Rock Island Today

City of Aledo City Council met April 1.

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 on April 01, 2024. MAYOR HAGLOCH called the meeting to order at 6:40 P.M. The roll was called, whereupon the following answered present:

Aldermen BARRY COOPER, DENNIS DIXON, JAY DOHERTY, MARK FRIESE, CARMEN RUH, LINDA SARABASA, and ANDREW WEEKS. Mayor CHRISTOPHER HAGLOCH. Alderman NOEL BUSH was excused.

Also present was MICHAEL CHAUSSE, City Administrator, TREVOR FISK, Interim Chief of Police, JUSTIN BLASER, Director of Public Works & Utilities, and JAROD DALE, City Clerk.

The media was represented by Jim Taylor, WRMJ.

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Public Comment: Larry Boydston, appeared before the Committee of the Whole to request that the Eros Feroz Volleyball Tournament be held in Aledo Central Park on June 15th. Mr. Boydston is looking to utilize the bandshell and the grass area in-between the Aledo Fire Station and the Bandshell as the court area for the tournament. CITY COUNCIL requested that some type of barrier fencing be temporarily erected along Highway Route 17 to eliminate volleyballs from going out onto the roadway.

Communication & Correspondence: No Report.

Requests & Petitions: No Report.

Public Works Activity Report:

• Streets: Daily checks, tasks, JULIE’s, and work orders continue. Landscape waste site organization, the new signs for the bays have been ordered, they should be here this week. Cleaned brush and burnt grass along the drainage easement east of AutoZone & Brookstone. Started pothole patching, hydro-vac culverts and ditch work at NE 8th Ave & 6th St, mini-excavator maintenance, cleaned shop.

• Gas: Daily checks, tasks, JULIE’s, inspections and finals continue. Weld tests, assist water division with Fenton water leak, hydro-vac tees & valve boxes at Central Park, one service removal, install new valve & gas main in the central park corridor.

• Water: Daily checks, tasks, JULIE’s and work orders continue. Repair a major water leak at Fenton Park, WTP maintenance, two sewer inspections, hydro vac SE 2nd Ave & 6th St, install new jetter nozzle, disconnect sewer and install curb box for house demo at NW 6th Ave.

• Cemetery: Two (2) funerals occurred. Assist Lackey’s with multiple stones, assist water division with Fenton water leak.

• DPW: Work consisted mainly of plan reviews for the Safe Routes to School Project, SE 2nd Ave Reconstruction Project, Opera House remodel project, and the tree and grass plantings along the drainage easement east of AutoZone & Brookstone. A preconstruction meeting was held for the SE 8th Ave Multi-Purpose Project on March 18th. That project is set to begin April 15th, with a completion date of August 1st. Summer seasonal applications were due Friday, we will review this week. The Community Improvements Project is set to start Monday April 8th.

Aledo Police Department Activity Report: CHIEF Fisk reported the Department to begin utilizing the new police uniforms beginning April 15th.

CHIEF reported all National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) reports for 2023 were completed and submitted to the Illinois State Police / Federal Bureau of Investigation by March 25th. In 2021, the FBI’s NIBRS became the national standard for law enforcement crime data reporting in the United States. The transition to NIBRS represents a significant shift and improvement in how reported crime is measured and estimated by the federal government. In order to apply for federal law enforcement grants, police departments must comply with NIBRS submissions on time.

CHIEF attended a meeting / information sharing on the CESSA Act. On August 25, 2021, Governor Pritzker signed CESSA into law. This legislation requires emergency response operators such as those at 911 centers, to refer calls seeking mental and behavioral health support to a new service that can dispatch a team of mental health professionals instead of police. This marks a significant change in policy. Each 9-1-1 PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) must begin coordinating its activities with the mobile mental and behavioral health services established by the Division of Mental Health, no later than July 1, 2024. (50 ILCS 754/65).

This region is considered CESSA Region No. 2 and the Chairman of the committee is Dennis Duke, CEO of Robert Young Center. Region No. 2 is large, going from Rock Island to LaSalle and down to Bloomington.

The CESSA Act prohibits law enforcement who shall not be dispatched to respond to an individual requiring mental or behavioral healthcare unless:

• The individual involved has violated the law.

• Or, is a threat of physical injury to self or others (*the fact that an individual is experiencing a mental or behavioral health emergency, or has a mental health diagnosis, is NOT sufficient to justify an assessment that the individual is a threat or requires a law enforcement response. 50 ILCS 754/30(a)(1).

Administrative Report: ADMINISTRATOR Chausse reported on an overview of highlights of what the Administrator (and others) have worked on since the last council meeting:

• Continued coordination with LRS over carts, pickup and billing issues etc. Met with Steve Ramos on March 21st to discuss the continuing issues we are experiencing. • Attended the pre-construction meeting concerning the SE 8th Ave – SE 6th Street Bike Path.

• Met with the representative of American Tower (mayor, city clerk, PW director and project architect) to discuss future of the cell phone tower and the Aquatic Center.

• Met with two representatives of Pattern Energy (mayor and city clerk) to get to know their company and accept a $2,500 donation for the July 4th fireworks.

• Met with representative of the Lohman Group of Davenport on March 21st to discuss city’s health insurance.

• Met with members of the Aledo Rhubarb committee on March 21st concerning plans to honor Darlene Johnson at the upcoming festival.

• Met with Jeff Sedam at Mercer Market numerous times to go over the State of Illinois Grocery Initiative Grant. Met with following individuals to ask for letters of support for Mercer Market’s application: Senator Anderson and Staff, Lindsey Dunn – AMS, Kyle McEwen – MCBT, FFA Advisors at MCHS, Mayor Hagloch and Paul and Mary Flint Grant submitted on March 21st.

• Attended the Main Street Community Connections meeting on March 19th at Countryview Villas. Toured the renovated townhouses.

• Gave mayor the contact information for the Old Casey’s property. He is going to try to reach out to him before a certified letter is sent asking about the status of the property.

Mayor’s Report: No Report.

Committee Report: No Report.

REGULAR COUNCIL SESSION

Following the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag,

CONSENT AGENDA

Motion was made by ALDERMAN DIXON and seconded by ALDERMAN RUH to approve the following consent agenda items:

• Approval of Minutes of the Regular Meeting of March 18, 2024.

• Approval of Finance: Invoice Listing – AP06.

• Approval of Ordinance No. 03, Series of 2024; Providing for the Vacation of Part of SE 2nd Avenue and Adjacent Alley. (Second Reading)

• Approval of Ordinance No. 05, Series of 2024; Amending Title 8, Chapter 6, Section 8 of the City Code regarding Delinquent Water and Sewer Payments. (Second Reading)

• Approval of the Appointment of Ellie Lower as Cemetery Sexton in the Public Works & Utilities Department effective April 8th.

A Roll Call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Cooper, Dixon, Doherty, Friese, Ruh, Sarabasa, and Weeks. NO: None. Motion carried. 7 yeas, 0 nays.

PUBLIC COMMENT: No Report.

ACTION ITEMS:

ORDINANCE NO. 08, SERIES OF 2024; AMENDING TITLE 8, CHAPTER 13, SECTION 11 OF THE CITY CODE REGARDING DELINQUENT GAS PAYMENTS: (FIRST READING)

Title 8, Chapter 13, Section 11 of the Aledo City Code entitled “Gas Rate Schedule” is hereby amended as follows (additions are indicated by bold/underline and deletions by strikeout):

All natural gas furnished to any City gas customer shall be subject to a combination of variable and flat rates. Each gas customer shall pay a meter/facility fee in the fixed amount of $14.00 per month per meter. Gas rates shall be based upon a fixed distribution charge of $2.50 per 1,000 cubic feet (or part thereof) used by each customer, plus 102% of the actual cost incurred by the city for its purchase of gas, as set forth in title 13, "Schedule Of Fees", of this Code. Non-residents of the City will be billed a twice the rate of residents; provided however, that natural gas furnished to a customer for use on land that is: a) used for farming purposes, b) comprised of ten (10) acres or more, and c) located outside of the corporate limits of the City shall be charged the gas rate determined by the City for resident customers. In the event that such farmland subsequently is subdivided to be comprised of less than ten (10) acres, the gas rate for non-resident customers shall be applicable.

The natural gas rate shall be effective with the consumption beginning with meter readings for January 2020 gas usage, to be billed in February 2020, and shall continue from month to month until such time that the Corporate Authorities deem it appropriate to amend the rates by ordinance.

If any statement for natural gas service is not paid by the fifth day of the month following its date of rendition, the account shall be considered delinquent and a service charge of one and one-half three percent (11/2%) (3%) each month or fraction of a month (18 percent annual rate) shall be assessed on the outstanding amount due at the close of the fifth day of the month following the month during which the statement in question was rendered, excluding any service charges previously assessed thereon.

Any consumer refusing or neglecting to pay his statement for a period of thirty (30) days subsequent to its rendition shall be deprived of the use of gas and the City shall stop all gas supply to such consumer until such time that all past due statements are paid including all penalty charges.

Accounts that remain delinquent for more than 60 days, shall incur an additional $25.00 administrative service fee on the 61st day following the rendition of the bill for service.

Section 3. Title 13, Chapter 1, Section 1 of the Aledo City Code entitled “Schedule of Fees” is hereby amended as follows (additions are indicated by bold/underline and deletions by strikeout):

8-13-12 Gas Reconnection 15.00 50.00 per service Night/weekend gas reconnection 100.00 125.00 per service

Motion was made by ALDERMAN DOHERTY and seconded by ALDERMAN COOPER to waive the 2nd reading for Ordinance No .08, Series of 2024; Amending Title 8, Chapter 13, Section 11 of the City Code regarding Delinquent Gas Payments. A Roll Call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Dixon, Doherty, Friese, Ruh, Sarabasa, Weeks, and Cooper. NO: None. Motion carried. 7 yeas, 0 nays.

Motion was made by ALDERMAN DOHERTY and seconded by ALDERMAN COOPER to adopt Ordinance No .08, Series of 2024; Amending Title 8, Chapter 13, Section 11 of the City Code regarding Delinquent Gas Payments as presented. A Roll Call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Doherty, Friese, Ruh, Sarabasa, Weeks, Cooper, and Dixon. NO: None. Motion carried. 7 yeas, 0 nays.

ORDINANCE NO. 09, SERIES OF 2024; AMENDING TITLE 3, CHAPTER 2, SECTION 8 OF THE CITY CODE REGULATING LIQUOR LICENSES: (FIRST READING)

Title 3, Chapter 2, Section 8 of the Aledo City Code entitled “Classification and Fees” is hereby amended as follows (additions are indicated by bold/underline and deletions by strikeout):

3-2-8: CLASSIFICATION AND FEES:

(C) Class C licenses shall authorize the sale at retail of all types of alcoholic liquor for consumption either on or off the premises. That the total number of Class C liquor licenses issued by the City shall not exceed a total of six (6).

a. There is hereby created a subclass C-1 license. A C-1 license is a separate and supplemental license which shall be available only to those licensees currently issued a valid Class C license.

b. A C-1 license authorizes the service and consumption of alcoholic liquor in outdoor areas at the licensed premises subject to the following:

i. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 3-2-16 of this chapter, the outdoor area shall be enclosed by a permanent fence no less than six feet (6') tall which shall not obstruct viewing into and out of the outdoor premises and shall not obstruct any public street or private accessway, and no licensee shall be allowed to serve alcohol in the outdoor premises or construct any such fence without first securing written approval of the fence design and plan from Liquor Commissioner or his designee.

No access to the fenced, outdoor portion of the licensed premises shall be permitted except through the permanent structure of the licensed premises. Emergency exits, as required, shall be provided.

ii. Notwithstanding the above, subsection (i) above shall not be applicable to establishments with a Class C license approved prior to May 1, 2024; provided however, that any new or replacement fencing by such establishment shall be subject to such requirements.

iii. Serving and consumption of alcoholic liquor shall terminate at the same time as the designated closing hours for a licensee holding a Class C liquor license.

iv. No Class C licensee shall operate an outdoor area hereunder during the prohibited hours for such a Class C licensee as designated in subsection 3- 2-9(A) of this chapter.

c. The total number of subclass C-1 licenses issued by the City shall not exceed a total of three (3).

A second reading to be held on Monday, April 15th at 6:30 o’clock p.m. in the City Council Chambers.

ORDINANCE NO. 10, SERIES OF 2024; PROVIDING FOR DEDICATION OF RIGHT OF-WAY FOR CITY PROPERTY ADJACENT TO S.E. 2ND STREET: (FIRST READING)

The City owns property along and adjacent to the S.E. 2nd Street right-of-way between S. College Avenue and S.E. 2nd Avenue, which is legally described as:

Part of Depot Grounds & Old Railroad right of way, City of Aledo, Mercer County, Illinois, more particularly as follows:

Beginning at the Northwest corner of Depot Grounds & Old Railroad right of way, also being the intersection of the East right of way line of College Avenue & the South right of way line of Southeast 2nd Street; thence, along the South right of way line of said Southeast 2nd Street, South 88 degrees 36 minutes 57 seconds East, to the West right of way line of Southeast 2nd Avenue, a distance of 240.00 feet; thence, along said West right of way line, South 01 degrees 23 minutes 03 seconds West, a distance of 16.00 feet; thence North 88 degrees 36 minutes 57 second West, to the East right of way line of South College Avenue, a distance of 240.00 feet; then along said East right of way line, North 01 degrees 23 minutes 03 seconds East, a distance of 16.00 feet, to the Point of Beginning, containing 3,840 square feet, more or less.

For the above description the East right of way line of South College Avenue has a bearing of North 01 degrees 23 minutes 03 seconds East.

City Officials have determined that it is unnecessary for the City to maintain ownership of the City Parcel and that the City is better served if the City Parcel is converted to public right-of-way as part of the S.E. 2nd Street right-of-way, which will serve to widen S.E. 2nd Street.

A second reading to be held on Monday, April 15th at 6:30 o’clock p.m. in the City Council Chambers.

OLD BUSINESS: No Report.

NEW BUSINESS: Discussion regarding the Vacation of the Old Route 17 Property to Community Bible Fellowship Church:

ADMINISTRATOR Chausse reported Matt Ewing, as a representative of Community Bible Fellowship Church, approached city staff about the possibility of vacating the old IL Route 17 property to their church. The church would like to utilize and clean up the property for their use. A copy of the subject property via map was provided to the City Council for review.

CITY COUNCIL provided a consensus to draft an ordinance vacating the subject property as presented.

Discussion of a Request for Additional Pavers and Sidewalk for the Aledo Opera House project:

MAYOR Hagloch reported WJ Albertson requested additional Sidewalk and Clay Pavers to match adjacent improvements, and additional connected items to be added near the front entrance of the Opera House, beyond what was anticipated at the time of bidding. All items requested would be additional quantities to what is already planned. The additional cost is estimated in the amount of $32,000.00 with contingency money to be used for that additional cost. This is not a change order but a larger quantity request of an approved item. If for some reason all $250,000.00 of contingency is used up for other purposes, ADMINISTRATOR Chausse noted he would access a grant to be applied for and would be guaranteed for the additional $32,000.00. HDR, needs to have approval by April 2nd. ADMINISTRATOR Chausse requested a consensus from the City Council to go ahead with the request for additional pavers and sidewalk.

CITY COUNCIL provided a consensus to approve the request for the Aledo Opera House project as presented.

ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, motion was made by ALDERMAN SARABASA and seconded by ALDERMAN FRIESE that the meeting be adjourned. A Unanimous voice vote followed in agreement. Meeting was adjourned at 6:54 P.M.

https://www.aledoil.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_04012024-403