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CC_2025_06_02 MINUTESThe City of Lake Forest CITY COUNCIL MEETING Proceedings of Monday, June 2, 2025 City Council Meeting – City Council Chambers 220 E Deerpath, Lake Forest, IL 60045 CITY CLERK WILL ASK FOR A MOTION TO APPOINT ALDERMAN WEBER AS MAYOR PRO TEM. Alderman Walther made the motion, seconded by Alderman Notz. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL: Mayor Pro Tem Weber called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m., and City Clerk Margaret Boyer called the roll of Council members. Present: Mayor Pro Tem Weber, Alderman Novit, Alderman Clemens, Alderman Notz, Alderman Powers, Alderman LeVert, Alderman Bothfeld, Alderman Weber and Alderman Walther. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE was recited by all those present. REPORTS OF CITY OFFICERS COMMENTS BY MAYOR A. Resolution of Appreciation for Retiring Superintendent of Public Works, Daniel H. Martin Mayor Pro Tem Weber read the resolution, and photos were taken. COUNCIL ACTION: Approval of the Resolution of Appreciation Alderman Notz made a motion to approve the Resolution of Appreciation, seconded by Alderman Novit. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote. B. Resolution of Appreciation for Retiring Superintendent of Parks & Forestry, Charles E. Myers Mayor Pro Tem Weber read the resolution, and photos were taken. COUNCIL ACTION: Approval of the Resolution of Appreciation Alderman LeVert made a motion to approve the Resolution of Appreciation, seconded by Alderman Powers. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote. COMMENTS BY CITY MANAGER City Manager Wicha welcomed Henry Kleeman, President of the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation. A. Community Spotlight Lake Forest Preservation Foundation - Henry Kleeman, President President Kleeman reviewed the Award Categories and shared the winners in the categories of Preservation, Rehabilitation and Infill. B. Deerpath Streetscape Project- Monthly Update -Byron Kutz, Engineering Superintendent Director of Public Works Michael Thomas thanked Dan Martin and Chuck Myers for their service, he then introduced Matt Brugioni and Corey Wierema. He then shared a video and reviewed recent work that included Sidewalk removal, electric conduit installation, and catch basin and storm sewer work. Upcoming works include continued installation of electrical conduit, continued sidewalk removal, installation of the irrigation system, installation of base for structural soil, and installation of landscape bump out underdrains. Under Proceedings of the June 2, 2025 Second Session City Council Meeting general updates he stated that the City continues monitoring detours and traffic signals, the Streetscape Project-Team walking businesses frequently, we regularly have communication with businesses and the Chamber, and now are offering Field-office hours: Open to the Public, Thursdays 1-2 pm. Bank Lane is back to two-way traffic. The project will start one week later, due to the brick manufacturer. OPPORTUNITY FOR CITIZENS TO ADDRESS THE CITY COUNCIL JoAnn Desmond offered her opinion to the City Council in opposition to suspending the PEG channel. Diane offered her opinion on the website and Chat with the Chief. COMMITTEE REPORTS ITEMS FOR OMNIBUS VOTE CONSIDERATION 1. Approval of the Check Register for the Period of April 20 – May 17, 2025 2. Consideration of a Request to Waive the Fidelity Bond Requirement in Connection with Holding a Raffle in the City of Lake Forest for the McKinlock Post 264- American Legion (Approval by Motion) 3. Approval to extend the City’s Office Supplies Contract with Warehouse Direct through May 31, 2026 as determined by the Suburban Purchasing Cooperative of the Northwest Municipal Conference. 4. Request to Approve the Purchase of a Replacement Ambulance by ARV Inc., Not to Exceed Amount of $323,076.14 5. Award of Bid to Era Valdivia for the Elevated Tank Spot Painting Project in the amount of $88,000 and Approve an Agreement with KLM Engineering, Inc. for Project Management Services in the amount of $12,300 to include a 15% Contingency or $13,200 for a Total Cost of $113,500 6. Award of Bid to Fab Tech WasteWater Solutions for Water Plant Air Handler Cooling Coil Project in the amount of $44,000, to include a 10% or $4,400 contingency for a total cost of $48,400 COUNCIL ACTION: Approve the six (6) omnibus items as presented Mayor Pro Tem Weber asked if anyone would like an item removed or taken separately. Seeing none, she asked for a motion. Alderman Walther made a motion to approve the six (6) Omnibus items as presented, seconded by Alderman Clemens. The following voted “Aye”: Alderman Novit, Alderman Clemens, Notz, Powers, LeVert, Bothfeld, Weber and Walther. The following voted “Nay”: none. 8-Ayes, 0-Nays, motion carried. Information such as Purpose and Action Requested, Background/Discussion, Budget/Fiscal Impact, Council Action and a Staff Contact as it relates to the Omnibus items can be found on the agenda. OLD BUSINESS Proceedings of the June 2, 2025 Second Session City Council Meeting NEW BUSINESS 1. Authorize the City Manager to Suspend the Lake Forest Public, Education, and Government (PEG) Access Cable Channel as Provided in the Comcast Franchise Agreement Keri Kaup, Assistant to the City Manager, reviewed the status of equipment related to the PEG channel, which included the A/V System upgrade in December 2024, resulting in compatibility issues. The HDMI to SDI converters need to be replaced, and the Battery backup is at the end of its life; the scrolling slide deck has not played in several weeks, and importantly, we cannot improve broadcast quality. Ms. Kaup went on to report that when considering whether to recommend suspending the cable channel, City staff consulted the 2023 Community-Wide Survey to determine how residents prefer to obtain information about the city. Only 1% (or 14 respondents) collectively identified LFTV as their first, second, or third choice. Conversely, 54% reported that they visit the City’s website which is where the meeting livestream is linked and links to past meeting videos can be found. Email newsletters were the preferred source of information for 59% of respondents. If the PEG channel is discontinued, links to recent City Council meetings could be included in the weekly eNews, which reaches approximately 12,000 subscribers. Staff consulted with Comcast to obtain metrics as to viewership on the City’s channel, but learned Comcast does not maintain metrics on PEG channel viewership. Historically, the channel has been used to broadcast certain public meetings, specifically the City Council, Finance Committee, and Plan Commission. These meetings are not rebroadcast over the cable channel, and viewers are directed to the City’s website to view on-demand videos. When meetings are not being broadcast, the channel continuously scrolls a series of informational slides to fill the airtime. Because the PEG Channel is provided by Comcast as part of the franchise agreement, the City could reinstate the channel in the future if desired. Additionally, she reported that City staff will offer in-person training to any resident who needs assistance learning how to access the City’s website or YouTube channel to view the livestream or on-demand video. Lastly, she reported that the City offers multiple communication channels and remains committed to accessibility and transparency. Regular review of these tools is essential. Given the low usage of the PEG channel and the higher engagement with the City’s website and eNews, staff recommends phasing out the PEG channel and focusing resources on platforms that provide greater value to residents. The City Council had a discussion on the following topics: quality of the broadcast, what the broadcast is used for, meetings verses information, live streaming, dead air-time, social media and YouTube, other options for channel 17, basic cable, educating the public on how to watch the meeting other places, lack of computers and technology, and cost upgrades to keep the channel. Mayor Pro Tem Weber asked if there was anyone from the public who would like to comment. Diane offered her opinion and was in favor of keeping the channel JoAnn Desmond offered her opinion on the many viewers and the quality. City Council had additional discussion, and, through consensus, no City Council action was taken on this item. City Manager Wicha stated that there will be no operational upgrades to the system at this time and that the quality of the broadcast will not improve. COUNCIL ACTION Authorize the City Manager to Suspend the Lake Forest Public, Education, and Government (PEG) Access Cable Channel as Provided in the Comcast Franchise Agreement. No action taken on this item Proceedings of the June 2, 2025 Second Session City Council Meeting ADDITIONAL ITEMS FOR COUNCIL DISCUSSION/COMMENTS BY COUNCIL MEMBERS Mayor Pro Tem invited all to the Meet the Fleet Event. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Mayor Pro Tem Weber asked for a motion to adjourn. Alderman Clemens made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Alderman LeVert. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote at 7:28 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Margaret Boyer, City Clerk A video of the City Council meeting is available for viewing at the Lake Forest Library and on file in the Clerk’s office at City Hall. You can also view it on the website by visiting www.cityoflakeforest.com. Click on I Want To, then click on View, then choose Archived Meetings Videos.