Agenda for Regular Meeting Revision

Synopsis:  This Resolution is being presented by City Council for Council’s review and approval.  This Resolution amends City Council Rule 2 to add the following to the legislative Business Section of City Council meetings: (1) a public comment period after the close of the initial round of debate by members of City Council during which members of the public will be allowed to comment in increments of five (5) minutes on each legislative item that will be voted on by City Council and (2) a second round of debate by Council members during which each Council member will be entitled to speak twice on the matter subject to debate for a period of three (3) minutes each time. This Resolution also amends City Council Rule 2 to eliminate the current restriction on the public comment that allows only City of Wilmington residents or taxpayers to provide public comment.

Synopsis: This Resolution is being presented by City Council for Council’s review and approval. This Resolution converts the Intergovernmental standing committee to the Intergovernmental Affairs and Judiciary standing committee.

Synopsis:  This Ordinance is being presented by the City Council for Council’s review and approval.  This Ordinance approves the institution of civil penalties on property owners who fail to properly register, or re-register, a rental unit within the City of Wilmington.

Synopsis:  This Ordinance is being presented by the City Council for Council’s review and approval.  This Ordinance requires that more detailed information be provided to the City of Wilmington regarding the owners and/or operators of rental properties.

Synopsis:  This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval.  This Ordinance authorizes the City to exercise two (2) one-year options to extend Contract 21004WD “HVAC & Related Systems Inspection & Maintenance” between the City of Wilmington and Diamond Mechanical, Inc.

Synopsis:  This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval.  This Ordinance authorizes the City to exercise two (2) one-year options to extend Contract 21005WD “Boiler Inspection & Maintenance Services” between the City of Wilmington and I.D. Griffith, Inc.

Synopsis:  This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval.  This Ordinance authorizes the City to extend Contract 21007WDPS “Building Raceway & Facilities Management” between the City of Wilmington and Merit Construction Engineers, Inc. for one (1) year.

Synopsis:  This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval.  This Ordinance approves various traffic and parking regulations in the City.

Synopsis:  This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval.  This Ordinance officially names the South Wilmington Wetlands park project as the “Southbridge Wilmington Wetlands Park.”

Synopsis: This Resolution is being presented by City Council for Council’s review and approval. This Resolution amends City Council Rule 2 to grant the authority, previously held by the City Clerk, to the Chief of Staff of City Council to determine the agendas for City Council meetings. It also amends Rule 2 to provide that the notice requirement for legislation to be included on a Council meeting agenda is fourteen (14) business days prior to the Council meeting. It is the express intent of Council, as set forth in Rule 2, that the Chief of Staff shall include on the Council meeting agenda every piece of legislation requested by the legislation’s sponsor at least fourteen (14) business’ days prior to the Council meeting.

Synopsis: This Resolution is being presented by City Council for Council’s review and approval. This Resolution adds Council Member Oliver to both the Education, Youth & Family Services Committee and the Health, Aging & Disabilities Committee for the 108th Council Session.

Synopsis: This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval. This Ordinance authorizes the execution of Contract 21023PR – Child and Adult Care Food Program – between the City of Wilmington and Food Management Services, Inc. t/a Lintons Food Service Management for the period of March 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021, at an estimated price of $756,360.00 based upon the estimated number of meals requested and the price of $2.40 per individual supper/dinner and $0.90 per individual snack, with the possibility of two additional extensions of one (1) year thereafter with a potential two percent (2%) price increase with each extension.

Synopsis:  This Resolution is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval.  By this Resolution, City Council expresses its concurrence with Mayor Michael S. Purzycki’s appointment of Theophilus R. Nix, Jr. and William S. Montgomery to the Wilmington Ethics Commission, effective as of the date of
passage of this Resolution.

Synopsis: This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval. This Ordinance authorizes the issuance of a General Obligation Bond, Series of 2021-SRF, in an amount not to exceed $1,369,500, which will be sold to the Delaware Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund in order to (i) finance capital projects of the City, specifically, the separation of stormwater runoff from combined sewer overflow (CSO) with respect to two recently built housing projects and one block of Walnut Street, routing runoff through green infrastructure best management practices to capture the initial one to two inches of precipitation through a combination of rain gardens, subsurface trenches, and bioswales, as set forth in the City’s capital budget for its Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2016, (ii) pay administrative costs relating to such capital projects, and (iii) pay the costs of issuing the 2021 Bond.

Synopsis: This Ordinance is being presented by City Council for Council’s review and approval. This Ordinance authorizes the City to enter into an agreement with The Lerro Corporation for on-site engineering services for the WITN TV station for the period of March 1, 2021 through December 31, 2024 at an estimated price of one thousand two hundred fifty dollars ($1,250.00) per month.

Synopsis:  This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval.  This Ordinance is the second amendment to the Fiscal Year 2021 Operating Budget Ordinance. It increases the Public Works Department Water/Sewer Fund Materials, Supplies, and Equipment Fiscal Year 2021 account group budget appropriation by $2,500,000 to pay for increased Class B biosolids disposal costs resulting from damage to the sludge dryer at the City’s Renewable Energy Biosolids Facility.

Synopsis:  This Resolution is being presented by City Council for Council’s review and approval.  This Resolution amends City Council Rule 2 to eliminate: (1) the current public comment period that occurs during the official order of business at City Council meetings and (2) the current restriction on the public comment period that allows only City of Wilmington residents or taxpayers to provide public comment. In the place of the current public comment period, this Resolution amends City Council Rule 3 to establish a thirty (30) minute public comment period prior to the convening of regular City Council meetings. In addition, this Resolution amends City Council Rule 3 to: (1) set forth the time by which members of the public must sign up to participate in the public comment period; (2) provide the opportunity for members of the public to submit written comments pertaining to legislative business items on Council meeting agendas prior to the respective Council meetings; (3) limit each member of the public to comments that do not exceed three (3) minutes in duration and are germane to legislation on the Council meeting agenda or official City business; (4) prohibit members of the public from engaging in obscene, profane, and/or threatening speech; (5) prohibit members of the public from addressing their remarks directly to Council members and/or the President or his designee; and (6) authorize the Deputy City Clerk to enforce the rules governing public comment.

Synopsis:  This Resolution is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval.  This Resolution authorizes the City to accept the following gifts to assist the Department of Parks and Recreation’s efforts to improve Cool Spring Park: (1) $130,299.85 of new playground equipment from Cornerstone West CDC; (2) $50,000.00 of new playground equipment from the Red Clay Consolidated School District; and (3) up to $150,000.00 in funding from Cornerstone West CDC.

Synopsis: This Substitute No. 1 to Ordinance No. 21-066 makes the following amendments to Chapter 34 of the City Code:

• changes the enforcement of Chapter 34 with respect to rental properties from criminal enforcement to civil enforcement with civil fines for non-compliance;
  o owner-occupied properties will continue to be subject to criminal enforcement proceedings;
• provides a $500 per unit civil fine for failing to obtain a rental license, register rental units or obtain occupancy limitations;
• removes imprisonment as a potential penalty in criminal enforcement proceedings;
• provides that fines may be imposed for each week’s failure to correct violations rather than a daily fine;
• changes the general time period for compliance from 45 days to 30 days;
• revises the effective date for notices;
• requires notices to be mailed to the owner, operator or occupant’s property address and the tax address for the property, and to the property manager designated on the rental dwelling business license;
• requires notices to contain information on how to contact the inspector for additional information or to schedule a meeting;
• extends the time period in which to appeal a violation notice from 10 days to 20 calendar days;
• provides that the appeal fee shall be refunded if the appeal is successful; and
• deletes duplicate or inconsistent penalty provisions throughout the chapter.

Synopsis:  This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval.  This Ordinance authorizes the City to exercise three (3) one-year options to extend Contract 21001PDPS “Professional Service Building Management at the Public Safety Building” between the City of Wilmington and Asset Management Alliance.