Rock Island Today

City of Kewanee City Council met July 22.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

The July 22nd, 2024, Council Meeting was called to order at 6:03pm. Councilmembers Colomer, Faber, Baker, and Komnick were present along with Mayor Moore, City Manager Gary Bradley, City Attorney Justin Raver, and City Clerk Kasey Mitchell.

A motion to go into Closed Session to discuss Personnel Section 2(c)(1), Sale or Lease of Real Estate Section 2(c)(6), Litigation 2(c)(11), and Discussion of Closed Session Minutes section 2(c)(21) was made by Councilmember Baker and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Motion passed 5-0.

A motion to adjourn to regular session was made by Councilmember Faber and seconded by Councilmember Colomer. Motion passed 5-0 and Closed Session was adjourned at 7:08pm.

The July 22nd, 2024, Council Meeting was called to order at 7:11pm in the Council Chambers. Councilmembers Colomer, Faber, Baker, and Komnick were present along with Mayor Moore, City Manager Gary Bradley, City Attorney Justin Raver, and City Clerk Kasey Mitchell.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited, followed by a moment of silence for our troops.

The consent agenda was presented with the following items:

A. Minutes from the Council Meeting on July 8th

B. Minutes from the Closed Session from July 8th

C. Payroll for the pay period ending July 13th in the amount of $234,949.76.

D. Staff Reports

E. Hog Days Street Closure

A motion to approve the consent agenda items was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Motion passed 5-0.

Bills for the Council Meeting of July 22nd were presented in the amount of $582,748.30. A motion to approve payment of the bills was made by Councilmember Komnick and seconded by Councilmember Faber. Discussion: None. Motion passed 5-0.

Public Comments:

Derek Johnson: Mr. Johnson came forward with vandalism concerns regarding his property on Manchester Dr. He has talked with the Police Department but is still having issues. Police Chief Kijanowski spoke with Mr. Johnson after his comments.

Tim Ridings: Mr. Ridings wanted to share his thoughts on homosexuality and how he feels the Mayor should not allow any events that promote it. The Mayor replied that he will support any event that allows someone to celebrate who they are, as long as the event is legal.

New Business:

A. Proclamation: Patti’s Gym

From time-to-time, we are asked to give a proclamation in recognition of various entities. We have been asked for a proclamation in honor of Patti’s Gym and their 50-year anniversary.

The Mayor then read and signed the proclamation and took photos with representatives from Patti’s Gym.

B. Presentation: Kewanee Economic Development Corporation

The city invests funds into Kewanee Economic Development Corporation, KEDC. Kathy Albert is the director of the KEDC, and she was present to update us on KEDC activities as it relates to the city.

C. Consideration of Bill 24-66: Resolution authorizing the Mayor, City Manager, Fire Chief, and City Clerk to execute a purchase agreement and other documents that are necessary and proper I the acceptance of submitted RFP for repairs to Kewanee Fire Department Station House #2 of the City of Kewanee.

Fire Station 2 recently suffered damage when one of our trucks was returning from a call. This resolution will allow us to have the damage fixed by the lowest responsible bidder. A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Faber and seconded by Councilmember Colomer. Discussion: Councilmember Colomer and the Fire Chief if he was comfortable with this contractor. The Chief stated that he was. Motion passed 5-0.

D. Consideration of Bill 24-67: Resolution authorizing the Mayor, City Manager, Fire Chief, and City Clerk to execute a purchase agreement and other documents that are necessary and proper to replace the West Roof of Kewanee Fire Department Station House #2 of the City of Kewanee.

During inspections of the damage at Station 2, flaws in the existing roof were discovered that will require maintenance.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Komnick.

Discussion: This was done as a separate contract as the damages from the incident will be sent to our insurance while this will be paid by the City. Motion passed 5-0.

E. Consideration of Bill 24-68: Resolution authorizing the execution of a purchase agreement and other documents that are necessary and proper in the procurement of a used Heavy Rescue Unit to be used by the City of Kewanee Fire Department The fire department is a member of a hazardous materials team that responds to emergencies in and around the surrounding area. The equipment they use is housed in a trailer that is too heavy for a regular duty truck. For the cost of a truck to pull the trailer, we can buy a used piece of equipment from another Fire Department. The truck has enough capacity to hold everything, making the trailer unnecessary.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Baker.

Discussion: Councilmember Colomer asked if anyone had seen and looked over the unit. Our fleet manager accompanied the Chief to inspect the unit, and they were both pleased with its condition. Motion passed 5-0.

F. Consideration of Bill 24-69: Resolution awarding the Francis Park Improvements Project to Porter Brothers Construction, INC.

As part of the OSLAD grant, we recently had a bid opening for work at Francis Park. This resolution will award the work to the lowest responsible bidder.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: It was asked why there was such a difference in the bids. Staff does not know why there is a difference, as everyone was given the same information. Motion passed 5-0.

G. Consideration of Bill 24-70: Resolution authorizing the City to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Kewanee Community School District 229 replacing the current School Resource Officer Agreement.

Anytime two governmental bodies agree to work together, they will sign an intergovernmental agreement. This agreement outlines the responsibilities of the respective governments as we work with the Kewanee School District to add another School Resource Officer.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Komnick and seconded by Councilmember Faber. Discussion: Everyone feels this is a good move and both parties are pleased with the incoming SRO. Motion passed 5-0.

H. Consideration of Bill 24-71: Resolution to affirm the Mayor’s recommendation for appointments to various commissions and boards.

Openings come up within boards that assist the city council. This will fill some of the current vacancies on the Commission on Human Relations.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: None. Motion passed 5-0.

I. Discussion Only: Permit Fees

In the best interest of citizens, businesses, and the city, it is necessary to update ordinances. This discussion is for ordinances involving building permits and fees associated with them.

Director of Community Development Keith Edwards spoke to Council regarding current fees and how they compare with other municipalities. He would like to see that we are at least covering our costs when it comes to various permit projects. The council agreed and asked him to bring changes next time for a vote.

Council Communications:

Faber: He was happy to see the community come together after the recent storms. The City did well with the immediate clean-up. He attended the Swiftie party during the Prairie Chicken Arts Festival. It was well attended, and he was pleased with how it went.

Baker: He agreed that the City is doing a great job and asked people to be patient while the clean-up continues.

Komnick: He also praised the clean-up efforts and said that he hadn’t heard negative comments.

Colomer: He thanked all of the departments that responded during the storms.

Mayor’s Communications: The overall response and clean-up efforts after last week’s storms have been fantastic. City employees have gone above and beyond; public works, police, fire, and administration. Ameren brought in crews from far and wide to deal with the power outages. Numerous tree service businesses were in town, and we had approximately 30 men from an Amish community come into town and volunteered for several days. We saw many neighbors come together and help one another.

He also wanted to recognize Mat Schnepple and the Office of Emergency Management. Mat and his crew have come through for Kewanee numerous times and we do not have enough good to say about Mat and his team. The OEM is a valuable resource, and we are very fortunate to have them in close proximity to city limits.

Those of you with debris on the curbside following the storms, you may have to be very patient. We’re seeking federal disaster funds to cover those costs, but it depends on the amount of damage statewide. If we are approved for the funding, that process can start in a few weeks. If we have to take on that work ourselves, in addition to our regular tasks like street maintenance, it will be a very slow process for the city to get everything picked up. We will not have the luxury of dedicating crews to picking up this debris so it may take months to complete. If you are capable, you can take limbs and branches only, to old hospital parking on W. Division St. and drop them there.

After several delays, he is happy to announce patch work on W. South St. has taken place. Several people reached out with concerns about the roughness of that road, and we hope they will be satisfied.

The Prairie Chicken Arts Festival was held this past weekend. He was there a couple times and they seemed to have a good crowd each time. Thank you, Dianne Packee and the Rotary Club, and all volunteers that put this festival together each year.

The Kewanee Police Department will host a National Night Out on August 6 from 4:30pm to 7:30pm. The event will include swimming, a K-9 demonstration, organizational booths, car show and a whole lot more.

Announcements:

The City Hall Front Offices will be closed Wednesday July 24th from 8am -1pm for staff development. All other offices will remain open.

A motion to adjourn was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Faber. Motion passed 5-0 and the meeting was adjourned at 8:02pm.

https://cms5.revize.com/revize/kewaneeillinois/Minutes%207-22-2024.pdf