City of Kewanee City Council Met Nov. 30.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
The Council Meeting was called to order at 7:01 PM. Councilmembers Faber, Yaklich, Komnick, and Mayor Moore were present via Zoom with Councilmember Colomer Absent.
The Consent Agenda included the following items:
a. Approval of Minutes of the November 16th Meeting.
b. Payroll for the pay period ending November 21st in the amount of $219,022.89
c. Reports from Police, Community Development, and Bock, Incorporated
Councilmember Faber moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Councilmember Komnick seconded the motion. Yaklich questioned the location of the meeting minutes on the website and requested that they all be put in the same location. It will be done. The motion was approved 4-0.
Bills were presented in the amount of $288,791.07
Councilmember Faber moved to approve payment of the bills. Councilmember Faber seconded the motion. Discussion: Council Member Yaklich questioned installment payments for KDC and Kewanee Chamber stating that there is usually a presentation given before payments are approved. He wanted to know why that hadn’t been done. Gary Bradley stated that he and Mayor Moore had received a report giving them the information and that in person presentation could resume once they were back to in person meetings as Kathy did not have the equipment to attend Zoom meetings. Yaklich also questioned what the PBS bills were for. Chief Shook explained that PBS is the ambulance billing service and that they receive 4% of what is collected. Chief Shook also gave average and projected income stating that their service was beneficial. Yaklich also wanted to know that the IL Healthcare & Family payment was for. Chief Shook explained that is part of an agreement with joining GEMT to increase payments with Medicare and that was their portion of the collections. Yaklich asked Scott Hinton for details of the payment for work on Well #4. Hinton replied that is was from the approved bid for the pump and chlorination of Well #4. Council Member Komnick asked about the Home Depot charge and wanted to know if this was a purchase that could have been sourced locally. Kevin Newton said he was trying some alternative options to check quality and price based on what he normally orders and that it was most likely a onetime purchase from them. There were no other comments. The motion was approved 4-0.
Public Comments: None
New Business:
Discussion Only Outdoor Boilers Mayor Moore was thankful to Keith Edwards for information on what to add to the ordinance for stacking the wood used for burners. Faber stated his concern was pests that might congregate in the stacked wood as well as the details of stacking the wood. Mayor Moore said some due diligence may be warranted to have a permit to use the burners and Keith Edwards stated that with permits, he would have to notify anyone within 300ft of the burners. Yaklich stated we should know where the burners are located for fire department awareness and if there are neighbor complaints. It was agreed that a general permit might be better than special use permits. Mayor Moore would like to move forward with a presentation to start an ordinance.
Discussion Only of Acceptable bids Mayor Moore stated that some bids have come in a bit unusual but that research was done to see what is required for a bid. Faber and Komnick stated that they prefer a simple bid and not an escalating one. Yaklich stated that we need to maintain the integrity of our bidding process and that a simple standard bid is competitive. Escalating bids may discourage bidders. Gary Bradley stated that we can put out clear language stated what we need for a bid. Mayor Moore agreed.
Consideration of a Resolution #5254 to approve a Resolution for Improvement Under the Illinois Highway Code for MFT Section 21-00110-0-PV in the amount of $851,251. Councilmember Komnick moved to approve. Councilmember Yaklich seconded the motion. Discussion: None. The motion was approved 4-0.
Consideration of a Resolution #5255 declaring the line shaft pump and all associated items from well #4 as surplus Councilmember Faber moved to approve. Councilmember Yaklich second. Discussion: Councilmember Faber asked if all of the items would be stored properly for future use. Scott Hinton said this was to declare it as surplus to be able to get rid of it. Councilmember Yaklich stated that he remembered talking about who would purchase such items and wondered if it might be someone that would rebuild it for resale. He had hoped for that information before things moved forward. Scott Hinton said that he had done the research and found that no one really purchases that type of used equipment and it would most likely be used as scrap. Gary Bradley reminded the council that this pump is why we thought we had issues to begin with. Scott Hinton said that many of these types of pumps are no longer being used because of the issues they have. The motion was approved 4-0.
Consideration of a Resolution #5256 accepting the lowest responsive and responsible bid from G&L Tank Sandblasting and Coating LLC, for Project #21-01, North Water Tower Coating, in the amount of $585,100.00 Councilmember Faber moved to approve. Councilmember Komnick seconded the motion. Discussion: Councilmember Faber asked if this included repairs. Scott Hinton stated that it did include the other items and repairs. Councilman Yaklich questioned if the mixer would need to be added later. Scott Hinton said that it would be nice to have one but not required as it is not an issue we have had in the past. The recommendation was not to spend the extra money on the ‘luxury.’ Councilmember Yaklich asked if using a mixer extended the life of the tank or any other benefit. Scott Hinton said that was a question for Tim Wilson from Dixon Engineering. Tim stated the benefits of a mixer but said that it does not extend the life of the tank. They had included it in their bid so that everyone would know the costs of such items. The motion was approved 4-0.
Consideration of a Resolution #5257 Amending an agreement with Dixon engineering to provide construction inspection services at the north water tower coating project. Councilmember Faber moved to approve. Councilmember Komnick seconded the motion. Discussion: Councilmember Yaklich asked if the inspection was needed. Scott Hinton said that it was to ensure that it was done properly and that the amount quoted was worst case scenario and depended on how much time it took to complete the inspection. Councilmember Yaklich asked who did the coating on the south tower. Scott Hinton said it was LC United and they also bid on this project but were not the low bidder. The motion was approved 4-0.
Consideration of a Resolution #5258 Awarding demolition contract for the demolition of the buildings located at 245 Tenney St Councilmember Yaklich moved to approve. Councilmember Komnick seconded the motion. Discussion: Councilmember Yaklich asked if was owned by someone in town and why they wouldn’t be the one paying for it. Justin Raver reminded him that most locations we tear down are locally owned and our practice is usually to take it down quickly and put a lien on the property. Mayor Moore asked about the track record on recouping costs for liens. Mr. Raver said it’s almost guaranteed that we won’t recoup the cost. Councilman Yaklich asked that later there be a discussion on options to change the policy to not lose money in this process. Gary Bradley said that could happen. The motion was approved 4-0.
Consideration of an Ordinance #4034 granting a rezoning request, for land located at 117 E. Central Blvd., Kewanee Councilmember Komnick moved to approve. Councilmember Faber seconded the motion. Discussion: Yaklich asked if the lot needed rezoning to be able to allow the parking to be added. Keith Edwards stated that they wanted to put the fence all the way up to the sidewalk but he had them plan for it to be back in accordance with fencing ordinances and wait until this passed. Mayor Moore said he wanted to make sure things were done safely since the school was close. Keith mentioned the owner had talked with Dr. Sullens and stated he wanted to be a good neighbor to the school and other neighbors. The motion was approved 4-0.
Consideration of an ordinance #4035 allowing Indoor Shooting Range as a Special Use within B-3 Zoning Councilmember Faber moved to approve. Councilmember Yaklich seconded the motion. Discussion: At this point there is just soft questioning, as far as Keith Edwards is aware. No one has requested the use as of this time. Mayor Moore stated that state law has specifics on how the ranges are constructed and ordinances that the city has and will write up will coincide with state law. The motion was approved 4-0.
Consideration of a Resolution #5259 authorizing the City Manager to execute documents for the renewal of a self-funded insurance plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and other carriers for the plan year 2021 Councilmember Komnick moved to approve. Councilmember Faber seconded the motion. Discussion: Councilmember Yaklich asked if Cottingham and Butler recommended this. Gary Bradley said they are our consultants at this time. We are in the process of determining if they will stay as consultants but per labor agreements, they are not allowed to change insurances without the approval of the unions. He know there are some improvements that could be made with items like dental and vision but that would take approval from unions. He gave some statistics on costs per employee and reinsurance costs. The motion was approved 4-0.
Consideration of a Resolution #5260 authorizing an agreement for Managed IT Services and Lease/Purchase agreements for IT Hardware Solutions to Access Systems Councilmember Komnick moved to approve. Councilmember Faber seconded the motion. Discussion: Mayor Moore asked Councilmember Komnick what some of the potential costs might be if we went with a lower bid. Councilmember Komnick said there could be things such as after-hours charges or a cap at monthly hours. Kevin Newton stated that a majority of the bidders had after hour charges ranging $150-$300 per hour and that could add up quickly. Mr. Newton discussed some of the things like customer service and cyber security and that those items are worth the cost. Councilmember Yaklich asked if we did an RFP and Mr. Newton stated that we did. Yaklich said we shouldn’t have such a range between the bids. Mr. Newton said when he wrote the bid it was in such a way that we could have as close to “apples to apple” comparison as possible. Yaklich stated that when looking at the bids, he wants to know what is actually needed vs the “upgrades.” Councilmember Komnick stated that it’s easy to compare actual products but it becomes more difficult when looking at services provided. He stated that, in his opinion, it is best to have a one stop shop servicer that can take care of everything. Mr. Newton said going with a company that offers all in one service would be more cost effective than hiring an IT person to be on staff. His recommendation will bring us to where we need to be and he has had discussions with many of the vendors that placed bids. Councilmember Yaklich questioned the costs of the Managed IT part and if was better than what we had done in the past. Mr. Newton said that after 1 year we could revisit the Managed IT agreements. The motion was approved 4-0.
Council Communications:
Councilmember Faber stated that he has noticed so many garages on the north side of town that are in bad condition. He wanted to know if we were keeping on top of these things. Keith Edwards stated they do send out notifications about maintained and he could start paying more attention to garages and other areas.
Councilmember Komnick wanted to remind people that as it gets darker earlier, that people are still out walking, running, etc. and to be aware of those citizens.
Councilmember Yaklich asked Keith Edwards if there was anything he needed from the council to help aid in finding and working with these properties. Mr. Edwards stated he had applied for another grant to help. Budget money to demolish properties makes things a bit easier as some residents don’t have the money to take of the properties themselves. Councilmember Yaklich also questioned what the issues were with a bar on Lake Street. The plan commission decided not to revoke the special use permit for the beer garden because there isn’t a specific volume for noise for the beer garden. Mr. Edwards stated they may have to develop an ordinance from the ground up. Noise complaints and ordinances were discussed.
Mayor’s Communications:
Mayor Moore wanted to congratulate the Humane Society for completing their addition on their building. He also wanted to remind everyone about the Windmont Park lighting this Sunday December 6th at dusk. He hopes that everyone will keep social distancing in mind but check out the lights.
Announcements: None
Councilmember Faber moved to adjourn the meeting. Councilmember Komnick seconded the motion. The motion was approved 4-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:15 PM
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