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Nine aldermen were present for the meeting. Alderman Jeff Hoinacki
was absent for the evening. Also absent was city attorney Bill
Bates, with attorney Blinn Bates present in his stead.
New officers sworn in
Tuesday night three officers were sworn in -- two for the city
fire department and one for the police department.
Ashley Williams has been with the city fire department for one
year and has completed his probation period. As such he was sworn in
as a full-time firefighter for the department.
Chief Mark Miller said Williams went through his probation period
with flying colors, and he knows Williams will be a valuable asset
to the department.
There to witness Williams' swearing in was his wife, Amy.
The next one up was a new hire for the fire department, Chad
Kern. As a new hire, Kern was sworn in as a probationary
firefighter.
There to witness his swearing in were wife Crystal and sons Aiden
and Ethan.
In the city police department, Miles Craig was sworn in as a new
officer.
Police Chief Ken Greenslate spoke briefly, explaining that Craig
was a lateral hire, meaning that he is already has experience as an
officer of the law in other police departments. Greenslate said this
was a first for the city of Lincoln.
Miles, a native of Lincoln, worked as a policeman one year in
Mount Pulaski, followed by six years with the Logan County sheriff's
force.
There to witness the oath were Craig's parents, Ron and Marilyn,
and his fiancée, Angela Maestas.
Police department given approval to purchase SUVs
By unanimous vote, Greenslate got the OK to seek bids on two used
SUVs and one new squad car.
Prior to the vote, Alderman Buzz Busby asked Greenslate why he
was interested in purchasing SUVs.
Greenslate explained the department needs to diversify its
vehicles for a number of reasons.
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He recalled that this past winter during the blizzard conditions
that hit the city, squad cars proved to be ineffective in traversing
city streets. Mayor Keith Snyder supported the statement by
recalling that the police department had to rely on fire department
vehicles to help them get through the storm.
Greenslate is also leaning toward having vehicles that are not
immediately recognizable as city police. He said that squad cars
stand out, and when speeders see the cars they instantly slow down.
With less recognizable, unmarked vehicles, he hopes the force will
be able to make more stops and issue more tickets to violators.
Finally, Greenslate said the unmarked SUVs will be cheaper to
equip than a squad car. He noted in particular that unmarked
vehicles don't have light bars. When buying squad cars, these
special lights come at an additional cost. He said there are other
modifications required in the squads that won't be needed in the
SUVs.
Alderwoman Marty Neitzel wondered about some of the
specifications that would be included on the used vehicles -- for
example, whether there would be a limit on the mileage in the bid
specs.
Greenslate said the bid specifications would be for vehicles with
less than 40,000 miles. In addition the specs will require that the
SUVs be four-wheel drive.
Block party approved with no proof of insurance
The request from Mario Bonaparte for street closure in the 300
block of North Sheridan for a block party on Saturday was approved
unanimously without a requirement for proof of insurance.
During discussion on this topic, Snyder said he had talked to
representatives from the cities of Peoria, Galesburg and Oak Park.
In these three communities, there is no requirement for proof of
insurance for a block party.
Snyder said that in his conversations with Peoria, he learned
that the city government there distinguishes between block parties
and public events, based on the expectation of how many people will
be involved. They said that because block parties are generally
attended by only the people who live in the immediate community, the
numbers are low, so the risk to the city is also low.
Snyder said he has also talked to John Lebegue, Lincoln's
building and safety officer, and would like to have further
discussions in a council workshop about building a code for block
parties.
Neitzel said she thought it was a good idea but added that she
hopes whatever they come up with will be something simple, where
city residents can easily comply.
[By NILA SMITH] |
