agenda. Uh second opportunity for public comment comes uh when council is uh done considering or discussing an item. We do invite public comment uh before any action or vote. Any questions on those brief announcements this evening? Hearing none, I'll go ahead and officially call this August 16th 2022 meeting of the Woodstock City Council to order and ask the clerk, please call the roll. Councilman Flynn. Councilwoman Lommeyer here. Councilman Nearman. Here. Councilwoman Pearsall. Here. Councilman Seegers. Here. Councilman Tebow. Here. Mayor Turner. Here. I'll let the record reflect that uh six members of the Woodstock City Council are present this evening, which is enough for us to conduct business. Uh I'll ask City to Cindy to please confirm that the uh agenda this evening is the same, is the same as the true and published agenda. It is. Uh thank you, Cindy. That being the case, uh ladies and gentlemen of the council, the people's business is duly and appropriately before us. Uh first item on the agenda this evening is floor discussion. And uh we have an item on the floor discussion this evening, which is a uh presentation and update uh regarding our real Woodstock uh marketing activities, which we uh have asked to occur quarterly. So I'll go ahead and turn it over to you, Roscoe and to staff to uh move forward with that update. Thank you very much, Mayor. I believe we have members from the chamber uh here tonight to actually make the presentation to council. So welcome them to present. Hello. We just don't see the chamber very much, so I'm glad you're I know we kind of hide. I'm joking. Don't write that down. I was gonna wonder what they've been doing lately. I can't believe the chamber's here doing this after the weekend we just had. So especially you, Melissa. So please, the floor is yours. All right. Well, thank you very much.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com