While a business district public hearing took up a majority of time during the March meeting of the Columbia City Council, there were other action and discussion items on the agenda.

Several right-of-way agreements were approved which are required as part of the Carl Street Bridge Replacement Project.

A construction engineering agreement with TWM Inc. for the project was also approved.

Solicitation of bids for the bridge replacement are included in the March 8 Illinois Department of Transportation letting.

The replacement of the Carl Street Bridge has been in the works for several years due in part to a lack of needed box culverts which became difficult to procure shortly after COVID-19 restrictions were implemented in 2020.

Earlier this year, the city finally received a bit of good news about the project, as Columbia City Engineer Chris Smith informed the council that IDOT would be providing an extra $300,000 in funds, bringing the city’s matching contribution down from $400,000 to $200,000.

Smith thanked Monroe County Engineer Aaron Metzger for his work with IDOT in getting the additional funds secured.

During last Monday’s meeting, Smith also reported that asphalt plants had opened three weeks earlier than expected due to unseasonably warm temperatures recently.

With the plant opening early, Smith said continued work on Ghent Road reconstruction could potentially begin in the next few weeks.

Parts of Ghent Road were closed late last year between Christina Court and Quarry Road to begin work on the two-phase reconstruction project.

Once the asphalt and milling of the road is complete, Smith said the only remaining work would be striping and painting.

 In other business, the council approved a special use permit for installation of a ground-mounted solar energy system at Midland States Bank, 200 Quarry Road.

The Columbia Plan Commission recommended approval during its Feb. 12 meeting.

During the Feb. 20 council meeting, aldermen agreed to let the plan commission’s recommendation stand, denying a request for a ground-mounted solar energy system on a residential property in the 300 block of Grant Drive.

City council was scheduled to approve an ordinance amending titles 5 and 17 of the Columbia Municipal Code which provide licensing and regulation of “short-term rental property,” but the item was continued to the March 18 meeting.

While a majority of the language was uncontested – including removing “ambiguity” by making operation of bed and breakfast establishments possible through special use only – several aldermen expressed concern about limiting the number of licenses for short-term rental types.

Currently, bed and breakfast companies are classified as a “permitted use” as well as special use in C-2 commercial business zones in Columbia.

During the March 4 council meeting, the ordinance amendment proposed creation of three classes of short-term rental licenses: owner occupied, non-owner occupied and bed and breakfast.

Further, an amendment would cap the total number of such licenses at five per classification and restrict such establishments to C-2 properties only, which are generally in the Main Street business corridor in Columbia.

Several properties in R-7 residential zones have been identified as operating as short-term rental properties through websites such as AirBNB and VRBO.

Per the amendments, residences in those areas would no longer legally be able to operate as short-term rental properties.

During last Monday’s meeting, aldermen expressed a desire to make the license limit a percentage of eligible C-2 parcels rather than simply five per classification.

Columbia City Administrator Doug Brimm said he would need to do more research to determine how many C-2 parcels exist within Columbia in order to give the council exact figures, prompting a continuation of the discussion to March 18.

Brimm also discussed an ongoing process intended to update city code. 

He noted shortly after two interested parties had submitted proposals to provide code revision services, General Code LLC expressed “sudden interest” to “re-engage the city in that project.”

Brimm said the company reported individuals who “ran point” on a previous code update are no longer with the company.

After some discussion as to whether it would be better to attempt to revise “deficiencies” found in the previous work performed by General Code, Brimm suggested it may be more prudent to begin again rather than to fix an inadequate product. 

Brimm also said he would like to at least have discussion with General Code personnel to perform “due diligence” prior to deciding on a company to help with code revision.

Also during the meeting, Columbia EMS Chief Kim Lamprecht delivered a department report. 

Lamprecht began by saying she had mostly accomplished one of the goals from when she became chief in 2017 – bringing EMS vehicles up-to-date.

“We have a very robust maintenance program now,” Lamprecht said, adding, “The best paramedics in the world are worthless unless they have reliable vehicles to take them to and from the hospitals and to pick up patients.”

Lamprecht said only one vehicle currently does not meet Frontline Ambulance suggested guidelines for replacement, but she is hopeful it will be taken care of in the near future.

She also reported accident calls are at a “record low,” thanking Columbia Police Chief Jason Donjon and Smith. 

“We have very few accidents with injury on Route 3 anymore,” Lamprecht said.

While EMS calls for service are down, she reported revenues were up.

Lamprecht also expressed optimism that an emergency medical response class with Columbia High School students may provide a pathway to avoid staffing shortages, which she said are now standard in municipal EMS departments.

At the beginning of the meeting, Columbia Mayor Bob Hill announced Jared Kertz as the city’s latest building official.

Kertz will assume the duties of former building official Justin Osterhage, who is no longer employed with Columbia.