Rock Island Today

City of Aledo City Council met July 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 July 01, 2024. MAYOR HAGLOCH called the meeting to order at 6:35 P.M. The roll was called, whereupon the following answered present:

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

F/Y 2023 Audit: The presentation of the annual financial report for fiscal year 2023 has been postponed until the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting to be held on July 15, 2024 at 6:15 o’clock p.m. in the City Council Chambers.

Public Comment: Dean Olson, a resident at Brookstone of Aledo, inquired on the status of the Countryview Villas project. DPW Blaser reported the City has not received any type of paperwork on that project, to date. MAYOR Hagloch reported there are currently four units available with one possibly filled.

Olson inquired on the project located at the Aledo Opera House. MAYOR reported that renovation project is being completed by private development. The owner of the property was noted as Windborn Group.

Jim Taylor, resident at 509 SE 8th Avenue, reported the multi-use pathway project along 8th Avenue as a catastrophe. It was noted by Taylor, that he had not had access to his personal driveway in months. DPW Blaser reported there has been some issues with the project listed below within his activity report. Communication was noted as another issue by the construction company.

ALD. Doherty inquired on the timeline of the project. DPW Blaser reported there are 13 days left for the construction company to finish the project. It was voiced by several Council members that they did not anticipate the project to be completed by then.

Taylor requested temporary access to his personal driveway. DPW Blaser noted the request and to speak with the engineer & construction company for the particular project and see what can be done to provide a temporary resolution. It was noted by DPW that this was the first he had heard about the complaint from Taylor.

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 cleanup; mow; clean park; prep patch machine. Cleaned VFW memorial; Salmon completed CEU’s for water certification.

• Gas: Daily checks, tasks, JULIE’s, inspections and finals continue. Start installing new meter sets in the Hall’s Alley; Border Station maintenance/odorizer maintenance; Hartco locates.

• Water: Daily checks, tasks, JULIE’s and work orders continue. Hydrant flushing; SCADA iPad repair; clean WTP building and property; spray well sites; Hartco locates

• Cemetery: Four (4) funerals occurred. Work consisted of mowing and stone repairs.

• DPW: The Community Improvements Project & the SE 8th Ave Multi Use Path continue. The curb and gutter pour along the SE 8th Path were rejected by the City & will be removed and re-poured. It did not meet tolerance specifications. All other work on the project looks very nice. There are 13.25 working days remaining on the contract and the project is currently at 70% completion. PW’s have been experiencing issues with the three high service pump VFD’s at the WTP & the north lagoon flowmeter. The VFD’s needed to be replaced. These are not budgeted items; however, we will utilize funds from other CIP project to cover the cost. DPW will bring these items to the July 15 Council meeting for formal approval, but I have approved the VFD work to be completed as we cannot function without them. The flowmeter can wait until the meeting.

Aledo Police Department Activity Report: CHIEF Fisk reported part time Officer Thomas Smith’s first actual day on duty was June 25, 2024. He is currently going through a training refresher with Lt. Baker. He will be scheduled as manpower on June 29, 2024.

Officer Jade Smith is scheduled to complete her Field Training program on June 28, 2024. Her first day on solo patrol will be July 04, 2024.

Sgt. Pieper was utilized as a grief counselor and debrief coordinator last month for the sudden death of a Kewanee Police Sergeant. He responded to the Kewanee Police Department after working 3rd. shift and continued to do so through the week to counsel members of the Kewanee Police Department though their time of grief. He did the same for a prisoner of the Mercer County Jail on 06-26-24 who lost a family member. At the time of Sgt. Pieper’s hiring, I mentioned that he would be our moral compass and he has certainly lived up to expectations. CHIEF publicly acknowledged his dedication above and beyond the call of duty in service to others.

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

• Spoke at the Kiwanis Club concerning the Aquatic Center and other city projects June 20th

• Represented the city (with DPW Blaser) at the Mercer County Foundation for Health Golf outing – June 21st.

• Assisted with the Aquatic Center Public Campaign Kickoff at the site – June 22nd.

• Had the monthly meeting with AMS Director Dunn and City Clerk – June 25th.

• Attended the Aledo Community Improvements Project – Central Park Project Construction Progress bi-weekly meeting – June 25th.

• Attended the AMS Community Connections meeting at the Edwards River Library June 25th.

• Attended the Historic Preservation Committee Quarterly Meeting – June 25th.

• Met with a homeowner concerning drainage issue. DPW Blaser and CITY ADMIN suggested a remedy to alleviate the issue.

There will be a Committee of the Whole on Monday, July 8th at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers for the first public meeting for the update of the City of Aledo Comprehensive Plan conducted by Bi-State Regional Commission. All Council members are asked to attend.

Mayor’s Report: No Report.

Committee Report: A Personnel Committee meeting was held on June 24th. MAYOR Hagloch reported the Committee reviewed an update to the Aledo Employee Handbook and has been listed on the agenda this evening for final approval by Council.

ALD. Sarabasa reported a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee meeting was held on June 24th. The Committee discussed and reviewed potential incentives for new home construction within Sponsler Manor 3rd Addition. The Committee to continue discussions with Steve Kline, President/CEO, The Economic Development Group, Ltd., before a final recommendation and decision be made.

A Public Property, Streets & Sidewalks Committee meeting was held on June 24th. MAYOR Hagloch reported the Committee continues to review a potential project for reconstruction along SE 2nd Avenue. The Committee also discussed the Safe Routes to School project, a proposal at Sponsler Manor 3rd Addition related to earth excavation on site, and a driveway complaint.

REGULAR COUNCIL SESSION

Following the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag,

CONSENT AGENDA

ALD. Weeks requested Item C: “Approval of Ordinance No. 11, Series of 2024; Regarding Yard Waste and Establishing Fees for Commercial Tree Waste Dumping”, be pulled from the Consent Agenda for further discussion. MAYOR Hagloch noted Item has been pulled from the Consent Agenda.

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

• Approval of Minutes of the Regular Meeting of June 17, 2024.

• Approval of Finance: Invoice Listing – AP12.

A Roll Call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Doherty, Friese, Ruh, Sarabasa, and Weeks. NO: None. Motion carried. 5 yeas, 0 nays.

APPROVAL OF ORDINANCE NO. 11, SERIES OF 2024; REGARDING YARD WASTE AND ESTABLISHING FEES FOR COMMERCIAL TREE WASTE DUMPING: (SECOND READING)

ALD. Weeks noted he was onboard for the approval of the ordinance establishing the fee’s for commercial purposes but wanted to the work is solely inside the corporate limits of Aledo. It was also reported that the landscape companies should also be required to a fee each year, like the commercial businesses for tree trimming and tree waste.

DPW Blaser noted the site is for residential waste service(s) and not for commercial purposes currently, but with this ordinance we are now allowing commercial trees. ADMINISTRATOR Chausse reported the City does know the volume of tree limbs and tree waste the companies bring to the disposal site but we currently do not know the volume from the landscape companies. ADMINISTRATOR noted this is going to be monitored for the time being.

Title 7, Chapter 3 of the Aledo City Code is hereby amended by the addition of a new Section 7-3-4 entitled “Yard Waste” as follows:

7-3-4 YARD WASTE:

The City may, from time to time, provide a yard waste disposal site for use by City of Aledo Residents. Only grass clippings, leaves, tree limbs and trimmings, and landscape waste generated from properties within the City of Aledo shall be accepted at the disposal site. Treated lumber, garbage bags, and other materials are prohibited. Dumping at the City’s yard waste disposal site of yard and tree waste generated from properties outside of the City of Aledo is prohibited.

Dumping by commercial businesses of tree limbs and trimmings and other tree waste shall be subject to the fees set forth in Section 13-1-1 of the Aledo City Code.

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):

7-3-4 Commercial tree waste dumping at disposal site $1,000.00 per year

Motion was made by ALDERMAN RUH and seconded by ALDERMAN DOHERTY to adopt Ordinance No. 11, Series of 2024; Regarding Yard Waste and Establishing Fees for Commercial Tree Waste Dumping as presented. A Roll Call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Friese, Ruh, Sarabasa, Weeks, and Doherty. NO: None. Motion carried. 5 yeas, 0 nays.

PUBLIC COMMENT: No Report.

ACTION ITEMS:

RESOLUTION NO. 17R, SERIES OF 2024; AUTHORIZING AND APPROVING THE 2024 CITY OF ALEDO EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK:

Motion was made by ALDERMAN WEEKS and seconded by ALDERMAN FRIESE to approve Resolution No. 17R, Series of 2024; Authorizing and Approving the 2024 City of Aledo Employee Handbook as presented. A Roll Call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Ruh, Sarabasa, Weeks, Doherty, and Friese. NO: None. Motion carried. 5 yeas, 0 nays.

OLD BUSINESS: ALD. Sarabasa inquired if the Aledo Park District public pool would be open in fiscal year 2025.

MAYOR Hagloch reported maintenance issues continue on the current site and operation costs continue to increase. No final decision has been made to date but will be discussed at a later date.

NEW BUSINESS: No Report.

ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, motion was made by ALDERMAN WEEKS and seconded by ALDERMAN DOHERTY that the meeting be adjourned. A Unanimous voice vote followed in agreement. Meeting was adjourned at 6:43 P.M.

https://www.aledoil.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_07012024-415