|
 Snyder said the city is currently paying $2,512 per month or
$30,144 annualized. The new figure therefore amounted to a 16
percent increase in rent.
Snyder remembered there was a lot of discussion between the city and
county on the 2012 lease agreement. In the end, the city sent back a
signed, revised agreement. However, Snyder said the city has no
record that the county ever signed and returned that lease.
The Logan County Safety Complex, located at 911 Pekin Street, is
owned by the county, and the Logan County board oversees the
financial needs of the building. In addition to the city police
department, the complex also houses offices for the Logan County
sheriff, deputies and staff; the county jail, the Logan County 911
Emergency Telecommunications Department, and the Logan County
Emergency Management Agency.
As rent increase was being discussed, Michelle Bauer asked if the
increase is related to recent news that the county needs to invest
several dollars in roof repairs and heating and air conditioning
system upgrades. Police Chief Ken Greenslate said that he was aware
these things are needed, but no one had said the increase in rent is
related to those issues.
Melody Anderson told the council that the increase in rent was
$5,000 more than the city had budgeted for this fiscal year. Snyder
had earlier said that the city each year had added a COLA or cost of
living adjustment amount to the monthly rent and the budget for
2014-15 and been figured based on that factor.
Snyder said that ultimately at this time the city has a few options.
They could say yes, or they could say no, or they could try and talk
about it with the county board, and come up with a new agreement.
Snyder said he wondered if the board could change the terms of the
agreement. Right now the county fiscal year begins in December, but
the city won’t start a new budget year until May 1, 2015. If the
county would permit the lease agreement to start in May, at least
then the city would have an opportunity to work the new figure into
the budget.
Snyder said, “With a couple of you, we could sit down with some
members of the county board and see what we could work out.
Personally, I don’t think the county would appreciate if someone
came to them and asked them to increase their costs in the middle of
their fiscal year. I think they need to be mindful of what they are
asking of us.”
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As the discussion continued, aldermen talked about the need
to relocate the police department and some shot out ideas of
vacant buildings in the city that might be good candidates for
at least temporary location.
On a sidebar, Snyder said that there would be a meeting on
October 21 to interview architects who may be hired to design a
new city safety complex. For the past few years, the city has
discussed moving the police department out of the Logan County
Safety Complex because there is not sufficient space for their
operations.
Included in those discussions was the prospect of building a new
city safety complex that would house the police and fire
departments. Other discussions included combining the fire, police,
and city street and alley department into one location.
The city, when they adopted the Utility Tax, earmarked a portion of
those revenues that could be used to make payments on a new city
safety complex.
The city will also receive some monies from a soil contamination
reclamation project being done by Common Wealth Edison and Nicor
Gas. The reclamation project was mandated by the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency and will require re-location of the
current street department buildings located on 3rd street.
In the end, it was decided that Snyder should try to initiate
further discussion on this topic with members of the Logan County
Board. There will be no motion placed on the voting agenda for the
time being.
[Nila Smith]
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