City of Sycamore City Council met July 2.
Here is the minutes provided by the Council:
ROLL CALL
Mayor Lang called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and City Clerk Mary Kalk called the roll. Those Alderpersons present were: Virginia Sherrod, David Stouffer, Alan Bauer, Steve Braser, Nancy Copple, and Rick Kramer. City Attorney Keith Foster was also present. Aldermen Pete Paulsen Chuck Stowe arrived after roll call at 7:03 p.m.
INVOCATION – Alderwoman Nancy Copple gave the invocation. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE led by Alderman Alan Bauer
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
MOTION
Alderperson Braser moved to approve the agenda and Alderperson Stouffer seconded the motion.
VOICE VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a voice vote to approve the motion. All Alderpersons voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
APPOINTMENTS
AUDIENCE TO VISITORS
Loras Schuster, 973 B Constance Lane expressed his concern with the electrical aggregation and the fees, procedure of opting in and out, and cost of the mailings.
CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approval of the Minutes for the Regular City Council Meeting of June 18, 2018. B. Plan Commission Meeting Minutes from April 9, 2018.
C. Payment of the Bills for July 2, 2018 in the amount of $122,851.07
MOTION
Alderperson Bauer moved to approve the Consent Agenda and Alderperson Stowe seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a roll call vote to approve the motion. Alderpersons Sherrod, Stouffer, Stowe, Bauer, Braser, Copple, Kramer, and Paulsen voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS, COMMUNICATIONS, AND BILLS
REPORT OF OFFICERS
City Manager – Brian Gregory said there were roof repairs today that brought an odor into the building when they applied a membrane that reflects the heat, so there was a period of time when the building was not accessible. Electrical Aggregation letters went out. He confirmed that the city has no cost in that program or for the mailings which are all done through MC Squared. The only cost to the city is staff time in answering questions and inquiries. Com Ed has a new rate June 1st, so some of the bills people had, show the rate prior to the June 1 rate. The rate is expected to increase again, too. He said there is a permanent opt-out form that residents can fill out to prevent from having to opt out in any future aggregation agreements. The school district decided to participate in the DeKalb County Enterprise Zone. This is another taxing body in Sycamore. This gives us a tool and puts us on the maps when businesses are working through site-selectors to consider Sycamore or another community. It takes us past the objective stage and allow us to get to the point where there is subjectivity where we can sell and talk about all the positives that Sycamore has. He said staff has been moving in a lot of different directions and different departments and he marvels at the work our staff, at every level, does and their level of commitment to the City of Sycamore and to the residents and thanked everyone.
Police Commander – Steve Cook said they will be conducting the “Lock it or Lose it” program from July 9- 15th. This is to remind residents to lock their car doors and remove any valuables when parked overnight.
Fire Chief – Pete Polarek said they have been busy with a semi-truck versus small bus accident that was another team effort including Police and Fire and the County Highway Department. They have gotten good use out of the new mobile prop unit. He said they have also been using DeKalb’s prop for training. They also participated in a Flag Pole Dedication representing the City and the Coast Guard.
Director of Public Works – Fred Busse said thank you to the City Manager for taking care of the TV camera equipment in his absence. The Water Department has been busy replacing fire hydrants on streets that are being repaired this summer. With the reconstruction of Maertz Drive, they cut out a strip along Well 6 parking area to facilitate when there is a media exchange, so that the semi-trucks can sit on a hard surface. They had previously sat on a staging of plywood.
Treasurer/Asst. to the City Manager – Adam Orton gave an update on the City’s participation of the Illinois E-Pay system that is run through the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office and assists the city in receiving credit card and e-check payments. They have upgraded their platform to include creating an account and accepting Visa payments. The audit field work has been completed and they will continue to work with them to provide information during the report writing phase.
Building & Engineering Director – John Sauter said they are reviewing plans for Metronet’s relay shelter at 2531 Bethany Road and expect to issue a permit in the next week or so. They did a final inspection at the County Jail Expansion last week and they were issued a full certificate of occupancy. Their plan is to be open for business at the end of July. They also did a final inspection at the KFC remodel and, with the exception of some exterior signage, that project is complete as well.
City Engineer – Mark Bushnell said at the same time that Metronet submitted plans for their relay shelter they submitted plans for the installation of their feeder ring. This is the first system in their infrastructure and primarily includes work along arterial roads including Peace and 23. When work is scheduled to begin, the City will post a link to Metronet’s website, which provides contact information related to any questions or concerns with construction. He said once work extends into residential neighborhoods residents will be informed via letters, postcards and finally yard markers. The Cracksealing project is out to bid. We have a list of 34 streets with bids due on July 13th. This work will be completed later in the summer, early fall when the roadway cracks open back up.
REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES
Finance – Alan Bauer - no report
Public Safety – Pete Paulsen - no report Public Works – Chuck Stowe - no report
PUBLIC HEARINGS - None ORDINANCES - None
RESOLUTIONS- None
CONSIDERATIONS
A. Consideration of a Building and Engineering Department Recommendation to Award a Contract for Concrete
Repairs on Bethany Road.
Per the agenda: On May 26th a section of Bethany Road failed. The concrete pavement heaved and failed exposing the reinforcement within the pavement.
City Engineer Mark Bushnell said there was a similar experience two years ago from a sudden rise in temperature, making the concrete expand and crack. They called out experts and repaired it when the road was hot, making sure it was expanded at that point and everything was fine for two years. Now with the warm weather, there was a similar failure, in front of Adient. Public Works crews worked quickly to patch the road, but to remediate the project, they have to go through the same steps, except they are taking the extra step of adding expansion in this section. It is a minimal cost in comparison to the total project cost so they would rather have that extra insurance. The three quotes received are below. His recommendation is for the low bidder, Elliott and Wood for $38,000. They did it last time very quickly and with minimal disruption to traffic. The mobilization costs and everything associated with the project are roughly the same and the concrete is a component of that but we received a lower unit price than we actually did two years ago.
| Elliott and Wood | $38,000 |
| Landmark Contractors | $39,900 |
| Alliance Contractors | $42,100 |
Alderperson Stouffer asked if there is a guarantee on the concrete.
City Engineer Mark Bushnell said they offer a one-year warranty on workmanship but not if there is a failure like this that is not related to their work.
Alderperson Bauer asked how much expansion this joint gives us.
City Engineer Mark Bushnell said the expansion can be up to two inches.
City Manager Brian Gregory said that the surface is 14 years old and it still looks good. As far as maintenance, $38,000 is a lot of money but when considered that our blacktop is rated for 10-15 years, so even though we have put some funding into it, the bang for our buck in concrete still outlasts the blacktop streets.
MOTION
Alderperson Braser moved to approve the Consideration to award the contract to Elliott and Wood for $38,000 and Alderperson Kramer seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a roll call vote to approve the motion. Alderpersons Sherrod, Stouffer, Stowe, Bauer, Braser, Copple, Kramer, and Paulsen voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
B. Consideration of the Sycamore Public Library’s Annual Report Presented by Executive Director Jesse Butz.
Executive Director Jesse Butz presented the Sycamore Library's Annual Report that included some of the following highlights:
• Fully staffed for the second year in a row.
• Fiscally responsible using Zero Based budgeting, remaining under budget while expanding services.
• Reallocated resources to the materials and services patrons want, hot-spots for magazines.
• Friends of Library Group has 28 members, has heathy reserves and now has 501 (c) 3 status.
He also reported some of the following statistics:
• 124,085 visitors
• serve 17,500 residents and 224,311 items checked out
• Electronic usage increasing with 79,247 available with 14 Hot Spots and growing
• 16,643 people attend programs over 10,425 from last year
• Summer Reading has eclipsed last year’s numbers.
He said this fiscal year is about reinventing our library. They have new signs on the outside of the building and have cleaned and freshened up the landscape outside, which will be more cost effective and tie with the city more. They have a new logo that also ties closer with the city, using the Sycamore Leaf with some books inside. They are releasing a new website in a few days. The state of the art website will be cleaner and easier to use and mobile responsive. They are wrapping up their strategic planning process with the help of community leaders, focus groups, and a community survey. This plan will help them decide the direction of the library for years to come to be responsive to the community. He invited everyone out to the library and thanked everyone for their continued support.
Alderperson Stouffer said they are doing a wonderful job being fiscally responsible, staying under budget, and especially for taking it to a zero based budget affording extra to make improvements to the building.
Mayor Lang said that Jesse Butz is moving on to new opportunities but we are so grateful. We look forward to our new director. He said Melissa Kendoza-Smith, who has served on the board for three years is also present and helped with the search of the new director.
OTHER NEW BUSINESS – None
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION
Alderperson Stowe moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:38 p.m. and Alderperson Paulsen seconded the motion.
VOICE VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a voice vote to approve the motion. All Alderpersons voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
Approve:
http://cityofsycamore.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/cc20180702mins.pdf
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