City of Aledo City Council met Jan. 3.
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
The City Council of the City of Aledo met in Regular Session in the Council Chambers at the Aledo City Hall building. MAYOR HAGLOCH called the meeting to order at 6:30 P.M. The roll was called, whereupon the following answered present:
Aldermen MICHAEL CHAUSSE, BARRY COOPER, DENNIS DIXON, JAY DOHERTY, ZACH FRICK, JIM HOLMES, CHRIS KOPP, and LINDA SARABASA. Mayor CHRISTOPHER HAGLOCH.
Also present was CHRISTOPHER SULLIVAN, City Administrator / Chief of Police; JUSTIN BLASER, Director of Public Works & Utilities, CINDY PARCHERT, Finance Director, and JAROD DALE, City Clerk.
The media was represented by John Hoscheidt, WRMJ.
Public Comment: No Report.
Communication & Correspondence: No Report.
Requests & Petitions: No Report.
Public Works Activity Report:
• Streets: Daily checks, tasks, JULIES, and work orders continue. New hire training; equipment maintenance; vacuumed downtown; replaced burnt out decorative light bulbs; prep plows and trucks.
• Gas: JULIE’s; New hire training; work on new customer awareness program; install one gas meter; assist W/S with one sewer repair.
• Water: JULIE’s; Repair one curb-stop; adjust multiple curb-stops; inspected two sewers; one sewer jet.
• Cemetery: Assist all other Divisions with various work.
• DPW: Year-end work, Rebuild Downtown and Main Street grant work; Looser Flake grant work; new hire training.
Aledo Police Department Activity Report: ADMINISTRATOR/CHIEF Sullivan reported the Department completed all of the year-end paperwork and electronic filings for the State of Illinois. Traffic stop and pedestrian stop data was submitted to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). Training records, firearms qualifications records, part-time officers’ hours worked records, and the final personnel roster were filed with the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB). The paperwork was also filed with ILETSB to add the two new officers to the roster and to remove officer Waldrup from it.
The crime statistics were filed with both the Illinois State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Department switched to the new National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) in 2021. It replaced the old Uniform Crime Reporting System which had been used for decades. NIBRS requires data to be kept on the sex, race, national origin, and age of all parties to virtually all incidents dealt with by police officers. It also requires detailed data about the nature of each incident and the final status of the incidents.
Matthew Barr and Dallas Wakeland were the two candidates who passed all of the testing and completed all of the application materials. The Council consented to both being hired by the City of Aledo as Police Officers. Both have since completed and passed the drug screen, a medical examination, and a psychological evaluation. Their appointments as full-time employees are on the consent agenda for this meeting.
The newly hired officers will report to the academy for the entrance physical agility testing on January 5, 2022. The first day of actual training will be January 12, 2022. They will be attending the Southwestern Illinois Police Academy in Belleville, Illinois. The course of training takes fourteen (14) weeks to complete.
Administrative Report: CITY CLERK Dale provided the Utility Billing & Payroll information for the month of December, 2021. Social Media highlights for the month of January, 2022 to include: Happy New Year message, New Ordinance for SXS permits in Aledo; Christmas Tree Collection; New Open Enrollment Period for Water/Sewer lateral Program; Small Business Promotion – Simply Grace. City staff continues to work on the Fireworks Display Donation Campaign. We plan to have that organized in January and begin promoting quite frequently during the next several months.
Sales Tax Revenue & Building Permits for the 4th Quarter of 2021 were also provided to the City Council as informational. CITY CLERK noted the sales tax revenue had an increase from the prior year in the amount of $99.319.12 with a total collection of $781,966.41.
The City Administrator & City Clerk have attended remote meetings with Tyler Technologies this past week to begin the review & set-up of a timekeeping system for the City. City Staff continues to finalize how the online / mobile app timekeeping software will be organized, with plans to launch a “pilot” period beginning mid-January.
Mayor’s Report: MAYOR Hagloch provided notice to the City Council of a letter submitted by Ald. Frick related to his resignation as Ward I Alderman effective January 14, 2022. Frick has purchased a new home and will be moving outside the city limits of Aledo. MAYOR to possibly make an appointment for the vacant alderman seat until the next consolidated election in April, 2023. The election in 2023 will provide a 2-year remaining term to finish out the current term of Ald. Frick.
MAYOR reported the grain bins at the former Farmer’s Grain & Coal property have been removed.
MAYOR reported City Staff have been working with HDR Engineering to formulate a Rebuild Downtown & Main Street (RDMS) Grant Application that is due on January 10, 2022. Revisions are currently being made by Staff and HDR before the application is finalized. Total grant opportunity noted in the amount of $3,000,000.00.
MAYOR reported a grant has been submitted to the Looser-Flake Foundation for rehabilitation of the Jaycee Park in the NE Quadrant of Aledo. Plans would be to repair park amenity’s and to also construct a pickle-ball court. Fencing would not be part of this project at this time. Total request was noted in the amount of $9,000.00 which would complement an additional $9,000.00 donation as the City’s portion of that grant request. This grant to be administered by Mercer County Better Together (MCBT).
Committee Report: No Report.
REGULAR COUNCIL SESSION
Following the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag,
CONSENT AGENDA
Motion was made by ALDERMAN DOHERTY and seconded by ALDERMAN CHAUSSE to approve the following consent agenda items:
• Approval of Minutes of the Regular Meeting of December 20, 2021.
• Approval of Finance Invoice Listing – AP24EOY
• Approval of Resolution No. 01R, Series of 2022; A Resolution Regarding the Release of Closed Session Minutes and Destruction of Closed Session Verbatim Recordings.
• Approval of the Hiring of Dallas Wakeland as a Police Officer in the Aledo Police Department effective January 7, 2022.
• Approval of the Hiring of Matthew Barr as a Police Officer in the Aledo Police Department effective January 7, 2022.
A Roll Call vote was recorded as follows:
YES: Chausse, Cooper, Dixon, Doherty, Frick, Holmes, Kopp and Sarabasa. NO: None. Motion carried. 8 yeas, 0 nays.
PUBLIC COMMENT: No Report.
ACTION ITEMS:
RESOULTION NO. 02R, SERIES OF 2022; APPROVING A DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION PROGRAM LOAN AGREEMENT – TYRONE T. CUTKOMP:
The Property Owner shall, as a redevelopment project, complete the Project at the Property Owner’s building located at 112 South College Avenue, Aledo, Illinois (the “Property”), consisting of the following phases: Phase I—masonry repairs and replacement of roofing and windows and associated materials, and Phase II—HVAC, plumbing, electrical and parking lot upgrades.
Upon the Property Owner’s completion of each Phase of the Project in compliance with this Agreement, and provided that each Phase of the Project is completed by December 31, 2022, the City shall reimburse the Property Owner an amount not to exceed the lesser of (i) $40,000.00 and (ii) one-half of the actual costs incurred by the Property Owner for the work included in each such Phase. The foregoing reimbursement will be made in the form of loans in an amount not to exceed the aggregate amount of $79,974.88. The amount of each of the loans shall thereafter be forgiven at the rate of $666.46 per month/per loan for each month that the Property is owned by the Property Owner and meets all of the requirements of the Revitalization Program as set forth in the Downtown Revitalization Program Guide – 2020
Motion was made by ALDERMAN SARABASA and seconded by ALDERMAN KOPP to approve Resolution No. 02R, Series of 2022; Approving a Downtown Revitalization Program Loan Agreement to Tyrone T. Cutkomp as presented. A Roll Call vote was recorded as follows:
YES: Cooper, Dixon, Doherty, Frick, Kopp, Sarabasa, and Chausse. NO: Holmes. Motion carried. 7 yeas, 1 nay.
OLD BUSINESS:
Discussion regarding the 2022 Aledo Fireworks Display to be held July 4, 2022 – Status Update: ADMINISTRATOR Sullivan reported the City continues to wait on a agreement. No further discussion followed.
Discussion regarding Employee Salary Study: ADMINISTRATOR Sullivan reported the City continues to wait on a quote and will forward to the City Council to review for further discussion.
An item to be added under old business for future discussion. MAYOR Hagloch noted to add City Downtown Holiday Decorations to the agenda and to schedule a future Public Property, Streets & Sidewalks and Finance Committee meeting.
NEW BUSINESS:
ALD. Frick inquired on current practices related to the removal of snow on downtown city sidewalks. MAYOR Hagloch reported this is to be done by City Staff. ALD. Frick noted with the last snow event this past weekend that this had not been completed to date. DPW Blaser noted Public Works staff to complete by 1/4.
ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, motion was made by ALDERMAN FRICK and seconded by ALDERMAN KOPP that the meeting be adjourned. A Unanimous voice vote followed in agreement. Meeting was adjourned at 6:40 P.M.
https://www.aledoil.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_01032022-306
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