Galesburg Reporter

City of Genoa City Council met September 18.

Here is the minutes provided by the council:

Mayor Vicary called the regular meeting of the City Council to order at 7:00 p.m. Roll call was taken. Aldermen Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Brust and Lang were present. Alderman Cravatta was absent.

Mayor Vicary lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

Guest Speakers –None

Motion made by Alderman Lang to approve the minutes of the regular City Council meeting of September 4, 2018, seconded by Alderman Di Guido. Voice vote was taken. All voted yes. Motion carried.

Motion made by Alderman Lang to approve payment of the accounts payables for the 1st half of September 2018, in the amount of $35,737.45, seconded by Alderman Winter. Alderman Winter questioned line item #12, asking what the Leonard home is. Consultant Ganek responded that it is the home on South Sycamore Street that has several on-going issues that the City is taking action on, to resolve. Alderman Lang asked if a commercial level of license was required to appraise the property. City Attorney, Jack Slingerland responded that a certified appraiser was necessary due to the judge only accepting an expert opinion in court. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Lang, Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Brust and Lang voted yes. Motion carried.

Items From Individuals In Attendance – None

Old Business – Consideration Of An Ordinance To Amend The Speed Limit On Derby Line Road: Motion made by Alderman Lang to approve an Ordinance amending Title 6, Motor Vehicles and Traffic, Chapter 1, General Traffic Provisions, seconded by Alderman Brust. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Lang, Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter and Brust voted yes. Motion carried.

New Business - None

Department Reports:

Administrative Report – Consultant Ganek reported that a letter has been issued to the Village of Kingston regarding the increase in sewer rates to be more in alignment with the rates Genoa residents pay. Since the Village of Kingston will be maintaining their own sewer pipes, they will pay slightly less than Genoa residents. The increase will be phased in over a 2 year period beginning January 1, 2019. Mr. Ganek also reported that the September 24, 2018 Committee of the Whole meeting has been cancelled, but there will be one coming up to see where the City stands with the current fiscal year budget. The next Plan Commission meeting will be Thursday, September 20, 2018, where a proposal for an amendment to the River Bend subdivision will be presented. The proposal is related to Unit 4 as it pertains to the footprints of the building. It was and will continue to be intended for residents ages 55 and older and will be townhouses. The proposal also includes amendments to Unit 6, which were originally intended to be single family homes, but the builder is proposing to build townhomes instead; still age restricted to residents ages 55 and older. Consultant Ganek invited the Aldermen to attend the Plan Commission meeting, but cautioned against them speaking due to the Plan Commission needing unbiased feedback from the Developer and the audience, as well as the decision of approving the proposal would ultimately be that of the City Council.

Public Works – Director Gentile reported that our Streets, Sewer and Forestry Supervisor, Janice Melton has been nominated for Outstanding Operator of the Year. She is 1 of 7 nominees and he commended her for doing an excellent job in our treatment plant. Mr. Gentile was also appreciative to the EPA for recognizing Genoa, since we are a smaller community. He also reported that the mums this year will not be in the hanging baskets downtown. They don’t seem to flourish very well in them, so they will be planted in the ground at City Hall, around Monument Signs and at Public Works. A few will be in the planters downtown that are on the sidewalks. Mr. Gentile then went over the maps that were created for the trails. He stated that next fall there will be a kiosk at the “Y” section of the trails, with information for all three sides. He indicated that Public Works will be putting a few picnic tables and trash containers out there as well. Lastly, he stated that staff will be discussing mosquito spraying at their staff meeting the following morning. Alderman Brust asked if in the area where the limestone gravel trails are, if Public Works could lay down some gravel between the unfinished road and the trail because there are large ruts and it is difficult to walk or ride bikes across there. Director Gentile responded that we could possibly put a small area of gravel down. He indicated that originally it wasn’t done because the City didn’t want people going back there and dumping things. Alderman Brust also asked who controls Central Park in River Bend. Director Gentile responded that the City owns it, but leases it to the Park District, so if any amenities are requested, it should be brought to the Park District and they will contact the City with what they are proposing to do. Aldermen Brust would like to see a soccer field, baseball diamond and/or tennis courts added to Central Park.

Police Department – Chief Smith reported that his department has hired 2 Auxiliary Officers. An arrest has been made related to the car break-in’s that have been going on. A firearm that was stolen from one of those vehicles has been recovered. Officer Barnett passed his power tests. That is the first step of the academy program. He will graduate in June of 2019. Homecoming is Friday, September 21st, the parade will be at 3:30 pm and the football game is at 7 pm. Chief Smith stated the Police Department would be having a department meeting the next day at 5:30 pm and invited Council Members to stop by and introduce themselves and meet some of the officers. Lastly, Chief Smith reported that he received approximately 20 emails that the speed sign on Derby Line Road clocked speed over 60 mph.

Mayor’s Report - Mayor Vicary reported that Volksfest was a great success. He indicated that Brian Wallace stated there were approximately 600 to 700 people in attendance over the weekend. Mayor Vicary expressed his appreciation to the KishValley Wonderers, including Brian Wallace and Carolyn Tobinson; Cortney Strohacker and Krissy Johnson from the Genoa Chamber, and all of the other volunteers who donated their time to make the event successful.

Announcements –Mayor Vicary stated that this Thursday, September 20, 2018, State Senator Dave Syverson and State Representative Jeff Keicher will be having an unplugged politics event here at City Hall from 11:30 am to 1 pm. Alderman Wesner announced that Crumpets will be closing and it’s unfortunate that the business was unable to succeed. Alderman Di Guido stated that DeKalb County will be honoring State Representative Bob Pritchard on September 19, 2018. It will be an open house from 5:30 pm to 7 pm.

Motion to adjourn the regular meeting of the City Council was made by Alderman Wesner, seconded by Alderman Winter. Voice vote was taken. All voted yes. Motion carried. Meeting was adjourned at 7:30 pm.

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