City of Rockford Planning & Development Committee met June 8.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
I. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor McNamara called the meeting to order at 5:35 pm.
A. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Alderman Beach said the invocation and Mayor McNamara led the Pledge of Allegiance.
B. MAYOR MCNAMARA'S REPORTS
a. Mayor McNamara gave a quick update about recent communications:
He thanked everyone for sharing their information with the City. Let the City know if you have not been receiving enough communication.
He thanked the Rockford Police Department for helping to safely support the peaceful protests this week.
He stated that he supports Chief O'Shea and the work that he has done. He has brought a tremendous level of engagement to our community and has dived into our community in areas that the City of Rockford has not seen in a long time. This includes the Strong houses, ROCK houses, partnerships with United Way, block parties and other youth events.
He signed a mayoral pledge from the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance which is a pledge to review the City’s Use of Force Policies stating that the City of Rockford will engage a diverse community in that review. The City will report back to the community, ask for feedback from the community and then it will be brought before the City Council if there are any changes to the Use of Force Policies. The City also urged other municipalities to join the City in this review.
He directed City staff to put a Request for Information (RFI) together for body cameras. They have 14 days to do that and then the RFI will be open for 30 days and then be presented to City Council and City staff.
Lastly, tomorrow there will be a press conference announcing listening sessions put on by a number of leaders in our community. Some of the listening sessions will be public and some will be private.
Alderman Hervey stated that she believes that the initial cost for the body cameras is minimal however, the major costs comes from staff/administrative hours, responding to FOIA requests and the software that redacts any private pictures/faces on the videos. She requested the estimated costs of personnel (sworn or civilian) and pay rates.
Mayor McNamara asked Chief O'Shea to comment on Alderman Hervey’s statements. Chief O’Shea stated that Alderman Hervey is exactly right that there are a lot of other costs involved and they will take all of that into consideration.
C. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Brother John Tac Brantley quoted scripture and stated that today we are dealing with a new world order. He reported that they are taking the kids to Lockwood Park, and they will be involved in the Great American Clean up.
Mr. Brantley discussed emails that he has received about Chief O'Shea and that we need a dialogue and we need to find a resolution which would include the list of concerns. He asked that the library, swimming pools and recreational centers be reopened.
II. CALL TO ORDER OF THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT MEETING
Alderman Rose called the Planning and Development Meeting to order at 5:50 pm.
| Attendee Name | Organization | Title | Status | Arrived |
| Tim Durkee | City of Rockford | Alderman | Present | |
| Linda McNeely | City of Rockford | Alderman | Present | |
| Chad Tuneberg | City of Rockford | Alderman | Present | |
| Natavias Ervins | City of Rockford | Alderman | Present | |
| Bill Rose | City of Rockford | Alderman | Present |
A. Authorization to apply for and accept Rebuild Illinois Public Infrastructure (RIPI) Program Grant funds from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for $5,000,000 if awarded. The City will offer a 34% cost match.
Kyle Saunders, Director of Public Works stated that the Public Works Department has received notice of the availability of DCEO Rebuild Illinois Grant Funds for Fiscal Year 2020. The objective of this program is to provide assistance to local governments for completion of vital public infrastructure projects that will increase economic development opportunities and improve the quality of life in the areas improved.
Staff is proposing to apply for a $5,000,000 DCEO Rebuild Illinois Public Infrastructure Grant to fund water main improvements along Auburn Street. Specifically, west of the Auburn and Main Street roundabout and all the way west to Central Avenue. The water main was originally installed in 1915. If awarded, these funds would advance water main improvements and cover 66% of the costs associated with approximately 11,456 LF of high-risk water main replacement and the elimination of more than 165-suspected lead service lines. Local funds in the amount of $2,596,700 (34%) will be offered as a local cost match and will come from the Water Replacement and Improvement Account Fund (WRIA).
A resolution authorizing this Grant Application and the commitment of local funds (i.e., local match) is required by DCEO and is to be submitted with the DCEO Rebuild Illinois Public Infrastructure Grant Applications on or about June 30, 2020. The Public Works Department also requests authorization to accept these grant funds, if awarded by DCEO.
Alderman Durkee made a motion to approve the Committee Report and Alderman McNeely seconded the motion. MOTION PREVAILED. 5-0
RESULT: APPROVED BY COMMITTEE [UNANIMOUS]
Next: 6/8/2020 5:45 PM
AYES: Durkee, McNeely, Tuneberg, Ervins, Rose
Alderman Tuneberg made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Alderman Durkee. Meeting adjourned at 5:53 p.m.
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