CITY COUNCIL MEETING
JANUARY 7, 2008
7:00 P.M.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Call
the meeting to order to be led by Alderman Coleman in prayer, followed by
Jonathan, Megan and Nicholas Hayman.
Shall we rise?
ALDERMAN COLEMAN: Father
God, I want to start this prayer tonight saying thank You for keeping the
senior citizens that were in that fire, that no one died, that no one was
seriously hurt, but everything worked out.
We ask You to bless them in the name of Jesus, to be grateful and to be
careful and to realize that You are there for them in Jesus’ name. I pray for this Council tonight. I pray for the Mayor tonight that everything
will go according to Your will and purpose, that every person in here will be
prayerful, will forget themselves, indistinguishable of themselves and
let You reign that You might join us together to do what has to be done for the
City of Kankakee tonight in Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Alderman
Williams, would you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance?
ALDERMAN WILLIAMS AND ALL: Pledge of Allegiance.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Roll call.
CLERK DUMAS:
PRESENT:
Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost;
Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: We
have a quorum. Department Heads.
CLERK DUMAS:
PRESENT:
Kinkade; Young; Doyle; Spice; Bohlen; Power; Simms; Tyson; Shaw; Nolan; Fuerst (11)
ABSENT: Leshen; Gordon (2)
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: I’m
going to take some license since I’m sitting in this chair tonight. We’re going to pull item 10A from the
agenda. It’s my understanding from
interfacing with Mr. Yohnka and Assistant Corporation Counsel Pat Power and
Chairman Richard Diersen that there shall be some discussion tomorrow regarding
the business license matter. Ah, any
comments, Mr. Diersen?
ALDERMAN DIERSEN: No,
that takes care of it.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Okay,
thank you. Ah, with respect to minutes I’ll
entertain a motion from Alderman Hearn and a second by Alderman Coleman to
approve those minutes as recorded.
ALDERMAN HEARN: So
be it.
ALDERMAN COLEMAN: Second.
ALDERMAN PRO TEM HUNTER: There’s been a motion by Alderman Hearn, seconded by Alderman
Coleman. All those in favor, signify by
the sign of Aye. Opposed, same sign.
MOTION TO APPROVE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF
DECEMBER 17, 2007
ALDERMAN PRO TEM HUNTER: Motion passes. Thank you
very much. Ah, Petitions. There are none. Any Petitions from the Floor? Ah, let’s go to Communications. Comcast additions to the channel lineup. A letter dated December 19, 2007. That’s information only. Alejandro Totomoch of 970 S. Lincoln Avenue
is requesting a six-month residential noise permit for band practice.
ALDERMAN BARON: Your
Honor, I would ask that that particular Petition be Tabled.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Ah,
we’ll just pull it from the agenda and I assume that you’ll be interfacing with
that family?
ALDERMAN EPSTEIN: That’s
correct.
ALDERMAN BARON: indistinguishable
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Okay. Thank you.
Okay. I’d like to recognize Chief
Young who has a presentation to make.
CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: First
of all, tomorrow night’s Police and Fire Commission meeting and Public Safety
meeting will be at 1600 E. Willow at our temporary offices. So, if you don’t know where that’s at, see me
after the meeting. I’d like Mr. Caleb
Hansen to please come up here with me.
Tonight we’re going to award Mr. Hansen with our Citizen’s Heroism
Award. I’d just like to recap what
transpired. On November 17, 2007, at
13:16, 1:15 roughly, a house fire was reported at 334 N. Illinois. The initial report was a working fire with
heavy smoke showing. All occupants were
out of the house prior to our arrival.
Assistant Pastor Caleb Hansen of the Faith Baptist Church in Bourbonnais
was in the area when the fire broke out.
The resident at 334 N. Illinois was unable to get to the phone or move
her handicapped husband to safety and ran outside for help. Mr. Hansen entered the burning building and
pulled the resident outside to safety. I
strongly feel that this citizen acted in an outstanding manner that should not
go overlooked. I would like to nominate
Caleb Hansen to receive the Citizen’s Heroism Award and be recognized by the
City Council. The award states, From
the Kankakee Fire Department, this Citizen’s Heroism Award. This award is presented to Caleb Hansen for
his life saving effort on November 17, 2007, for removing a disabled victim
from a fully involved structure fire. Signed
Fire Chief Ron Young and Mayor Donald E. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Hansen.
CALEB HANSEN: I
want to thank you, Council. I want to
thank you, Mayor and I want to thank you Fire Chief Young for this award. I definitely don’t feel like I’m deserving. I believe my actions that Saturday afternoon
were those of.......many would have done the same thing if they were in the
same situation. And, so, I thank you so
much for that. I definitely don’t feel
like I’m deserving of that. I also would
like to thank the Fire Department for all the hard work that they put in. When I was at the scene and I was watching
them.........vehicles pulled up and they executed their job very, very well. And, ah, I just thank you for all the hard
work and the time that you put into your job.
And, your Fire Department does an excellent job at the fires. I want to thank you for that.
CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: Thank
you.
CALEB HANSEN: I
believe that, ah, that Saturday impacted my life and my ministry just for the simple
fact of seeing somebody being pulled out and that opportunity, just like James
Autman, there are many other people that are in danger of fire, not a physical
fire, but a eternal fire. And, to pull
them out and to show them that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven and that
his blood can wash away our sins and enable us to escape that eternal destiny
of hellfire. And, so, I just thank you
so much for this award. I definitely do
not feel like I am worthy of that and I believe, like many, many other citizens
would have done the same thing if they were in the situation. Thank you.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Chief
Young, Chief Young, since you’re up here, can you give us a recap on what
transpired at 340 N. Dearborn? I know we
had a discussion on that and I know there was something in the newspaper today
regarding.........can you give us an update?
CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: The,
ah, at 340 N. Dearborn, as you know, we had a structure fire on the second
floor. Firefighters arrived on the scene
with life smoke showing. The fire
quickly escalated into heavy fire on the second floor with heavy damage and
smoke damage. Moderate amount of smoke
damage on the third floor and minor amount of smoke damage on the fourth and
fifth floor with water damage........extensive water damage on the first
floor. Two pipes burst in the apartment
that caused that water damage. It wasn’t
from the Fire Department. Ah, but we had
approximately 100 residents that were displaced. We had a reunification center set up at the
Resource Center to try to account for those residents at 340 N. Dearborn. We were able to account for 74 of the 99
residents. We were assisted on the scene
by numerous agencies and other organizations, other departments. I want to say thanks to all those departments,
especially the Police Department for a great job helping us at the Resource
Center along with the CERTS and the other departments in the area. Right now, we did, ah, along with the Code
Department, went through 340 N. Dearborn on Friday morning, the morning after
the fire, with an architect as well as the Kankakee County Housing Authority,
to assess the damage and to see when those residents can move back in. As of today, they’re not able to move back
in. They’re having some issues with their
fire alarm. I do believe that the
notification from the fire alarm probably saved many lives that night because
they were........they thought it was a drill and they were moving accordingly. And, that’s to exit the building. But, ah, so right now, ah, they’re waiting on
that fire alarm to get up and active. I
do believe that the fourth and the fifth floors are close to being able to be
occupied and that’s where we stand with it.
ALDERMAN COX: Chief,
was there any heat at the Armory?
CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: Yes,
there was heat at the Armory to my understanding.
ALDERMAN COX: Was
there heat that night?
CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: That
I’d have to call the building manager from the Armory. I was mainly concerned with the operations
that were going on at 340 N. Dearborn.
ALDERMAN COX: Well,
indistinguishable. Was there heat
at the Armory?
CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: Yeah.
ALDERMAN COX: Why
did they move to Morningstar then?
CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: The
Armory was set up as a reunification center, not a shelter. Reunification center was to be accountable
for the people that....... the residents that live there. As far as a shelter, that.......that’s the
responsibility of the American Red Cross and the Kankakee County Housing
Authority.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Thank
you very much, Chief.
CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: Thank
you.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Ah,
Reports of Officers.
ALDERMAN WILLIAMS: I
move to approve the Report of Officers, place the money into the proper
accounts and pay the bills in the amount of $2,370,686.52.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Alderman
Ciaccio, you want to second that?
ALDERMAN CIACCIO: Second.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: There’s
been a motion made by Alderman Williams and seconded by Alderman Ciaccio that
we pay the bills in the amounts as stated.
Roll call.
CLERK DUMAS:
AYE:
Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost;
Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)
REPORT OF OFFICERS
APPROVAL OF BILLS - $2,370,686.52
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Motion
passes. Let’s go back up to Standing
Committees. I don’t want to leave you
guys out. Public Works.
ALDERMAN TROST: General
information is our packet, sir.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Planning
and Code.
ALDERMAN EPSTEIN: Ah,
information is in the packet, sir.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Good
enough. Ah, Unfinished Business. Ah, the Business License–as I indicated–that’s
been pulled from the agenda. Ah,
under............any Unfinished Business from the Floor? Any Unfinished Business from the Floor? New Business.
Ah, and, I’d like to see both of these matters, if you can, move to
approve both of them together. There’s
been one change, I guess, regarding the Planning Board. That December meeting has been changed to December
16. Is that right Loretto? So I’ll entertain a motion by Alderman Grant
and a second by Alderman Jones to approve these recommendations on the dates as
indicated. Yes, Alderman Schwade?
ALDERMAN SCHWADE: Oh,
I was just wondering, Your Honor, ah, City Hall isn’t closed on Lincoln’s
birthday is it? I’m sure it’s not. I think it’s President’s Day.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Yeah,
it is. Okay. All those in favor, signify by sign of
Aye. Opposed same sign.
RECOMMENDATION TO ACCEPT THE 2008 CALENDAR DATES FOR
THE
REGULAR MEETINGS OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION
COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF KANKAKEE
RECOMMENDATION TO ACCEPT THE 2008 CALENDAR DATES FOR
THE
REGULAR MEETINGS OF THE PLANNING BOARD OF THE CITY OF
KANKAKEE
WITH CHANGE OF DECEMBER 16, 2008
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Motion
passes. Thank you very much. Okay, item number C. Change Order No. 1 from Ruder Electric for
the door control, video, security and communication cabling system of the
future Kankakee City Hall building. Now,
I heard some comments by Mr. Simms when he was interfacing with Alderman
Brown. Mr. Simms, would you like to make
a few more comments?
RICHARD SIMMS: Yes,
I’d like to explain. It says Ruder
Electric. We actually have had Change
Order No. 1 from Ruder Electric. This is
Ruder Communication which is......I don’t know the corporate structure, but it
is a sister or subsidiary of Ruder Electric.
In any case, you may recall that we bid the security system, the phone
system and the door lock systems out after we had done the rest of the
work. So, we knew there would be some
additional installation of cabinetry and racks and that’s what this change
order is. We, basically, bid
the........when we designed this building, the architect said do you want us to
design the security system, the phone system and the internet system? We said no, we have our own in the City. We will write the specs. And, that’s what we did, so they did not
accommodate for the cabinetry that’s necessary.
Ruder Electric is..... Communications is the low bidder and received the
security and cabling bid so they should be the ones that are given the change
order to actually put the cabinetry up.
We knew this was coming. We didn’t
know how much, but we think it’s a reasonable cost and this basically will
allow us to install all of the security system in the existing electrical rooms
under construction.
ALDERMAN PRO TEM HUNTER: Okay. Ah, Alderman Brown,
since you were discussing this matter with Mr. Simms, I’ll entertain your
motion to approve. Is there a second?
ALDERMAN JONES:
Second.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Second by Alderman..........
ALDERMAN SCHWADE:
Jones.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Jones
and Schwade. Roll call.
ALDERMAN SCHWADE: May
I just ask........
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Yes,
question.
ALDERMAN SCHWADE: Is
it the $4,069 the total of the two?
RICHARD SIMMS: Yes.
ALDERMAN SCHWADE: All
right. Thank you.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Okay. Any other questions, comments, concerns? Questions, comments, concerns. Roll call.
CLERK DUMAS:
AYE:
Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost;
Jones; Schwade; Coleman (13)
NAY: Cox (1)
CHANGE ORDER NO. 1 FROM RUDER ELECTRIC FOR THE DOOR
CONTROL,
VIDEO, SECURITY AND COMMUNICATIONS CABLING SYSTEMS OF
THE
FUTURE KANKAKEE CITY HALL BUILDING
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Motion
passes. Any New Business from the floor,
ladies and gentlemen? Any New Business
from the floor? Any new Business from
the floor? No Motions and Resolutions
and I know Alderman Williams, you have a comment?
ALDERMAN WILLIAMS: Yeah,
well I don’t have a comment, but I just wanted to.......if we’re going to have
Executive Session, just to move that up so that we can get that out of the
way.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Any.......any
Aldermanic comments? So noted. Alderman Diersen.
ALDERMAN DIERSEN: I
just want to announce that the Ordinance Committee scheduled for the 23rd,
we going to move that up to the 15th if Attorney Leshen can be
available at that time. So.......
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Okay.
ALDERMAN DIERSEN: So,
for the Ordinance Committee members, if you don’t hear anything from me, that
meeting will be the 15th instead of the 23rd.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Okay.
Duly noted. Any other comments
from the Aldermen?
ALDERMAN COLEMAN: I
have one.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Alderman
Coleman.
ALDERMAN COLEMAN: Well,
I wanted to make mention of how our Police Department and our Fire Department indistinguishable
the high rise. I felt proud to be
part of this administration. And, I want
to say thank you. I know Chief indistinguishable
and Chief Kinkade and Chief Young indistinguishable. I think they did an excellent job. Also, Morningstar did a good job. And, I just want to say thank you.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Come
on, guys, stand up. Come on. They saved a lot of lives. There being no other Aldermanic comments, ah,
I’d like to entertain a motion that we go into Executive Session to discuss
Personnel. Motion by Alderman
Ciaccio.......
ALDERMAN CIACCIO: No,
no, no, no. I want to make a motion that
we put the Executive Session off ‘til next meeting ‘til the Mayor Green gets
here.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Is
there a second?
ATTORNEY BOHLEN: No,
we need to.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: No,
we need to do this. There being no
second, is there another motion? Is
there another motion to go into Executive Session?
ALDERMAN GRANT: So
moved.
ALDERMAN EPSTEIN: Second.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Alderman
Swanson (Grant) makes a motion, seconded by Alderman Epstein to go into
Executive Session to discuss Personnel.
Roll call.
CLERK DUMAS:
AYE:
Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones;
Schwade; Coleman; Cox (13)
NAY:
Ciaccio (1)
MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS
PERSONNEL
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Motion passes. Can we clear the Council Chambers, please?
7:19
P.M.
7:29
P.M.
ATTORNEY BOHLEN: Open
the doors, please.
ALDERMAN EPSTEIN: Okay,
yeah.
ATTORNEY BOHLEN: Before
we do anything else.
ALDERMAN BROWN: Do
you want to make a motion and I’ll second?
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: She’s
gonna’.......she’s got something.
ALDERMAN EPSTEIN: I
just have an announcement to make. Do we
need to do anything?
ATTORNEY BOHLEN: I
don’t think we need to take any action.
ALDERMAN BROWN: Oh,
we don’t?
ATTORNEY BOHLEN: No. I understand what my direction’s been.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Okay. Alderman Epstein.
ALDERMAN EPSTEIN: I
just have a very quick announcement. The
Code Meeting that is scheduled for January 17, I have Kankakee High School Hall
of Fame Dinner that night. And, we would
like to change it to January 24. Space
Center at 5:15 P.M.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Okay,
proper notices will be sent out to us as well?
ALDERMAN EPSTEIN: But,
I just wanted to make it announced tonight.
I spoke with Eric a few minutes ago.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Duly
noted. There being no further business.
ATTORNEY BOHLEN: We
need to remind all of the Council members and public that the next meeting will
be at the Resource Center.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Okay.
ALDERMAN JONES:
I saw them putting new
windows in today. Are they all in now,
or?
ATTORNEY BOHLEN: I
don’t know. They were working on them
last week or this week.
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: There’s
a motion by Alderman Trost, seconded by Alderman Swanson (Grant) to
adjourn the meeting. All those in favor,
signify by Aye. Opposed, same sign.
MOTION TO ADJOURN CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MAYOR PRO TEM HUNTER: Motion
passes. Meeting adjourned.
7:31
P.M.