Jo Daviess County Development & Planning Committee met June 25.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
PRESENT: Brandon Behlke, John Schultz, Robert O’Connor, Robert Heuerman, Ron Smith, Scott Toot
ABSENT: Staci Duerr
A quorum was established.
Other Board members: None.
Others: Debbie Boden, Gary Diedrick, Lisa McCarthy, Dan Reimer, Eric Tison and Patrick Winders
1. Approval of Minutes
a) Review and approve minutes for the May 28, 2019 Development & Planning Committee meeting – Bob Heuerman made a motion to approve the minutes for the May 28, 2019 Development & Planning Committee meeting. Seconded by John Schultz and motion passed.
2. Citizens’ Comments - None
3. Unfinished Business
a) FY2019/FY2020 Strategic Goals & Plans – Timelines/Responsibilities – The committee reviewed their committee assignments from the summary report of committee goals. The committee added to their 2019 list, goals from the 2017 County Board Retreat that were still in progress.
b) Update on Enterprise Zone – Ron Smith reported that he has not heard any more news on the enterprise zone application. Lisa McCarthy added that there were fourteen applications and fourteen slots to fill.
c) Update, discussion and possible action on the Revolving Loan Application request from Dittmar Farms, LLC – Eric Tison discussed that the revolving loan application from Dittmar Farms, LLC was approved contingent upon zoning approval. Tison has been working with Dittmar Farms on the Special Use Permit process and their request will be on July 24th Zoning Board of Appeals agenda. Tison is anticipating a recommendation will be made to the County Board for the August meeting.
d) Discussion and possible action regarding proposed Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, amendment to Senate Bill 7 to legalize recreational use of cannabis in Illinois – Eric Tison discussed that at the last meeting the proposed Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act bill was forwarded to the committee. Tison reviewed a nine page summary that was located at the end of the document. The governor signed the bill earlier this morning. Tison directed the committee to page three which lists the licensing costs for permit fees for the various license types. Tison noted that there are significant license fees and financing that is required. Tison will review the statute more carefully and try to determine with the assistance of other zoning administrator’s if they are adopting any particular standards. Robert O’Connor proposed the committee exercise the option to impose an excise tax for sales in Jo Daviess County. Reimer suggested that any action should encompass the entire Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act and should be memorialized in either an ordinance or resolution. We may want to wait and see how other Counties approach local legislation. Lisa McCarthy commented that 85% of the licenses will go to existing medical marijuana facilities which means they did not have an open process where anybody could participate because they were targeting these existing businesses. Since we didn’t get one in our region even though we competed for one, the opportunities in the first round could be slow, but once they expand in the next year maybe we would have more of an opportunity.
4. New Business
a) Discussion and possible action on a letter of support for the East Dubuque Port Project – Patrick Winders, East Dubuque President, presented an overview of the proposed Port of East Dubuque Project. Winders asked the committee for a letter of support for the project. Winders is in the process of preparing a grant application to CVR Energy for funding of phase I for the site assessment which will entail surveys, ecological tests, looking at the site and starting conversation with the Army Corps of Engineer. The concept will include pier structure/floating structure on the river, floating house slips (dry dock), community center, parks/green spaces/armed services memorial, amphitheater, water passes and parking ramp. Scott Toot made a motion to approve a letter of support for the East Dubuque Port Project, Phase I site plan and feasibility study. Seconded by Bob Heuerman and motion passed.
b) Discussion and possible action on revising the fee waiver policy – Eric Tison discussed that the Village of Stockton has purchased more property to expand their waste water treatment facility and requested a waiver of the permit fee. The current policy permits the fee to be waived for governmental agencies. The title of the policy is actually where Tison felt there might be some potential confusion. The text of the policy is alright. A semantical rewriting of the title of the policy is all that is needed if the committee desires. John Schultz made a motion to change the title of P2005-1 from Waiving of Zoning Fees Policy to Waiving of Zoning and Building Permit Fees Policy. Seconded by Scott Toot and motion passed. A nay vote was recorded for Bob O’Connor.
c) Discussion and possible action on revisions to the zoning ordinance – Brandon Behlke commented that there has been discussion to possibly revise the zoning ordinance in an effort to promote economic development. In 2012 and the Jo Daviess County Comprehensive Plan was reviewed and updated. A few years ago an Ad-hoc committee reviewed and made recommendations for updating the Jo Daviess County Zoning Ordinance which resulted in several text amendments. Now there is discussion that both documents need to be reviewed again. Behlke received a list of possible zoning revisions that he reviewed with Tison. Tison discussed each item and explained why they are included in the current zoning ordinance.
5. Staff Reports
a) Building & Zoning
i. Monthly Report – Eric Tison, Planning & Development Administrator, reported that building permits are holding steady, new home permits are down slightly from prior year. The Longhollow Zip-line is seeking a permit for their new Challenge Course to add to their experiences there. Tison is optimistic that permit activity will increase in the coming months. His department is starting to track solar panel permits as well.
b) Economic Development
i. NW Illinois Economic Development Monthly Report – Lisa McCarthy, NW Illinois Economic Development Executive Director, reported that they will revive the Talent Pipeline Management Manufacturing Collaborative joining Stephenson and Green Counties Executives. They are reaching out to regional manufacturers for their participation. They have reached out to three high school counselors at River Ridge, Scales Mound and Galena to ask for their participation in TPM and are waiting for their responses. NWILED is participating on the Steering Committee for the Bi-State Freight Study. WSP, which includes prior Bi-State freight study consultants, won the bid for the 14-month study to increase capacity at Dubuque and East Dubuque ports. Economic Growth Corp. presented their plans to redevelop the Campbell Center to Mt. Carroll’s City Council April 30. The plans were well received. Economic Growth Corp. worked with Mt. Carroll and revived Mayfest at the campus May 24-26. The Enterprise Zone application has been submitted. The State of Illinois will award the zones in September 2019, which begin January 2020. 14 applications were submitted for 14 slots so the odds are good we will get an Enterprise Zone. Honeywell will offer a job fair for its employees in September. Several businesses have expressed interest and we will contact local businesses once the details are known. The plant is scheduled to close by the end of 2019. Honeywell does not have a price for the building. When we receive it, we will list it on our website at no charge. The Build it-Grow it businesses education program is held at the Stockton Township Library on the second Thursday of the month, Jan. – Oct., 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Brian McIntyre will have five hours of private consulting available each month from 10:15 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at Illinois Bank & Treat in Stockton. Businesses can sign up for free consulting at http://www.nwiled.org/builditgrowit. All these services are at no charge. Build it-Grow it’s Entrepreneurial Mastermind Forum will be held on the fourth Thursday of the month, Jan. – Oct., 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. at Prairie Ridge in Galena. All businesses in the region are welcome. Creating your Dream Team: Contracting, Hiring and Retention. The charge is only $15 per person. The Galena consulting sessions will assist three businesses to complete 15 hours of private consulting over 10 months with Brian at $900 per business. A free hour of consulting is offered Jan. – Oct., 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. at Illinois Bank & Trust on Main St. in Galena. They have hosted a pilot class and eight Hour of Code programs in the County. Classes are free for middle-school students. The final class was a pizza party at Happy Joe’s. Students competed on a coding project in the final class. A student survey will be completed to determine next steps. NWILED has finalized its LRA contract this month and has launched a new website and You Tube channel for the Savanna Industrial Park. We hosted an invitation-only tour of the property April 26 that was well received. Survey details can be read at http://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-BDC5T9GBV A second tour will be scheduled for fall of this year with a wider reach into the Midwest. They co-sponsored a session on retaining Millennials May 21 at the City of Galena, working with U of I Extension and NIU. The Ad-Hoc Committee is now working on this project. The next NWILED Board meeting is August 15, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the NWILED office in Hanover. Debbie Boden will be your point of contact until a new Director is hired. She can be reached at (815) 858-0791 or at dboden@nwiled.org It has been Lisa’s pleasure to serve over the past 6+ years and appreciates all the financial and volunteer assistance the Board has provided. The committee thanked McCarthy for all she has done with a round of applause.
c) LRA Board
i. Update on LRA/Port Authority Discussions - Ron Smith reported that there is nothing new to report. They will be meeting again tomorrow.
6. Citizens’ Comments – None.
7. Board Member Concerns – None.
The next regular Development & Planning Committee meeting will be Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. following a motion made by Scott Toot and seconded by Bob Heuerman, motion passed.
https://www.jodaviess.org/vertical/sites/%7B7C77C92D-D4A3-4866-8D3D-FE560FE5CFC8%7D/uploads/06.25.19_D__P_Minutes.pdf
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