Rock Island Today

City of Aledo Committee of the Whole met Jan. 21.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

The City Council of the City of Aledo met in Regular Session in the Council Chambers at the Aledo City Hall building on January 21, 2025. MAYOR HAGLOCH called the meeting to order at 6:47 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.

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: No Report.

Public Hearing: Adoption of the 2025 Aledo Comprehensive Plan for the City of Aledo, Illinois:

MAYOR Hagloch opened the public hearing at 6:16 p.m.

An overview of meetings was detailed to the Aledo City Council. It was noted the process began in July, 2024 to update the 2001 Comprehensive Plan for the City of Aledo. City Staff and Bi-State Regional commission worked together to highlight the revisions of the plan. The Zoning & Planning Commission met in November and December, 2024 to provide their recommendations and also a review of the current and future land use maps.

Denise Bulat, Bi-State Regional Commission provided highlights of the goals within the draft comprehensive plan include the following:

• Goal 1 – Ensure managed growth that preserves the character of the City of Aledo and ensures a sustainable community.

• Goal 2 – Recognize and safeguard the compatibility of land uses in and around the corporate limits.

• Goal 3 – Encourage a range of housing types to serve a variety of residential needs.

• Goal 4 – Provide a safe, healthy, and quality living environment for current and future citizens.

• Goal 5 – Provide efficient, reliable community services and facilities to meet the needs of its citizens in a fiscally-responsible manner.

• Goal 6 – Expand the tax base by enhancing and fostering commercial and manufacturing business opportunities within the corporate limits.

• Goal 7 – Provide a variety of year-round affordable recreational opportunities through park and open space facilities and programs.

• Goal 8 – Present and communicate internally and externally a positive, progressive image of the City of Aledo.

Additional goals were highlighted to add housing, recreation, community branding & image.

Existing Community Facilities and Services highlights include the following:

• Transportation – Illinois Routes 94 and 17; Lindell Aerial Ag Service (Airport), RIM and Rural Transit Service.

• Multi-Purpose Pathways & Safe Routes Sidewalks – Multi-purpose pathways accounting for two (2) miles.

• Water and Wastewater Systems – Three (3) underground wells, elevated storage tanks, sewage system, and natural gas department.

• Public Facilities and Services – 25 full-time employees, police department, gas department, water & sewer department, and contracted curbside recycling and garbage collection.

• Recreation and Open Space – Fenton Park, RMA Park, Jaycee Park, Northside Park. Open space and recreation also available at school grounds. The City maintains several small parks and recreational facilities separate from the Park District.

Future Community Facilities and Services highlights include the following:

• Transportation – encourage improvements and flow of traffic along state routes and SE 2nd Street.

• Water & Sewer – growth areas to the north and east of the city. City plans to expand water & sewer lines in the new Sponsler Manor Third Addition. • Public Facilities and Services – with relatively low population growth projected, services and facilities may not need substantial expansion during this period.

• Recreation and Open Space – need for new play equipment, improvements at Fenton Ball Diamond, RMA Park, Northside Park, Monument Park civil war memorial, and needs for ADA accessibility. A need for more restrooms in conjunction with concession improvements may be warranted.

The new plan will also assist the City of Aledo in the application of future grant applications, including OSLAD grants.

There being no public comment, MAYOR Hagloch closed the public hearing at 6:23 p.m. Communication & Correspondence: No Report.

Requests & Petitions:

Special Event / VFW Parking Lot Closure – Night in a Car event, Mercer County Better Together to be held Friday, February 7, 2025 beginning at 7:00 p.m. to Saturday, February 8, 2025, ending at 7:00 a.m.

City Sponsorship – Jason Roeder, Mercer County Athletic Boosters appeared before the Committee of the Whole requesting a donation and sponsorship of trophies for the Bear Country Wrestling Tournament in the amount of $1,500.00 to be held on March 15, 2025.

Public Works Activity Report:

• Streets: Remove holiday decorations; storm siren test; assisted the park district with some tree removals; service small engine equipment; salt streets for a couple minor snow events; total salt usage for the season is at 117 tons.

• Gas: Inventory; border station maintenance & repair; OSHA training; read meters, check abnormal and zero readings; one gas service re-locate; start prep for gas meter replacement project.

• Water: Two sewer jets; three water shut offs due to leaks; manual meter reads; OSHA training; clean lift station baskets; mapping; replace a couple water meters; inspect a couple sewers; start prep for water meter replacement project.

• Cemetery: Tree trimming; continue cleaning /de-cluttering the office and shop as much as possible without giving Ed a stroke; start Cemify work, OSHA training. Ed picked up Christmas trees. We will do one more round this week to get the late ones.

• DPW: Building code amendment were submitted to the Capital Development Board on 1/14. Thank you for attending. Up next will be updated permit fees, updated building permit applications, complete the Tree City USA application w/ordinance & adoption of a nuisance tree ordinance.

The 9th avenue path open house went very well. All positive comments. It was well attended. Six of the thirteen affected property owners, four representatives from Hutchison Engineering, WRMJ, Administrator Chausse, Mayor Hagloch, and Alderman Cooper.

City staff met with representatives from Frontier Communications to discuss a major infrastructure upgrade project planned for 2025. They have submitted ROW permits that include installing all new fiber runs and all new aerial runs for the entire City. It appears it will be a 6-7-month project, starting as soon as they are able.

The Village of Seaton water project is inching closer to completion. They are substantially complete for Phase I. The system is all new PVC water main and nearly all new service meters. With some left-over funding, every new meter will be a Badger cell read meter and the Village will have 0 lead service lines. Phase II is coming down to one road block – Easements. They are still working through getting easements from Aledo to Seaton for the water main connection at Millersburg corner. The funding is there for them though; they just need the full easement docket. Best case scenario would be summer 2025 for bidding.

A 15-day notice and order to repair or demolish was filed by Miller, Hall, & Triggs on January 15th for the home and accessory structures at 600 North College Ave.

Aledo Police Department Activity Report: CHIEF Fisk reported Officer Jaydon Brown is in his first phase of the Field Training Program. He is doing well and continuing to progress on time.

Lt. Baker completed Week #6 of the Northwestern School of Police Staff and Command being held in Peoria, Illinois. He has four weeks remaining and is scheduled to graduate on March 14, 2025.

The Aledo Police Department is continuing to work through the process of grant paperwork and authorizations to implement an eCitation program initiated by the Mercer County Clerk’s Office. Quicket Solutions is responsible for the training, implementation and sale of thermal printers and eCitation software that will be used for this program. The equipment and software used for this program interfaces with LEADS 3.0 therefore an Interagency Agreement was required/signed that allows Quicket (noncriminal justice private contractor) to provide administration of criminal justice service to the criminal justice agency (Aledo PD). This agreement, along with an application was submitted to the Illinois State Police for approval. At this point, all costs associated with the program have been covered under the grant.

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

• Met with REACH (the Ameren EV group) to discuss implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding and the next steps in the process.

• Participated in the Mayor’s Meeting with Department Heads.

• Had meeting with Mayor, City Clerk, YMCA and Park District Board President – concerning division work for the new Park District Director.

• Provided lunch for PW during their mandatory OSHA & Winter Snow Plow Operations Training from IML-RMA.

• Met with Jenn Hamerlinck, Mercer County Prosperity Group.

• Attended the meeting Stanley Consultants organized by the Financial Director to discuss a possible rate study for city utilities.

• Attended the 9th Avenue Multi-Use Path Open House in the Council Chambers.

• Had a meeting with Steve Kline – TIF Consultant – concerning the organizing and implementing potential new TIF programs for businesses.

• Met with Frontier Communications to discuss their infrastructure improvements completed and planned for the city.

• Met with various individuals concerning a local business changing locations in Aledo.

• Met with members of the Mercer County Board, Steve Kline – TIF Consultant, Mayor, Finance Director and City Clerk.

Parks & Recreation Report: PRD Blaser reported the following:

YMCA Basketball – (Season begins Saturday, January 25th)

• Met with the YMCA several times to discuss taking over Youth Basketball & (all youth athletics)

• Contacted and confirmed coaches and sponsorship.

• Conducted coaches meeting & draft for K-1 & 2nd- 4th grade leagues.

• Constructed team rosters and scheduled team practices

• Made season schedules

• Covered practices on Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays.

• Booked a 16U Baseball tournament for May 30th-June 1st, June 6th-8th & July 25th-27th

• Worked on new P&R logo and marketing ideas

• Communicated with potential sponsorship for Spring Baseball • Completed all online training requirements for City and YMCA

Parks & Maintenance –

• Met with Gary Finch about parks and his expectations for the winter and spring. We put together a list of equipment needed and any needed maintenance at parks 

• Contacted public works about trimming and cutting dead trees 

• Priced needed equipment

• Spoke with Tom Sharp on inventory and needed equipment/supplies 

• Unloaded donated lights off Public Works trailer in return for Parks and Recreation to have. Thank you, Public Works.

Office –

• Started thinking Spring Baseball. Staff, sponsorship & League 

• Contacted league administrators from other towns about upcoming meetings

City Treasurer’s Report: The Treasurer’s Reports has been marked exhibit “B”, attached hereto and made a part of these minutes.

Mayor’s Report: MAYOR Hagloch reported he has been on FOCUS with WRMJ radio station to promote the City and projects going on around the community for the past several months.

MAYOR requested CITY CLERK provide a link to the elected officials for sign-up of the Aledo Monthly Memo that is issued out by the City. CITY CLERK to email a copy of the link and provide an opportunity for those individuals who have not yet signed up for that monthly memo.

Committee Report: The Ordinance & Police Committee meeting was held on January 13, 2025. The Committee discussed and reviewed the adoption of the 2021 building codes for the City of Aledo. The Committee made a recommendation to proceed with the adoption and to file proper paper-work with the Illinois Capital Development Board.

A 9th Avenue Multi-Use Pathway project open house was held on January, 14, 2025 in the City Council Chambers. Attendee’s met with representatives of Hutchison Engineering to view and see site plans for the upcoming pathway project.

A joint Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and Public Property, Streets & Sidewalks Committee meeting to be held on Monday, January 27, 2025 at 6:00 o’clock p.m. in the City Council Chambers.

https://www.aledoil.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_01212025-441