Board of Alderman Meeting (4-23-2019)

Here is the full agenda for this meeting.

Mayor Mabie was running a few minutes late, so as a final act as Board President, Alderman Kennedy opened and ran the meeting until the Mayor's arrival.

Alderman Kennedy presenting to Alderman Miguel

The first item on the agenda was to honor outgoing Alderman Miguel with a resolution describing his 12 years of service as Alderman with a summary of his positions and responsibilities during that time. Afterwards, each of the other Alderman said a few words of thank you and respect.

It was apparent from their comments, that Alderman Miguel was never afraid to question and inquire about matters and made good points that others hadn't thought about. He then spoke briefly for one final time as Alderman, thanking everyone for their well wishes and then handed each of the Alderman one final thought via a printed copy of an email that he has received back in 2004 with words of wisdom that he has used throughout his term.

Alderman Miguel has never lost an election and served Crestwood from 2004-2013, when he was term-limited, and again from 2016-2019. Thank You Alderman Miguel!

Pictured left to right: City Clerk Helen Ingold, Tony Kennedy (Ward 4), Greg Hall (Ward 3),
Scott Shipley (Ward 3), Mary Stadter (Ward 2), Richard Breeding (Ward 1)

Afterward, the official April 2 Election Results were read into record and each of the newly (re)elected Alderman were sworn in.  All Alderman were unopposed.

Proclamations - There were several proclamations read, including one honoring our current City Clerk staff (Helen Ingold and Jeff Faust), Arbor Day, and Law Day.

Public Hearing - For a second time, a request for a moratorium on Electronic Messaging Center applications was presented (similar request was rejected back in January). The Planning and Zoning Commission is now requesting a 4-month moratorium during which the City will not accept any new requests for animated electronic signs that are similar to big-screen TV's, displaying pictures, scrolling text, etc. That commission is about to start debate and discussion on a rewrite of the code relating to this topic (and others).

During a lively debate, it was stated by the City Planner that the new sign code will no longer allow any electronic signs, except along Big Bend Blvd. This was a surprise to most Alderman and almost derailed this request. In the end, it was approved 6-2.

The Consent Agenda passed 8-0 which included the following noteworthy items:

• Amending existing agreement with BRiC LLC - The City will use this company for the 3rd time for professional services relating to design and RFP assistance for new switch gear and back-up power updates for the Municipal Center. This project was previously approved as part of the 2019 budget.
• Adoption of a new Crestwood Logo (pictured at the top of this post).   This is one of several Crestwood logo's that the City has been using, but this motion selects it as the official one.
• Adoption of a new Crestwood Flag.   Existing City Code includes language regarding a City Flag, so the new official City Flag will just be a white background with the "new" City Logo in the center.

Selection of Board President - each year a new Board President is selected and Alderman Mimi Duncan was nominated and accepted for this year. No other nominations were made. The Board president fills in for the Mayor as needed - including running Board of Alderman meetings, and even as acting Mayor should the mayor resign (as was the case for former Mayor Roby).

School Zone Speeding/Texting Fines - At the previous meeting, Alderman Ayouaz requested that this item be added to this agenda. He started the discussion asking for an increased fine for speeding and a new fine for texting and driving in a school zone. There are four school zones in Crestwood.

Police Chief Compton noted that since 2011, the police have been "running radar" in school zones, and the number of tickets written has dramatically increased in the past year...

    2016 - 87 violations
    2017 - 78 violations
    2018 - 116 violations
    2019 (Jan-Apr 23) - 107 violations

He also stated that with all of the other actions taken (special signs, crossing guards, police presence) - it would require a "very compelling reason" for an officer to only write a warning.

After a mostly positive discussion it was unanimously approved to send this request (with the support of City staff and City Attorney) to the Police Board to discuss and tweak and eventually present back to the Board of Alderman for approval.

The next scheduled BoA meeting will be May 28.