Rock Island Today

City of Aledo City Council met Sept. 2.

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 September 02, 2025. MAYOR HAGLOCH called the meeting to order at 6:38 P.M. The roll was called, whereupon the following answered present:

Aldermen BARRY COOPER, DENNIS DIXON, MARIO PAULEY, CARMEN RUH, LINDA SARABASA, and JASON SNYDER. Mayor CHRISTOPHER HAGLOCH. Aldermen MARK FRIESE and ANDREW WEEKS were excused.

Also present was MICHAEL CHAUSSE, City Administrator, ADAM BAKER, Chief of Police, JUSTIN BLASER, Director of Public Works & Utilities, and JAROD DALE, City Clerk.

The media was represented by Ty Taylor, WRMJ.

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Public Comment: No Report.

Communication & Correspondence: No Report.

Requests & Petitions:

Kyle McEwen, Mercer County Better Together, City Sponsorship request was presented to the Committee of the Whole. McEwen requested support at a level of $4,541.25 or above in the FY 2025 budget. This calculates support at a level of $1.25 per president.

Special Event / Parade – Mercer County Never Forget, Tunnel to Towers 9/11 Mobile Exhibit Closing Ceremony, Parade of Heroes – October 25, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

Special Event / Street Closure – Jeff Beeding, Temporary Closure for a Birthday Party, at 300 SE 7th Street, corner of SE 3rd Avenue to SE 6th Street on September 6, 2025 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Public Works Activity Report: DPW Blaser reported the following:

• Streets: Antiques Day prep, set up for Aquatics Center groundbreaking, storm sewer mapping, move speed radar signs, clean up from storm event on 8/18.

• Gas: JULIE’s; Re-read abnormal’ s, finish main and service re-locations along the 9th avenue path, sniff checks, CGI calibrations, boiler maintenance at the border station.

• Water: Replace broken water meters, investigate possible water leak at the WTP, (nothing found) camera sanitary trunk line to the 12th street lift station & around Blackhawk Bank, (no issues found) repair one water service leak, assist with the installation of the 3 new lagoon aerators.

• Cemetery: Mowing, weed-eat, seeding, and remove tree debris from storm.

• DPW: Budget prep has begun for FY26. Antiques Day went well, downtown looked very nice and the tractor pull track set up was seamless. Thank you to all the PW staff in getting everything ready and set up. The storm event on 8/18 did some damage to trees on the SE area of town. There are six trees that will need to be removed due to damage. CSO Fisk, Joy, and DPW met the past two Mondays to review the process for property maintenance code notifications and case log procedures. Our goal is to streamline those processes, and become more efficient in compliance. DPW spoke with the engineering firm that is coordinating the village of Seaton’s water main project, and they are still trying to obtain easements. They are still on the IEPA’s Intended Use Plan, which means the project is still approved once easements are completed. The City will meet with them in September to see if that can be completed and finalize a construction timeline.

Aledo Police Department Activity Report: CHIEF Baker reported on Tuesday, August 19th, City Administrator Mike Chausse and Chief Baker attended a meeting at Mercy One / Genesis Hospital in Aledo regarding their shelter-in-place protocols. There was good conversation with staff about what to do in case of infrastructure damage and catastrophic events which would cause staff and medical patients to be moved from the hospital to another safe space. Chief Baker spoke with Larry Peterson, Commander of the Mercer County VFW Post 1571. We are going to setup a walk-thru of the building to verify the number of electrical outlets, drop cords and other items needed to sustain medical equipment for a period of time until patients can be moved to other facilities.

Thursday, August 28th, Chief Baker met with Walmart Manager Kirstie Soseman and other staff for their quarterly outreach meeting. The meeting was to discuss safety plans and address issues they have had and to provide advice on how to resolve them.

The Axon Taser 10 conducted electrical weapon shipment has arrived. The department has been in communication with Axon regarding equipment setup and VR training. Mercer County Sheriff’s Office has a certified instructor for Taser 10 CEW’s and will train the officers initially. Officer Jaydon Brown will attend a Taser 10 train-the-trainer course and will eventually be our in-house trainer for the CEW’s.

Antiques Day 2025 has come and gone and was a success. Events ran smoothly and the car show was packed with people as expected. The police department had some extra staffing for the event. CHIEF expressed his gratitude for the Aledo Fire Department and first responders, Elite Ambulance crew, Aledo Police Officers and especially Linda Sarabasa, for their response to a medical call. Linda’s quick actions saved a life, due to a severe medical issue. All first responders were quick to respond and remained calm and professional.

Administrative Report:

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

ADMINISTRATOR facilitated and attended various meetings: Evacuation / Shelter in Place Preparedness Meeting at MercyOne; AFLAC Supplemental Insurance meeting; meeting with MCHS principal; Grant opportunities for business and City meeting(s); Mangieri Electric at the Small Town High Tech building; Parks / YMCA / City meeting regarding a Park & Recreation Director position; DCEO Block Grant meeting; Joint Review Board meeting; and met with Finn AV/IT Solution of Milan regarding surveillance cameras in Market Plaza.

ADMINISTRATOR requested an Ordinance meeting to discuss variance for a potential annexed property that is to be developed.

Mayor’s Report:

MAYOR Hagloch highlighted the excellent weather in Aledo for Antiques Day, this year. MAYOR emphasized how good the downtown business district area looked and how well everything was set-up for the event. Noted as a excellent day in Aledo.

ALD. Snyder reported there was a sound system issue for the car show. MAYOR reported that has been discussed and looking to address that issue for next year’s event.

Committee Report: An Ordinance meeting to be scheduled for September 22, 2025 at 6:00 o’clock p.m. in the City Council Chambers.

REGULAR COUNCIL SESSION

Following the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag,

CONSENT AGENDA

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

• Approval of Minutes of the Regular Meeting of August 18, 2025.

• Approval of Finance: Invoice Listing – AP16.

• Approval of the Appointment of Sarah Brown to the Historic Preservation Commission.

• Approval of City Sponsorship, Mercer County Better Together, in the amount of $4,541.00.

• Approval of a Special Event / Parade – Mercer County High School Homecoming Parade – September 25, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.

• Approval of a Special Event / Parade – Mercer County Never Forget, Tunnel to Towers 9/11 Exhibit Closing Ceremony, Parade of Heroes – October 25, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

• Approval of Street Closure Request – Jeff Beeding, Temporary Closure for a Birthday Party, at 300 SE 7th Street, at corner of SE 3rd Avenue to SE 6th Street intersection on September 6, 2025 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

A Roll Call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Cooper, Dixon, Pauley, Ruh, Sarabasa, and Snyder. NO: None. Motion carried. 6 yeas, 0 nays.

PUBLIC COMMENT: No Report.

ACTION ITEM:

RESOLUTION NO. 28R, SERIES OF 2025; APROVING THE PURCHASE OF A 2026 FORD F250 FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS IN THE AMOUNT OF $70,678.00: (TABLED 7/21/25; ANTICPATED MOTION TO REMOVE FROM THE TABLE.)

Motion was made by ALDERMAN SARABASA and seconded by ALDERMAN SNYDER to remove from the table Resolution No. 28R, Series of 2025; Approving the Purchase of a 2026 Ford F250 for the Department of Public Works in the amount of $70,678.00.

A Roll Call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Dixon, Pauley, Ruh, Sarabasa, Snyder, and Cooper. NO: None. Motion carried. 6 yeas, 0 nays.

Motion was made by ALDERMAN PAULEY and seconded by ALDERMAN RUH to reject Resolution No. 28R, Series of 2025; Approving the Purchase of a 2026 Ford F250 for the Department of Public Works in the amount of $70,678.00.

A Roll Call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Pauley, Ruh, Sarabasa, Snyder, Cooper, and Dixon. NO: None. Motion carried. 6 yeas, 0 nays.

RESOLUTION NO. 33R, SERIES OF 2025; APPROVING THE PURCHASE OF A 2026 FORD F250 FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS IN THE AMOUNT OF $69,296.70:

DPW Blaser reported A notice of invitation to bid was published and mailed to 27 area fleet dealers for the purchase of a new ¾ ton regular cab 4x4 service truck with accessories. On August 26, 2025, a bid opening was held with six (6) bids submitted.

Yemm – 2026 Ram 2500 - $69,208.00

Kunes Auto Group – 2026 Ford F250 - $69,296.70

Lindquist Ford – 2026 Ford F250 - $69,322.45

Bob Ridings – 2026 Ford F250 - $72,528.00

Morrow Brothers – 2026 Ford F250 - $75,988.00

Essig Motors – 2024 Ram 2500 - $69,894.00. (non-flip top box/bid rejection) Essig Motors – “ON ORDER” no make or model - $76,086.00. (no make or model/bid rejection)

DPW recommend the purchase of the 2026 Ford F250 from Kunes Auto Group. It is over the budgeted amount by $4,296.70, however, the gas division CIP budget has the available funds to cover the overage.

Motion was made by ALDERMAN DIXON and seconded by ALDERMAN SNYDER to approve Resolution No. 33R, Series of 2025; Approving the Purchase of a 2026 Ford F250 for the Department of Public Works in the amount of $69,296.70 from Kunes Auto Group.

A Roll Call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Ruh, Sarabasa, Snyder, Dixon, and Pauley. NO: Cooper. Motion carried. 5 yeas, 1 nay.

(Clerks Note: The low bid by Yemm was not accepted due to the type of vehicle and PW’s noting they do not have many Ram’s in the fleet.)

RESOLUTION NO. 34R, SERIES OF 2025; APPROVING AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF MERCER COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 404 FOR A SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER:

Motion was made by ALDERMAN SNYDER and seconded by ALDERMAN RUH to approve Resolution No. 34R, Series of 2025; Approving an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Board of Education of Mercer County School District No. 404 for a School

Resource Officer at the School District’s high school, junior high school and Apollo Elementary School for the 2025-2026 school year, for a period of three (3) years.

A Roll Call vote was recorded as follows:

YES: Sarabasa, Snyder, Cooper, Dixon, Pauley, and Ruh. NO: None. Motion carried. 6 yeas, 0 nays.

OLD BUSINESS: No Report.

NEW BUSINESS:

ALD. Cooper voiced appreciation to DPW Blaser and Public Works for having garbage receptacles available during the First Baptist Church of Aledo event in the park on Sunday, August 24th.

ALD. Cooper the window in the Aledo Bandshell be repaired before the September 13th Central Park Grooves event. It was noted as shattered. Also, the gutters in the pavilion need cleaned-out and repaired before the event as well.

ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, motion was made by ALDERMAN DIXON and seconded by ALDERMAN PAULEY that the meeting be adjourned. A Unanimous voice vote followed in agreement. Meeting was adjourned at 6:54 P.M.

https://www.aledoil.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_09022025-467