Rock Island Today

City of Galva City Council met Oct. 23.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

The City Council of the City of Galva met in regular session Monday October 23, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. with Debbie VanWassenhove serving as City Clerk. Mayor Rich Volkert presided with the following Aldermen in attendance: Jim Hartman, Jackie Clucas, Jeff Olson, Doug Anderson, and Rick Otterstrom. Alderman Hopping was noted as being absent.

The meeting started with the Pledge of Allegiance.

MINUTES

Alderman Olson made a motion and was seconded to approve the September 25, 2023 council meeting minutes. The vote was 5 yeas and no nays.

BILLS AND CLAIMS

Alderman Otterstrom moved and was seconded that the bills and claims be approved as presented and the City Clerk is instructed to issue orders on the Treasurer’s account for the several amounts. The vote was 5 yeas and no nays.

COMMUNICATIONS

Mayor Volkert reported that the City had received: State of IL: August Sales tax $26,344.47, August/September Personal Property Replacement tax $19,330.84, September MFT $9,722.99, August State Use tax $7,907.26, September Income tax $42,802.80, August Telecommunications tax $1,774.08, September Cannabis tax $302.75, and September Video Gaming tax $2,871.88

First on the agenda was the Auditors Presentation. Kim Hoffman with Hoffman and Tranel gave the presentation. Kim handed out copies of the audit report to all council members and stated that the audit shows that all numbers were fairly represented and then went over the report in detail. She stated that we did not exceed our appropriations for the year, our IMRF pension is now 127% overfunded, and that the bank recs still need some work but there was significant improvement this year.

Next on the agenda was a Presentation by Jim Huffman. Jim wanted to discuss the proposed CO2 pipeline from Wolf company and stated that the proposed line would cross his property. His major concerns are with the safety of families, neighbors, and first responders. CO2 is a heavy, colorless, and odorless gas that would have to run under very high pressures so if there were an explosion it would turn to dry ice and would be a very dangerous situation. There was an explosion in Mississippi that caused a zipper fracture which means it just keeps spreading down the line until it is shut down. They are wanting to put 20 miles of pipeline in our area coming from Iowa all the way to Decatur. It would not even be going to our ethanol plant. CO2 reacts badly with water and causes carbonic acid so it would have to be a very thick line and have an epoxy coating. If the gasses were to leak it can leach into water lines and even cause an explosion from a resident’s faucet.

Wolf likes to say that they are from Colorado, but that is just the LLC, they are actually out of Canada. This is just a way for them to make a lot of money, around $25,000 per day from tax payers’ money. Wolf is also wanting to get eminent domain. This will not benefit anyone in our area and would make farming this ground very difficult and change the ground itself. Since CO2 pipelines are still very new there are very few rules and regulations out for this and they are trying to get this done before the rules and safety requirements change. Jim asked the council to consider the impact this pipeline could have on the community. He then mentioned that he is the Galva Township Clerk and they just passed a resolution against this pipeline, Henry County has also passed a 2-year moratorium on this and he would like to see the City of Galva pass a moratorium as well. Mayor Volkert stated that he has talked to Matt Schnepple about this and he told him that safety is a concern and he would be training individual people for this, not departments. Alderman Anderson asked who would have control of the eminent domain, Jim replied that the federal government would. Alderman Olson made a comment that if the state thinks it is such a great idea, then they should just have them run it under the interstate and use their own land. After much more discussion the council thanked Jim for coming in and talking about this matter.

Next on the agenda was a Presentation by Linda Grant. Linda thanked the council and stated that she wanted to talk about getting a splash pad for Washington Park. She thinks it is a very cute idea and would bring a lot to that park which does not get enough love in her opinion. She went on to say that in Galesburg they put one in next to a pavilion and are able to rent it for parties and gain some revenue on it as well. She felt like the liability would not be any different than playground equipment. She has already presented this to the Ready to Grow group and they were in favor of it. She had heard that the city will be receiving $50,000 per solar array that will be put in that must be used towards the parks and she thought that could pay for the splash pad and the wheelchair swing Ready to Grow wants to put in Wiley Park. She also suggested that the blacktop at Washington Park needs to be resurfaced as well. There were 2 options for a splash pad; fresh water or a holding tank. Alderman Olson asked about testing the water and Alderman Anderson stated that it would have to be tested every 3 hours while it is open. Bridgette Owens (present in the audience) stated that she loves that park but would be concerned about the amount of corn dust that would get into the water being so close to River Valley and the number of trains going by with the tracks being so close to the park. Alderman Olson asked if this was something that the Park District would be capable of sustaining. Linda stated that Washington Park gets neglected and we need something there. There were also concerns of vandalism. Zac Lessard mentioned that Galesburg has theirs fenced in and there would be concerns of liability for injuries sustained from slipping and falling. He also mentioned that it would need supervision and upkeep. David offered to contact the companies Linda provided and ask them how they would address these concerns. Alderman Olson added that even if the splash pad does not go through, he agrees that we need to give some attention to Washington Park.

Next on the agenda was Ordinance 1649: Authorizing the Tax Levy for the Payment to Purchase Equipment for Well 4. David stated that we have to purchase a lot of equipment for 2 wells and this loan will allow for that. It would be a 10-year loan for a total of $273,855, and would be at an interest rate of 6.16% and would cost us a little less than $35,000 per year. Alderman Olson made a motion and was seconded to pass the ordinance. The vote was 5 yeas and no nays.

Next on the agenda was Ordinance 1650: Authorizing the Tax Levy for the Payment to Purchase a new Backhoe. Jake McClintic handed out printouts for three different Backhoes that they looked at. The first was for a Case at $130,149, the second was for a John Deere at $124,550 it includes a 5-year warranty, and the last was for a Cat at $129,450 with a 3-year warranty. He stated that the John Deere and Cat were the easiest to use and that the Case was a lot heavier machine, lighter is better. Alderman Anderson asked about an extended warranty and Jake replied that John Deere already threw in an extended warranty for us, the others would cost around $5,000/year extra for the extended warranty. Alderman Olson asked if the John Deere would do everything they needed and Jake replied that it would. Alderman Anderson then asked if the street department would be able to use it as well and Jake stated that they would. David said that this would be a 5-year loan with the same interest rate and would have less than $30,000/year payments. Alderman Olson made a motion to purchase the John Deere Backhoe for $124,550 and was seconded. The vote was 5 yeas and no nays.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Bridgette Owens stated that she thinks the city should put a couple of stop signs on SW 3rd St and SW 4th Ave. It is right by Washington Park and there is a history of people speeding in that area and animals getting hit, and with the park being right there it is a big concern. She thinks that a couple of stop signs would help everyone slow down in that area. Traci McClintic stated that she has seen this too, people are always speeding there. Alderman Anderson stated that MFT regulates these and we would have to pass an ordinance to approve them.

Next on the agenda were the Department Head Reports. Chief Townsend stated that burn days are every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from dawn to dusk. He also asked that residents not blow their leaves into the road. Jake McClintic had nothing at this time for the water department. Richard Plummer stated that the International truck is having major issues, the gauges don’t work, the box is falling apart, and the frame is now cracked. He wanted to bring it to the councils’ attention because it will take at least a year to get a new truck after it gets ordered.

Mayor Volkert announced that the last scheduled yard waste pick up will be November 20th and it will be a free one.

Next on the agenda were the Aldermen’s Reports. Alderman Clucas thanked Clerk VanWassenhove for her hard work on the bank accounts. She also thanked Jim Huffman and Linda Grant for their presentations.

City Administrator’s Report

David Dyer stated that the state of IL is forcing municipalities to have building codes, plans, and permits in place and we will have to submit them to the government. This goes into effect on January 1, 2025. He then stated that a couple of years ago he advised the council to pause on the Henry County tourism effort, it wasn’t moving the county forward the way it should have. He decided to join the board to change this. He would like to have the city join again since they have made improvements and Bi-State has hired a professional to get it back together. If the council has no objections, he would like to have the Mayor sign an agreement for this, it would cost the city $2,500. Alderman Clucas stated that she would rather give the money to Levitt or another organization that brings people into Galva, she is not convinced on this being a good decision. Alderman Anderson asked when he needed a decision and David replied that he would need to know by the next meeting. He also stated that part of the plan is to drive people to the concerts and that the advantage to this agreement is that the tourism board could double attendance. Alderman Anderson asked for more information on this and that it be added to next months agenda.

Mayor Volkert announced that Trick or Treating in Galva will be on October 31st from 5- 7.

Alderman Olson moved and was seconded to move to executive session. The vote was 5 yeas and no nays.

Alderman Olson made a motion and was seconded to come out of executive session. The vote was 5 yeas and no nays.

Coming out of executive session Alderman Anderson made a motion and was seconded for the city to help out the Senior Citizen Center in the amount of $7,500 to go towards the HVAC system.

Mayor Volkert also stated that the November council meeting will remain on the 27th, and December’s meeting will be moved to December 18th.

After no further discussion Alderman Olson made a motion and was seconded to adjourn. The vote was 5 yeas and no nays.

https://www.galvail.gov/Minutes/102323.pdf