City of Yorkville Administration Committee met Feb. 15.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
Note: This meeting was held in accordance with Public Act 101-0640 and Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation issued by Governor Pritzker pursuant to the powers vested in the Governor under the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act. This allows remote attendance for this meeting to encourage social distancing due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
All attendees were in-person.
Committee Members In Attendance:
Vice-Chairman Chris Funkhouser
Alderman Dan Transier
Alderman Craig Soling
Alderman Seaver Tarulis
Other City Officials In Attendance:
Assistant City Administrator Erin Willrett
Finance Director Rob Fredrickson
Others in Attendance:
Mike Krempski Jennifer Schnurr
Roxanne Boyce Norm Baxa
Dianne Shaffer
The meeting was called to order at 6:00pm by Vice-Chairman Chris Funkhouser and he acknowledged those in attendance.
Citizen Comments:
Mr. Norm Baxa of 1208 Sunset said there is an ongoing noise problem at Pinheadz Bowling Alley particularly on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The noise from the bass can be heard outside and inside his home. He has called the police about the noise and occasionally some of the activities there and has worked with Alderman Soling for over a year. Mr. Soling called a meeting with city staff, the Police Chief and the new owners. The owners claim they want to be friends with the residents, but the problems continue. Mr. Baxa said the Pinheadz personnel become nasty after the second or third call. He said the owners built a band stage and said there would be soundproofing materials on the stage which is about 75 feet from his house. Mr. Baxa is hoping the city can draft a new sound ordinance or adjust the current one.
Ms. Roxanne Boyce has been contacting the police department since 2010 regarding noise violations. She said the business [Pinheadz] is not a bowling alley, but rather a dance hall. She said the noise is horrendous at midnight or 1:00am, yet at times there are only 3-4 people inside the business. Under previous owners, she went into the bar at midnight and there were only 2 people at the bar. When there are DJ's or drums the most noise can be heard. A few years ago, the business did not have all the music equipment they have now and there was not as much noise. Ms. Boyce said her nerves and her home value are both “shot” and she does not wish to invest any money in her home. She is hoping for some type of relief and when nothing changes, she said they just give up. She said the only relief they had was when the last owner didn't pay their taxes and during Covid.
Ms. Dianne Shaffer lives directly behind Pinheadz and just bought her home a little over a year ago. She loves the town and her neighbors, is not a complainer and does not like to call the police. She asked the committee to put themselves in their shoes. She would like to be able to relax in her own home and not hear the “boom”. Even though all windows are closed right now, she can sometimes even determine what song is being played. She is weary of calling the police, even though they are very accommodating. She said the residents feel the owner is just telling them what they want to hear. The owners tell them it is a family-friendly environment, but he does not care about their feelings. The residents do not want to cause problems and they told the owner they wish for his business to do well, but he is not holding up his end of the bargain. Ms. Shaffer added that the Police Chief said noise should begin to quiet down at 10pm, however, Facebook says the music starts at 10pm. Ms. Shaffer asked for an updated ordinance.
Mr. Mike Krempski said these events [at Pinheadz] cause what he calls the “secondary effect”. That is what happens to the community when businesses are not following ordinances. That effect also happens when the business owners do not live in the community and don't have concerns about what is going on there. Mr. Krempski's other comments were in regards to the Old Business item #1 addressing solicitors. He thought the city could go further with the exemptions and it seems absurd to prohibit kids from normal activities. He said there is a misunderstanding with the police about what they can and cannot do. He suggested doing what Kendall County has done and specify in the ordinance the public bodies, political affiliations, religious school districts, tax exempt businesses, 501(3)(c) groups and other organizations that are allowed to solicit. He said this will help the police and he wants to protect the rights of all citizens.
Minutes for Correction/Approval: January 18, 2023
The minutes were approved as presented.
New Business:
1. ADM 2023-09 Budget Report for January 2023
Finance Director Fredrickson said revenues are coming in as expected and he believes they will exceed the budget. The sales tax received in January which reflect October sales, were flat, but in February they went up 1%. He said the municipal sales tax were up for the year and non-home rule tax is up year over year. This is informational.
2. ADM 2023-10 Treasurer's Report for January 2023
Finance Director Fredrickson reported the following: This moves to consent agenda. Beginning Fund Balance: $27,400,675
YTD Revenue: $36,722,338
YTD Expenses $40,087,248
Projected Ending Fund Balance: $24,035,764
3. ADM 2023-11 Review of Invoices Between $5,000 and $25,000
a. January 24, 2023 Bill List
b. February 14, 2023 Bill List
This is informational.
4. ADM 2023-12 Website Report for January 2023
Ms. Willrett said the hits are trending upwards on social media and the times/actions on the website are going down. Alderman Soling asked if more hits are anticipated with the new design. Ms. Willrett replied that the goal is to not lose a website visitor and to provide a direct link or search, to easily find the link.
5. ADM 2023-13 2023 Website Redesign – Mood Board and Layout Proposal
The last redesign was in 2020 and a new one is included every 2 years. Civic Plus has provided a mood board and layout proposal and the new version is expected to roll out this summer. She said lighter and brighter colors were used since staff viewed the current colors as being too dark. They also want it to be search/user friendly. There will be social media, top hits and payment buttons and the site will be ADA-accessible. Ms. Willrett asked for committee input. Alderman Transier asked if any complaints have been received from residents on the use-ability, but no complaints have been received. Alderman Funkhouser commented that some of the colors do not relate to Yorkville. He said some of the photos were muted according to guidelines pertaining to accessibility and he wants a more attractive site with more vibrant color. He cited the Marshall, MO website as being a good example. Ms. Willrett said staff is cognizant that over half of users use a mobile device and the focus is on ease of navigation. The revised draft will come back to committee in about 2 months.
Old Business:
1. ADM 2023-06 Ordinance Amending the Yorkville City Code, Title 3, Chapter 7, Section 3-7-2 (Solicitors, Hawkers and Itinerant Merchants)
Comments from the last meeting were considered and language was modified with the assistance of the city attorney. Language specifically revised was for the Yorkville school district, under age of 19 and solicitation by kids under 14. It is thought that religious organizations and other tax exempt, political groups etc., that go door to door, are covered under the definition section of the ordinance since they are not selling. Alderman Transier said the ordinance includes kids from school district #115 and said students who attend different schools and live in this district should also be included. Mike Krempski added that school-board-approved, home-schooled students should be included as well. Revisions will be made and it will come back to the March meeting.
Additional Business:
Alderman Soling added some comments to the Pinheadz discussion. He lives next to the citizens who spoke tonight and said the majority of the time he does not hear the bass, but the night the owner received the violation, he could hear the bass in the basement over his
TV. He contacted the owner that night who admitted he also heard the bass outside. He did receive a citation that night and has received 2 in 6 months. The owner said he would turn the music down, but did not. Alderman Soling asked that this matter be moved along for discussion and possible revisions to the ordinance. He said the citizens have been patient. Alderman Tarulis said this has been an issue for 8 years while he has been on the Council. The residents said the noise is not only on the weekend, but during the week as well. Ms. Schnurr said she lives across the street from the other residents and can hear the music in her bedroom, her child cannot sleep and it affects their outdoor activities in the summer. She said when the owner gets a ticket he turns the music down, then louder again. She said there should be an ordinance that the business needs to follow. Vice-Chairman Funkhouser added that code officials have listened to the noise and there have been many citations/violations in the last 10 years. He said he has a meeting with the Police Chief tomorrow and will discuss. Alderman Soling has also met with the Chief and there is no ordinance for bass violations. When the decibels are measured, the bass often does not register enough decibels for a violation, even though it's pounding.
There was no further business and the meeting adjourned at 6:39pm.
https://www.yorkville.il.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5065
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