City of Aurora seeks to use survey platform among residents

By Jason Crane

The Aurora City Council is considering a Resolution to approve a one-year amendment to the existing agreement with Zencity Technologies US Inc. for the Zencity Pulse Survey platform in the amount of $45,000.

City government of Aurora documents show Zencity is a platform for understanding individuals in the City on a wide scale. With the use of advanced AI algorithms, City officials analyze data from social media, City hotlines and other relevant sources, and provide Aurora-area government stakeholders with detailed, real time insights about how the citizens view and use the City. The analysis can be accessed through a web-based interface on desktop and mobile devices.

The City has utilized the Zencity platform since 2019 (Resolution R20-093) for both social to 311 and the inclusion of Spanish algorithm to enhance City efforts to help collect, organize and handle potential resident request being shared on social media. Zencity’s unique machine learning technology can translate Spanish into English and thereafter assign a topic, category, and sentiment to posts and comments.

The City wishes to extend the Zencity platform to utilize the Pulse Survey platform to allow Zencity staff members to perform surveys among residents concerning various City services. These types of surveys have been utilized by several government agencies to increase collaboration and transparency around City decision making processes as well as gathering resident satisfaction metrics for better performance management.

Background: The ZenCity platform collects data about citizen interactions from a variety of sources and analyzes them in real time using a set of Machine-learning based algorithms. The analyzed data can be accessed through a variety of graphs on the admin dashboard, including the following:

1. Platform features

1.1. Category bar chart – the main bar chart shows how many interactions relate to each area of responsibility of the City, and what is the sentiment towards that topic. The name and number of topics can be modified to fit the customer’s needs based on a list of automatically identified sub-categories.

1.2. Alerts and notifications – the platform can create alerts about popular posts or comments or about significant changes in whole categories. The alerts can be accessed through the dashboard, but can also go out on a daily, weekly or real time basis via email – per the user’s request.

1.3. Word cloud – The word cloud shows the most popular terms used in interactions analyzed by the platform. The larger the word is the more popular it was.

1.4. Overall sentiment view – the overall sentiment pie chart shows the ratio of positive, negative and neutral interactions out of the total sum of interactions analyzed.

1.5. Popular stories – the rotating digest of popular stories shows the stories which received the most interactions across all data sources.

1.6. Map interface – the map interface will show all interactions which have a location property, divided by category, by type or in a heatmap format.

1.7. Category drill down – each category has a drill down view which shows the level of discussion over time in that category, alerts, word cloud, map and popular stories views which include data just for this category and an operative view of City hotline calls for the category – including open calls, calls over the last week and changes over time.

1.8. Conversation analysis – the third level of drill down will be the “conversation analysis” which allows drilling down to the level of stories themselves. In this view, users can analyse conversations based on category, date range, sentiment or keyword search, or a combination of the above, and see both the trend and the stories themselves that make up the data. Each story will include its source, category, sentiment, location and a link to the original content.

2. Data sources

2.1. Facebook – they analyze all interactions (posts, comments, likes, tags etc.) from public pages and public groups, both official and unofficial. This includes official accounts of the City and other agencies, resident groups, accounts of local businesses, community organizations, causes and any other relevant page or open group.

2.2. Twitter – apart from the same analysis employed on facebook, on twitter they also collect all geotagged interactions in the area and all interactions mentioning specific hashtags or keywords.

2.3. City Hotline reports – they take all City hotline reports from the City’s database.

2.4. Additional sources – they may be able to incorporate other relevant data sources identified, such as local news sites, community message boards, other social media platforms etc. General new data sources implemented (such as new social media platforms) will be offered once they are available. Unique sources (such as local news sites) will be discussed and agreed upon by both sides.

This addendum will allow City staff members to work directly with Zencity staff members to produce high quality surveys with the following advantages:

• Fully managed survey process: Zencity handles everything from survey design to distribution, ensuring the right sample size.
• Customized survey questions tailored to the City’s specific needs and priorities.
• Survey results are consolidated into an easy-to-digest format, making it simple to track key metrics over time.
• Provides a clear view of how long-term issues evolve, empowering data-driven decisions.
• Richer insights are gained over time through recurring surveys that track trends and benchmarks.

Zencity staff members will ensure that each City survey will achieve the following outcomes:

-Reliable and Representative Data: Pulse surveys are designed to produce statistically sound data, representing the target population accurately. To maintain consistency and reliability, surveys have limited flexibility regarding question types and length.

• Benchmarking and Long-Term Insights: Recurring surveys allow cities to track performance over time and compare against internal and external benchmarks. Representative data will empower local governments to make informed, strategic decisions with confidence.

Discussion: The City has used the Zencity platform successfully since 2020 (Resolution R20-093). An extension of the Zencity contract was approved by Resolution R23-008 for 3 years at $88,000 annually for a total of $264,000 and expires December 6, 2025. This amendment will bring the total value of that contract to $309,000.

• Presentations can be viewed on the city government of Aurora’s YouTube page after the 1-minute mark by clicking here.

One individual used his voice for up to three minutes: His comments can be viewed on the city government of Aurora’s YouTube page after the 19-minute mark by clicking here.

• Placed on Unfinished Business is an Ordinance approving an option agreement for the purchase of two properties at 201 N. Lake Street and 213 N. Lake Street, and authorizing the City’s officers and employees to complete the transactions contemplated by said agreement.

City government of Aurora documents show the purpose is to approve a negotiated option agreement and direct various City officers to take all actions necessary to complete the future acquisition of two properties as outlined in the option agreement made part of this approval.

The intent is to purchase two properties in the immediate vicinity of the downtown core for strategic economic development purposes. The Lake Street properties entailed in the acquisitions are in the northwesterly quadrant of the block bounded by Lake Street, Cedar Street, River Street and Spruce Street.

The City continues to make investments to improve the downtown into a thriving mixed-use area and staff members have worked towards creating a new entertainment, shopping, and living district called the North River Street District. This new District will be just north of Aurora’s historic downtown. An area where new appropriate and exciting design guidelines, architectural styles, and features can be used to create a new destination that connects the Downtown with RiverEdge Park and the Aurora Transportation Center.

Strategic land acquisitions is what is creating this opportunity to plan. It has taken more 40 years for the City to acquire these properties and there are only a handful of properties left to acquire.

Hence, staff members have commissioned a downtown housing study (Zimmerman/Volk Associates, Inc.) and an architectural massing study (Solomon Cordwell Buenz) to reimagine valuable real estate not at its best and highest use.

Most, if not all of the recent development agreements approved by City Council have involved City-owned properties that were acquired by the City years ago as a strategic action.

Staff members first became aware of these properties being available when potential users, mostly not for profit – not considered by staff members to be the highest and best use – began to contact the City. Over the last several months staff members have negotiated with the owner which has resulted in an agreement.

The City seeks to purchase approximately a total of 0.46 acres of land (0.33 acres at 201 N Lake Street, and 0.13 acres at 213 N Lake Street). The acquisition of these two parcels will continue to add to the land owned by the City in this area (called the North River Street District) that has been strategically acquired over several decades as parcels become available for purchase.

Both properties are zoned B-2 – Business District, General Retail, and each has an existing building which is described below:

• 201 N Lake Street: a multitenant three-story masonry building, built in 1918. The building is fully occupied with ground floor office and retail (including a gym), and three apartments on the second and third floors. There is also an office on the second floor.
• 213 N Lake Street: a mixed-use retail/office and residential building, which also features a partially finished basement. At this time, there is an office on the ground floor with one apartment on the second floor.

The timing to purchase these two parcels is now. If the City does not purchase these two parcels there could be real negative ramifications. First, the city would lose the ability to plan for, and execute, a larger planned development on the block because these properties are positioned in the middle of the block with high visibility on Lake Street. Second, the property owner will put the properties on the market and could sell to uses that are not the highest and best use – they could even be purchased by non-tax generating uses. And third, as development occurs in this North River Street District the plan is to ensure that the surface parking spaces are replaced in structured parking and this block’s position in the district makes it ideal for a future parking structure if warranted in the future.

For decades the city has acquired land in this District as it becomes available. Not purchasing these two parcels would be a missed opportunity.

Future development will increase the property taxes on the property once developed. Combined, the two properties generate approximately $18,000 in property taxes which is only a small percentage of the significant property taxes that could be generated if a larger development is constructed on this block within the envisioned North River Street District.

The City has negotiated a fair price of $1.3 million which includes $100,000, to secure the option, that shall be applied to the Purchase Price, payable upon the option is approved and executed.

The original asking price for both properties was $1.5 million. However, the appraised value for the two properties was approximately $1.1 million which is slightly below the agreed upon sale price. The total amount for both properties is recommended to be $1.3 million plus closing costs not to exceed $30,000.

In terms of property value, the smaller individual parcels have a lower appraised price on their own, however, in terms of economic development potential, in the future if these two smaller lots are developed as part of a larger cohesive development the value to the City is much higher.

Per the option agreement stipulated and agreed upon, “Seller shall, immediately upon resolution of all survey and title objections, deliver a 30-day notice to terminate the specified tenancies. If any tenant fails to vacate the Property within 30 days after receiving such notice, the Closing Date shall be automatically extended for a period not to exceed six (6) months”.

It should be noted that there are existing five tenants in the buildings, two commercial leases and three residential leases; all expired but on a month-to-month basis. The option agreement addresses this by requiring the seller to “use commercially reasonable efforts, at its sole cost and expense, to remove any remaining tenants from the Property”. If the seller is unable to deliver possession of the Property free and clear the City will and shall have the right, “at its sole discretion, to either (i) further extend the Closing Date for an additional reasonable period agreed upon by both parties, or (ii) terminate this Agreement by providing written notice to Seller, in which event Seller shall promptly refund the Option Payment to Buyer and both parties shall be released from all further obligations under this Agreement, except as otherwise expressly provided herein.”

Upon execution of the option, funding in the amount of $100,000 will come from a combination of TIF #5 funds (approximately 75%) and non-TIF #5 (approximately 25%); as follows:

• $75,000 from 235-1830-465.71-01
• $25,000 from 215-4411-417.71-01

Funding, in the amount of $1,230,000 for the purchase and closing of both properties will come from a combination of TIF #5 funds (approximately 75%) and non-TIF #5 (approximately 25%); as follows:

• $922,500 from 235-1830-465.71-01
• $307,500 from 215-4411-417.71-01

The properties are under contract for a period ending 365 days from the date of the execution of the option agreement.

Per the obligations stipulated in the option agreement, the seller shall be responsible at their own expense to surrender the properties free and clear of any tenancy.

As part of the due diligence process, staff members have commissioned environmental assessments and reviewed the appraisal report and have determined that the acquisitions are in the best interest of the City.

The purchase of the two properties should provide greater flexibility for future development opportunities.

Acquisition and development of these properties will have a positive impact by allowing future parcel consolidation for a larger more cohesive development resulting in an increased Equalized Assessed Value. Not approving this acquisition will result in the City losing the opportunity for parcel consolidation and the ability to achieve the most desirable uses for these properties.

• Placed on Unfinished Business is a Resolution requesting approval to lease computer equipment and purchase traffic cameras for the Aurora Public Safety Departments using funds received from the Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Technology and Equipment Program and Emergency Telephone System Board (ETSB) funds.

City government of Aurora documents show the objective of the COPS Technology and Equipment Program is to provide funding for projects which improve police effectiveness and the flow of information among law enforcement agencies, local government service providers, and the communities they serve.

Resolution R23-375 accepted award number 15JCOPS-23-GG-01883-TECP (COPS23) from the US Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Technology and Equipment Program for $2,280,000.

Resolution R24-266 approved $1,230,362.30 of these funds for Forensic Lab equipment as well as CCTV equipment. This resolution is requesting to utilize the remainder of these funds – $1,049,637.70 — for the first year of a 3-year lease of ruggedized laptops for Aurora Public Safety Departments, additional CCTV equipment and to cover labor shortfalls from R24-266.

Background:

Passage of resolution R20-180 provided funding for ruggedized laptops to all sworn Aurora Police Department (APD) officers as well as all Aurora Fire Department (AFD) command staff members and AFD vehicles.

Police officers, paramedics and fire crews need ruggedized laptops they can rely on in all situations and weather conditions. The models being leased exceed US Department of Defense MIL-STD-810 standard which includes endurance and vibration tests, environmental tests including water resistance and temperature tests from -60F to 200F.64

The laptops purchased from R20-180 are now beyond the warranty period and are no longer meeting the requirements of the software deployed for Public Safety purposes.

This resolution seeks to replace the laptops purchased under R20-180 with superior models as well as use remaining funds from the COPS23 grant on additional CCTV equipment.

During discussions about replacing the Getac laptops, both APD and AFD senior staff members stated that they preferred to return to the Panasonic Toughbook models previously owned.

IT staff members worked with Insight Public Sector (“Insight”) to acquire demonstration Panasonic Toughbook ruggedized laptops for officers and vehicles plus Dell laptops for senior staff members. IT staff members then worked with Police and Fire personnel to test these devices throughout the summer of 2023.

City IT staff members pursued two lease agreements with Insight and finalized a lease agreement through Panasonic’s Toughbook as a Service leasing program. These include docking stations for vehicles, vehicle keyboards and power adapters. Including the peripheral costs, the annual lease fees total $872,634.85 and $2,617,904.55 for three years.

The COPS23 grant will cover the first-year lease costs of $872,634.85 and years two and three will be paid from ETSB funds as has been done for previous AFD and APD laptop purchases; Account Number # 211-1280-419.64-12. An amendment will be included in the 2025 budget amendment cycle.

Subtracting the Year 1 lease fees from the remaining COPS23 grant funds of $1,049,637.70 leaves $177,002.85. Subsequent to the passage of R24-266, $69,078.00 in additional costs, fees and permits have been identified.

This leaves 4.73% ($107,924.85) remaining of the original $2,280,000 grant. Staff members request flexibility to use these monies as contingency for additional CCTV related overages. Any remaining funds will be utilized to replace aged CCTV devices in the city. All receipts for the $2,280,000 grant must be submitted before the end of 2024.

• Placed on Unfinished Business is a Resolution authorizing the director of the Purchasing Department to purchase video conferencing hardware and services for the new Public Works Facility from Burwood Group, Inc., Chicago, for a total amount not to exceed $255,027.72.

The purpose is to purchase video conferencing hardware and services for the new Public Works Facility.

City government of Aurora documents show as part of the construction of the new Public Works Facility, the City is planning to install video conferencing hardware in two conference rooms and one large, dividable 3,650 SF training room. Also included in this scope will be the purchase of additional (up to 85 inch) display monitors in nine other larger offices and common areas. It was determined that Burwood Group, Inc. was the preferred vendor to provide the hardware and service based on the following information:

After a competitive bid process and subsequent discovery project, resolution R23-006 awarded configuration and migration of Microsoft SharePoint services and Microsoft Teams environment remediation to Burwood Group, Inc. (“Burwood”).

As part of the services included with R23-006, Burwood completed a thorough evaluation of the current SharePoint environments which included interviews with key members of every City department. This evaluation allowed Burwood to understand how SharePoint and Teams were being utilized throughout the City. Burwood then made recommendations for migrating data to the Microsoft SharePoint Online environment as well as modifying Microsoft Teams for better utilization by city staff members.

Due to the detailed knowledge of the city’s SharePoint and Teams services and the extensive integration of these platforms, City staff members believe Burwood is best suited to build upon the SharePoint and Teams foundations in place. Burwood has successfully implemented video conferencing functionality in multiple conference rooms at City Hall and the Aurora Police Department. These implementations have shown that Burwood has performed beyond expectation and is an effective partner for the City.

Following numerous site meetings between Burwood and City staff members, the quotation was provided based on the conveyed video conferencing needs of the City’s Public Works Department.

The Burwood quote is based on the Omnia Cooperative contract #R200803.

This equipment and service was part of the budgeted IT scope for the new Public Works Facility (CIP C114) and will be funded using account 355-4411-417.72-01

Installing video conferencing functionality in the new Public Works Facility will modernize and streamline communications both internally and with outside customers, consultants, and vendors.

The City Council gave consent to the following agenda items likely to be placed on the Tuesday, November 26 full City Council agenda:

• Consent was given to an Ordinance Establishing a Conditional Use Planned Development and Approving the Gayles Memorial Baptist Church Parking Lot Plan Description, for the Property at 714 Gillette Avenue.

The Petitioner, Gayles Memorial Baptist Church, is requesting approval of a Conditional Use Planned Development, which includes re-developing the Property as an accessory, off-site parking lot with 13 parking spaces, for passenger vehicles, for the church’s main property at 730 Gillette Avenue.

City government of Aurora documents show the Property is zoned R-3, One Family Dwelling District. The Comprehensive Plan designates the property as Low Density Residential. The Property is approximately .15 acres, and is occupied by a single-family residence. The Property is owned by Gayles Memorial Baptist Church, which maintains its existing, principal property approximately 100 feet to the north at 730 Gillette Avenue, as measured property line to property line. The church’s worship area maintains a seating capacity for 130 members. The church’s property has 22 on-site parking spaces. Gayles Memorial Baptist Church also owns the property directly north of the Property, 718 Gillette Ave, as well as the adjacent property on the east side of Gillette Ave, 709 Gillette Ave. The Property has a width of 50 feet and an area of approximately 6,600 square feet.

The Petitioner is requesting approval of a Conditional Use Planned Development for the property at 714 Gillette Avenue. The details of the request include changes to the R-3 zoning district’s standards to re-develop the Property for accessory, off-site parking for 13 passenger vehicles for the Gayles Memorial Baptist Church’s main property, which is at 730 Gillette Ave. The changes to the R-3 zoning district include allowing the proposed Parking Facilities, Non-Residential (4170) use, when associated with the church’s main property at 730 Gillette Ave. Changes to the bulk restrictions include reducing the R-3 zoning district’s minimum setback requirements as follows: the Front Yard setback is being reduced from 30 feet to nine feet, the Interior Side Yard setback is being reduced from six feet to one feet, and the rear yard setback is being reduced from 30 feet to two feet. The maximum Lot Coverage is being increased to 81 percent.

The Property’s existing single-family home is to be demolished prior to construction of the proposed parking lot. The Petitioner has provided a site plan and a landscape plan to accompany the proposal, and which indicates the parking stalls and adjacent drive aisles as compliant with the Zoning Ordinance’s minimum standards. The Property is also shown to be re-developed with adequate landscaping to incorporate it to the surrounding residential neighborhood. As a means to mitigate run-off, the Property is also shown to be re-developed with an infiltration trench along the parking lot’s southern edge.

Staff members have reviewed the Conditional Use Ordinance Planned Development petition and have sent comments back to the Petitioner on those submittals. The Petitioner has made the requested revisions to these documents and they now meet the applicable codes and ordinances.

In addition to the details of the Conditional Use Planned Development previously outlined above, there are other aspects that bear discussion.

Based on the church’s seating capacity of 130 seats, the church is required, per the Zoning Ordinance, to maintain one space per four seats, which comes to a total of 33 parking spaces. At this time, the Petitioner has 22 parking spaces that meet the Zoning Ordinance’s minimum standards for stall dimensions and adjacent drive aisles. The additional parking spaces included with this proposal would otherwise bring the church’s total parking to thirty-five (35) parking spaces, which exceeds the minimum parking requirement for the church’s operations.

In addition, the Conditional Use Planned Development also provides further off-street parking within the 700 block of Gillette Ave. As a result, the number of vehicles parked on the street is reduced, particularly during the church’s peak hours of operation on Sunday mornings, or during evening meetings.

Finally, the Petitioner has provided a proposal that serves as a land use buffer between the neighborhood to the west, which are generally manufacturing and industrial uses, and the neighborhood to the east, which is low density, single-family residential. With this in mind, the use and built form of the western side of Gillette Ave’s 700 block already partially serves as a buffer between the industrial uses and the single-family uses: the property at 744 Gillette Ave is a multi-family apartment building, the property at 730 Gillette Ave is Gayles Memorial Church’s principal location, the property directly to the south is an existing parking lot that connects to 707 N Highland, and the property at 555 W Illinois Ave is an office building. With this in mind, re-developing the Property as a parking lot provides a greater buffer between the two otherwise incompatible land uses.

Due public notice was given for the public hearing on this matter. As of the date of this memo, staff members have received public inquiries regarding this petition. In particular, a caller expressed concerns about whether or not the Petitioner had explored other options for off-site parking, and questioned whether or not the proposal is causing the neighborhood to become less residential.

Findings of fact:

1) Will the establishment, maintenance or operation of the conditional use be unreasonably detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, morals, comfort, or general welfare?

Staff members do not feel the establishment, maintenance or operation of the conditional use will be unreasonably detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, morals, comfort or general welfare.

2) Will the conditional use be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity for the purposes already permitted or substantially diminish and impair property values within the neighborhood; factors including but not limited to lighting, signage and outdoor amplification, hours of operation, refuse disposal areas and architectural compatibility and building orientation?

Staff members do not feel the conditional use will be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in immediate vicinity for the purposes already permitted, or substantially diminish and impair property values within the neighborhood. Staff members feel the Conditional Use Planned Development will allow for the Petitioner to continue operations in this neighborhood, while also allowing membership to grow, and reduce the need for members to park on the street while attending services or programming. To this point, staff members feel the Conditional Use Planned Development will improve the use and enjoyment of other property within the immediate vicinity by otherwise removing the need for vehicles to be parked on the street.

3) Will the establishment of the conditional use impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of surrounding property for uses permitted in the district?

Staff members do not feel the establishment of the Conditional Use Planned Development will impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of surrounding property for uses permitted in the district.

4) Will the proposal provide for adequate utilities, access roads, drainage, and/or necessary facilities as part of the conditional use?

The proposal provides for adequate drainage on the property in the form of an infiltration ditch along the southern edge of the parking lot.

5) Does the proposal take adequate measures, or will they be taken to provide ingress and egress so designed to minimize traffic congestion in the public streets?

Staff members feel the proposal takes adequate measures to provide ingress and egress so designed to minimize traffic congestion in the public streets. As previously mentioned, the proposed parking lot reduces the need for members to park on the street. In addition, the proposed parking lot’s access point is in a similar location to the existing driveway apron.

6) Does the conditional use in all other respects conform to the applicable regulations of the district in which it is located, except as such regulations may in each instance be modified by the City Council pursuant to the recommendations of the commission?

The Conditional Use does, in all other respects, conform to the applicable regulations of the district in which it is located.

7) A hotel is not included with the proposal. A market feasibility is not applicable for this proposal.

8) Are the uses permitted by such exceptions necessary or desirable and appropriate with respect to the primary purpose of the development?

The uses are permitted by such exceptions necessary or desirable and appropriate with respect to the primary purpose of the development.

9) Are the uses permitted by such exception of a nature or so located as to not exercise an undue detrimental influence on the surrounding neighborhood?

Staff members feel the uses are permitted by such exception of a nature and are so located as to not exercise an undue detrimental influence on the surrounding neighborhood. As previously mentioned, the Conditional Use Planned Development reduces the need for church members to park on the street. Staff members feel the proposal adds to the 700 block of Gillette Ave’s western side as a buffer between the higher density industrial properties to the west on N Highland Ave and the low density residential neighborhood to the east. The proposal also indicates adequate landscaping, which incorporates the property into the residential neighborhood to the east on Gillette Ave. As a means to clarify the intended use of the Property, and to reduce travel and congestion issues between the Property and the church’s main property, the Petitioner expresses a desire to include wayfinding signage between the Property and the church’s main property.

10) Are the use exceptions so allowed reflected by the appropriate zoning district symbols and so recorded on the zoning district map?

The uses exceptions so allowed are reflected by the appropriate zoning district symbols and so recorded on the zoning district map.

• Consent was given to an Ordinance approving a revision to the Savannah Crossing Plan Description on 1.15 Acres for Property at 1390 Butterfield Road.

The Petitioner Panda Express is requesting a plan description revision to the Savannah Crossing Conditional Use Planned Development for property at 1390 Butterfield Road, being North of Butterfield Road and East of Church Road which includes allowing up to 6 drive through restaurants in Parcel B may and allowing a drive through restaurant on Lot 8.

City government of Aurora documents show the Property is a vacant lot with B-2 (C) Business District General Retail with a conditional use zoning, which is part of the Savannah Crossing Conditional Use Planned Development.

The Petitioner is requesting approval of a Plan Description Revision to the Savannah Crossing Conditional Use Planned Development. The details of the request include revising the Plan Description from allowing up to five drive-through restaurants on Lots 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, and 11 to allowing up to six drive-through restaurants on those lots along with allowing a drive-through on lot 8. The first Ordinance for Savannah Crossing is Ordinance O2005-144. There have been many revisions to this plan description through the years. The most recent plan description revision is Ordinance O2018-090.

Concurrently with this proposal, the Petitioner is requesting approval of a Final Plan for lot 8 of Savannah Crossing Subdivision. The details of the request include a 2,300 square foot drive through restaurant of fast casual Chinese food. The plan outlines two menu and ordering stations. The drive through allows for a 13 car stack up. This follows the current regulations of 5 stacking spaces at each bay, window, lane, ordering station, machine or similar. The current parking is for 41 spaces with 2 handicapped spaces included. This meets the current parking requirements of Structure 2210: Food and beverage establishments 1 space per 3 seats. The restaurant is proposing 32 seats. There are three points of ingress/egress on the property that lead to private roads of the subdivision. A sidewalk will run along the interior access road. The landscape plan features a mixture of trees and shrubs surrounding the property and buffering Butterfield road.

Staff members have reviewed the Conditional Use Ordinance – Planned Development petition and have determined that it meets the applicable codes and ordinances.

Savannah Crossing shopping center was approved in 2005 with a plan description that originally allowed drive-through restaurants on only two lots. The plan description has been revised through the years to allow for additional drive-through restaurants on additional lots but still limited this number. This lot has sat vacant since the construction of this shopping center. Therefore, staff members support the Plan Description revision as an additional drive-through restaurant is cohesive with the shopping center and will not have a negative impact on the area. While there are many drive-throughs in the area, there is no fast casual Chinese food nearby.

• Consent was given to an Ordinance Vacating a Portion of Dedicated Public Right of Way for Middle Avenue, near the Property at 600 South Lake Street, in Kane County, Aurora, Ill.

City government of Aurora documents show the Petitioner, Richards-Wilcox is requesting approval of a portion of dedicated public right of way for Middle Avenue near their facility at 600 S Lake St, as well as two existing alleys on the same zoning lot. The right of way width for this portion of Middle Ave is 66 feet, while the alleys both have a right of way width of 20 feet. The vacated right of way for Middle Ave and the alleys all dead-end into the adjacent BNSF railroad tracks. The total area of right of way being vacated is approximately 30,000 square feet.

The Petitioner utilizes the portions of the area surrounding the proposed vacated right of way for the facility’s parking lot. The right of way is requested to be vacated so the area may be returned to private property and then utilized for a solar panel array. The solar panel array complies with the applicable Zoning code requirements and is to be reviewed by the City of Aurora via a permitting process.

• Consent was given to an Ordinance Annexing Property at 1457 Indian Avenue to the City of Aurora, pursuant to a Water Service Agreement.

The purpose is to annex the property at 1457 Indian Avenue into the city of Aurora.

City government of Aurora documents show the Property has a single-family home within unincorporated Kane County. The previous owner, Bernice LeSuer, entered into a Water Service Agreement with the City on April 5, 1996, in order to receive city water. At that time, the property was not contiguous to the City of Aurora.

The Property is now contiguous to City of Aurora municipal boundaries to the north; therefore, the proposal is to annex the property pursuant to a Water Service Agreement. The Property has City water and is paying double water rates. As a result of the Annexation, the current property owner will be paying regular city water rates once annexed. The property will be annexed in with R-1 One Family Dwelling District zoning.

The Property is a single-family dwelling which is consistent with the City of Aurora Comprehensive Plan designation of low-density residential.

• Consent was given to an Ordinance Vacating a City Easement on the property at 1002 North Farnsworth Avenue, in Kane County, Aurora, Ill.

City government of Aurora documents show the Engineering Division is requesting the Vacation of a stormwater control easement for the property. A small section of a stormwater control easement is being vacated for an Ice House. The location is at the east corner of the Farnsworth Plaza shopping center. The self-operating machine is about 200 square feet and will take up 2 parking spaces. Handicap accessible spaces will be provided for.

• Consent was given to an Ordinance Annexing Property at 676 Austin Avenue to the City of Aurora, pursuant to a Water Service Agreement.

The purpose is to annex the property at 676 Austin Avenue into the City of Aurora.

City government of Aurora documents show the property has a single family home within unincorporated Kane County. The current owner, Maria Elena Lopez, entered into a Water Service Agreement with the City on January 29, 2015, in order to receive city water. At that time, the property was not contiguous to the City of Aurora.

The Property is now contiguous to the city of Aurora municipal boundary to the east; therefore, the proposal is to annex the property pursuant to a Water Service Agreement. The property has City water and is paying double water rates. As a result of the Annexation, the current property owner will be paying regular city water rates once annexed. The property will be annexed in with R-1 One Family Dwelling District zoning.

The Property is a single-family dwelling which is consistent with the City of Aurora R-1 district standards.

• Consent was given to an Ordinance Annexing Property at 361 Eastern Avenue to the City of Aurora, pursuant to a Water Service Agreement.

The purpose is to annex the property at 361 Eastern Avenue into the City of Aurora.

City government of Aurora documents show the property has a single family home within unincorporated Kane County. The current owner, Ruben Jones, entered into a Water Service Agreement with the City on June 5, 2000, in order to receive city water. At that time, the property was not contiguous to the City of Aurora.

The property is now contiguous to the city of Aurora municipal boundary to the east; therefore, the proposal is to annex the property pursuant to a Water Service Agreement. The property has City water and is paying double water rates. As a result of the Annexation, the property owner will be paying regular City water rates once annexed. The property will be annexed in with R-1 One Family Dwelling District zoning.

The Property is a single-family dwelling which is consistent with the City of Aurora Comprehensive Plan designation of low-density residential.

• Consent was given to a Resolution authorizing the execution of a Joint Funding Agreement with the State of Illinois, the execution of a Phase 3 Construction Engineering Services Agreement with Thomas Engineering Group, LLC in the not to exceed amount of $133,128.00, and the appropriation of $785,000.00 of MFT Funds for the Indian Trail (County Line to Eola Rd) Resurfacing Project.

The purpose is to execute the Joint Funding Agreement for State-Let Construction Work there by reserving sufficient funds to cover the local agency share of the project cost by resolution, to approve the Phase 3 Construction Engineering Services Agreement with Thomas Engineering Group, LLC and to Appropriate Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) Funds by Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Resolution.

City government of Aurora documents show the City applied for federal funding in the March 2022 Kane-Kendall Council of Mayors (KKCOM) Call for Projects and secured funding for 9 different projects, with 5 additional projects placed in the contingency program. This project was awarded funding in federal fiscal year 2025.

The project will resurface Indian Trail from the Kane/DuPage County Line to Eola Rd. The funding ratio for this project is 75/25 (75% federal / 25% local) for Construction and Construction Engineering, up to a maximum amount of $750,000 of federal funding. Resurfacing projects like this help reduce the burden of funding the City’s yearly resurfacing program with local and MFT funding sources.

The City has been performing Phase 1 and Phase 2 Engineering in-house. Phase 1 design approval has been received. The Phase 2 plans are 99% complete and the Initial Final Plans, Specifications, and Estimates (PS&E) were submitted to IDOT on September 30, 2024. The project is targeting a January 2025 IDOT letting.

Due to the complex nature of the project construction and documentation requirements by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for federally funded projects, the City is required to hire a consultant for the Phase 3 Construction Engineering Services. The City will be utilizing the Consultant selected as part of a Master Task Order Request for Qualifications.

The City published a Qualification Based Selection (QBS) for a Master Task Order for Phase 3 Engineering Services on September 27, 2023. Nine firms submitted their qualifications. Staff members reviewed the qualifications submitted and determined that Thomas Engineering Group, LLC (Thomas) was the most qualified with the top 3 firm’s scores. Thomas’s team has successfully completed Phase 3 Construction Engineering Services for many federally funded projects including recent Liberty St Resurfacing, Edgelawn Dr Resurfacing, and Church-Sheffer Rd Resurfacing within the City of Aurora. The Phase 3 Engineering Agreement (BLR 05530) from Thomas in the amount of $133,128.00 will provide full time construction and material inspection for this project.

This followed the Request for Qualifications process and is not subject to the local preference policy. The funding source, federal and MFT Funds, are not subject to the local preference policy.

IDOT requires the City to execute the Joint Funding Agreement for State-Let Construction Work by setting aside the local matching funds for the project. IDOT will front fund the Construction cost and invoice the City of Aurora for its share of the construction cost. The estimated total cost of the Construction (C) on the form is $1,350,000. This amount is slightly higher than the Engineer’s Final Construction cost to allow for some additional contingency with final IDOT plan review and unknowns before the bidding process in January 2025. The City’s portion of construction costs would be approximately $650,000. The City will have to front fund the Construction Engineering (CE) cost and up to 75% of this cost will be reimbursed by IDOT, at a later date. The estimated total cost of CE is $133,128.00. The City’s portion of the CE cost would be approximately $83,128.00. The approximate total cost of C&CE (City’s Share) would be $733,128.00. City staff members are hoping that additional federal funding will be available later after the letting.

At this time, there are two drafts under review by IDOT. IDOT has issued guidance that these forms must be locally executed and submitted by December 11, 2024 in order to stay on schedule for the January 2025 state letting. If the forms are amended by IDOT, the mayor and City clerk will execute the most current forms. IDOT review of these forms may change the specific values indicated in the memo and resolution.

IDOT requires a Resolution to Appropriate the MFT Funds prior to their expenditure for approved projects. The resolution amount is higher than the anticipated City’s share in order to cover front funding the Construction Engineering cost.

Due to the nature of the federal funding on this project, IDOT requires that the City agree to pass a supplemental MFT resolution if necessary, to appropriate additional funds for completion of the project. City staff members will review the low bids and concur with IDOT on the award of the project to the low bidder if the bids are within a reasonable approximate of the Engineer’s Final Cost Estimate and bidding the project is in the City’s best interest.

It is possible that the mayor and clerk need to execute additional forms on the project including a Local Public Agency Amendment (BLR 05311) or revised/supplemental BLR 05530. Generally, execution of the BLR 05311 would be to receive additional federal funds or to move federal funds between Construction and Construction Engineering. As mentioned in the resolution City officials are requesting that the mayor and clerk have the ability to execute these documents if they are required to carry the purposes of this resolution into execution, without any additional City Council action. If additional MFT funds are needed for the project, then the Supplemental Resolution (BLR 09110) will be presented before the City Council.

The 2025 City Budget is anticipated to provide for sufficient funds in Account 203-4060-431.79-99 (GB148, Indian Trail LAFO – Stonebridge to Eola).

During construction, roadway traffic will be reduced to one lane each direction at various times during construction. If this item is not approved, the City will need to forgo federal funding to resurface this road and ultimately resurface it will local funding only.

• Consent was given to a Resolution authorizing the appropriation and expenditure of MFT funds for snow removal operations in 2025 in an amount up to $1,359,600.00.

The purpose is to execute the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) resolution necessary to appropriate Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) funds for the purchase of sodium chloride (rock salt) and liquid calcium chloride (pre-wetting agent) for 2025 (MFT Section No. 25-00000-00-GM).

City government of Aurora documents show the salt and calcium chloride to be used for snow removal will be purchased through the State’s Central Management Services Office and the DuPage County Procurement Services Division; both entities secured multiple bids through a publicly advertised sealed process, establishing competitive unit prices.

Prior to any expenditure of MFT funds, the State must review the proposed expenditure and authorize the use of MFT funds. The $1,359,600.00 is an estimate for what will be needed in 2025; however, the actual expenditure is dependent upon the severity of the winter and the number of events that require the use of these chemicals. Any unused funds from this expenditure will be returned to the City’s unobligated MFT balance at the end of 2025.

The 2025 budget is anticipated to include $1,359,600.00 for snow removal materials. This includes $1,339,000.00 for sodium chloride (rock salt) and $20,600.00 for liquid calcium chloride (pre-wetting agent), which is in line with past years.

These expenditures will be within account 203-4060-431.65-32 (Salt) and 203-4060-431.65-33 (Calcium Chloride).

• Consent was given to a Resolution authorizing the execution of a Phase 1 Preliminary Engineering Supplement with Stanley Consultants, Inc. in the not to exceed amount of $82,127.00 and the appropriation of $85,000.00 of MFT Funds for the Farnsworth Ave Traffic Signal Modernization Project.

This is a Resolution to approve the above referenced Engineering Services Supplement and to appropriate MFT funds by Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Resolution.

City government of Aurora documents show the project applied for federal funding in the 2022 STP-L call for projects. The project was awarded federal funding to cover up to 80% of Construction and Construction Engineering costs up to $2,500,000.

The project involves corridor improvements and traffic signal modernization along Farnsworth Avenue between Sheffer Rd and I-88. The improvements include replacement of all aging signal equipment, intermittent resurfacing, multi-use path construction, ADA ramp upgrades, and associated work. The intersections will be upgraded to 4-head flashing yellow left turn arrow operation – a proven safety enhancement being implemented on other projects throughout the City. Additional general information and exhibits can be found on the project website (https://www.aurora-il.org/2642/Farnsworth-Avenue-Project).

The City is continuing work with their selected engineering consultant, Stanley Consultants, Inc., on a project development report (PDR) under a previous City agreement. The PDR is substantially complete, and a draft will be submitted to IDOT shortly. The project is likely targeting a late 2026 IDOT letting, pending design engineering and land acquisition.

The original agreement with Stanley Consultants, Inc. was in the amount of $371,334.00 (R23-050).

During preliminary engineering, Stanley Consultants, Inc. and their consultants completed several work items not identified in the original Phase 1 agreement and requested by IDOT. Of particular note, items have been added relating to intersection widening at Molitor Road including additional topographic survey, drainage studies and design work. Additional items requested by IDOT include additional bicycle coordination, various environmental studies and potentially an additional coordination meeting. Additional hours have also been added to help the City with additional funding applications.

The original consultant selection followed the Request for Qualifications process and is not subject to the local preference policy. The funding source, MFT Funds, is not subject to the local preference policy.

• Consent was given to a Resolution authorizing the execution of a Phase 2 Design Engineering Agreement with Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc. in the not to exceed amount of $289,541.00, and the appropriation of $290,000.00 of MFT Funds for the Indian Trail Signal Modernization (Ohio St to Pennsbury Ln) project.

This is a Resolution to approve the above referenced Engineering Services Agreement and to appropriate MFT Funds by Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Resolution.

City government of Aurora documents show the City applied for federal funding in the 2022 Kane-Kendall Council of Mayors (KKCOM) Call for Projects for several projects. This project was selected for funding and placed into the KKCOM Active Program. The funding ratio for this project is 80/20 (80% federal / 20% local) for Construction and Construction Engineering, up to a maximum amount of $2,500,000.

The project will include modernizing 5 signals along Indian Trail from Ohio St to Pennsbury Ln with intermittent resurfacing through the corridor. The intersections will be upgraded to 4-signal head left turn arrows with flashing yellow arrows. Curb ramps will be brought into ADA compliance with APS push-buttons as part of this project.

The Phase 1 study has been in process since early 2023 and should be completed this winter. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2026 at the earliest, subject to design engineering, land acquisition and funding. Phase 2 engineering and land acquisition should begin at this time in order to continue to move the project forward.

The City published a Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) for the Phase 1 Engineering services on October 27, 2022, with the option to utilize the same firm for Phase 2 Engineering. Eight firms submitted their qualifications and experiences. Staff members reviewed the qualifications and determined that Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc. of Warrenville, Ill. was the most qualified with the top 3 firm’s scores. Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc. has been completing the Phase 1 study and City officials are recommending that they move forward with the Phase 2 design.

This followed the Request for Qualifications process and is not subject to the local preference policy. The funding source, MFT Funds, is not subject to the local preference policy.

The total cost of the Local Public Agency Engineering Services agreement is an amount not to exceed $289,541.00 The engineering agreement includes all tasks to design the project for IDOT’s letting, and also includes land acquisition.

IDOT requires a Resolution to appropriate the MFT Funds prior to their expenditure for approved projects. The 2024 City Budget provides $290,000 for this item in Account 203-4020-418.76-39 (GC087, Indian Trail Signal – Ohio-Pennsbury).

• Consent was given to a Resolution authorizing the director of the Purchasing Department to utilize the Sourcewell Cooperative Purchasing Contract to enter into an agreement with Interiors for Business, Inc. in the amount of $88,572.25 for replacement workspace tops at the Aurora Police Department.

The purpose is to award a contract to furnish and install replacement worktops at the Aurora Police Department in the amount of $88,572.25 to Interiors for Business, Inc., 409 N. River Street, Batavia, IL. This amount includes the amount proposed ($85,992.48), plus an additional three percent as a contingency.

City government of Aurora documents show the Aurora Police Department facility at 1200 E Indian Trail has been operational for over 15 years now and, due to wear and tear, most of the workspace tops (desktops, tables, etc) are worn beyond repair and must be replaced.

These workspace tops were covered with laminate material which has prematurely failed, causing the finished surface to peel and exposing the underlayment to damage. Also, this peeling laminate creates sharp edges which has also resulted in minor injuries to staff members. These worksurfaces are no longer under warranty.

The City has contracted with Interiors for Business, Inc., of Batavia utilizing cooperative purchasing contracts in the past to provide furniture and other products to the Aurora Police Department, including the replacement of chairs and the refitting of the Crisis Intervention Unit.

The Police Department has elected to engage Interiors for Business in a solution which would repair or replace these failing workspaces. Upon further examination, City officials learned that a repair or re-lamination of the current worktops was not a viable option, as the current worktops contain a beveled edge, which is not only the source of the product’s initial failure, but a prohibiting factor in re-finishing the surfaces.

Once the final scope of this project was established, Interiors for Business provided information that this purchase will be made utilizing Sourcewell cooperative purchasing contract #091423-ST1 for Steelcase products associated with this project.

Funds for this project will be provided via the US Department of Treasury Asset Forfeiture Fund under account # 256-3636-421.61-41. A budget amendment will be completed to facilitate the allocation of these funds from the Treasury Asset Forfeiture Fund (256) to this account.

This procurement abides by the guidelines set forth in the US Department of Treasury Guide to Equitable Sharing Program.

• Consent was given to a Resolution Establishing Procedures For Setting Ambulance User Fees For Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

The purpose is to authorize the Chief Financial Officer to annually adjust ambulance user fees based on data provided by the Ground Emergency Medical Transport (GEMT) program through the State of Illinois. This approach allows the City to better align its revenue structure to recover the actual costs of providing ambulance service.

City government of Aurora documents show Resolution R16-030 enabled the chief financial officer to adjust the city of Aurora ambulance user fees to be equal to an average of other municipal provider’s fees as reported in the Naperville survey. This was done without regard to the City’s costs to provide ambulance services.

In late 2019 and early 2020 the State of Illinois, working with the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association (IFCA) enacted a new program involving the use of federal funding (Medicare/Medicaid) to subsidize/support Ground Emergency Medical Transport (GEMT) providers. The City of Aurora completed all applications for this program and began receiving funds in 2020.

As part of the City’s continued participation in the GEMT program, an annual cost report must be submitted to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services by early October of each year. The GEMT Cost Report is a retrospective analysis of expenditures and EMS transports for the previous calendar year that directly determines the average cost per transport for the city of Aurora.

In reviewing Aurora rates and the rates of other Illinois communities City officials have found that Aurora rates are substantially less than comparable communities. As noted in the tables, Aurora’s current rates are less than comparable communities with an average difference of $577.64 for non-resident rates and $1,340.98 for resident rates.

The city of Aurora has individual rates for the specific types of EMS services rendered while most other communities do not. This appears to be a remnant of when the City of Aurora would balance bill residents for services rendered. The practice of balance billing residents ended with 20-0706, which provided welcome relief for residents, though keeping the Resident / Non-Resident fee structure effectively maintained a steep discount for insurance providers. It is for this reason that City officials are proposing to eliminate the Resident / Non-Resident fee structure. Regardless of changes to ambulance user fees, residents of the City of Aurora will continue to see zero out-of-pocket costs for utilization of emergency medical services.

The Chief Financial Officer will adjust Ambulance User Fees annually based on the GEMT Cost Report. Since the GEMT Cost Report is a retroactive analysis of the previous year, the Ambulance User Fee for next year will be calculated as the Average Cost per Transport plus an additional 6% (3% year-to-year inflation factor) to project for known and unknown increases in expenses. The Ambulance User Fee is to be updated and effective January 1, 2025 and every subsequent January 1.

In addition to the Ambulance User Fee defined above, a mileage charge shall apply to all ambulance transports. This mileage charge will be equal to three times the mileage rate established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plus 3%. Mileage is automatically calculated in the EMS report and is measured by the distance from the scene of the incident to the receiving facility.

Note that all the fees above are for transport services, and therefore, ambulance calls that do not involve transport are not subject to Ambulance User Fee or the Mileage Fee.

Impact statement:

The recommended change in fee structure will provide an increase in annual ambulance billing revenue, estimated at $2,100,000.00 for 2025. This resolution will also make the updating of ambulance billing a yearly process that will be based on actual cost to provide the services. Moreover, the City will continue to not balance bill residents, this means the only bill generated for a resident who uses the ambulance services will continue to go to their insurance provider.

• Consent was given to a Resolution to execute a contract with Vertosoft for the purchase of OpenGov E-Procurement and Contract Management Systems to modernize and standardize procurement functions across the City in the amount of $127,679.50 through 2025 and annual software costs through 2028.

Officials in the Purchasing Division wish to move to an E-Procurement and Contract Management system which will centralize the City’s procurement process, create more competition, and mitigate risk with approved templates and contracts.

City government of Aurora documents show at this time, the City creates and maintains all the procurements and contracts manually. Staff members post all actual documents, advertisements published in the newspaper, addendums, tabulations and award information manually to the City’s website and DemandStar along with updating several excel spreadsheets for tracking.

Informal Solicitations were being posted/managed on a separate GovSpend site where only items $5,000-$25,000 were being posted. This site actually charges the City an annual fee to use.

While each project manager/division is supposed to manage and monitor their multi-year agreements, the Purchasing Department staff members are also monitoring terms to ensure renewals or bids are published timely to allow for review, selection and Committee/Council approval process if required.

The Purchasing Division, with the participation of Public Works/Engineering, Central Facilities and Information Technology reviewed the capabilities of 21 different E-Procurement systems and narrowed the selection to five who had current cooperative contracts (Appian, Bonfire, CobbleStone, OpenGov and Oracle). Additional information was requested to ensure they were able to provide government based product, supplier engagement, vendor portal, informal solicitations, AI based tools, solicitation development and evaluation and award management. Four of the vendors responded, demonstrations were set up and after a consensus of staff members, a second more in-depth demonstration was held with Bonfire and OpenGov.

After the second demonstration and reference checks, all staff members agreed that OpenGov would be the best solution for the City.

OpenGov is an end-to-end procurement solution that includes the following modules: solicitation development, supplier engagement, evaluation and awards, and contract management. The system will engage more vendors, ensure fair and transparent evaluations, and automate contract management. OpenGov is a cloud-based service. The benefits of this form of software is that OpenGov will maintain the platform for software updates and security fixes, as well as provide the hardware and infrastructure to deliver the service. They have an unlimited user model to encourage adoption citywide and additional training is included post-deployment at no additional costs.

Moving to this system, staff members will no longer have to scan paper bid documents, bid tabulations will be calculated electronically and eliminating math errors. Bid/proposal submissions will include all required information or it cannot be submitted. Bid openings will no longer be required by the City clerk’s office as City officials will be able to open all the bids electronically at the due date/time with the press of a button. Retention requirements will still be met, but the documents will be electronic and stored by OpenGov. This will save hours weekly for the Purchasing Division, allowing more time to assist other divisions with specification research.

OpenGov will be purchased through Vertosoft, an authorized OpenGov reseller, using the NCPA-Omnia Contract 01-165. The cooperative contract terms are May 1, 2023 through April 30, 2026 with optional two 1-year renewals through April 30, 2028.

In 2024/2025 the software costs will be expensed in account 101-2526-415.64-10 ($6,438.50 and $77,262.00) and the implementation costs will be charged 101-2526-415.32-20 ($43,979.00) Software costs are anticipated at a 5% increase after 2025.

Approving this purchase will modernize and standardize the City’s procurement process, ease the contract management process and reduce paper waste.

• Consent was given to a Resolution authorizing the director of the Purchasing Department to process a change order in the amount of $801,000.00 to the agreement with FGM Architects of Oakbrook, IL for architectural, design, engineering and construction services for Fire Stations #9 and #13.

The purpose is to authorize the additional costs as the scope has increased from the City’s original estimates.

City government of Aurora documents show in 2021, the Aurora Fire Department (AFD) hired a consultant to conduct a Fire Station Location Analysis to establish optimal locations for the planned additional fire station, and relocation of two stations, required to effectively meet fire and EMS service demand due to the continued growth and development of the city. The study determined it would be in the best interest of the public and the Fire Department to construct a new Station #13 and relocate Stations #9 and #4. Following Council approval, a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for the relocations and new buildings was submitted and approved. Staff members released a Request for Proposals (RFP) May 15, 2022, for architectural services and began looking for property. The acquisition of property for Station #9 was approved on Tuesday, September 12, 2023 (O23-056).

FGM Architects was awarded the architectural services for Fire Stations #9 and #13 with resolution R23-299 in October 2023. At the time of the initial contract, the scope/size of the two stations was not fully developed so the construction costs proposed were based on the existing station square footage and an estimated start to calculate costs. While FGM Architect pricing was submitted as a percentage of construction basis, the resolution was presented and capped it as a not to exceed fixed dollar amount.

The new agreement value of $1,901,950.00 is an increase of $801,200.00 over the initial resolution of $1,100,750. As a result of the programming and schematic design phases the project scale increased nearly 50%. For Fire Station #9, the updated construction value of $10,578,084 (18,940 sq ft) from the original estimate of $4,700,000 (11,000 sq ft) and Fire Station #13 updated construction value of $11,797,764 (20,995 sq ft) from the original $7,200,000 (17,000 sq ft).

Due to the increased size/scope, FGM Architects has agreed to reduce the fee percentage from 9.25% to 8.5%, which is an approximately $170,000 reduction in fees.

Many factors have contributed to the increased costs, time specifically. When the City began planning for these stations, costs were much less than they are now. Fire stations last 50-70 years in many cases, so staff members have done a remarkable job reviewing and assessing needs vs. wants and tried to ensure there is room for growth/changes as the building ages.

The funds are available in account 355-3033-422.72-35 (C012 and C013).

Based on the current schedule, Fire Station #13 will commence November 2024 with an anticipated completion of fall 2025 and Fire Station #9 will likely be a few weeks behind the start and finish of Fire Station #13.

The new Fire Station #13 and the relocation of Fire Station #9 will provide better coverage and response times to the community and allow the AFD to continue to grow and respond to the increased development throughout the City.

• Consent was given to a Resolution authorizing the acceptance of vendor proposals and the execution of contracts for janitorial services at various City buildings, for a term of two years, with two optional one-year extensions.      

The purpose is to provide continued janitorial services at various City facilities.

City government of Aurora documents show the City’s janitorial services contracts, which place an emphasis on the cleanliness, safety, function, and overall appearance of various City facilities, will expire December 31, 2024.

To establish successor contracts for continued janitorial services to commence January 1, 2025, the City published Request for Proposal “Janitorial Cleaning Services at Various City-owned Buildings” (RFP 24-093) August 14, 2024. Several vendors responded and participated in a mandatory, three day, pre-bid walkthrough of the subject facilities, which was conducted September 4-6, 2024.

Following the facility walkthroughs and the issuance of Addendum 1, a total of 12 vendor proposals were received and publicly opened September 18, 2024. Each proposal was evaluated by City staff members using the following weighted criteria: minimum qualifications and responsiveness (10%), company qualifications (10%), experience/references (25%), availability and capacity of firm to perform the work (25%), and pricing (30%).

After all proposal evaluations were completed, the three vendors selected to best provide janitorial services for the various City facilities are:

International Cleaning Services Inc. of Naperville, Ill., with a total bid of $231,246.00

Rainbow Property Maintenance of Lemont, Ill., with a total bid of $257,325.00

The Tidy Queens Corporation of Oswego, Ill., with a total bid of $247,891.68

Janitorial services for the various facilities will be distributed between the three vendors based mainly on individual pricing, but facility locations and proximity of the facilities to each other were also considered.

The recommended companies are not indebted to the City.

This is a Request for Proposal, so the Local Preference Ordinance does not apply to selection.

Monies to satisfy the costs for janitorial services are projected to be allocated in the anticipated 2025 budget and drawn from the following accounts: 101-4410-417.36-03($20,000.00), 101-4411-417.36-03($190,540.00),101-4440-451.36-03($35,400.00), 101-4060-431.36-03($10,000.00), 120-4431-418.36-03($11,000.00), 520-4432-437.36-03($4,000.00), and 550-4442-451.36-03($7,500.00). Monies will continue to be appropriated in future budget years to satisfy costs of janitorial services delivered through the terms of the contracts.

• Consent was given to a Resolution authorizing the award of contracts to supply process chemicals for the Water Production Division.

The purpose is to obtain city council approval for the execution of contracts with suppliers of various process chemicals for the Water Production Division.

City government of Aurora documents show each year the Water Production Division solicits bids for process chemicals to be used at the Water Treatment Plant, bids 24-088 and 24-089. The chemicals supplied are essential and necessary to the operations of the various treatment processes such as softening, disinfection, clarification, filtration, fluoridation, and taste and odor control, as well as regulatory compliance with drinking water standards. Sealed bids for this purpose were opened on October 16, 2024, and reverse-auction bidding was completed on September 24, 2024.

The following suppliers are submitted as the lowest responsive, responsible bidders and are recommended for the applicable one-year or two-year period commencing on January 1, 2025, with 2026 strictly optional if mutually agreed upon:

Airgas Specialty Products, Inc. – Anhydrous Ammonia (2025)

Univar Solutions USA LLC – Fluorosilicic Acid (2025)

Rowell Chemical Corp. – Sodium Hypochlorite (2025)

Nalco Water (Ecolab) – Cationic Polymer (2025 – 2026)

MacGas LLC – Carbon Dioxide (2025)

Kemira Water Solutions – Ferric Chloride (2025 – 2026)

Mississippi Lime Company – Calcium Oxide (2025)

Atlas Carbon – Powdered Activated Carbon (2025 – 2026)

Funds have been requested in the 2025 City Budget in Account No. 510-4058-511-65-36 in the amount of $3,469,500. The proposed budget amount is based upon the estimated usage for all process chemicals recommended herein. In addition, the continued annual purchase of Nalclear 7763, a proprietary anionic polymer from a sole source, Nalco Water (Ecolab) is requested for approval as a non-contract item at an approximate annual expense of $37,000.

The City of Aurora Local Preference Ordinance did apply to these bids but did not impact the awards.

• Consent was given to a Resolution to execute a five-year contract with OpenGov, Inc. in the amount of $1,166,386 for the implementation and use of their Cartegraph Enterprise Asset Management System.

City government of Aurora documents show the City desires an Enterprise Asset Management System (EAMS) to improve data gathering, work tracking, and decision making on City assets.

At this time, the City has no unified approach for tracking work conducted on City assets (E.g., water main, street segments, light poles, etc.). Work tracking is accomplished through various home-built tools – typically through the GIS system – as well as Excel sheets, paper forms, and across several databases. The information housed by each respective division within Public Works creates data silos that staff members must navigate to combine and analyze historical records. Additionally, staff members have no current means of tracking on-going work on any asset other than requesting updates from Labor Supervisors.

Enterprise Asset Management Software (EAMS) provides a digital means for City staff members to create and track work orders attributed directly to physical and GIS-based assets. EAMS provides an effective medium for staff members to: identify reactive work and move towards preventative maintenance activities; manage workloads with regards to changing field conditions in real-time; and gain greater insight into operational efficiency. Additionally, EAMS allows staff members to record observations or inspections of assets. Combined with historical records of actual work conducted, these inspections feed into the software to provide greater detail of infrastructure health. This data-driven approach to asset management helps to control capital costs and improve decision making.

An increasing number of Illinois municipalities are implementing asset management solutions to aid capital planning and work-tracking efforts. Cities and Villages such as Naperville, Batavia, Joliet, Rockford, Springfield, Schaumburg, and Buffalo Grove are a small sample of local agencies that have utilized EAMS for several years.

The City publicly posted a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for EAMS on March 25th, 2024. Twenty-three vendors responded to the RFQ. In June, the City selected five vendors to conduct an initial demonstration. Based on first round team review, three vendors were selected for final demonstrations and asked to submit revised pricing models by September 13th.

The City selected OpenGov’s Cartegraph software solution based on scoring results across several different departments. After negotiations, the five-year totalized Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) cost is $927,705.47. Implementation will occur across 2025 and 2026 for a not-to-exceed cost of $238,680. Water, sewer, and tree assets and workflows will be implemented in 2025 while transportation/street, electrical, and park assets and workflows will be implemented in 2026.

Workloads with labor supervisors and other supervisory staff members will temporarily increase as staff members learn to operate the software for their daily tasks. IT & GIS staff members will need to assist with the implementation as well as data migration and integration services as the City transfers historical data to the software and connects to current City systems such as the 311- and 811-systems.

• Consent was given to a Resolution to accept the Proposals received for the 2025 Water & Sewer Division Emergency Repair Program.

The purpose of this resolution is to establish a contractors’ availability list with set per item costs to enable the City to complete emergency repairs which can’t be performed in-house as the need arises based on competitive bidding and timely response to the need. The submission of a bid shall not bind the Contractor to the performance of work under this resolution. The contractor(s) deemed to be in the best interests of the City, for whatever specific project the City may be considering, shall be given an opportunity to accept or decline projects on a case-by-case basis. If that Contractor declines the project, the next Contractor deemed to be in the best interests of the City shall be given the opportunity.

City government of Aurora documents show the City of Aurora periodically has emergency sewer and water repair needs that cannot be performed by in-house staff members. This could be due to complexity of the repair or availability of staff members to perform the work in a timely fashion. This resolution saves time and money by pre-qualifying contractors with established unit prices to perform the emergency repairs quickly and efficiently. By responding, contractors are confirming their willingness to provide emergency sewer and water repairs per the pricing provided.

The proposals were opened on October 30, 2024. Miller Pipeline, 301 Arthur Ave, Mt. Prospect, Ill., and RPH Hauling, PO Box 449, Sugar Grove, Ill., were the two qualified bidders who submitted complete proposals. Public Works and the Water and Sewer Maintenance Division have the ability to choose the Contractor with the most advantageous unit prices and response times for the type of work to be completed.

This contract is subject to the local vendor preference ordinance but neither company is considered local.

Funding for this work is typically budgeted within accounts # 510-4063-511-38-30 ($40,000, water repairs) and 510-4063-511-38-35 ($50,000, sewer repairs). Funds are requested in the amount of $90,000 in the 2025 budget, currently under review, for this work.

This process reduces staff member time by developing a list of contractors to perform emergency work at fixed unit prices. This avoids the time and effort to prepare purchase orders, review bids, and select contractors for repair projects.

• Consent was given to a Resolution to accept the Proposals received for the 2025 Water & Sewer Division Plumbing Service.

City government of Aurora documents show the purpose of this resolution is to establish a contractors’ availability list with set per item costs to enable the City to complete plumbing services which can’t be performed in-house as the need arises based on competitive bidding and timely response to the need. The submission of a bid shall not bind the Contractor to the performance of work under this resolution. The contractor(s) deemed to be in the best interests of the City, for whatever specific project the City may be considering, shall be given an opportunity to accept or decline projects on a case-by-case basis. If that contractor declines the project, the next Contractor deemed to be in the best interests of the City shall be given the opportunity.

In accordance with Municipal Code Section 48-26 (Utility: Responsibility for Installation and Maintenance) the City of Aurora provides plumbing services to make repairs to private water services within the public Right-of-Way or a City easement. All repairs are performed by licensed plumbers.

Background:

In accordance with Municipal Code Section 48-26 (Utility: Responsibility for Installation and Maintenance) the City of Aurora provides plumbing services to make repairs to private water services within the public Right-of-Way or a City easement. All repairs are performed by licensed plumbers. Plumbers are typically dispatched within one hour after Water & Sewer Division receives notification of a leaking water service line within the Public Right of Way

The proposals were opened on October 30, 2024. RJ O’Neil, 1125 S Lake St, Montgomery, Ill.,, Michels Plumbing, Inc., 225 Gale St., Aurora, Ill.,, and Cannonball Mechanical, 195 W Ashland Ave, Aurora, Ill., were the three qualified bidders who submitted complete proposals. Public Works and the Water and Sewer Maintenance Division have the ability to choose the Contractor with the most advantageous unit prices and response times for the type of work to be completed.

This contract is subject to the local vendor preference ordinance.

Funding for this work is typically budgeted within account # 510-4063-511-38-45. Funds are requested in the amount of $55,000 in the 2025 budget, currently under review, for this work.

• Consent was given to a Resolution adopting unit price bids for the purchase of various water and sewer repair materials for the 2025 calendar year.

City government of Aurora documents show this resolution is needed to provide an efficient process for the economic purchase of various materials needed to repair water and sewer infrastructure.

The City’s Water and Sewer Maintenance Division responsibilities include making repairs to Aurora’s water and sewer system. These repairs require various materials such as piping, fittings, valves, hydrants, and the like. On October 30, 2024 quotes from four material suppliers were opened by the director of the Purchasing Department. The bids provide unit prices from several suppliers for the majority of materials needed for typical repairs to the City’s water and sewer infrastructure. The prices submitted will be valid through December 31, 2025. The total 2025 materials expense is estimated to be $405,500. This contract is subject to the local vendor preference ordinance O20-029 and the only local qualifying bidder has agreed to match the applicable unit prices.

The proposed 2025 budget provides funding for these purchases within the Water and Sewer Fund in the following accounts:

510-4063-511-65-60 (Water Lines) – FY 2025 Proposed Budget – $400,000

510-4063-511-65-65 (Sewer Lines/Sanitary) – FY 2025 Proposed Budget $5,500

By providing an efficient way to purchase needed water and sewer materials, this resolution will help the City provide a higher level of service to its constituents.

• Consent was given to a Resolution adopting unit price bids for the on-call full replacement of disturbed lead water service lines in 2025 within the City.

The purpose is to assist City of Aurora water customers impacted by water distribution system maintenance with the full replacement of their disturbed lead water service lines.

City government of Aurora documents show in accordance with the State’s Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act, the City will be required to replace every lead service line within the City starting in 2027. The same act also prohibits the disturbance or partial replacement of any existing lead service lines. To comply with these regulations, the City modified the lead service line replacement policy in 2021, wherein the city replaces any such service line at no cost to the property owner. Due to the volume of replacements completed annually, the city hires outside contractors to complete this work. In general, these replacements are the result of leaking service lines and/or service lines without a proper functioning shut-off valve.

The 2025 On-call Lead Service Line Replacement Contract was publicly advertised for bids. Contractors were invited to submit unit price bids for the on-call replacement of full lead service lines within the City. The bids were received on October 30, 2024. The unit prices from each bid were inserted into an example service replacement job to determine a ranking and call order. The bids from Brandt Excavating and Michels Plumbing were significantly lower that the other two so it is anticipated that they will complete the majority of the work. The location and timing of these services will be based on future need and they will be offered to the contractors based on the order listed in the bid tabulation. This contract will go into affect on December 1, 2024 and these unit prices will be valid through December 31, 2025.

Based on the average number of water services replaced under this contract over the past several years, the engineering division anticipates a total contract need of $2,400,000.00. $150,000.00 from this contract is anticipated to be completed in December 2024 and funds have been allocated in account 510-4058-511-73-02 (IC080). The proposed 2025 budget provides funding for this expense within the Water and Sewer Fund in account 510-4058-511.73-02 (IC080) which has an anticipated budget of $4,000,000. The remaining $2,250,000 from this contract will be completed in 2025. This contract was subject to the local vendor preference ordinance and one local qualified bidder submitted. However, the local bidder was not within 5% of the next lowest bid and therefore did not impact the bid results.

Adopting this resolution should provide an efficient means for the City to contract for the replacement of lead water service lines within the City and comply with all applicable state regulations.

• Consent was given to a Resolution authorizing the director of the Purchasing Department to execute a change order to the existing contract with WBK Engineering in the amount of $45,950.00 for stormwater modeling associated with the RiverEdge Park Phase II Expansion.

The purpose is to increase the contract amount to continue stormwater modeling and finalize submittals to FEMA for hydraulic analysis related to the Fox River floodplain limits adjacent to RiverEdge Park.

City government of Aurora documents show the current flood maps covering RiverEdge Park indicate a different floodplain limit than what should be shown based on actual topography. FEMA has requested that the City submit hydraulic models demonstrating the limits and preparing a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR).

Due to their historic knowledge of the stormwater at the park, WBK was hired to complete the hydraulic analysis in the amount of $28,850. In addition to the anticipated scope requested, FEMA has requested the development of two separate hydraulic models and the evaluation of multiple flood scenarios, adding significant effort leading to the cost increase. Additionally, WBK did not have the budget allocated for the $8,000 application fee. These are just a few of the main tasks remaining to be completed to comply with FEMA requests and obtain the necessary map revisions to work on certain elements of the park, specifically at the beverage pavilion. By elevation, the structure is not within the floodplain/floodway, however the flood maps need to be revised to reflect this.

Finalizing the Letter of Map Revision should benefit the City and public by allowing the construction of the park to commence, expanding the park to allow for a better user experience. Funds are available in account 355-4440-451.73-43 (A062).

This should not have any adverse impacts to the General Public, or other departments and divisions.

• Consent was given to a Resolution approving the appointment of Kevin Muhammad and the reappointment of Frank Johnson and Joseph L. Grisson III to the Aurora Housing Authority Board.

City government of Aurora documents show the Aurora Housing Authority (AHA) Board was not subject to the Chapter 2 revisions since they exist due to a State statute.

The nomination brought forth represents two veteran candidates and one new appointment

Kevin Muhammad, a Ward 6 resident to serve a first term.

Frank Johnson, a Ward 5 resident to serve a fourth term.

Joseph L. Grisson III, a Ward 5 resident to serve a fourth term.

• Consent was given to a Resolution approving the reappointments of William Whitfield, Cynthia Latimer, Marc Dale Jr. to the African American Heritage Advisory Board.

City government of Aurora documents show in June of 2021, the City Council approved changes to Chapter 2, which included a sunset provision for all board/commission members. The sunset was included to bring the board/commission terms into compliance with the new dates provided in the ordinance, as well as survey members if they wished to continue to serve or step down.

The nomination brought forth represents three veteran members;

William Whitfield is a non-resident and seeking a second term.

Cynthia Latimer is a resident of Ward 7 and seeking a second term.

Marc Dale Jr. is a non-resident and seeking a fifth term.

• Consent was given to a Resolution authorizing the reappointments of Albert Signorelli, Michael Sawdey, Spiros Koliopoulos, and Janice Lindley to the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Commission.

City government of Aurora documents show the nomination brought forth represents four veteran candidates.

Albert Signorelli is a resident of Ward 6 and seeking a second term.

Michael Sawdey is a resident of Ward 4 and seeking a sixth term.

Spiros Koliopoulos is a non-resident and seeking a second term.

Janice Lindley is a resident of Ward 2 and seeking a second term.

• Consent was given to an Ordinance Amending Chapter 6 – Section 6-2 of the Code of Ordinances Regarding “Complimentary” Licenses.

City government of Aurora documents show at this time, the City’s liquor ordinance contains an on-site license type, “Complimentary Alcohol Service.” The title needs to be changed as not to imply that alcohol can be given away for free at a business with that license type. The ILCC is the governing body that regulates the manufacture, distribution, and retail sale of alcoholic beverages in Illinois as authorized by Illinois law. The ILCC Rules do not permit businesses to give away alcoholic liquor to customers.

Chapter 6 of the Code of Ordinances provides for a liquor license entitled, “Complimentary Alcohol Service.” The intent of this license is to allow patrons to consume a limited amount of alcohol in conjunction with the purchase of goods or services. Unfortunately, the addition of the word “Complimentary” in the title of the license is misleading and should be replaced to avoid any confusion by the businesses, consumers, or the ILCC. The ILCC Rules do not permit any person, licensed or unlicensed, to give away alcoholic liquor for a commercial purpose. The use of the word “Complimentary” is not allowed by the ILCC to be used in advertisements promoting alcoholic liquor.

To achieve the original goal of this liquor license type and to comply with the ILCC Rules, proposed language is that alcohol served for consumption on site is included with the cost of the service, and not “Complimentary.” With a change in the title of the license type, the fee resolution will need to be repealed.

This change will enable the City to issue liquor licenses that allow licensees to comply with the ILCC Rules while allowing them to expand their businesses by offering a limited amount of alcohol for consumption on premises while patrons are engaging in services performed by the businesses.

• Consent was given to an Ordinance Amending Chapter 6 – Sections 6-5, 6-7 and 6-20 of the Code of Ordinances.

The purpose is to remove the requirement that location managers of liquor licensed businesses submit to fingerprints/background checks and update fingerprints/backgrounds every three (3) years.

City government of Aurora documents show Chapter 6 of the code of ordinances and the Illinois Liquor Control Act identify specific criminal violations that preclude persons from acting as owners, officers or managers of a liquor licensed business. The Illinois Liquor Control Act gives each municipality the authority, if they choose, to conduct fingerprinting to screen potential and current owners, officers and managers for prohibitive offenses but does not require a municipality to fingerprint/background check applicants. While there is significant value in obtaining fingerprints/background checks for owners and officers of applicants and license holders every three years, it has been brought to the attention of City officials that the requirement that managers obtain fingerprints/background checks is an expensive, time-consuming and unnecessary process for some business owners who are liquor license holders in Aurora and it was requested that City officials review the policy with regard to managers.

From the licensee perspective, this policy can be expensive and duplicative if they also conduct their own pre-employment background check prior to employing managers. It appears a background check through a licensed agency for Aurora’s liquor licensing purposes may cost approximately $65.00 (to meet the City requirement) in addition to any costs incurred in obtaining a background check for their own purposes. The argument has been made that the requirement for all managers to obtain fingerprints/background checks every three (3) years is unduly burdensome on the business owners. For many of the smaller businesses, the owners also serve as the managers so the requirement may not particularly impact them. For many of the larger businesses, such as chain restaurants, they are accustomed to varying municipal requirements throughout the country and haven’t vocalized objection to this requirement. It seems to be the mid-sized locally based businesses with more management turnover that may feel more negative effects of this policy. A review of other municipalities revealed the following:

St. Charles: requires owners over 5%, partners, officers and directors to be fingerprinted and an affidavit submitted regarding the criminal history of managers;

Batavia: requires an affidavit for officers, managers, directors, stockholders over 5% and agree to fingerprints upon request;

Joliet: requires background checks for all owners over 5%;

Rockford: requires background checks for primary applicant, managers/agents, owners of 5% and over, all corporate officers and directors;

North Aurora: requires an affidavit regarding the criminal history of responsible parties (principals, directors, officers, members/managers, partners and location managers).

From the perspective of staff members in the City Clerk’s Office, keeping track of the moving target of location managers and their background check requirements is a big job and with 208 liquor licenses, it’s difficult to maintain control over the fingerprint/background check requirements for the owners and officers without including location managers. Removal of this requirement would lessen the workload of the Clerk’s Office staff members.

From the perspective of the public, City officials would look at the benefit to the public of expending staff member resources on tracking background checks of managers. With a safeguard in place that the business owner must submit proof that their application is submitted truthfully (via affidavit) after the business owner has done their due diligence to vet their managers, this requirement can likely safely be removed to save staff member time and business resources with little negative effect on the public.

Input from the Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC) was sought and received on this matter. Specifically, the ILCC advised that the Illinois Liquor Control Act does not require fingerprinting to be conducted, however, the Liquor Control Act does require truthful submission of applications, and all licenses are subject to the provisions of the Liquor Control Act. Since the Liquor Control Act permits a local municipality to conduct fingerprinting, each municipality is free to conduct its own background checking policies which are not inconsistent with the Act.

Based on guidance from the ILCC, the City is free to remove the requirement that managers obtain fingerprints/background checks to prove eligibility for a license so long as there is another safeguard in place, such as an affidavit, to ensure businesses are submitting truthful applications.

This change will enable businesses to conduct their own background checks on their location managers without duplicating efforts and fees to satisfy the City requirement. This change will reduce the Clerk’s Office workload and allow staff members to focus on other licensing details.

• Consent was given to a Resolution appointing six members to the “Aging-in-Community Advisory Board” (AICB).

The purpose of this item is to make an initial round of appointments to the AICB, leaving three spaces open for local organizations and/or residents of the AIC community.

City government of Aurora documents show the City Council approved the creation of the Aging-in-Community Advisory Board in March of 2024. The board was created in tandem with Aurora’s participation in the Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus’ “Aging in a Changing Region” program. The findings of this program were outlined in an Aging in a Changing Region Guide, which was presented to the City Council in April of 2024; and included the recommendation that the city create a board.

The creation of the board and calls for applications were made in both March and April of 2024 through the Council Committee process. Additional advertisements were done over the course of the next six months; staff members scheduled interviews for interested applicants in October of 2024. Traditionally, staff members take forward a full slate for appointment to a new board, but it was decided to take this in two phases. The candidates are primarily representatives of agencies that serve Aurora residents, the goal is to build out the resident engagement side with the remaining three seats.

The candidates are listed below:

• Jennifer Brasfield, a non-resident; executive director of Riverwalk Adult Day Services in Naperville which serves Aurora residents.
• Esmeralda Tellner, a non-resident; retired Aurora Police Department Elderly Resource Officer
• Alex Haughee, a non-resident; executive director of Plum Landing
• Reena Cherian, Ward 10; geriatric physical therapist for over 20 years
• Glenda Love, a non-resident; works for Age Guide which serves Kane, DuPage, Kendall and Will County residents
• George Scowins, Ward 1; former Block Grant Working Committee member, active resident

Approval of these members will allow the AICB to begin the work outlined in the “Aging in a Changing Region” program as well as the work of City staff members.

• Consent was given to an Ordinance amending Chapter 29 of the City of Aurora Code of Ordinances.

This amendment to Section 29-126 will provide the Aurora Police Department (APD) the ability to address specific serious issues in more expeditious manner than what is currently provided for in the city code.

City government of Aurora documents show the APD has been working to address matters specific to massage parlors and similar business in Aurora. There are several massage parlors in Aurora that are currently and/or have in the past advertised additional services as an available option. This business model creates an environment easily conducive for prostitution as well as human trafficking.

The proposed code amendments to expand the activities defined as aggravated nuisance activities included in Section 29-126 will expedite the current enforcement mechanisms in the in the city code to address these concerns. At this time, if there were citations or arrests for prostitution, any sex offense, or human trafficking, the code requires two of such incidents within a one-year period to be documented for a property to be declared a nuisance. There are other avenues that may be explored in the near future if this, paired with other existing codes, are not effective. The goal is not to shut down massage parlors, but rather to clearly establish tools for APD and other affected City Departments to address these serious issues in a timely manner.

This amendment will have a positive impact on public safety with minimal disruption to other City departments while utilizing existing rules and regulations.

• Consent was given to an Ordinance amending Chapter 22-Harassment and Discrimination by specifically adding Article 22-IV Reasonable Accommodation Process.

City government of Aurora documents show the purpose is to continue to ensure equal access to housing and in compliance with the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and applicable State laws, this amendment would provide persons with disabilities reasonable accommodations (including modifications or exceptions) to the City’s zoning, land use, and other regulations, codes, rules, policies and practices. This amendment would include waiving certain requirements when necessary to eliminate barriers to housing opportunities and to ensure a person with a disability has an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling. This Article provides a procedure for making requests for accommodations in land use, zoning, building regulations and other regulations, policies, practices, and procedures of the jurisdiction to comply fully with the intent and purpose of applicable laws, including federal laws, in making a reasonable accommodation.

The City has several regulations and ordinances that apply to land use, zoning, building and other practices and procedures. For instance, the City’s has multiple ordinances limiting the number of unrelated persons from living together and maintaining a common household.

The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prevent discriminatory housing practices against individuals with disabilities. These federal laws prohibit municipalities from enacting or enforcing land use or zoning laws that discriminate against persons because of a legally protected characteristic such as a disability.

The proposed amendments would ensure clear and detailed procedures for an individual with a disability who is seeking a reasonable accommodation or exception to any of the City’s land use, zoning, building regulations and other regulations, policies, practices, and procedures. The process outlined in the amendments includes an application and specific information and documentation to be included when the request is submitted to the zoning administrator. The request will be reviewed by a hearing officer which would be aligned with current processes. The proposed amendments also identify specific time frames in which requests will be reviewed, and written decision must be made. The hearing officer is provided with a list of factors that shall be considered during the review of the request. The amendment also provides staff members with clear direction on how to process a reasonable accommodation request and ensure that the requests will be reviewed in the same manner regardless of what regulation, policy or procedure is identified.

Amending Chapter 22 would provide a detailed mechanism for a person with a disability to request a reasonable accommodation to the City’s land use, zoning, building regulations and other regulations, policies, practices, and procedures.

• Final approval for items on the Committee of the Whole consent agenda are set to be made at the November 26 Aurora City Council meeting.