OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Woodstock City Council Meeting - February 21, 2023

City Council — Tuesday, February 21, 2023
BodyWoodstock, Illinois
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, February 21, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Well, good evening, uh ladies and gentlemen.

0:03

I'd like to welcome you to this evening's meeting of the uh Woodstock City Council.

0:08

A few brief announcements before we get started this evening.

0:11

The first is that uh the agenda for this evening's meeting will be shown on the monitors um above uh and also in the back of the room.

0:18

And the um uh the opportunity for public comment will occur two times during the meeting, the first being during floor discussion.

0:24

Uh, members of the public may come forward to the podium in the middle of the uh in the middle aisle.

0:29

If you're willing uh to do so, state your name and address for purpose of the record.

0:32

Feel free to make comments to the Woodstock City Council on any item not on this evening's agenda.

0:37

Next item, our next opportunity for public comment will be during um any motions or action on individual items.

0:43

There'll be an opportunity for the public to comment.

0:46

City council operates on what's called a consent format.

0:49

Consent format means that all items will be considered in a single for action this evening will be considered in a single motion or a single vote.

0:55

If a member of council wishes to have an item removed for separate consideration and voting, they may do so.

1:00

If a member member of the public wishes to have an item separately considered for or removed for separate consideration and voting, they can make that request.

1:07

And if agreed to by the a member of the city council, then that item as well will be removed for separate consideration and voting.

1:14

Any questions on those brief announcements before we get started?

1:19

All right, hearing none, I'll officially call the order this uh February 21st, 2023 meeting of the Woodstock City Council to order and ask Cindy to please call uh call the roll.

1:29

Councilman Flynn.

1:30

Here.

1:30

Councilwoman Lomaier.

1:32

Here.

1:32

Councilman Nearman.

1:33

Here.

1:34

Councilwoman Pearsall?

1:35

Here.

1:36

Councilman Seegers.

1:37

Here.

1:37

Councilman Tebow?

1:38

Here.

1:39

Mayor Turner.

1:39

Here.

1:40

The record reflect that all members of the Woodstock City Council are present this evening.

1:43

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

1:49

It is.

1:50

Thank you very much.

1:51

Ladies and gentlemen of the council, that being the case, the people's business is duly and appropriately before us.

1:56

The first item this evening uh is um floor discussion.

2:00

Uh there are two items on floor discussion this evening.

2:03

I'm gonna ask if council will indulge me that I um uh move uh item A under floor discussion to the March seventh meeting because uh Dale Jander is not make able to make us this evening tonight, because because or this make it this evening because he is at a uh basketball practice tonight.

2:19

So I'm gonna defer that to uh to March 7th.

2:22

So that would take us to um item uh B under floor discussion, which is our quarterly update uh presentation uh by Melissa McMahon from the chamber.

2:34

Melissa, the floor is yours.

2:36

It's been an active quarter, so it has been an active quarter.

2:40

Um looking for it.

2:45

I can show it to you.

2:51

Yes, when we get there, this uh quarterly report will cover November first through January 31st.

2:58

We miss Kennedy on them.

3:01

Oh, there's more music to go along with that.

3:03

Councilman Seegers.

3:05

For the record it is off.

3:06

All right.

3:15

This is on me.

3:20

Okay, thank you, Roscoe.

3:21

Good plan.

3:53

And council, we also have this starting on page six in our believe PDF page six in our packet, which is what Paul's pulling up as well to project.

4:11

I could try to pantomime if you'd like.

4:34

Oh, where did I just put that?

4:45

Can you just take it from that one that you just had up and scroll to it?

4:48

Yeah, I can do it in pro.

4:50

I just thought it would be easier.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Tourism Marketing████████████████████████24%
Revolving Loan Fund███████████████15%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Public Works█████████9%
Strategic Planning████████8%
Procedural███████7%
Economic Development█████5%
Transportation Safety█████5%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Woodstock City Council Meeting - February 21, 2023

The Woodstock City Council met on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers. The meeting included a quarterly update from Real Woodstock, public comments, approval of a consent agenda with several items, and a discussion on the draft strategic plan. Key actions included approval of the seasonal outdoor seating permit ordinance and a loan agreement with MobCraft Beer Inc.

Consent Calendar

The following items were approved unanimously in a single motion (Councilman Flynn motion, Councilman Tebow second):

  • Approval of February 7, 2023 City Council Minutes.
  • Warrants #4040 and #4041.
  • Minutes and reports from various commissions (Arts, Cultural & Social Awareness, Environmental, Opera House Advisory, Parks & Rec, Plan Commission, Public Library, Building & Zoning Year End Report, Board of Police Commission Annual Report, Human Resources Monthly Report).
  • Manager's Report No. 220 items:
    • Ordinances for property tax abatements related to various bond series (16-O-47, 14-O-35, 19-O-101, 22-O-14).
    • Ordinance amending liquor control code for movie theater alcohol sales (Classification E-6).
    • Ordinance establishing a seasonal outdoor seating permit program (item D3 was pulled for separate vote, see below).
    • Ordinance authorizing a lease agreement with Makity Make, Inc. for second floor space in the Old Courthouse.
    • Resolution authorizing a $68,500 revolving loan fund agreement with MobCraft Beer Inc. (with an amendment to include a transfer from the general fund to cover a cash shortfall; council noted this as a bookkeeping matter and will address repayment during budget process).
    • Resolution to induce redevelopment within TIF #2 for properties at 805/823 Lake Avenue and 1010 E. Kimball Avenue.
    • Authorization for the City Manager to approve change orders with Bulley & Andrews for the Old Courthouse & Sheriff’s House Renovations in the amount of $262,112.17.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Gail Brooks (112 Cass Street): Expressed strong support for the Real Woodstock marketing campaign, stating it provides tremendous exposure. She questioned the meaning of the word "real" in the brand and suggested tying it into advertising more clearly. The Mayor explained the origin and flexibility of the brand.
  • Yvette Parti Pilo (315 Dean Street): Requested a garbage can at the corner of Dean and South streets to reduce litter. She also asked about planting flowers in the city right-of-way. City Manager Stelford agreed to discuss with Public Works; staff advised that planting is allowed but at the owner's risk due to maintenance and snow storage.

Discussion Items

  • Real Woodstock Quarterly Update (November 1, 2022 – January 31, 2023): Presented by Melissa McMahon. Key statistics:

    • Website users up 39% to 15,020; session duration 1:06.
    • Facebook followers increased by 253 (49% increase) to 13,590; total reach 298,000.
    • Instagram followers up 74; top demographic ages 35-44.
    • YouTube added 12 subscribers, 1,911 views; top video remains Groundhog Day walking tour (478 views).
    • Digital billboard campaign on 176/31/14; Milwaukee billboard (3-month cost $3,000).
    • CTA campaign (Oct 31-Nov 22): 40 bus tail cards and 150 rail cards yielded 90 clicks; campaign overran through mid-January.
    • Digital campaign with DataFi: 789,414 impressions, 1,531 clicks; estimated return of $7.19 per dollar spent.
    • The Today Show appearance (Merriest Main Streets) on Dec 9, 2022, generated significant organic reach. Local businesses reported increased foot traffic from viewers.
    • Upcoming: PBS Wisconsin "Main Streets" episode featuring Woodstock premieres Feb 23, 2023; also WGN Radio feature on Feb 23 with multiple interviews. Council members praised the campaign's evolution and economic impact, noting it helped attract T-Mobile (3.5 million investment). Councilman Seegers requested future reports include medium- and long-term goals.

  • Item D3: Seasonal Outdoor Seating Permit Ordinance: Councilman Seegers pulled this from consent for separate consideration. He expressed concern that the ordinance language was too broad and not specifically tied to restaurants/bars, potentially allowing non-food businesses to apply. Staff explained the definition requires food or beverage service, and staff retains discretion to deny permits based on health, safety, or traffic issues. Councilwoman Lomaier noted the definition in Section 3.2 24.1 clarifies outdoor seating for consumption of food/beverages. After discussion, Councilman Flynn moved to approve the ordinance as presented, with the understanding that staff can tighten language later if needed. The motion passed unanimously (7-0). The fee is $10 per square foot per season; season runs April 1 to October 15 (businesses chose October 15 end date).

  • Draft Strategic Plan Review: City Manager Stelford presented the draft plan covering 2023-24 to 2028-29. Council feedback:

    • Councilwoman Lomaier: Plan is appropriately broad and vague; preferred ranked (1-2-3) core values/strategic areas rather than alphabetical.
    • Councilman Nearman: Document is too long (8 pages); suggested condensing to a front-and-back page summary. Staff indicated a simplified version will be created after input.
    • Councilman Tebow: Agreed to condense and suggested picking top three objectives under each category.
    • Councilwoman Pearsall: Plan reflects what council has asked for; acknowledged staff effort.
    • Mayor Turner: Encouraged tightening language; emphasized the plan should be a dynamic, evolving document, not static. He opposed a separate public input process, noting recent surveys (comprehensive plan, branding) already provide public feedback. Staff will incorporate council comments and bring back a revised draft.

  • Council Comments:

    • Councilman Nearman complimented Building & Zoning for increased code enforcement (46 citations in 2022 vs 14 in 2021).
    • Councilwoman Lomaier asked about the DICast property redevelopment timeline; Development Director Garrett Anderson said a redevelopment agreement may come to council in April/May, with potential groundbreaking later in 2023.
    • Councilman Tebow raised concerns about a billboard on Route 120 advertising gambling; asked staff to review signage regulations. This will be a future discussion.
    • Mayor Turner reported on the Springfield trip: key issues included Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) shortfall (6% returned vs promised 10%), support for Huntley to Woodstock 47 rail extension, Metra rail yard expansion, increased utility relocation costs for Route 47 project (from $3.5M to $10M), and lead service line replacement mandates (federal requirement). The governor's staff indicated willingness to increase LGDF gradually. IDOT Secretary open to discussing utility cost relief. Over 1,000 homes surveyed for lead lines; 100 lead services found so far.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar Approved: All items except D3 passed unanimously (7-0) as a single motion.
  • Seasonal Outdoor Seating Permit Ordinance Approved: Motion by Councilman Flynn, second by Councilwoman Lomaier, passed 7-0. Staff will monitor and may propose amendments.
  • Revolving Loan Fund for MobCraft Beer Inc. Approved: $68,500 loan with a transfer from the general fund to cover cash shortfall; repayment to be addressed in budget. Council requested a future review of the revolving loan fund parameters.
  • Change Orders for Old Courthouse Authorized: Up to $262,112.17; council expressed some fatigue but supported completion.
  • Draft Strategic Plan: Council provided feedback; staff will revise and bring back a simplified version. No formal vote taken.
  • Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at approximately 9:30 p.m. (motion by Councilman Tebow, second by Councilman Flynn).

Next Meeting

A budget workshop is scheduled for Friday, February 24, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. with a goal to conclude by 5:00 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Well, good evening, uh ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to welcome you to this evening's meeting of the uh Woodstock City Council. A few brief announcements before we get started this evening. The first is that uh the agenda for this evening's meeting will be shown on the monitors um above uh and also in the back of the room. And the um uh the opportunity for public comment will occur two times during the meeting, the first being during floor discussion. Uh, members of the public may come forward to the podium in the middle of the uh in the middle aisle. If you're willing uh to do so, state your name and address for purpose of the record. Feel free to make comments to the Woodstock City Council on any item not on this evening's agenda. Next item, our next opportunity for public comment will be during um any motions or action on individual items. There'll be an opportunity for the public to comment. City council operates on what's called a consent format. Consent format means that all items will be considered in a single for action this evening will be considered in a single motion or a single vote. If a member of council wishes to have an item removed for separate consideration and voting, they may do so. If a member member of the public wishes to have an item separately considered for or removed for separate consideration and voting, they can make that request. And if agreed to by the a member of the city council, then that item as well will be removed for separate consideration and voting. Any questions on those brief announcements before we get started? All right, hearing none, I'll officially call the order this uh February 21st, 2023 meeting of the Woodstock City Council to order and ask Cindy to please call uh call the roll. Councilman Flynn. Here. Councilwoman Lomaier. Here. Councilman Nearman. Here. Councilwoman Pearsall? Here. Councilman Seegers. Here. Councilman Tebow? Here. Mayor Turner. Here. The record reflect that all members of the Woodstock City Council are present this evening. Cindy, I'll ask you to confirm that the agenda this evening is the true and published, the same as the true and published agenda. It is. Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen of the council, that being the case, the people's business is duly and appropriately before us. The first item this evening uh is um floor discussion. Uh there are two items on floor discussion this evening. I'm gonna ask if council will indulge me that I um uh move uh item A under floor discussion to the March seventh meeting because uh Dale Jander is not make able to make us this evening tonight, because because or this make it this evening because he is at a uh basketball practice tonight. So I'm gonna defer that to uh to March 7th. So that would take us to um item uh B under floor discussion, which is our quarterly update uh presentation uh by Melissa McMahon from the chamber. Melissa, the floor is yours. It's been an active quarter, so it has been an active quarter. Um looking for it. I can show it to you. Yes, when we get there, this uh quarterly report will cover November first through January 31st. We miss Kennedy on them. Oh, there's more music to go along with that. Councilman Seegers. For the record it is off.

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