Rock Island Today

City of Kewanee City Council met Aug. 26.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

The August 26th, 2024, Council Meeting was called to order at 6:01pm. Councilmembers Colomer, Faber, Baker, and Komnick were present along with Mayor Moore, City Manager Gary Bradley, 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), and Discussion of Closed Session Minutes section 2(c)(21) was made by Councilmember Faber and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Motion passed 5-0.

A motion to adjourn to regular session was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Motion passed 5-0. Closed Session was adjourned at 6:37pm.

The August 26th, 2024, Council Meeting was called to order at 7:02pm in the Council Chambers. Councilmembers Colomer, Faber, Baker, and Komnick were present along with Mayor Moore, City Manager Gary Bradley, City Attorney Zac Lessard, 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 August 12th

B. Minutes from the Closed Session from August 12th

C. Payroll for the pay period ending August 10th in the amount of $245,534.61.

D. Staff Reports

E. Bock Report

F. Goodfellows Tag Days

G. Wethersfield Homecoming Parade Road Closure Request

H. Wethersfield Touchdown Fireworks Request

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

Bills for the Council meeting of August 26th were presented in the amount of $479,294.26. A motion to approve payment of the bills was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Faber. Discussion: None. Motion passed 5-0.

Public Comments: None.

Swearing in of New Personnel: Matt DeClerq, was sworn in as the newest officer with Kewanee Police Department.

New Business:

A. Proclamation: Daughters of the American Constitution Week

This is a proclamation to commemorate Constitution Week as celebrated by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The Mayor read the Proclamation and presented it to representatives from the local DAR chapter, Betsy Tocha and Pat Hurd.

B. Consideration of Bill 24-83: Ordinance granting a request for a variance to Matt Jenkins of 625 Dewey Ave.

Bill 24-83 and Bill 24-84 deal with requests for zoning variances. The request in item B deals with an addition to an existing residence which goes beyond the maximum 35% building coverage for the lot size. Item C is a variance request to build a fence out of material that is not on the approved list of fencing material.

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

C. Consideration of Bill 24-84: Ordinance granting a request for a variance to Richard Werderman of 420 N Grace Ave.

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

D. Consideration of Bill 24-85: Ordinance to amend Section 52.22 Payment of Biling; Procedure; Delinquency of the Kewanee City Code.

This would amend the current ordinance pertaining to water billing. Currently, if a water bill is not paid by the due date, that customer will receive a yellow notice demanding payment with an added penalty fee. If the bill still goes unpaid, the responsible party receives a red notice with more fees attached and a shut off notice. The ordinance change will streamline the process by eliminating the third notice that a bill is due, and instead of two possible penalty fees there would be only one. It also provides clarification for relief of unexpected high-water usage.

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

E. Consideration of Bill 24-86: Resolution for maintenance under the Illinois Highway Code. Bill 24-86 is a resolution to authorize the use of Motor Fuel Tax Funds for maintenance work on some Kewanee streets.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Faber and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: City Manager Bradley started the conversation by saying that the original amount was $500,000 but after more discussion with the engineers, the amount was raised to $600,000. He also distributed a map showing the streets that would be worked on this year. These streets would be done with a sand seal and hot mix asphalt. Councilmember Faber expressed concern that this is too much money for as few streets as are on the map. Bradley replied that these are the worst streets in this quadrant that will not require excavation for lead line replacement. Councilmember Colomer asked if there was a map that showed where all the lead lines are so that the Council could have a better understanding of the prioritization of street maintenance in relation to lead line replacement. Bradley said there is not a map or overall plan in place. Staff is still working on locations, plans, and awaiting more information from the State regarding grant and funding options. Councilmember Faber wanted to know why we were focusing on these streets and not the streets that need it most. Bradley replied that Council had previously directed Staff to work in quadrants as to not have contracts jumping all over the City. Faber stated that he did not like the amount of money that was being spent on so few streets that aren’t even that bad. He said that he could not vote for this plan. Motion passed 4-1 with Councilmember Faber being the sole “Nay” vote.

F. Consideration of Bill 24-87: Resolution authorizing the Mayor, City Manager, City Clerk and City Attorney to execute documents that are necessary and proper to sell excess real estate located adjacent to 711 Page St.

Bill 24-87 is a resolution to sell excess real estate currently owned by the city, to a private resident. The property is adjacent to 711 Page Street.

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

G. Consideration of Bill 24-88: Resolution authorizing the execution of an agreement between the City of Kewanee and Laverdiere Construction Inc to aid in the replacement, construction, and installation of a watermain along Lyle Street between South Elm Street and Main Street.

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

Council Communications:

Komnick: He reminded residents that Hog Days is approaching. It brings in lots of visitors and takes many hands to accomplish. Volunteer if you can.

Colomer: Again, Hog Days is approaching. Be safe and enjoy.

Faber: He stated that residents have been asking him about the trash carts that are being delivered by LRS and if they will be picking up the old ones. City Clerk Mitchell stated that the current carts are for trash and the new ones are for recycling. He also requested that if residents are transporting limbs/brush and something falls into the road, please stop and clean it up.

Baker: He has seen a lot of residents complaining but not doing anything about their complaints. He encouraged them to come to Council meetings and address the Council.

Mayor’s Communications:

He attended the Children’s Safety Expo put on by State Senator Neil Anderson and State Representative Travis Weaver that was held at Black Hawk College CEC across the street from city hall. It was very well attended. In the approximately two hours he was there he saw a lot of children having a lot of fun.

For anyone that may not have heard, our early outdoor warning sirens will be worked on this week. We are receiving 2 new sirens and repairs on a few others. The new sirens will have wider coverage, which will allow us to eliminate 1 outdated siren. There will be some very short tests conducted as the siren work is completed, but with the influx of people this coming weekend, we will keep the testing to a minimum. We do not want panic anyone.

This coming weekend we will be celebrating Hog Days. It is supposed to cool off beginning Thursday, but plan for it to be hot just in case the forecast is not correct. Stay hydrated, stay safe and have a fun filled weekend.

He also wished Larry Flannery the very best as he recovers from an accident he suffered at his home this past week. I’m sure he will be slowed down for a while, but knowing Larry he won’t be kept down for long.

Announcements:

City Hall and the Transfer Station will be Closed on Monday September 2nd.

After this week, LRS officially takes over with the collection of trash, recycling, and landscape pickup. Due to the holiday, the schedule will be pushed by one day. The first week of September is a B week for recycling pick up. Landscape pick-ups will normally be on Fridays but will be on Saturday that week. The pink stickers will no longer be used for landscape bags. If you have some on hand, you can trade them in at City Hall for the new LRS stickers.

A motion to adjourn was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Motion passed 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:52pm.

https://cms5.revize.com/revize/kewaneeillinois/Minutes%208-26-2024.pdf