City of Aledo City Council met Oct. 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 6:33 P.M. The roll was called, whereupon the following answered present:
Aldermen ILA BERTRAND, MICHAEL CHAUSSE, BARRY COOPER, JAY DOHERTY, DENNIS DIXON, JIM HOLMES, CHRIS KOPP, and LINDA SARABASA. Mayor CHRISTOPHER HAGLOCH.
Also present was NICHOLAS SEEFELD, Lieutenant, and JAROD DALE, City Clerk. The media was represented by Jim Taylor, WRMJ.
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
Public Comment: No Report.
Communication & Correspondence: No Report.
Requests & Petitions: Special Event/Street Closure: Ferg’s Oktoberfest to be held Friday, October 21, 2022 at 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM & Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 12:00 PM – 11:00 PM.
City Sponsorship: Mercer County Better Together – FY2022 Funding in the amount of $4,367.50.
Public Works Activity Report:
• Streets: Daily checks, tasks, JULIES, and work orders continue. Patch machine work; mowed; moved rip rap at south lagoon; prep for homecoming parade and dance at Central Park.
• Gas: Daily checks, tasks, JULIE’s, inspections and finals continue. The ICC performed a DIMP and Customer Awareness audit each of the past two weeks. Nothing of major concern was reported. The Division assisted the W/S Division with various tasks.
• Water: Daily checks, tasks, Julie’s and work orders continue. Multiple sewer lateral investigations; repaired one water valve box in the NW Quad; repaired two curb stops in the NE Quad; repaired one water leak ordered and installed new ditch pump hoses; met with Viking to quote the cleaning, inspection, and painting of the two water towers.
• Cemetery: Two (2) funerals occurred. mowing and weed eating the cemetery grounds.
• DPW: Budget work and building code update work have been the main focus of work. DPW has been in contact with the DNR about pond signage. The City will post the following: No Swimming, Hours of operation are Dawn to Dusk, Electric Motors Only, and Fish Regulations. The aquatic vegetation control and shoreline vegetation to begin in May of next year. It will be performed by the DNR. The NW Quad Project has begun, they anticipate being completed within the next two weeks. The Public Works Building is scheduled to be completed by the end of next week. CITY ATTORNEY Walton and DPW have been in discussion with the owner of Buttonwood concerning the ownership of the street lights within the subdivision. They were not working for a period of time. After some investigation, we found that the lights are controlled and metered thru Buttonwood. They are not included in the dedication of ROW, and they are privately owned and maintained. Buttonwood is currently working on resolving the problem.
Aledo Police Department Activity Report: The Department and the schedule have been running smoothly with very little overtime and full coverage 24/7.
Officer Nathan Davis to attend a Field Officer Training Course at the Mobile Teams Training Center in Galesburg to be held October 3rd - 7th.
The Officers have been patrolling the Parks and problems have seemed to slow down drastically from earlier this spring.
Our Department worked with DPW Blaser recently to address some inoperable vehicles and yard problems in the 600 Block of S. College Ave. after receiving complaints from the neighbor on the smell and the sight of the back yard. A citation was issued and referred to the Code Hearing.
A quote has been received for a camera system in the interview room. The system will work independently and videos will not go to the cloud. The system will also allow PD staff to be able to transcribe properly as all videos conducted in this room usually require transcribing. The current system has not worked and is not designed to be used how it was intended.
Administrative Report: CITY CLERK Dale provided monthly utility billing and payroll information for the month of September. Quarterly Sales Tax Revenue and Building Permits for the 3rd quarter, 2022 was also provided as informational.
An agreement for the Industrial Park Signage project has been signed and a check issued to Michaels Signs. Dan Radke has contacted the City and put Aledo into their design cue. City Staff is currently waiting for a first draft to be presented for review and modifications. Turn-around time for this project is 8-10 weeks.
The City entered into a grant agreement with USDA in July, 2020. The Rural Business Development Grant was allotted in the amount of $30,000 for 1-year with extensions possible up to 3 years maximum. As of today, there is a remaining balance of $16,670 of available funds and is set to expire on December 31, 2022. The CITY CLERK’s office will be requesting an extension into 2023.
An RFQ for the solicitation of an engineer for the Aledo Improvement Project was issued last week. This is related to the $3,000,000 RDMS Grant that City received for the Central Parking Lot area and alleyway. Proposals for an Engineering service will be received until October 21, 2022 at 10:00 AM.
The City of Aledo submitted an Open Space Land Acquisition & Development Grant on Thursday, September 29th. The application is intended for the development of a public outdoor recreation facility. The total expense / budget is listed within the grant in the amount of $600,000.00 (Grant Funded), $710,095.00 (Non-Grant Funded) with a total expense budget of $1,310,950.00. The non-grant funded portion would be a cash match and in-kind match.
At the last City Council meeting, Council members discussed child restraints for NV and golf carts. Section 9-10-4(L) says that operators “shall obey … all provisions of the Illinois Vehicle Code”, which, per the CITY ATTORNEY, requires those utilizing neighborhood vehicles and golf carts to properly restrain children in the NV or Golf Cart the same as a person would in an automobile.
Mayor’s Report: MAYOR Hagloch reported Aledo Main Street and Mercer Foundation for Health have been working on a farm-to-table style benefit dinner to be held on Sunday, October 16th at the VFW. Social hour begins at 5:00 PM and dinner to follow at 5:30 PM. The City of Aledo is a sponsor of a table for the fundraising event.
Committee Report: No Report.
REGULAR COUNCIL SESSION
Following the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag,
CONSENT AGENDA
Motion was made by ALDERMAN CHAUSSE and seconded by ALDERMAN DIXON to approve the following consent agenda items:
• Approval of Minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 19, 2022.
• Approval of Finance Invoice Listing – AP18.
• Approval of a Special Event / Street Closure: Ferg’s Public House Oktoberfest to be held Friday, October 21, 2022 at 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM & Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 12:00 PM – 11:00 PM.
A Roll Call vote was recorded as follows:
YES: Bertrand, Chausse, Cooper, Doherty, Dixon, Holmes, Kopp, and Sarabasa. NO: None. Motion carried. 8 yeas, 0 nays.
PUBLIC COMMENT: No Report.
ACTION ITEMS:
ORDINANCE NO. 19, SERIES OF 2022; AMENDING THE PAY RATE FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS FOR THE CITY OF ALEDO: (FIRST READING)
SECTION 1: Section 1-9-2(a) of Chapter 9, Title 1 of the City Code entitled “Elected Officials, Schedule of Salaries” shall be amended as follows (additions are indicated by bold italics and deletions by bold strikeout):
EachThe mayor, treasurer, alderman and city clerk shall receive the sum of fifty seventy five dollars ($50.00$75.00) for each regularly scheduled meeting actually attended; provided, however, that any alderman shall still be entitled to be paid for any meeting not attended if his or her absence is excused by the mayor for good cause shown.
The mayor, treasurer, city clerk and any alderman shall also receive a per diem allowance of fifty seventy-five dollars ($50.00$75.00) per day for attending any special committee meetings, special council meetings, or other city conferences, or business authorized by the corporate authorities.
The second reading to be held on Monday, October 17, 2022 at 6:30 o’clock pm in the City Council Chambers.
ALD. Chausse reported he would be bringing up a discussion at the 2nd reading regarding this ordinance.
ORDINANCE NO. 20, SERIES OF 2022; AMENDING THE ESTIMATED DATES OF COMPLETION OF THE ALEDO CENTRAL TAX INCREMENT FINANCING (TIF) DISTRICT REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AREA, PLAN AND PROJECTS: (FIRST READING)
On December 6, 2021, and pursuant to Section 74.4-3(n)(J)(3) of the TIF Act, by Ordinance No. 22 Series of 2021, the City extended the property tax component of the TIF District to December 31, 2022, in order to utilize the property tax growth which resulted from the real estate taxes levied during the 35th year of the TIF District and received from the County the following year.
Pursuant to Section 11-74.4-8 of the TIF Act, as of December 31, 2022 the City will have remaining public redevelopment project costs and obligations, preventing the final closing of the books and records of the TIF District, and is therefore extending the estimated date of completion until December 31, 2025, recognizing that the property tax allocation financing authorized by the Act will not be extended.
Pursuant to Section 11-74-4.8 of the TIF Act, the City shall notify affected taxing districts prior to November 1 if the Redevelopment Project Area is to be terminated by December 31st of that same year.
The second reading to be held on Monday, October 17, 2022 at 6:30 o’clock pm in the City Council Chambers.
OLD BUSINESS: No Report.
NEW BUSINESS: ALD. Chausse stated he would like to see the CITY COUNCIL also address the current salaries for the elected officials of Mayor, City Treasurer, and City Clerk. A motion will be made to make an amendment to Ordinance No. 19, Series of 2022; Amending the Pay Rate for Elected Officials for the City of Aledo at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting.
CITY COUNCIL requested the City Sponsorship request by MCBT to be placed on the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting Finance Invoice Listing for approval.
CITY CLERK Dale provided a draft ordinance recommended for discussion by FINANCE DIRECTOR Parchert establishing a hotel / motel room renting tax in the corporate limits of Aledo. The ordinance would require a 5% tax on overnight rentals at hotels/motels/short-term rentals (the maximum tax allowed by statute). The tax is to be collected by the operator of the hotel/motel/short-term rental and remitted to the City on a monthly basis. As drafted, the taxes levied pursuant to this Section will not begin until January 1, 2023. By statute, revenues received from the tax may only be utilized by the City to promote tourism and conventions within the City or otherwise to attract nonresident overnight visitors.
The CITY COUNCIL requested an Ordinance & Police Committee meeting be scheduled for Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 6:00 o’clock pm in the City Council Chambers for further review.
ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, motion was made by ALDERMAN KOPP and seconded by ALDERMAN CHAUSSE that the meeting be adjourned. A Unanimous voice vote followed in agreement. Meeting was adjourned at 6:50 P.M.
https://www.aledoil.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_10032022-337
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