HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 04/07/1993 - City Council REGULAR MEETING
APRIL 7, 1993
The Regular Meeting of the McHenry City Council was called to order
by Mayor Busse on Wednesday, April 7, 1993 at 7:30 P.M. in the Council
Room of the Municipal Center. At roll call the following Aldermen were
present: Bolger, Donahue, Locke, Lieder, Adams, Patterson, Serritella,
Smith. Absent: None. City Staff in attendance: City Clerk Gilpin,
City Attorney Narusis, City Administrator Peterson, Chief of Police
Joyce, Director of Public Works Batt, Director of Parks and Recreation
Merkel, Director of Building and Zoning Lobaito. Absent: None.
TEN MINUTE PUBLIC INPUT SESSION
During the Ten Minute Public Input Session, ten people signed up to
._.- speak: Bob Doran, Jack Slaughter, Mary Mueller, Anita Fowles, and Ken
Veen spoke in behalf of Home of the Sparrow zoning. Donnabelle Doherty
of the Landmark Commission and Gerhard Rosenberg spoke against the
zoning. John Swierk spoke on the issues of recreational vehicle storage
and permit parking for Main Street. Patricia Buhrman mentioned the
number of illegal signs of candidates on roadsides and vacant lots.
CONSENT AGENDA
Motion by Smith, seconded by Patterson, to approve the consent agenda
as follows:
(1) March 15, 1993 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes;
(2) March 31, 1993 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes;
(3) Executive Session Minutes from 6/15/91 to 1/21/93;
(4) Payment to employees in Career Development Program, with
payments to the following officers: Police Officer I: Thomas
Beyer, $500; Police Officers III: William Brogran, Jeffery
Foerster, Thomas Jenkins, Roland Wood, $1000 each;
(5) Request for "Going out of Business Sale" license to Ken Brown
and Sons True Value Hardware;
Voting Aye: Bolger, Donahue, Lieder, Locke,
Smith, Adams, Patterson, Serritella.
Voting Nay: None.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
COUNTRY CLUB ESTATES SANITARY SEWER INSTALLATION
Alderman Bolger, Chairman of the Public Works Committee, reported on
a recommendation made by that Committee after a meeting March 24, 1993 on
the subject of sewer installation in the Country Club Estates
subdivision. It was the recommendation of the Committee that work
proceed on the special assessment for Country Club Estates and that
capital development money be used to purchase two grinder pumps at a cost
of approximately $18,000.00 for the project. Lengthy discussion took
place.
Motion by Bolger, seconded by Donahue, to move ahead with the special
assessment in Country Club Estates subdivision, as recommended by the
Public Works Committee, and that the City pay $18,000 from the Capital
Development Fund to provide individual grinder pumps for two residences.
Motion by Smith, seconded by Serritella, to table the motion.
Voting Aye: Smith, Serritella.
Voting Nay: Lieder, Locke, Donahue, Bolger, Patterson, Adams.
Absent: None.
Motion did not carry.
Discussion continued.
Motion by Bolger, seconded by Donahue, to call the question.
Voting Aye: Locke, Donahue, Bolger.
Voting Nay: Lieder, Serritella, Patterson, Adams, Smith.
Absent: None.
Motion did not carry.
Further discussion continued. Bolger amended the motion to state
that the City pay the cost not to exceed $18,000. Donahue agreed to the
amendment.
April 7, 1993 Page 2
Voting on the amended motion, which was:
Motion by Bolger, seconded by Donahue, to move ahead with the special
assessment in Country Club Estates, as recommended by the Public Works
Committee, and to pay the cost of grinder pumps for two residences not to
exceed $18,000 from the Capital Development Fund.
Voting Aye: Lieder, Locke, Donahue, Bolger, Adams.
Voting Nay: Smith, Patterson, Serritella.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
Attorney Narusis was instructed to proceed with setting up the
preliminary work to process the special assessment program.
HOME OF THE SPARROW USE VARIATION REQUEST
Home of the Sparrow requested a use variation at 3701 W. Waukegan
Road to operate three apartment units for homeless women. The Zoning
Board of Appeals had three public hearings on the subject and voted 5-2
to grant the variance. During the hearings, the petitioner verbally
changed its request from a re-zoning to a less intensive use variation.
Since the last hearing by the ZBA on March 22, 1993, objectors to this
petition hired Attorney Tom Zanck to represent them at the City Council
meeting.
First to speak to the Council was Attorney Tom Zanck representing
eight objectors to the use variation. Scott Nolan, attorney for Home of
the Sparrow, also addressed the Council. Each presented arguments in
defense of their positions. Reverand Phyllis Mueller, representing Home
of the Sparrow, also addressed the Council and urged the Council to
support the use variation.
Motion by Patterson, seconded by Donahue, to concur with the
recommendation of the Zoning Board of Appeals, and pass an ordinance
granting a use variation for 3701 W. Waukegan Road to permit the use of
the RA-1 premises for three individual apartment units to be occupied
solely by single women with or without related children.
Motion by Locke, seconded by Smith, to table the motion for one
week.
Voting Aye: Locke, Smith.
Voting Nay: Lieder, Donahue, Bolger, Serritella,
Patterson, Adams.
Absent: None.
Motion did not carry.
Motion by Bolger, to amend the original ordinance adding that the use
variation would last only as long as the property was owned by Home of
the Sparrow.
Motion failed for lack of a second.
Voting on the original motion:
Voting Aye: Bolger, Donahue, Locke, Lieder, Patterson,
Serritella.
Voting Nay: Smith, Adams.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
Mayor Busse called for a RECESS at 9:40 P.M. The meeting reconvened
at 9:55 P.M. with everyone still in attendance.
USE VARIATION REQUEST - LOWELL & LISA KIVLEY
A use variation request was presented by Lowell & Lisa Kivley for
property located at 402 N. Front Street. They were seeking a use
variance to allow the property to be used for family and marriage
counseling services. The property is currently zoned in the RS-3
Residential District, and is surrounded by RS-3 zoning. However, the
Comprehensive Plan shows this property and the area on the east side of
Front Street to be zoned for office uses. At the March 8, 1993 ZBA
hearing, the Zoning Board of Appeals voted 3-3, and therefore no
recommendation was presented from that Board.
April 7, 1993 Page 3
Motion by Patterson, seconded by Bolger, to pass an ordinance and
grant the requested use variance for 402 N. Front Street to permit the
operation of a professional office for marriage and family counseling,
that the project be implemented in two phases, that during the first
phase of the conversion the petitioners be permitted to reside on-site,
and that the proposed sign must conform to the criteria for signs in an
0-1 Zoning district, and that they will provide appropriate screening for
the surrounding property.
Voting Aye: Bolger, Donahue, Lieder, Locke,
Smith, Adams, Patterson, Serritella.
Voting Nay: None.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
TEXT AMENDMENTS TO CITY ZONING ORDINANCE
The Building, Zoning, Planning & Development Committee met with the
Director of Building and Zoning and reviewed a variety of text amendments
to the Zoning Ordinance. The items were:
(1) Decreasing the minimum size of planned unit developments from 5
acres to 2 acres;
(2) Eliminate the requirement of retained personnel fee deposits for.,
sign permits and minor variations;
(3) Allow annexed property to come in at the lowest numbered
residential district the parcel will permit;
(4) Wall signs be allowed to be both internally and externally
illuminated, and that the recreational vehicle ordinance be
amended as to storage location;
The Council had no problem with the text amendments, except the one
which referred to the recreational vehicle storage locations.
Motion by Serritella, seconded by Patterson, to table the
recreational vehicle storage location amendment until further study.
Voting Aye: Bolger, Donahue, Lieder, Locke,
Smith, Adams, Patterson, Serritella.
Voting Nay: None.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
Motion by Patterson, seconded by Donahue, to pass an ordinance
adopting the amended revisions as presented, but eliminating Section "e"
which refers to recreational vehicle storage locations. .
Voting Aye: Bolger, Donahue, Lieder, Locke,
Smith, Adams, Patterson, Serritella.
Voting Nay: None.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
REQUEST FOR PERMIT PARKING ON MAIN STREET
Many people have complained about the lack of parking on Main
Street. They have also complained about the current four-hour parking
restriction in the City-owned Main Street parking lot. Alderman Locke
suggested that permit parking be implemented in the Main Street parking
lot for the 17 parking spaces available.
Motion by Locke, seconded by Serritella, to offer permit parking in
._- the Main Street parking lot on a first-come, first-serve basis at $15.00
a month.
Motion by Smith, seconded by Bolger, to table the motion.
Voting Aye: Donahue, Bolger, Patterson, Adams.
Voting Nay: Locke, Serritella, Patterson.
Abstaining: Lieder.
Absent: None.
Motion carried: 5-3. (Abstention counts with majority.)
April 7, 1993 Page 4
POLICE DEPARTMENT 1992 ANNUAL REPORT
Chief Joyce presented the 1992 Annual Report of the McHenry Police
Department to the City Council for review.
MAYOR - STATEMENT AND REPORTS
Mayor Busse thanked Mayor Pro Tem Ray Smith for running the March 31,
1993 meeting in his absence.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Alderman Bolger, Chairman of the Public Works Committee, reported on a
matter discussed at the March 24 Committee Meeting concerning a petition
by McHenry Shores residents. The residents presented a petition to have
Hilltop Blvd. extended to the north for an ingress and egress road to the
new Bull Valley Road when that road is constructed. Ken Ehredt of Bull
Valley Road was spokesman for the group. He met and discussed this on
several occasions with McHenry County Highway Department engineers.
Bolger said it was made clear at the Public Works Committee meeting
that the City would be under no obligation to pay any engineering fees
for this proposed new road. The Ehredt family said they would donate the
property for the right-of-way for this road if a satisfactory agreement
could be rached with the County enginenrs. It was felt the matter should
b discussed with the Knox property owners since it abuts their property.
City Administrator Peterson said he had contacted Tom Rupp, attorney for
the Knox property, and he said their plans were not in any final form and
they would not object to the re-alignment of this road. .
It was the recommendation of the Public Works Committee to endorse
the concept of the plan and encourage the Ehredt family to continue
discussions with the County Highway Engineers.
Motion by Adams, seconded by Bolger, to authorize the Mayor and City
Administrator to write a letter to the County Highway Engineers asking
for their cooperation in changing the alignment of Hilltop Boulevard.
Voting Aye: Bolger, Donahue, Lieder, Locke,
Smith, Adams, Patterson, Serritella.
Voting Nay: None.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
Alderman Lieder reported that the Finance Committee had met on
April 6, 1993 with the Department Heads, and had reviewed all Department
budgets. An overview of that meeting would be presented in the Friday
packets to the Aldermen, and presented at the April 21, 1993 Council
meeting for preliminary approval.
DEPARTMENT HEAD REPORTS
Public Works Director Batt reported that Baxter & Woodman had
reported that a long lead time is needed to purchase electrical controls
and chemical feed pump equipment in preparation for work on Well #9 and
Water Treatment Plant #4. Baxter & Woodman recommended that the City
purchase the specific equipment immediately so that it would be on-line
when the new Pump House and Well were ready to proceed. Price proposals
were solicited from three different companies for the two specific items.
Motion by Smith, seconded by Adams, to approve the
recommendation of Baxter & Woodman and award the bid for Well #9
electrical controls to the low bidder, Gasvoda & Associates in the amount
of $15,477.00; and to award the bid for chemical feed pump equipment for
Water Treatment Plant #4 to the low bidder, Chemical Pump Sales & Service
in the amount of $3,000.
Voting Aye: Bolger, Donahue, Lieder, Locke,
Smith, Adams, Patterson, Serritella.
Voting Nay: None.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
April 7, 1993 Page 5
City Clerk Gilpin requested a motion to ratify, clarify and confirm
the sale of the old City Hall building at 1111 North Green Street.
Motion by Serritella, seconded by Patterson, to ratify and confirm
the authority of the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the contract, as
approved by the City Attorney for sale of 1111 N. Green Street to Edward
J. Neumann, Jr, who was awarded the bid.
Voting Aye: Bolger, Donahue, Lieder, Locke,
Smith, Adams, Patterson, Serritella.
Voting Nay: None.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
EXECUTIVE SESSIOft
Motion by Donahue, seconded by Bolger, to go into Executive Session
at 11:00 P.M. to discuss personnel.
Voting Aye: Bolger, Donahue, Lieder, Locke,
Smith, Adams, Patterson, Serritella.
Voting Nay: None.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
Motion by Serritella, seconded by Adams, to go back into Open Session
at 11:15 P.M.
Voting Aye: Bolger, Donahue, Lieder, Locke,
Smith, Adams, Patterson, Serritella.
Voting Nay: None.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion by Smith, seconded by Adams, to adjourn.
Voting Aye: Bolger, Donahue, Lieder, Locke,
Smith, Adams, Patterson, Serritella.
Voting Nay: None.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
The meeting adjourned at 11:15 P.M.
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CITY CLERK Y 0 R\,