Kankakee Times

Kankakee City Council met Tuesday, Jan. 3.

The Kankakee City Council meets at 7 p.m. on the first and third Monday of each month in Council Chambers at the Donald E. Green Public Safety Center, 385 E. Oak St.

Here are the minutes as provided by Kankakee:

CITY OF KANKAKEE

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

JANUARY 3, 2017 7:01 P.M.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Good evening. I’d like to call the meeting to order. Welcome to 2017, our first Council meeting going paperless, also. Happy to see all the laptops open. Some of you printed out the agenda. I appreciate that ‘cause I do paper. Hopefully, I think–Carl, yours didn’t load properly? But, I think one out of fourteen isn’t bad. So, ah, thank you for that. We have no prayer this evening. The children from.

CLERK DUMAS: I’m sorry, Mayor. Gloria.Alderman Kennedy said she’ll volunteer to pray.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Oh, all right. Alderman, would you like to lead us in prayer?

ALDERWOMAN KENNEDY: Sure. Heavenly Father, we come this afternoon asking a special blessing upon City Council. Each member of Council, those that are represented here from the community. We ask that You look in on us, pastor this place with grace and mercy. Help us to do the City’s business as You would have us to do. Clear our hearts and clear our minds that we have one agenda and we all work together to achieve that which is right for the City, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Thank you. At this time I would like to ask Sara Loring’s Kindergarten Dual Language class from Mark Twain to come forward and lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Is this your whole class? That’s a good student-teacher ratio.

MS. SARA LORING’S KINDERGARTEN DUAL LANGUAGE STUDENTS FROM MARK TWAIN AND ALL: Pledge of Allegiance

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Thank you very much. Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

PRESENT: Tetter; Brown; Curtis; Baron; Wells-Armstrong; Tall; Faford; Swanson; Crawford; Osenga; O’Brien; Gall; Kennedy; Davidson (14)

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Department Heads.

CLERK DUMAS:

PRESENT: Regnier; Perkins; Kubal; Bohlen; Power; Dear; Tyson; Cross; Bertrand; Yohnka; Schmitz (11)

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Ah, moving on. A motion to approve the minutes of the December 19, 2016, meeting.

ALDERMAN OSENGA: So moved, Mayor Epstein.

ALDERMAN CRAWFORD: I’ll second.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Motion by Alderman Osenga, seconded by Alderman Crawford. Are there any additions or corrections to the minutes? Hearing none, all those in favor, aye. Opposed, same sign.

MOTION TO APPROVE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF DECEMBER 19, 2016

MAYOR EPSTEIN: The minutes are approved. There are no Petitions. Under Communications, that is for information only. No Standing Committees for this evening so we’ll move onto Report of Officers. And, I would like a motion to pay the bills.

ALDERMAN FAFORD: Your honor, I would move that we approve the Report of Officers, place the money in the proper accounts and pay the bills in the amount of $209,672.63.

ALDERMAN TALL: I’ll second the motion.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Motion by Alderman Faford, seconded by Alderman Tall. Are there any questions on any of the bills?

ALDERWOMAN WELLS-ARMSTRONG: I have one, Mayor. I’m trying to find it.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Okay, take your time.

ALDERWOMAN WELLS-ARMSTRONG: I apologize.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: That’s all right.

NANCY SMITHBERG: Could you speak up?

ALDERWOMAN WELLS-ARMSTRONG: I reviewed this last night.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Okay.

ALDERWOMAN WELLS-ARMSTRONG: I think it was for ArtSpace. I think it was $10,000.00.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Yes, there is a bill on there for ArtSpace.

ALDERWOMAN WELLS-ARMSTRONG: Okay.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: That’s.what we approved the last time to ask them to do an assessment of the community. The cost was $20,000.00. If you remember, we’re sharing it amongst four partners. That was the half of it. Half now, half when they complete the project. So, the City did $5,000.00 and HomeStar Bank has already given us their $5,000.00. So, we cut the check for $10,000.00.

ALDERWOMAN WELLS-ARMSTRONG: Okay. That was my question because I remember we agreed to $5,000.00.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: That’s correct. But, their five is in that also.

ALDERWOMAN WELLS-ARMSTRONG: Okay. Thank you.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Um huh (affirmative). Any other questions?

ALDERMAN OSENGA: Your honor, I don’t have a question, but I would make a comment. Regarding the bills for today, we had three fairly large bills for Fire personnel going to school, advancing their education. And, I understand this is a contractual issue. Ah, last year we paid out about $11,000.00 for Fire personnel to go to school. And, this round of bills is $10,000.00. And, ah, I know while most of the other union groups, if not all of them, forego their schooling, their education. And, I think this is something that, as we, you know, next round of contractual negotiations, it’s something we need to take a very hard look at. Ah, we just, you know, we’re trying to keep the City afloat here and it’s very hard to do when these kinds of bills are coming. I would just ask that, you know, next negotiations we look at this very hard.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Thank you, Alderman. Any other questions on any of the other bills? Okay. Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Tetter; Brown; Curtis; Baron; Wells-Armstrong; Tall; Faford; Swanson; Crawford; Osenga; O’Brien (Although I abstain on check #71313); Gall; Kennedy; Davidson (14)

REPORT OF OFFICERS APPROVAL OF BILLS - $ 209,672.63

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Motion carries. Moving onto New Business. The first item on the agenda is a recommendation to accept the 2017 Planning Board meeting dates. Do I have a motion to approve those dates?

ALDERWOMAN SWANSON: So moved.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Motion by Alderman Swanson.

ALDERMAN TETTER: Second.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Seconded by Alderman Tetter. Any objections? All those in favor, aye. Opposed, same sign.

RECOMMENDATION TO ACCEPT THE 2017 CALENDAR DATES FOR THE REGULAR MEETINGS OF THE PLANNING BOARD OF THE CITY OF KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS

(Correction from last meeting)

MAYOR EPSTEIN: The dates are approved. Moving onto the next item. It’s an Ordinance declaring certain property surplus from the City Clerk’s office. And, those items are attached to the Ordinance. Do I have a motion to Suspend the Rules?

ALDERWOMAN WELLS-ARMSTRONG: So moved.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Motion by Alderwoman Wells-Armstrong.

ALDERMAN FAFORD: Second.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Seconded by Alderman Faford to Suspend the Rules that would interfere with the passage of the Ordinance. Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS: I just wanted to say officially goodbye to all the old binders we had to declare ‘em surplus to get ‘em out.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Tetter; Brown; Curtis; Baron; Wells-Armstrong; Tall; Faford; Swanson; Crawford; Osenga; O’Brien; Gall; Kennedy; Davidson (14)

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Motion carries. Motion to place the Ordinance on Final Passage.

ALDERWOMAN WELLS-ARMSTRONG: So moved.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Motion by Alderwoman Wells-Armstrong.

ALDERMAN FAFORD: Second.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Seconded by Alderman Faford. Any questions? Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Tetter; Brown; Curtis; Baron; Wells-Armstrong; Tall; Faford; Swanson; Crawford; Osenga; O’Brien; Gall; Kennedy; Davidson (14)

ORDINANCE DECLARING CERTAIN PROPERTY SURPLUS OF THE CITY OF KANKAKEE – CITY CLERK’S OFFICE -AND AUTHORIZING THE SALE THEREOF

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Motion carries. There are no Appointments this evening. Nor are there Motions and Resolutions nor an Executive Session is not needed. There are no Public Comments this evening so we’ll move onto any comments or concerns by the Aldermen. Motion to adjourn.

ALDERWOMAN SWANSON: So moved.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Motion by Alderman Swanson.

ALDERWOMAN WELLS-ARMSTRONG: Second.

MAYOR EPSTEIN: Seconded by Alderwoman Wells-Armstrong. All those in favor, aye. Opposed.

MOTION TO ADJOURN CITY COUNCIL MEETING

MAYOR EPSTEIN: We are adjourned.