Gas spill updates, dog park grant planning and approval, and fee adjustments for city services
Meeting Highlights
During the first public comment period, Rick from the Tire Shop offered a statement on the recent tanker turnover in front of his store, at Santori’s corner. He was very complimentary of the emergency response.
At the beginning of City Manager Mary Babcock’s report, Hancock Police Chief Wayne Butler also gave an update on the Santori’s corner spill. His report included information on the condition of the tanker truck, the crash investigation, and other details. Butler said they were pursuing some greater signage on the corner to help prevent future spills.
He also updated the council on some events happening in the next couple of weeks that the department will be involved in, and the recent struggle to find new officers.
During the remainder of the manager’s report, Babcock gave updates on local construction projects, the preparations for the upcoming Canal Run, grant proposals, and more.
The council discussed and approved a rate increase for several permits and city services, including fence permit inspections, copies of things like the zoning ordinance and master plan, and dump truck rental.
The council had a discussion about a request from Oak House for a break on their water bill, in light of their nonprofit status and financial strain during the COVID-19 pandemic. They eventually agreed on a limited-scope rebate rather than an ongoing rate reduction.
Also, the council approved an application for a matching grant for the dog park in development. The grant requires a $20,000 fundraised match, and there will be a fundraising campaign launched for that purpose soon.
Budget approval, archaeological survey, and upcoming millage renewal
Meeting Highlights
During the city administrator’s report, City Manager Mary Babcock informed the council of the first farmer’s market of the year (with a new fish vendor), the new sign on Quincy Green, Friday night’s first Canal Rock event (with the potential for a food vendor), the Memorial Park dedication, and the zoning ordinance review committee.
Babcock also highlighted the upcoming recreation millage renewal.
A tri-fold brochure about the recreation millage renewal produced by the City of Hancock.
The commissioners discussed an old resolution that had been tabled which opposed the expansion of the county jail in favor of investing the money in programs that would instead reduce the use and need for a jail. It was ultimately tabled once again.
During the preceding public comment, one person had stood up to briefly support the resolution against the county jail expansion.
The resolution to adopt the 2021-2022 budget passed with one dissenting vote from Councilor William Lytle.
The 2nd amended version of the 2020-2021 budget passed similarly.
After the meeting, I sat down with Councilor Lytle to give him a chance to explain his choice to dissent.
“My dissenting vote about that police budget is not a reflection of the performance of our officers,” Lytle said.
He said it’s not really a reflection of the national discussion around policing either. He said it’s more about the consistent and ongoing growth of the police budget year over year and referenced the compliance and accountability documents on the city’s website, which shows growing police expenditures over several years.
A part of the City of Hancock’s budget reporting documents.
A part of the City of Hancock’s budget reporting documents.
The public hearing for the 2021-2022 budget was quiet.
The council also unanimously approved the proposed agreement with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for an archaeological survey at the business and technology park that is in development.
Hancock City Council approves service contracts, grant agreements
The Hancock City Council meeting this week was pretty routine, but there were still a couple of highlights worth mentioning. You can view the agenda and board information packet through the link below.
Above is the recording of the entire meeting, but the only parts that are particularly worth hearing are the city manager’s report, and Councilor Ron Blau’s plug for the upcoming Guts Frisbee Tournament.
City Manager Mary Babcock’s report - This is the report the manager gives to the council at every meeting and is a great way of finding out what’s been happening and what’s on the horizon. It starts about six minutes into the above video if you want to skip to it there.
Councilor Ron Blau on Guts Frisbee - I only interact with Councilor Blau at these meetings, but I’ve never seen him more excited about something than this. It’s at about the 37-minute mark. You can also peruse the Official Guts Frisbee website.