Rock Island Today

City of Aledo City Council met Sept. 8.

Here is the minutes provided by the council:

The City Council of the City of Aledo met in Regular Session in the Community Room at the Aledo Fire Station building on September 08, 2020. MAYOR HAGLOCH called the meeting to order at 7:11 P.M. The roll was called, whereupon the following answered present:

Aldermen ILA BERTRAND, MICHAEL CHAUSSE, BARRY COOPER, JIM HOLMES, CHRIS KOPP, and LINDA SARABASA. Mayor CHRISTOPHER HAGLOCH. Aldermen TERRY BEWLEY and DENNIS DIXON were excused.

Also present was CHRISTOPHER SULLIVAN, City Administrator / Chief of Police; JUSTIN BLASER, Director of Public Works & Utilities, CHAD McCLEARY, Ion Environmental Solutions, and JAROD DALE, City Clerk.

The media was represented by Jim Taylor, WRMJ.

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

The meeting was opened in prayer by Pastor Daren Dietmeier, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Aledo.

Public Comment: No Report.

Swearing-In Ceremony: CITY CLERK Dale administered the oath to Andrew Christie as a new Aledo Police Officer. Mr. Christie to attend Basic Police Academy at Macon County Law Enforcement Training Center in Decatur, Illinois on Sunday, September 13, 2020.

Communication & Correspondence: City Council was provided with a request submitted by the property owner at 108 NE 5th Avenue, Aledo, Il. A traffic study has been requested to review the possibility of signage to slow traffic down at the intersection near the address listed above. City Council suggested the “speed-limit” sign be moved to monitor the area.

Requests & Petitions: Kyle McEwen Mercer County Better Together, provided a video presentation related to MCBT’s request for support funding. After review of the video, City Council requested a Finance Committee meeting be set and to invite Mr. McEwen to attend in-person.

Meeting set for September 21, 2020 at 6:00 o’clock p.m. in the City Council Chambers.

Public Works Activity Report:

∙ Streets: Mowing; park maintenance; weed spraying at all city properties; and project coordination for the street resurfacing project in the NW/SW Quadrants.

∙ Water: JULIE’s and finals. Hydrant flushing is progressing and past the half-way point in one (1) week with little to no issues found. RO Filter Replacements were completed.

∙ Gas: JULIE’s; completion of gas main extension project; gas meter coordination meeting with Bush Construction; and Liqui-Grow meter was installed. ∙ Cemetery: Three (3) funerals occurred. Mowing and weed-eating and foundation repairs.

∙ DPW: New baseball diamond site has been on hold for a couple weeks as we are waiting on the storm drain material to be delivered. A memo was submitted by Ion related to the well failure for No. 4 & No. 5 wells. Met with Hutchison Engineering to plan out the detention basin in the Industrial Park.

WTP - Chad McCleary of Ion was present to answer any questions the City Council may have related to the well failures that took place recently. On September 4, Cahoy re-installed well no. 4 and the following week is scheduled to re-install well no. 5. A new check valve to be installed on well no. 4 with additional work & materials listed in the amount of $5,670.00.

Once all three(3) well are back-up and running, we will be heavily flushing the raw transmission line between the wells and the plant. Once the water clears back up, we will put the RO back in service. For now, we are holding off on doing so because we do not want to run the risk of damaging the brand-new membranes.

Lagoons – Chad spoke with John Jacobs of WTR Solutions about the sludge depth analysis at the South Lagoon. The report to be received soon. There have been no power issues at the South Lagoon recently. A quote was received from Britton for the meter upgrades at the lagoons. The price is $26,000.00.

Lift Stations – Pump no. 2 at the Pond Lift Station was pulled and cleaned by Mississippi Valley Pump and is back to normal operations. Pump #2 at the 12th Street lift station was also pulled and will need rebuilt. A quote was provided to DPW and the W/WW Supt.

Aledo Police Department Activity Report: ADMINISTRATOR/CHIEF Sullivan reported the School Resource Officer program is off to a good start. Officer Brock has been at the high school daily and there have been no issues so far. The District is operating all of its schools on an altered schedule basis and Brock is finished at the high school shortly after noon every day. This may change as we move on into the post Labor Day phase of the school year. The initial scheduling was initiated on a trial basis, but everything at the schools is subject to change based on State mandates.

Officer Jackie Brown has received a waiver to continue working full-time until he can complete a transition course. He is currently scheduled for a transition from part-time to full-time certification class at Southwestern Illinois Police Academy in Belleville, Illinois. The course begins with check-in on Sunday, October 25, 2020 and ends following certification testing on Friday, November 6, 2020.

Officer Misty Bunker has been serving as a part-time officer for the Department since 2018. Bunker has been hired as a full-time deputy by the Scott County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Department. She has resigned her position with the City of Aledo.

Andrew Christie is one of the applicants for a position as full-time police officer. His application was brought before the Personnel Committee and the Ordinance & Police Committee in a joint meeting. The members of both committees and other aldermen present for the meeting recommended his appointment be brought to the full City Council with a positive recommendation for approval.

Officer Nathan Lewis has resigned his position as a full-time police officer for the City of Aledo. He applied for a position with the Galesburg, Illinois Police Department. He has completed the application process and was given a job offer, which he accepted.

The new Reveal Media body camera system the Council authorized the Police Department to acquire has arrived. All of the officers have been trained in checking out the cameras and properly downloading the data from the cameras at the end of each shift. User ID and password information have been assigned to each officer. The system is up and running and everything has worked smoothly so far.

Administration Report: ADMINISTRATOR/CHIEF Sullivan reported the City has reached a tentative agreement for branding and imaging with Haven Creative, which is the agency selected by the City and approved by the Council. City Attorney Mark Walton has reviewed the contract, and some of the language in the agreement has been clarified. Haven is ready to move forward as early as September 9, 2020, if the Council approves the agreement. The agreement is on the agenda as an action item for the Council meeting.

CITY CLERK Dale provided the utility billing and payroll information for the month of August, 2020.

CITY CLERK reported November 3, 2020 has been established as a 2020 General Election Holiday. This will apply to all schools, state universities, and all government offices with the exception of election authorities. All of these offices shall be closed on Election Day, except in the event that they are utilized as a polling place.

CITY CLERK was notified on August 24 that Sterling Codifiers was acquired by American Legal Publishing Corporation. The City has worked with Sterling Codifier for many years and has been assisted by Rob Rollins. Rob is retiring soon and the Clerk’s office will be working with a Client Relations Associate at American Legal going forward.

The CITY CLERK has updated the city’s website link under code of ordinances and code administration to reflect the transition.

CITY CLERK informed the City Council the staff has reduced the current farm lease agreement with Rick Gillespie in Progress Park due to the sale of property to Skinner Landscaping. The reduction of the farm lease is down to 10 acres. The attorney has reviewed the item and will be signed by the current tenant.

Mayor’s Report: MAYOR Hagloch reported City staff has begun working on F/Y 2021 budget. Tentative dates set for Tuesday, October 20 and Wednesday, October 21. City Council noted the dates for budget sessions.

MAYOR reported the fall / winter bulletin is being prepared by City staff. If there are any items suggested by Council to place within the bulletin to notify City staff as soon as possible.

Committee Report: ALD. Bertrand reported a Joint Personnel and Ordinance & Police Committee meeting was held on August 20, 2020. The Committee reviewed the police application related to Andrew Christie for full-time police officer. The Committee provided a recommendation to move forward to full Council. Also, the Committee discussed a possible text amendment being sent to the Zoning Board of Appeals related to the addition of a Title 10, Chapter 22 Providing Zoning Regulations for Solar Energy Systems.

REGULAR COUNCIL SESSION

Following the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag,

ACTION ITEMS

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Motion was made by ALDERMAN CHAUSSE and seconded by ALDERMAN HOLMES to approve the meeting minutes of August 17, 2020 with one (1) noted correction on page one (1), first (1st) paragraph to correct the presiding officer of the Council meeting to reflect Mayor Hagloch and strike Mayor Pro-Tem Chausse. A Roll call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Bertrand, Chausse, Cooper, Holmes, Kopp and Sarabasa. NO: None. Motion carried. 6 yeas, 0 nays.

PUBLIC COMMENT: No Report.

FINANCE: INVOICE LIST:

Motion was made by ALDERMAN BERTRAND and seconded by ALDERMAN SARABASA that the Invoice Listing, which has been marked Exhibit “B”, attached hereto and made a part of these minutes, be authorized and checks issued. A Roll call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Chausse, Cooper, Holmes, Kopp, Sarabasa, and Bertrand. NO: None. Motion carried. 6 yeas, 0 nays.

ORDINANCE NO. 12, SERIES OF 2020; AN ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR ANNEXATION OF PROPERTY OWNED BY ALEX V. AND NANCY S. ROCHA: (FIRST READING)

The following described tract of land, to-wit:

Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19 in the Plat of College View Subdivision of Lot 7 (except the North 1 acre of the West Half) of a subdivision of the West Half of the Northeast Quarter of Section 17 in Township 14 North, Range 3 West of the Fourth Principal Meridian; reference being had to the Plat of said Subdivision filed for record on the 19th day of July, 1917 and recorded in the Office of the Recorder in Book “B” of Plats on page 90; in the County of Mercer and State of Illinois.

706 NW 2nd Ave., Aledo, IL 61231

PIN 10-10-17-202-003

The second reading to be held on Monday, September 21, 2020 at 6:30 o’clock p.m. in the City Council Chambers.

RESOLUTION NO. 32R, SERIES OF 2020; APPROVING CONSULTANT’S AGREEMENT WITH HAVEN CREATIVE, LLC:

Aledo, IL to implement a branding campaign designed to achieve strategic marketing and branding objectives for the City of Aledo. The process is outlined with a contract term of September 9, 2020 – March 9, 2021. Haven Creative will provide creative message development and logo design and serve as the point of contact to execute the branding project.

Motion was made by ALDERMAN SARABASA and seconded by ALDERMAN BERTRAND to approve Resolution No. 32R, Series of 2020; Approving Consultant’s Agreement with Haven Creative, LLC, 400 East South Main Street, Suite 7, Waxhaw, NC 28173, in the amount of $18,325.00. A Roll call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Cooper, Holmes, Sarabasa, Bertrand, and Chausse. NO: Kopp. Motion carried. 5 yeas, 1 nay.

RESOLUTION NO. 33R, SERIES OF 2020; APPROVING PURCHASE OF MOTORS AND PUMPS FOR WATER WELL NO. 4 AND WELL NO. 5 FOR ALEDO WATER TREATMENT PLANT:

Motion was made by ALDERMAN HOLMES and seconded by ALDERMAN CHAUSSE to approve Resolution No. 33R, Series of 2020; Approving purchase of motors and pumps for Water Well No. 4 and Well No. 5 for Aledo Water Treatment Plant; from Cahoy Pump Service, 24568 150th Street, Suite 200, Sumner, IA., 50674 for a total price not to exceed $29,043.00 for Well No. 4 and $29,985.00 for Well No. 5, which also needs a replacement sub-cable. A Roll call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Holmes, Kopp, Sarabasa, Bertrand, Chausse, and Cooper. NO: None. Motion carried. 6 yeas, 0 nays.

MOTION TO INITIATE A ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS APPLICATION FOR A TEXT AMENDMENT TO TITLE 10 OF THE CITY CODE OF THE CITY OF ALEDO:

Motion was made by ALDERMAN CHAUSSE and seconded by ALDERMAN KOPP to approve a motion to initiate a Zoning Board of Appeals application for a Text Amendment to Title 10 of the City Code of the City of Aledo related to Solar Energy Systems. A Roll call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Kopp, Sarabasa, Bertrand, Chausse, Cooper and Holmes. NO: None. Motion carried. 6 yeas, 0 nays.

MOTION TO PROVIDE RATE RELIEF TO BUSINESSES WHO ARE CITY OF ALEDO LIQUOR LICENSE HOLDERS AND WHOSE BUSINESS WAS INTERRUPTED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC EMERGENCY:

Motion was made by ALDERMAN KOPP and seconded by ALDERMAN HOLMES to approve provide rate relief to businesses who are City of Aledo Liquor License Holders and whose business was interrupted by the Covid-19 Pandemic Emergency. A Roll call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Sarabasa, Bertrand, Chausse, Cooper, Holmes, and Kopp. NO: None. Motion carried. 6 yeas, 0 nays.

MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RESIGNATION OF POLICE OFFICER(S) MISTY BUNKER & NATHAN LEWIS AND APPROVE THE HIRING OF ANDREW CHRISTIE AS A FULL-TIME POLICE OFFICER ON THE ALEDO POLICE DEPARTMENT:

Motion was made by ALDERMAN CHAUSSE and seconded by ALDERMAN KOPP to approve the action item as presented. A Roll call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Bertrand, Chausse, Cooper, Holmes, Kopp, and Sarabasa. NO: None. Motion carried. 6 yeas, 0 nays.

STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS: A Finance Committee to be held on Monday, September 21, 2020 at 6:00 o’clock p.m. in the City Council Chambers.

OLD BUSINESS: ALD. Chausse inquired on the status of Casey’s General Store moving to the new location at 1306 SE 3rd Street, Aledo, Il. DPW Blaser reported plans were submitted last week and City Staff was also able to begin review the Diamond Ag project as well.

NEW BUSINESS: ALD. Holmes reported he had recently been contacted by downtown business owner Robert Vickrey for his commercial property located at 207 S College Avenue, Aledo, Il. It was noted, Mr. Vickrey would be applying for the Downtown Revitalization program for Tax Increment Financing to assist in bringing his building up to code after receiving a letter from the City related to possible code compliance inspections by DPW Blaser.

Mr. Vickrey also inquired if political signage could be placed on City property located at the corner of Route 17 & 94. City Council noted that would not be allowed.

ALD. Chausse noted the City Council to schedule an upcoming Ordinance & Police Committee meeting to review Elected Officials pay rates before the October, 2020 deadline. Plans are to establish a date for committee at the next regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, September 21, 2020.

ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, motion was made by ALDERMAN KOPP and seconded by ALDERMAN HOLMES that the meeting be adjourned. A Unanimous voice vote followed in agreement. Meeting was adjourned at 7:37 P.M.

http://aledoil.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_09082020-240