City of Kewanee City Council met March 13.
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
The March 13th, 2023, Council Meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm. Councilmembers Colomer, Baker, and Komnick were present along with Mayor Moore. Councilmember Faber was absent.
The consent agenda included the following items:
A. Minutes from the Council Meeting on February 27th.
B. Payroll for the pay period ending February 25th in the amount of $217,691.84.
C. Staff Reports.
D. First Christian Church Street Closure
A motion to approve the consent agenda items was made by Councilmember Komnick and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: None. Motion passed 4-0.
A motion for approval of the bills for the Council Meeting of March 13th in the amount of $228.200.76 was made by Councilmember Baker and seconded by Councilmember Colomer. Discussion: None. Motion passed 4-0.
Public Comments:
Mr. Keith Richardson came forward to ask Council permission to hold an event at his home on May 20th of this year. He would like to have a professional DJ as well as have food available as a fundraiser for cancer research. Mayor Moore told him to put a proposal together and drop it off at City Hall. Then it could be brought before the Council.
New Business:
A. Introduction of new K-9: Deputy Chief Kijanowski introduced Officer Joshua Carpenter as the new K9 Officer and his partner Maverick. Maverick is a 1.5-year-old male Belgian Malinois. His name was chosen with the help of local school children. The pair will continue their 10-week training course before Maverick begins his official duties. Officer Carpenter answered questions from the Council while showing Maverick to those in attendance.
B. Consideration of Ordinance #4128 amending Schedule 2 of Section 78.0, parking in the Downtown area. Motion to approve was made by Councilmember Komnick and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: None. Motion passed 4-0.
C. Consideration of Resolution #5390 awarding the construction of the Kewanee Cemetery Facility Project to Valley Construction Co. as the lowest responsible bidder. Motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: Public Works Operations Manager Kevin Newton came forward and stated that this is a long overdue project that we have been unable to get to due to various reasons. This will help combine all of the current buildings being used into one building that will also be a better “face” for customers as they go out to the cemetery to conduct business. Motion passed 4-0.
D. Consideration of Resolution #5391 amending guidelines for the use of Incentives for Community and Economic Development. Motion to approve was made by Councilmember Baker and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Discussion: City
Manager Gary Bradley stated that this is for the mobile home parks. This incentive allows them to bring in new or used trailers and receive money from the City so that they can continue to invest in the infrastructure that supports the mobile home parks. This will help the community by bringing affordable housing to the area. This program is among the first of its kind and may be able to help other communities fund the same. Motion passed 4-0.
E. Discussion Only - Planning Commission and Zoning Board fees. Community Development Director Keith Edwards came forward to explain that while he was working on the last few Planning Commission and Zoning Board meetings, he realized that the fee the City collects is not enough to even cover the cost of publishing the meetings in the local paper. There are other costs of postage, supplies, and staff time for each case. He recommended raising the fee to $200 and it could be re-evaluated in a year. Councilmember Colomer suggested re-evaluating after 6 months. The rest of the Council agreed. Mr. Edwards will prepare an Ordinance with the changes, for Council approval.
Mayor’s Communications:
WQAD Channel 8 News will be broadcasting from Kewanee this coming Wednesday, March 15. They will begin with: Good Morning Quad Cities at 11 am, followed by newscasts at 5, 6 and 6:30 pm. They will hold a meet and greet at Cerno’s from 2 to 2:30 pm. News anchors will be on hand if you are interested in meeting any of them.
Kewanee Central Steamers 8th Grade volleyball team recently won their regional championship. They are playing in the sectional tournament Monday with the hopes of earning a trip to the state tournament. The sectional match started at 6:30 pm. Also, the Visitation 8th Grade Lady Giants won their volleyball regional tournament. They began sectional play Monday at 6:30 as well. Congratulations to both these teams on great, and continuing seasons.
The Kewanee Commission on Human Relations is sponsoring a fundraiser, trivia Night on Saturday, March 25 from 6 to 10 pm at the Kewanee Elks Lodge. You can enter a team for the trivia event and there will be silent auction items as well.
The 11th Annual Quarter Madness will be held at the Kewanee Elks Lodge on Friday, March 24, from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. Paddles are currently for sale by contacting kewaneerotory.com or calling 309-312-0168. Paddles can also be purchased through enentbrite.com. Paddles are also available at the door. He suggests getting there a little early. All proceeds will go to the Prairie Chicken Arts Festival.
Council Communications:
Councilmember Komnick: He asked City Manager Bradley about an item included in his memo. Bradley mentioned thermoplastic markings when discussing the traffic lines on the streets. They are like stickers that are placed in a small area that is ground out of the road. This allows the markings to get a better hold onto the pavement and they last longer. Then he mentioned that he did some Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training over the weekend and wondered what the City had in place for that. He asked that any information we have on the topic be included in the next packet. Finally, he stated that he was on the Black Hawk College Presidential Search Committee searching for a president for the board. He said that he learned that we tend to take Black Hawk college for granted. We need to do a better job at supporting and utilizing such a great school.
Councilmember Colomer: Asked Chief Deputy Kijanowski if it were possible to include year over-year numbers or three-year-average when listing types of calls etc. The numbers don’t mean a lot if we don’t know where they have been. Kijanowski said that is something they can start including. Colomer also stated that something else that gets overlooked is the Public Works Department. By his own admission, he tends to mention Police and Fire needing more manpower, or getting recognition. Meanwhile, the Public Works Department is also doing a great job at many tasks that often go unrecognized. He and the Council appreciate what that department along with the other staff at City Hall do on a day-to-day basis.
Councilmember Baker: He asked if the City was able to start a Rec Center for the youth in the community. City Manager Bradley stated that we do have organizations, gyms, and a park district that offer programs like this. The City generally plays a smaller role in this. If the City were going to do something, it would be best to partner with an organization that has a focus on this topic. We want to stay in our lane but also help the community. It would not necessarily take a committee to do it but having one would bring more support and knowledge to create a more effective plan. Baker stated that he knew of someone interested in starting a program and he would have this person reach out to Gary Bradley to discuss options.
Announcements:
• The annual spring clean-up by cemetery staff in the Kewanee Cemeteries is scheduled to begin March 21, and end on March 31. During this period, all decorations will be picked up and discarded. Anyone wishing to save their decorations must pick them up before March 21. The Cemetery Department asks that no new decorations be put out until after the clean-up period has ended. This clean-up applies to Pleasant View, South Pleasant View, Mount Olivet, St. Mary’s, Kewanee, Russian, and Wethersfield Cemeteries. If there are any questions, please contact the Sexton's office at 853-4649.
• Landscape pick-up will begin Monday March 20th. A reminder that each bag will need a sticker on them. Rules for landscape pick-up can be found on our website, Facebook page, and at City Hall
• Please remember that burning will not be allowed until April 1st and will be subject to approval by the Kewanee Fire Department. We will release more details on burning regulations as that time approaches.
A motion to adjourn was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Motion passed 4-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:44 pm.
http://cms5.revize.com/revize/kewanee/Minutes%203-13-2023.pdf
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