 The consent agenda passed first with a 9-0 vote. Items on that
agenda included a proclamation for the month of December to be Drunk
and Drugged Driving Prevention Month in Lincoln, and the approval of
an audit report that will be submitted to the Illinois Department of
Transportation for the 2008-2009 fiscal year.
The group also voted on a new general obligation bond and heard
from Chuck Conzo, city treasurer, on the state of city finances at
the end of October.
Bond approved 7-1
Paul Brown of First Midstate was on hand to present the official
ordinance document for the city's new general obligation bond. The
document was several pages long and not read aloud during the
meeting.
Brown offered an overview, saying the ordinance contained several
pages that outlined all the steps the city had taken to secure the
bond, including the public hearing and discussions.
He said the bond, if approved, would be in the amount of $500,000
and would be issued on Dec. 1. He also noted that the city was
getting into the new bond at a good time, as interest rates are low.
It was also discussed that the bond requirement included at least
5 percent of the money being used within the first six months of the
issue and all the money being expended by the end of the three-year
term.
City attorney Bill Bates asked if First Midstate had located
local investors for the bond, and Brown said that indeed they had,
and that State Bank of Lincoln is the bond registrar.
When this topic came to discussion, Alderwoman Melody Anderson
excused herself from the room due to a conflict in interest, as her
career is with investments.
When the vote was taken, seven council members approved the bond
issuance. While Alderman Tom O'Donohue did pause and contemplate his
vote, he did vote yes. However, Alderman David Wilmert chose to
enter a vote of no.
Conzo reviews finances
Conzo submitted a written report to the council and offered a
very brief overview. He noted that in the month of October the state
of Illinois had issued $492,378.25 in funds to the city. However, in
looking at the report, of the seven payments received, four were for
money due in July.
Conzo noted that in October the city received no state income tax
payment. He said this was an early indication of the state beginning
to fall behind in their payments.
The city's general fund bank balance is still in the black, but
narrowly so. As of the end of October, the bank balance was
$84,275.86, compared with $895,769.54 at this time last year.
Changes to appropriations approved
By unanimous vote, the 2010-2011 appropriations ordinance was
amended to include additional money received from the motor fuel tax
and to adjust expenditures in the line for city police clerical
staff, as well as make a change in the amount to be paid to the
Logan County Joint Solid Waste Agency for their annual agreement
with the city.
ETSB agreement renewed
The city will renew its emergency communications agreement with
the Logan County Emergency Telephone System Board, or ETSB. This
provides the 911 services in the city and is maintained at the Logan
County Safety Complex by the Logan County Emergency Management
Agency.
The ETSB had asked for a $9,000 increase from the city and
county. However, after discussing it, Snyder said that EMA director
Dan Fulscher had compromised to a $6,000 increase this year and 5
percent annual increases hereafter.
Snyder said the county had just entered into an identical
agreement with ETSB.
The council approved the contract renewal by unanimous vote.
[to top of second column] |
 Change in meeting times effective in January
With a unanimous vote, it was decided that in the year 2011 all
city council meetings will commence at 7 p.m.
This is a change from the past, in that generally the meetings on
the first and third Mondays of the month began at 7:15.
In other news
Snyder said he has learned that the city will not be awarded
$2,000,000 from a TIGER2 grant application it had filed jointly with
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital. The funding, if received, would
have gone to the construction of the circle road that will join the
new hospital to Woodlawn Road.
However, Snyder said that the hospital still intends to go
forward with the project.
The city was also turned down on a grant application to HUD that
would have provided $156,000 for a redevelopment study of the
Lincoln Developmental Center campus. Snyder added there will be an
opportunity to debrief with one of the grant reviewers. He said this
would help the city identify what the weaknesses were in the first
application and will assist in submitting a better document the next
time these funds are made available.
The city has also been turned down on a grant application to the
Illinois Department of Transportation. The $1,875,000 grant was
earmarked for downtown streetscape improvements.
Snyder said this money would have gone to construction, and he
felt the reason the city did not win is that there were other
locations farther along in the process.
On the bright side, he said a grant application to the Department
of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has not yet been awarded, so
the city may still be in the running for that one.
The DCEO grant would provide funding for the development of a
plan for the downtown streetscape. If the city should win this, they
will be able to move forward with planning, which could put them in
a better position the next time IDOT grants become available.
Snyder also reviewed briefly the development of a high-speed rail
committee. A news release from
the mayor is in today's Top Stories.
And finally, Kathy Vinyard of the Paint the Town Red group has
advised Tibbs that currently there are 12,000 red tulip bulbs in the
ground around the city. The group has set a goal of 15,000 tulips,
one for every Lincolnite, and is still hoping for additional
donations before it gets too cold to plant.
[By NILA SMITH]
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