Galesburg Reporter

City of Monmouth City Council met Oct. 7

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

I. CALL TO ORDER & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Mayor Rod Davies called the meeting to order in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 100 East Broadway at 6:00 p.m. and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

II. ROLL CALL

City Clerk Susan S. Trevor called the roll and those answering Present were: Aldermen Jay Grant, Brad Bone, Alderwoman Susan Twomey, Aldermen Brian Daw, Jim Conard, Juan Pinedo, Kevin Ferry and John VanVleet Also Present: Mayor Rod Davies, City Administrator Lew Steinbrecher, City Clerk Susan S. Trevor, City Attorney Marcum Spears, Building and Zoning Director Joe Clark, Brayden Bledsoe, Woodard and Curran Public Works Director, Communications Director Ken Helms, MFD Chief Casey Rexroat, MPD Chief Joe Switzer

III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

A. Approval of September 16, 2024 Council Meeting Minutes

It was moved by Alderman Grant and seconded by Alderman Conard to approve the September 16, 2024 Council Meeting Minutes as presented. AYE: Aldermen Grant, Bone, Alderwoman Twomey, Aldermen Daw, Conard, Pinedo, Ferry and VanVleet NAY: none MOTION CARRIED.

IV. PRESENTATION TO THE COUNCIL

A. Presentations or Citizen Inquiries (All inquiries are limited to 3 minutes per City Ordinance)

1. Chris Meyer, 317 Sunnylane Park Drive reported that a fire hydrant located near his home has been leaking since April of 2022 when it was covered. He has reported it several times, but was told it was not possible to replace it at that time. It is leaking more heavily and needs to either be capped or fixed. Mayor Davies thanked him for his concern and said that the matter will be looked into.

2. Swearing-in of Tyler Osborn as MFD Captain

City Clerk Susan Trevor swore in Tyler Osborn as a Captain for the MFD.

B. Consent Agenda (Items on Consent Agenda will not be discussed unless a request is made to remove an item for discussion).

1. Approval of Bills

It was moved by Alderman Daw and seconded by Alderman Ferry to approve the bills as presented. AYE:, Alderman Bone, Alderwoman Twomey, Aldermen Daw, Conard, Pinedo, Ferry, VanVleet and Grant NAY: none MOTION CARRIED.

V. COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

A. Requests for Stop Signs

1. 4-Way Stop sign at North 5th and East Boston Intersection as well as "No Parking signs in front of house at 222 N. 5th Street -- Brett Melton

Mr. Melton explained that he lives next to the intersection of North 5th Street and East Boston and he is very concerned that cars come flying down North 5th and he has children. He also has an issue with the gravel parking area for his car in front of his house. On MC game days, people park in that spot if he is gone and then he has no place to park his car. Therefore, he was asking for a 4-way stop sign at the intersection of North 5th and East Boston as well as a No Parking sign in front of his house. Chief Switzer reported that in the past 10 years he was not able to find any accident reports for that intersection. After discussion, the consensus of the Council was to place a Yield Sign on East Boston coming down the hill approaching the intersection from the West. Chief Switzer said that he would have officers monitor the intersection to determine which direction would be the best placement for a yield sign. The Council directed Chief Switzer to have "No Parking Between Signs" placed in front of 222 N. 5th. Mr. Melton thanked the Council for assistance with his problem with parking in front of his house and the placement of signage to slow traffic at the intersection of North 5th and East Boston.

2. 4-Way Stop sign at North A Street and West Boston Ave. -- Christine Jarczyk

Christine Jarczyk, 221 W. Boston Avenue, asked Council to have a 4-way stop sign placed at the intersection of North A Street and West Boston Avenue due to the many accidents at this intersection. Mayor Davies commented that there is lot of traffic through this intersection due to the new ICS building and downtown construction. Chief Switzer reported that there have been twelve accidents reported in the last 10 years. With vehicles leaving Axline Pharmacy, the laundromat and Sav-A-Lot grocery store with no defined curb or exit, it creates confusion and increases the risk of accidents. It was moved by Alderman Pinedo and seconded by Alderman VanVleet to have the City Attorney draft an ordinance for a 4-way stop sign at the intersection of North A Street and West Boston Avenue to bring back for consideration at the next Council meeting. AYE: Alderwoman Twomey, Aldermen Daw, Conard, Pinedo, Ferry, VanVleet, Grant and Bone NAY: none MOTION CARRIED.

B. Building and Zoning September Report -- Director Clark

Plan Commission:

✓ Approved and recommended zoning change from R-2 to B-2 for 1018 S. Main Street.

✓ Approved and recommended zoning change from R-2 to M-1 for Midwestern Pet Foods.

Zoning Board of Appeals:

✓ Will meet on October 9th to review and render a decision on request for a setback variance of (15) feet for Complete Auto and Repair Parts on South Main Street. This decision will then be brought to Council for their consideration at their next meeting. Grants:

✓ The house at 314 South 3rd Street demolition was completed under the Strong Communities Grant Program.

Open Projects:

✓ Immaculate Conception School Gym, Beck's Oil Company, Jimmy John's

C. Woodard and Curran August Report -- Brayden Bledsoe

➢ The WWTP treated and discharged 136 million gallons of water in August.

➢ The West Harlem Phase 2 Water Main Project from North G Street to the Bypass Bid was awarded to Advanced Plumbing and Mechanical and should begin by the end of the month with a scheduled completion date of the end of November.

➢ The Downtown Northeast quadrant should be completed before construction is halted due to winter weather. The total downtown square project most likely will not be completed until the end of next summer.

➢ The Federal EPA has been in Monmouth lately through the GLO (Get the Lead Out) program. They had setup a booth at the Monmouth Prime Beef Festival to spread information about lead service lines. The federal EPA also sent officials to assist in identifying service line materials for residents the week of the 30th.

D. Approval of Halloween Trick or treat Hours - 10-31-24, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

It was moved by Alderman Conard and seconded by Alderman Daw to approve the hours between 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for Trick or Treating on Thursday, October 31st.

AYE: Aldermen Daw, Conard, Pinedo, Ferry, VanVleet, Grant, Bone, and Alderwoman Twomey NAY: none MOTION CARRIED.

E. Approval of Redevelopment agreement with Midwestern Pet Foods

Administrator Steinbrecher explained that this TIF Redevelopment Agreement is with Midwestern Pet Foods for the demolition of three houses located at 808,818 and 824 South D Street with an investment cost not to exceed $45,200. In the Agreement, the City agrees to reimburse the developer 95% the annual net incremental increase in real estate tax revenues. It is a performance-based agreement. It may take several years to generate the incremental tax revenue. It was moved by Alderman Ferry and seconded by Alderman Pinedo to approve the above-stated TIF Redevelopment Agreement with Midwestern Pet foods as presented.

AYE: Aldermen Conard, Pinedo, Ferry, VanVleet, Grant, Bone, Alderwoman Twomey and Alderman Daw. NAY: none MOTION CARRIED.

F. Approval of Airport Terminal Bid

Mayor Davies explained that money to pay for the construction of the new airport terminal comes from grants and insurance proceeds from the fire loss of the old terminal. Shane Larson from Hutchison Engineering reported that there were only two bids received with Hein Construction, Inc. submitting the low bid of $478,000. After reviewing the bid document, Hutchison is recommending approval of Hein Construction's bid. Mayor Davies further explained that it is a pretty basic design and Alderman Daw added that the design had been downsized several times to save money. It was moved Alderman Daw and seconded by Alderman Bone to approve the above-stated bid from Hein Construction, Inc. AYE: Aldermen Pinedo, Ferry, VanVleet, Grant, Bone, Alderwoman Twomey, Aldermen Daw and Conard NAY: none MOTION CARRIED.

G. Capital Projects Funding Work Session

Administrator Steinbrecher gave the history of how the City was able to increase its Capital Reserve Fund. The City sold the transfer station to LRS and received 2.25 million for the land itself. With the sale of the transfer station, the City gained a significant savings of $200,000 in operating costs plus it freed up money allocated to close the landfill as well as decreasing expenses in the General Fund Budget. This savings allowed the City to borrow an additional 5 million dollars to free up revenue to be used for Debt Service on that Bond. It also allowed the City to use 1 million dollars to purchase a new ladder truck for the Fire Department.

All of this gave a good opportunity to generate 6.5 million dollars to leverage a lot of the State and Federal grants we are seeking as all grants require a local match. The Public Square project  along with the water main replacement projects, sewer collection system project and the water treatment project have benefitted from having the 6.5 million dollars to leverage for the State and Federal Grants that we have received towards these projects Administrator Steinbrecher then reviewed the list of Capital Projects the City has undertaken as follows:

1. West Harlem Watermain (Phase II - North G Street to Bypass) -- completed

2. West Harlem Street Reconstruction (Phase I - N. Main to G Street)

3. North 6th Street Water Main -- Completed

4. North 5th Street Sewer Replacement - Have identified possible funding source

5. Well 7 Vertial Turbine Pump and West Harlem Water Plant

6. Downtown Sewer Project -- Major trunk sewer beginning at Strom Center and running under Bijou Theater, Armory to East Broadway -- Built in 1800's

7. Downtown Revitalize Project

8. Phase III CSO Sewer Gate -- The existing gate is not allowing enough water to get through to the WWTP when there is a heavy rain. Therefore, it is backing up into the City Sewer and creates a Combined Sewer Overflow event. The goal is to get the CSO events below the mandated EPA allowable events and therefor to avoid the construction of a 3.5 million detention pond.

9. West Harlem Resurfacing (Phase II)

a. North Main to North G Street will be concrete, curb and gutter.

b. North G Street to Bypass -- will be asphalt with no curb and gutter

10. Downtown 100 Block - North Main and West Broadway Watermain Replacement

11. West Harlem Watermain (Phase I - North Main Street to North G Street) - completed

12. New Fire Engine Truck -- Still seeking funding

a. The City has three trucks that are old. One truck is 27 years old and two trucks that are 21 years old. Currently the motor is being rebuilt on one of the 21-year-old trucks in order to get one of the older trucks to be reliable. This would allow time for the City to try to obtain funding for a new truck. Chief Rexroat has applied several times for grants for a new truck but has not received any. The competition is very stiff according to Chief Rexroat.

13. Airport Terminal building

a. The funds to construct a new airport terminal building have restricted sources because the City is using proceeds from insurance for the fire that destroyed the airport buildings to construct a new building. Administrator Steinbrecher closed his report with referring to the funds of $5,490,000.00 that are currently available in the City's Capital Reserve Fund. He pointed out that the use of $5,354,00 in Municipal Capital Reserve Funds will leverage $19,790,000 in other funds from State/Federal Grants, TIF Funds and/or other sources of outside monies. Mayor Davies thanked Administrator Steinbrecher for all his tireless work not only on this report, but seeking and obtaining the grants that are being used for the City's Capital Projects.

H. Engineering Services Agreement with W&C for Design and Construction Administration of Lead Service Line Replacement Program -- Don Taul

Don Taul, Engineer with Woodard and Curran, explained that the City had been awarded $2.7 million dollars for a Lead Service Line Replacement Program for this round. This Engineering Service Agreement with Woodard and Curran is to go to bid, design, administer construction and coordinate with the IEPA. The cost of the service is $274,200. Don also added that the IEPA required three potholes for each line with two potholes on the public side and one on the private or homeowner side. Any replacement will be at no cost to the homeowner. This is a 100% grant with no payback to the IEPA. It was moved by Alderman Grant and seconded by Alderman VanVleet to approve the above-stated agreement with Woodard and Curran. AYE: Aldermen Ferry, VanVleet, Grant, Bone, Alderwoman Twomey, Aldermen Daw, Conard and Pinedo NAY: none MOTION CARRIED.

VI. RESOLUTIONS

A. Resolution 24-007 -- TIF Funds for Local Match for ITEP Grant

Administrator Steinbrecher explained that the City is eligible to apply for an ITEP grant to continue the Downtown Streetscape Project into the 200 blocks of North Main and South Main. This would continue the diagonal parking and curb cutouts. As part of submitting for the $1,746,224 grant, the City needs to pass a resolution committing to a local match of $436,556. The local match would be available next year in the TIF Fund to be used if we receive the ITEP grant. It was moved by Alderman Grant and seconded by Alderman Conard to approve Resolution 24-007 as presented. AYE: Aldermen VanVleet, Grant, Bone, Alderwoman Twomey, Aldermen Daw, Conard, Pinedo and Ferry NAY: none

MOTION CARRIED.

VII. ORDINANCES

A. 1st Reading

1. 24-018, change of Zoning from R-2 Medium residential to M-1, Limited  Manufacturing

Mayor Davies explained that this is necessary for the development of the property owned by Midwestern Pet Foods where the three houses were demolished. It comes with the recommendation of the Plan Commission. It was moved by Alderman Conard and seconded by Alderwoman Twomey to approve Ordinance 24-018 as presented. AYE: Aldermen Grant, Bone, Alderwoman Twomey, Aldermen Daw, Conard, Pinedo, Ferry and VanVleet

NAY: none MOTION CARRIED.

2. 24-019, Approve Up to a $3.3 Million Loan from Illinois EPA for Lead Service Line replacement Project

Don Taul explained that part of the process of receiving a grant from the IEPA is the requirement that the City enter into a loan agreement even though the loan is 100% forgivable. The City received $2,747,000.00, but W & C's experience in the past has been that if there is money left over it goes to other places and if the City does receive any extra the ordinance for the original amount has to be re-done; therefore, W & C is recommending passing an ordinance that would allow up to a $3.3 Million Loan from the IEPA. It was moved by Alderman Bone and seconded by Alderman Grant to approve Ordinance 24-019 as presented. AYE: Alderman Bone, Alderwoman Twomey, Aldermen Daw, Conard, Pinedo, Ferry, VanVleet and Grant NAY: none MOTION CARRIED.

3. 24-020, Declaration of MPD and MFD Surplus Property

Chief Switzer stated that MPD had a Kubota riding mower and a John Deere hand mower that they no longer used and need to declare them surplus. Chief Rexroat stated that the MFD had a soda machine, 8 large truck tires and 1 rope rescue tripod that need to be declared surplus. It was moved by Alderman VanVleet and seconded by Alderman Grant to approve Ordinance 24-020 as presented. AYE: Alderwoman Twomey, Aldermen Daw, Conard, Pinedo, Ferry, VanVleet, Grant and Bone NAY: none MOTION CARRIED.

4. 24-021, Amending Section 78, Chapter 78, Impoundment of Motor Vehicles 24-022, Amending Chapter 71, Licensing Provisions, Suspended Provisions

Chief Switzer said that currently the City is impounding vehicles for people with suspended registrations. But much of the time, the suspended registration is a mistake by the State for a number of reasons; therefore, the City ends up refunding the impound fee, but the citizen is still responsible for the towing and storage fee. As Chief, I am recommending that impounding a vehicle for suspended registration be removed and instead add an amendment under Chapter 71 to make it unlawful to drive with a suspended registration and apply a fine of $350.00.

It was moved by Alderman VanVleet and seconded by Alderman Grant to approve Ordinances 24-021 and 24-022 as presented. AYE: Aldermen Daw, Conard, Pinedo, Ferry, VanVleet, Grant and Bone NAY: none PASS: Alderwoman Twomey MOTION CARRIED.

VIII. OTHER BUSINESS

There was none to consider.

 IX. ADJOURNMENT

It was moved by Alderman Daw and seconded by Alderman Bone to adjourn the October 7th meeting at 7:35 p.m. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous voice vote.

https://www.cityofmonmouth.com/sites/g/files/vyhlif7191/f/agendas/october_7_2024_council_meeting_minutes.pdf