City of Rockford Planning & Development Committee met March 13.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
I. CALL TO ORDER
| Attendee Name | Organization | Title | Status | Arrived |
| Tim Durkee | City of Rockford | Alderman | Absent | |
| Linda McNeely | City of Rockford | Alderman | Absent | |
| Karen Hoffman | City of Rockford | Alderman | Present | |
| Janessa Wilkins | City of Rockford | Alderman | Present | |
| Gina Meeks | City of Rockford | Alderman | Present |
II. PLEDGE AND INVOCATION
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Alderman Gina Meeks and the Invocation was led by the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois.
III. PROCLAMATIONS
Mayor McNamara presented a Proclamation to the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois. March 12th, 2023 marked the 111th anniversary of Girl Scouts of the USA. The Mayor proclaimed the week of March 12th through March 18th, 2023 to be "Girl Scout Week".
IV. PUBLIC SPEAKERS
1. Prophet Yusef of Rockford, Illinois recited scripture and shared his ideas regarding unity, love, justice, and economic development in Rockford.
2. Rev. Earl Dotson, Sr. recited scripture and spoke about justice, racism, economic change, and humanity in our city.
3. John Tac Brantley recited scripture and spoke about his work in the community. With the help of the city he started transporting students to school from
Fairgrounds and he finds it very important to help and look out for the future generation.
V. INFORMATION ONLY
1. Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (RACVB) Quarterly Report FY23 (Q1 July-September 2022) and Quarterly Report FY23 (Q2 October December 2022)
John Groh, President of the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (RACVB) and Tiana McCall, Board vice Chair presented their 2022 Quarterly Reports. They reviewed what RACVB does including developments, festivals, restaurants, and events in Rockford such as Stroll on State. They spoke about the Rockford area’s economic recovery from the pandemic and used the growth in demand for area hotels as an indicator. Specifically, area hotels reported an 11% increase in room occupancy in 2022 from 2019 reported numbers.
Group discussed.
VI. COMMITTEE REPORTS
1. Committee recommends approval of the amendment to the HOME-ARP Allocation 2021 Annual Action Plan. The Legal Director shall prepare the appropriate ordinance.
Sarah Brinkman spoke about the HOME-ARP allocation plan from which the city received $3.6 million. Consultants were hired who, in addition to different Rockford-area agencies made suggestion on how to spend the funds. Persons who would qualify to benefit from the plan include: homeless people, people at risk of homelessness, victims of domestic violence and victims of sex trafficking.
Amongst other things, the plan would focus on appropriate solutions for these qualified members of society.
Group discussed. Alderman Wilkins made a motion to approve and Alderman Hoffman seconded the motion. Motion prevailed 3-0.
| RESULT: APPROVED BY COMMITTEE [UNANIMOUS]
AYES: Karen Hoffman, Janessa Wilkins, Gina Meeks ABSENT: Tim Durkee, Linda McNeely |
2. Committee recommends approval of the amendments to the Intercreditor Agreement for the Rockford Community Investment Fund (Community Development Financial Institution). The Legal Director shall prepare the appropriate ordinance.
Assistant City Attorney Jacob Rubin stated that the City had previously made contributions to this fund. The proposed Amendment seeks to allow interested parties contribute to the fund. Approval of this amendment would not require the
City to contribute more dollars into the fund.
There was no discussion. Alderman Hoffman made a motion to approve and Alderman Wilkins seconded the motion. Motion prevailed 3-0.
| RESULT: APPROVED BY COMMITTEE [UNANIMOUS]
AYES: Karen Hoffman, Janessa Wilkins, Gina Meeks ABSENT: Tim Durkee, Linda McNeely |
1. Committee recommends approval of a Resolution calling for a Public Hearing and convening a Joint Review Board in connection with a new Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District.
Anna Garrison spoke about the staff's engagement with Ryan LLC to analyze the eligibility for, and draft a redevelopment plan for a new Barber Colman TIF District. According to the TIF statute, the proposed resolution will authorize the City to hold a Joint Revenue Board meeting on April 6, 2023 with stakeholder taxing bodies. The proposed Barber Colman TIF will cover the same area as the current S Main-Rock St TIF District.
There was no discussion. Alderman Wilkins made a motion to approve and Alderman Hoffman seconded the motion. Motion prevailed 3-0.
| RESULT: APPROVED BY COMMITTEE [UNANIMOUS]
AYES: Karen Hoffman, Janessa Wilkins, Gina Meeks ABSENT: Tim Durkee, Linda McNeely |
VIII. ADJOURNMENT
Alderman Wilkins moved to adjourn the meeting and Alderman Hoffman seconded it. Motion prevailed with a unanimous voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 6:15 pm.
http://rockfordcityil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileView.aspx?Type=12&ID=2240
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