City of Kewanee City Council met July 8.
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
The July 8th, 2024, Council Meeting was called to order at 6:30pm. Councilmembers Colomer, Faber, Baker, and Komnick were present along with Mayor Moore, City Attorney Justin Raver, and City Clerk Kasey Mitchell.
A motion to go into Closed Session to discuss Personnel Section 2(c)(1) and Discussion of Closed Session Minutes section 2(c)(21) was made by Councilmember Faber and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Motion passed 5-0.
A motion to adjourn to regular session was made by Councilmember Faber and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Motion passed 5-0 and Closed Session adjourned at 7:01pm.
The July 8th, 2024, Council Meeting was called to order at 7:04pm in the Council Chambers. Councilmembers Colomer, Faber, Baker, and Komnick were present along with Mayor Moore, City Attorney Justin Raver, and City Clerk Kasey Mitchell.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited, followed by a moment of silence for our troops.
The Consent Agenda was presented with the following items:
A. Minutes from the Council Meeting on June 24th
B. Minutes from the Closed Session from June 10th
C. Payroll for the pay period ending June 15th in the amount of $237,257.00.
D. Staff Reports
E. Bock Report
A motion to approve the consent agenda items was made by Councilmember Komnick and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Motion passed 5-0.
Bills for the July 8th Council meeting were presented in the amount of $1,811,127.82. A motion to approve the bills was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: Councilmember Baker asked if the Christmas lights were paid for by a grant or the City. They are paid for by the City. Motion passed 5-0.
Public Comments: None
New Business:
A. Presentation: Chamber of Commerce
We were to have a presentation from Mark Mikenas from the Chamber of Commerce. Unfortunately, Mark had to cancel, and his presentation will be rescheduled.
B. Consideration of Bill 24-63: Ordinance fixing appropriations for the Fiscal Year beginning May 1, 2024, and ending April 30, 2025.
Every year, the city council is required to set appropriations for the next year’s budget. It is an estimation of expenses, and revenues that will be used to pay those expenses. A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Discussion: None. Motion passed 5-0.
C. Consideration of Bill 24-64 Resolution authorizing the Mayor, City Manager, Fire Chief, and City Clerk to execute a purchase agreement and other documents that are necessary and proper inn the procurement of supplies to refurbish and replace the Outdoor Warning Sirens for the City of Kewanee.
As of right now, our early warning devices are not adequate. We are looking into ways to give Kewanee residence as much early warning as possible of impending bad weather. A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Baker and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Discussion: Councilmember Colomer asked if the low bidder was the same company that gave a presentation to the Council a couple of months ago. Fire Chief Welgat stated that it was the same company. He also let the Council know that the OEM is also working on an app that would provide early warning via cell phones. Motion passed 5-0.
D. Consideration of Bill 24-65 Resolution authorizing application to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Rebuild Downtown and Main Streets Capital Grant Program to construct infrastructure and streetscape improvements in the Downtown Business District in the City of Kewanee.
Quite some time ago we received a Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grant. This grant is for the revitalization of our downtown. Although the grant is for 3 million dollars, it is not enough to do the entire downtown. Applying for this round of DCEO grant will help us to complete a phase of the downtown project.
A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Faber. Discussion: Councilmember Colomer noticed that this one states a match of 25% and asked what the first-round match was. The first was a 10% match, while this one has a City match of 25%. This equates to almost a million dollars. This match can come from other federally earmarked funds or another federal grant to help alleviate some of our financial commitments. This number is based on a preliminary cost estimate from Hutchison Engineering and does not have to be paid before being awarded the grant. Motion passed 5-0.
Mayor’s Communications:
Pre-sales have begun for Hog Days Carnival tickets. You can purchase your tickets in advance at People’s National Bank, Union Federal, Community State Bank, State Bank of Toulon, and of course at the Kewanee Chamber of Commerce. Tickets are going fast so don’t wait.
Kewanee residence had two very good firework displays to attend for the 4th of July celebration. Both the Chamber’s and Kim and Rhonda Cernovich’s fireworks were beautiful. A lot of people don’t realize how much work and money goes into these events.
PhatBoys BBQ had their soft opening this past Wednesday night. He and his wife were invited to attend. The food was great as well as the atmosphere they put together with their renovations. PhatBoys plans to be open for business Wednesday, July 10. He wished them all the luck in the world.
The resurfacing of West South Street was to be done by the end of last week. For reasons dealing with the contractor, and out of the City’s control, that project has been pushed back. We are now being told the project will be completed by July 19.
There were a couple of windy days last week and he had heard compliments about Public Works and how they were getting out of the truck to pick up carts and spilled refuge. He thanked them for their hard work.
There was a press release regarding the upcoming work to be done on Lyle and Elm streets. He read the release which can be found on our website and our Facebook page.
Council Communications:
Baker: He has noticed an increase in fireworks around town since the City started allowing sales in City limits. He asked if residents needed a permit to purchase/light these fireworks. Police Chief Kijanowski explained that they are supposed to have a permit to be able to purchase the fireworks. However, it is up to the seller to check permits, much like liquor and tobacco sellers should ask for IDs.
Komnick: He congratulated and thanked the Chamber and the Cernovich family for their fireworks displays this last week.
Colomer: N/A
Faber: He stated that he has seen multiple Golf Carts on Main/Tenney St. He asked Police Chief Kijanowski to remind residents about what roads Golf Carts are and are not allowed on. He then asked if the Council had received any updates on the Henry County Tourism Bureau. The Mayor let him know that a director was recently hired but that is all he is aware of. Councilmember Faber then promoted the upcoming Prairie Chicken Arts Festival and all the events to be held during the weekend. He hopes to see many people in attendance.
Announcements:
• There is no burning in the months of July and August.
• The City is looking to apply for the Housing Preservation Grant with the Rural Housing Service through the Department of Agriculture. The application due date is July 29th. These grant funds would be used to assist low and very low-income homeowners in repairing and rehabilitating their homes for things like roof and foundation repairs. We will be posting the statement of activities for public review and comment, like we did for the PRICE grant. We welcome comments and suggestions that may aid in our application.
A motion to adjourn was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Faber. Motion passed 5-0 and the meeting was adjourned at 7:23pm.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u9zr7hxWJWoi3GplC0WrtdOZCXcDe2EPAu_OXOb5Lrk/edit
