Rock Island Today

City of Kewanee City Council met Oct. 15.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

The October 15th, 2024, Council Meeting was called to order at 7:00pm in the Council Chambers. Councilmembers Komnick, Faber, and Baker were present along with Mayor Moore, City Manager Gary Bradley, City Attorney Zac Lessard, and City Clerk Kasey Mitchell. Councilmember Colomer was absent.

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 September 23rd

B. Payroll for the pay period ending September 21st in the amount of $229,363.32 and pay period ending October 5th in the amount of $233,679.94.

C. Staff Reports

D. Bock Report

E. Enchanted Pumpkin Festival Street Closure

A motion to approve the consent agenda items made by Councilmember and seconded by Councilmember. Motion passed 4-0.

Bills for the October 15th Council Meeting were presented in the amount of $1,550,631.53. A motion to approve payment of the bills was made by Councilmember and seconded by Councilmember. Discussion: None. Motion passed 4-0.

Swearing In: Kellen Daniels was sworn in as Sergeant for the Kewanee Police Department Public Comments: None

New Business:

A. FEMA and SBA Presentation: Leyla Gulen and Tim Watson

We have representatives from FEMA, Leyla Gulen, and SBA, Tim Watson. They are here to explain what services they are offering, and to answer questions anyone may have. Representatives from FEMA and SBA gave an update on all the programs available to residents and small business owners who sustained damages from the July tornados.

B. Consideration of Bill 24-103: Ordinance granting a special use permit to Victoria Montes for property located at 925 N Tremont St.

This is request for a special use at 925 N. Tremont St. If passed, the owner of this property will be allowed to use the property for short term rentals. This special use will be for the current owner only and will not transfer automatically to any subsequent owners. A motion to approve was made by Councilmember and seconded by Councilmember. Discussion: None. Motion passed 4-0.

C. Consideration of Bill 24-104: Resolution awarding the Francis Park Shelter House and Pavilion Project to Chenoweth Construction.

This bill will award the demolition of the current pavilion and construction of a new pavilion at Francis Park. This is part of the work in which the City was awarded an OSLAD grant a few years ago.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember and seconded by Councilmember. Discussion: None. Motion passed 4-0.

D. Consideration of Bill 24-105: Ordinance to establish parking restrictions in certain areas. This is an attempt to rectify a safety issue that currently exists on Maple St. It will restrict parking around the entrance at Kewanee High School currently used by buses. The current parking rules make it difficult for buses pulling in or leaving school grounds.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember and seconded by Councilmember. Discussion: None. Motion passed 4-0.

E. Consideration of Bill 24-106: Ordinance to amend sections 70.01 Definitions, 70.10 Obedience to Police Officers, 70.38 Unlawful possession of highway sign or marker, 70.41 Stop Signs and Yield Signs, 70.99 Penalty, and removes section 71.003 Maximum Attainable Operating Speed of the Kewanee City Code of Ordinances.

At times it becomes necessary to update city ordinances. The ordinances are not new, just updated to stay current with changing circumstances.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember and seconded by Councilmember. Discussion: Councilmember Colomer asked if this included e-bikes. Chief Kijanowski stated that those will be addressed in an ordinance update in the future. Motion passed 4-0.

F. Consideration of Bill 24-107: Resolution to declare certain equipment excess.

To stay current with state mandates and give city employees the equipment to do their jobs to the best of their ability, it becomes necessary to make new purchases. That makes some current equipment unnecessary for our use and allows us to get rid of the excess.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember and seconded by Councilmember. Discussion: Councilmember Baker asked why we were getting rid of them. The Mayor responded that our department can no longer use these but that they will be beneficial to a smaller department that is willing to purchase them. Motion passed 4-0.

G. Consideration of Bill 24-108: Resolution of intent regarding the subdivision of property in the industrial park located at the intersections of US Highway 34 and Cole St.

As of late, we have had a considerable interest in our industrial park at Route 34 and Cole St. Dividing this property into multiple lots will make it possible to sell the ground to businesses that will bring jobs and private investment that will strengthen our tax base.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember and seconded by Councilmember. Discussion: Councilmembers decided that they liked the street being named Kuster and the subdivision Industrial Park. Motion passed 4-0.

H. Discussion Only: Mobile Home Parks Water Relief

The mobile home parks are currently under a receivership that is working in conjunction with the bank that holds the mortgage lien on the properties. These groups met with City staff and requested relief on the large water bills for the properties. The council discussed this and decided that they would like to see some progress be made on cleaning up the properties before agreeing to anything.

I. Discussion Only: Code of Ordinance Review Chapters 90 and 95

The council looked over the proposed changes and requested that they be put on the next agenda for a vote.

J. Discussion Only: Economic Development Funding

The Mayor stated that he believes the City is not receiving the desired results from KEDC for the money we contribute. The council agreed and directed staff to finish out the current year’s agreement and then stop funding the organization.

Council Communications:

Komnick: He wanted to remind residents that with it getting darker earlier, to watch out for pedestrians and those on bikes. He also reminded those walking and riding to where light colors so they can be seen better.

Faber: He reminded residents to shop locally. He found items he was looking for in town and of a better quality.

Baker: He had a few questions about trash and recycling pick up. They were addressed.

Mayor’s Communications:

He congratulated Alex Duarte for being the new KHS leader in touchdowns. The Enchanted Pumpkin Festival is coming up this weekend. There are a lot of great things going on and he encouraged residents to attend. It will also be followed by a Trunk or Treat event and there will be another held at Royal Oaks in the coming week. United Way also has a few fundraisers approaching and he encouraged residents to participate.

Announcements:

The annual fall clean-up by cemetery staff in the Kewanee Cemeteries is scheduled to begin October 20, and end on October 31. During this period, all decorations will be picked up and discarded. Anyone wishing to save their decorations must pick them up before October 20. The Cemetery Department asks that no new decorations be put out until after the clean-up period has ended. This clean-up applies to Pleasant View, South Pleasant View, Mount Olivet, St. Mary’s, Kewanee, Russian, and Wethersfield Cemeteries. If there are any questions, please contact the Sexton's office at 853-4649.

A motion to adjourn was made by Councilmember and seconded by Councilmember . Motion passed 4-0 and the meeting adjourned at 8:11pm.

https://cms5.revize.com/revize/kewaneeillinois/Minutes%2010-15-2024.pdf