A couple of Aurora City Council votes were close at the body’s meeting Tuesday evening.
One vote approved paying the professional services agreement with Crowe Horwath, of Oakbrook Terrace, in the amount of $90,000. for technology-related services.
The agreement was approved 7-4 after it was sent back to the Committee of Whole two weeks earlier for further review and a reduction from the original $109,000. fee.
Later, by a 7-4 vote, payment was authorized to pay the law firm of Odelson & Sterk in its legal counsel regarding the referendum on the Aurora Election Commission’s existence. See below.
The city government of Aurora is seeking to evaluate its current technology department and city-wide technology services and develop an information technology (IT) strategic plan or IT road map, to focus on the following objectives:
• Engage in mapping to document key technology-related processes;
• Identify key projects and help IT plan, budget, and prioritize;
• Develop IT short- and long-term goals and alignment with city-wide vision and other innovation strategies.
• Seek ways to streamline and modernize, as well as standardize, the way city-wide departments utilize IT’s services and technology.
Payment to the law firm of Odelson & Sterk for legal counsel on the Aurora Election Commission referendum to determine its existence, led to discussion and a vote to separate it from paying other bills, and encountered a relatively lengthy discussion.
Alderman Ed Bugg, expressed concern that the city government was using taxpayer funds to pay for 1,600 petitioners seeking to have the Aurora Election Commission abolished.
He asked corporation counsel, Richard Veenstra, “In regards to legal services, please explain what that was for the last three months of 2017? Did it include attorney fees for the political action committee (which was formed to end the Aurora Election Committee by vote in the March 20 primary election)?”
Veenstra said, the payment in question is from October 1 through December 31, 2017 for assistance to the city government, but, not for the counsel to assist the petitioners (to end the Aurora Election Commission) with the 1600 signatures.”
Alderman Bugg moved that the payment of other bills be separated from payment to Odelson & Sterk. The vote of the Council was 6-5 to separate the payment to the law firm from other bills. The vote to pay all other bills was 11-0 in favor and the vote to pay Odelson & Sterk $18,028.25, of which $6,100 was for assistance with the Aurora Election Commission referendum, was 7-4.
• Approved was a resolution to extend an agreement with Communities in Schools of Aurora to serve as third party administrator for Summer-related youth programs in 2018.
According to city of Aurora documents, since 2010, the city has utilized Communities in Schools (CIS) as a third party administrator (TPA) for Summer and youth development programs. In addition to working with School Districts 129, 131, 204 and 308 and Aurora University, CIS was a partner with more than 25 different agencies on programs during the past eight years.
The cost for the proposed services is $287,834 for Summer-related programs for this year. This agreement will permit the city government of Aurora to provide similar services at lower costs.
• Approved was a final plat for units 1, 2, and 3 of Gramercy Square Subdivision for the development of 171 townhomes on 25 acres of vacant land on the east side of Commons Drive south of 75th Street (M/I Homes of Chicago, LLC.
• Approved was a wage and insurance rollover agreement between the city government of Aurora and Local 3298, Council 31 American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees AFL/CIO, October 1, 2017 through December 31, 2019.
• Approved was a rollover agreement between the city government of Aurora and Local 1514, Council 31 American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees AFL/CIO January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2019.
• Approved was a resolution to accept a bid from Copenhaver Construction, Inc, based in Gilberts for the Water Street Mall Improvements Project in the amount of $277,835.
According to city government of Aurora documents, the renovation will address the mismatched aesthetics and safety concerns of the Water Street Mall between Downer Place and Galena Boulevard.
Director of Zoning and Planning for Aurora city government, Stephane Phifer said, “We had an arborist take a look and they felt (the trees) weren’t in healthy enough condition to survive and be in a safe condition, so they will be replaced.
“Back in the ‘80s in order to insure the trees stayed standing, they actually poured concrete and rebar around the root system, which actually has made it for the long-term, an unhealthy situation.
“Unfortunately, some of the decisions made in the past do mean the trees are at the end of their life cycles.”