City of Sycamore City Council met April 1.
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: Chuck Stowe, Alan Bauer, Steve Braser, Nancy Copple, Rick Kramer, Pete Paulsen, Virginia Sherrod, and David Stouffer. City Attorney Keith Foster was also present.
INVOCATION – Student Seth Harbeck, accompanied by Advisor Rob Majerus, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, gave the invocation.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Led by Seth Harbeck
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
MOTION
Alderperson Braser moved to approve the agenda and Alderperson Kramer seconded the motion.
VOICE VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a voice vote to approve the motion. All Alderpersons voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
AUDIENCE TO VISITORS
CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approval of the Minutes for the Regular City Council Meeting of March 18, 2019. B. Payment of the Bills for April 1, 2019 the amount of $188,361.09.
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 Stowe, Bauer, Braser, Copple, Kramer, Paulsen, Sherrod, and Stouffer voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS, COMMUNICATIONS, AND BILLS
A. A Proclamation Declaring April 1, 2019 as National Service Recognition Day in the City of Sycamore, Illinois. B. A Proclamation Declaring April 2019 as Child Abuse Prevention Month in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.
REPORT OF OFFICERS
City Manager – Brian Gregory shared that there will not be a Plan Commission in April. April 4th will be Sycamore’s turn for the DeKalb County Regional Planning Commission meeting which will be hosted at the new Park District Community Center. He also said they are working with Morningstar Media to refresh the website as it has been over four years since the website was first designed. He thanked Public Works for the work performed in the Finance office where they installed functional security deterrent cabinets and counter tops.
Police Chief – Jim Winters said April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and said it continues to be an issue in our city, across the state, and across the country. In 2017, there were 3100 deaths due just from distracted driving. They will be focusing on this and having additional distracted driving details to bring more awareness. They are partnering with the Sycamore Chamber on Wednesday, April 3rd, for an Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evaluate, (A.L.I.C.E.) presentation at the DeKalb County Community Foundation from 8 am to 9 am. There are 60 business owners who are registered. He also said that Sergeants are planning Ward meetings.
Fire Chief – Pete Polarek said they put out the annual press release related to the outdoor warning sirens explaining what they are, what they aren’t, and what you can expect. They were designed to caution those who are outdoors, not inside. The contractor has done the inspection and the sirens are up and running. He said that it is National Safe Digging Month where folks should call 811 to get a ticket before digging for landscape planting so they don’t hit a gas or utility line.
Director of Public Works – Fred Busse provided the schedule for the spring fire hydrant flushing will begin before the next meeting. The process has changed to split the town into two sections where they are starting with 70 hydrants on the outskirts to flush water slowly through the neighborhoods, to hopefully minimize any rust problems. They will have signs in the immediate areas of the flushing. WRT completed a media exchange at well #6 and is now online. Well #8 will be taken out of service next week and the media will be exchanged as needed. He anticipates that Well #10 will be done in October before winter. He reported that the Street Division is busy repairing parkway damage.
Treasurer/Asst. to the City Manager – Adam Orton said he’s pleased to announce that the City of Sycamore has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association for the second year in a row. This is the highest form of recognition that governmental accounting and financial reporting can receive. He said that while we have balanced budgets and healthy fund balances, that this is a testament to the financial management and the transparency side. He thanked the Mayor, Council, City Manager, and Department Heads for their help and encouragement in pursuing this level of transparency. He also thanked the Finance staff who works hard all year. The results are clean audits and recognition of this sort.
Human Resources Director – Maggie Peck said for March’s Give Back Campaign, there were 20 employees and family members who cleaned up the city streets downtown on Saturday, March 23rd. For April’s campaign, the City has partnered with Meals on Wheels where employees have signed up to volunteer their time for the next two weeks to deliver meals to local residents. She introduced Team Academy that was started this year where they will work on development, growth, and additional opportunities for employees. The training, that will be once a month for six months, starts next week and there are 16 enrolled so far.
Building & Engineering Director – John Sauter Absent
City Engineer – Mark Bushnell said that John Sauter couldn’t be present so reporting on his behalf, said that the full building permits were issued for the Meijer main store and gas station. There is a construction meeting on April 15th so we can expect to see some activity at the site soon. A building permit was also issued for Buffalo Grill, which will be taking over the space at 422 W. State Street (the old Hopper’s Poppers location). They’re making some minor revisions and should be open for business within the next month or so. He said for the engineering side, Well #5 Abandonment is underway and tomorrow the contractor will begin moving equipment to the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) where work should soon begin.
REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES
Finance – Alan Bauer - no report
Public Safety – Pete Paulsen - no report. Public Works – Chuck Stowe - no report
PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Public Hearing on the Proposed FY2019-20 City Budget.
Mayor Lang opened the public hearing and hearing no comment, closed the public hearing.
ORDINANCES
A. Ordinance 2018.17—An Ordinance Amending Title 4, “Public Health and Safety,” Chapter 1, “Fire Department,” Section 4-1-7, “Ambulance Service”, Subsection B, “Fees for Service,” in the City Code of the City of Sycamore, Illinois. First and Second Reading.
City Manager Brian Gregory said this is here tonight as an Ordinance but came as a Consideration at the last Council meeting where a recommendation to adjust the ambulance user fees were discussed. The cost to provide the service was calculated at $1,720 for an average call. This is in line with the $1,200-$1,800 range that Andreas Medical Billing (AMB) is seeing as the trend, regardless of the type of service provided, so it was recommended that we adopt a flat fee of $1,720. It was discussed that the City would waive all out of pocket costs for residents, creating a differential as they have always have. They will also continue to write off charity as they have in the past. He said just because the City is billing what it costs, doesn’t mean that they will recoup what it costs due to the assignments from Medicare and Medicaid and the charity applied. As stated in the agenda:
To cover the rising costs of providing ambulance service and align with the direction the ambulance billing industry is moving, the Fire Department proposes increasing the fee based to $1,720 for Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support 1 and 2 as follows:
| Residency Status | BLS | ALS 1 | ALS 2 | Mileage (per loaded mile) | ||||
| Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed | |
| Resident | $650 | $1,720 | $825 | $1,720 | $950 | $1,720 | $13 | $13 |
| Non- Resident | $850 | $1,050 | $1,200 | $14 | $14 | |||
| Treat, No Transport: $200 (no change proposed) | ||||||||
| ALS Intercept: $850 (no change proposed) | ||||||||
| Bariatric Lift Assist: $860 (previously $700) | ||||||||
• The impact would be reduced on the resident as the City would write off the balance (deductible, co-pay, etc.) after insurance, Medicare or Medicaid payment is made.
• The City would continue to write-off balances for indigent accounts.
• The amount of labor associated with the account billing process, follow-up and collection efforts would be significantly reduced.
• With a flat billing rate, AMB would reduce its billing fee from 4.95% to 4%.
Alderman Stowe said he knows they write off the balance of a resident but he’s worried if the City will be as charitable about an out-of-towner driving through.
Mr. Gregory said the same charitable way would apply. If the hospital applied their criteria and they were deemed to be given that charity, the City would apply it the same way. It would be similar to now with the differentiation.
Alderman Bauer asked what the other community’s rates are.
Mr. Gregory said that DeKalb is $1,800 and when they talked with Pat Mannix at AMB, he said that most are in the $1,500- $1,800 range. It appeared that some communities just picked a flat rate number but Mr. Gregory said they didn’t want to do that. They wanted to rival what the cost was.
Chief Polarek said that many of the communities are on the $1,800 side of the scale. Every community sets their own rate and says this is fair.
Mayor Lang said there has been a lot of effort to come up with this number.
Mr. Gregory added that the resident status would apply to the Fire Protection District.
MOTION
Alderperson Paulsen moved to waive First Reading for Ordinance 2018.17 and Alderperson Kramer seconded the motion.
VOICE VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a voice vote to approve the motion. All Alderpersons voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
MOTION
Alderperson Paulsen moved to approve Ordinance 2018.17 and Alderperson Kramer seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a roll call vote to approve the motion. Alderpersons Stowe, Bauer, Braser, Copple, Kramer, Paulsen, Sherrod, and Stouffer voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
B. Ordinance 2018.18—An Ordinance Concerning the Adoption of the Combined Budget and Appropriation Ordinance for the Fiscal Year 2019-20 in the City of Sycamore, Illinois. First Reading.
City Manager Brian Gregory said there will be one more public hearing on this ordinance at the next meeting.
C. Ordinance 2018.19—An Ordinance Amending Title 1, “Administration,” Chapter 10, “Personnel Rules,” of the City Code of the City of Sycamore to Authorize Non-Elective Positions for the City of Sycamore, Illinois. First Reading.
City Manager Brian Gregory said this is just a companion to the budget ordinance outlining the positions funded through the budget.
D. Ordinance 2018.20—An Ordinance Establishing Offices and Fixing the Compensation of Certain Appointed Officers of the City of Sycamore, Illinois, County of DeKalb, State of Illinois for the Fiscal Year Commencing on the First Day of May 2019 and Ending on the Thirtieth Day of April, 2020. First Reading.
City Manager Brian Gregory said this outlines the compensation where they have established ranges allowing replacements to come in below the current office holder.
RESOLUTIONS
A. Resolution No. 785—A Resolution Approving an Extension to the Employment Agreement Between the City of Sycamore and Peter Polarek as Fire Chief in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.
City Manager Brian Gregory said the current contract is set to expire on April 30. Mr. Polarek has been the Fire Chief since 2012 and an employee since 2010 and continues professional development to stay up to date and relevant. In addition to his leadership, he has led the charge that has brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding. This contract would extend through December 31, 2022. He thanked the Chief for his efforts.
MOTION
Alderperson Stowe moved to approve Resolution 785 and Alderperson Bauer seconded the motion.
Alderman Kramer said he has personally worked on Chief Polarek’s fire grounds for many years and said his level of professionalism and what he does in this town is strictly amazing so he has 100% of my vote.
ROLL CALL VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a roll call vote to approve the motion. Alderpersons, Stowe, Bauer, Braser, Copple, Kramer, Paulsen, Sherrod, and Stouffer voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
Chief Polarek sincerely thanked the Council for the trust and confidence given to him. It helps him do his job to the best of his ability and said he will continue to work to earn that.
B. Resolution No. 786—A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of an Extension and Modification to the Lease Agreement Between the City of Sycamore and Zea Mays Holdings for Suite 301 in the Sycamore Center in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.
City Manager Brian Gregory thanked Maggie Peck who worked with all the tenants and put these leases together. Zea Mays, who has been in the building since it was remodeled, needed less space and the next tenant, Greenfield Creative needed more space. Maggie, with the help of Public Works, was able to accommodate this request, adjusting the rents for the space. This rent is $2,800 per month.
MOTION
Alderperson Kramer moved to approve Resolutions 786 and Alderperson Sherrod seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a roll call vote to approve the motion. Alderpersons, Stowe, Bauer, Braser, Copple, Kramer, Paulsen, Sherrod, and Stouffer voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
C. Resolution No. 787—A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of an Extension and Modification to the Lease Agreement Between the City of Sycamore and Greenfield Creative for Suite 302 the Sycamore Center in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.
City Manager Brian Gregory pointed out that the leases from this building go to the Public Building Fund which helps support all the maintenance of city buildings. He invited the Council to check out the Finance Department project which was funded through the tenant dollars. He said this lease is for $1,810 per month.
MOTION
Alderperson Kramer moved to approve Resolutions 787 and Alderperson Stouffer seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a roll call vote to approve the motion. Alderpersons, Stowe, Bauer, Braser, Copple, Kramer, Paulsen, Sherrod, and Stouffer voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
D. Resolution No. 788— A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of an Extension and Modification to the Lease Agreement Between the City of Sycamore and Shop in Style for Suite 101A the Retail Space in the Sycamore Center.
City Manager Brian Gregory said Shop in Style has rented for seven years and they are a good fit as the City wanted to have retail on the street frontage. They are open periodically throughout the week and bring a considerable amount of traffic to the downtown but at the same time, their periodic hours are less disruptive. This lease is $850 per month.
MOTION
Alderperson Kramer moved to approve Resolutions 788 and Alderperson Stouffer seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a roll call vote to approve the motion. Alderpersons, Stowe, Bauer, Braser, Copple, Kramer, Paulsen, Sherrod, and Stouffer voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
E. Resolution No. 789—A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of an Extension to the Lease Agreement Between the City of Sycamore and Mr. G’s Music for Suite B101 in the Sycamore Center.
City Manager Brian Gregory said the Council has approved two different leases first for the room in the basement and then an addendum for extra space. That arrangement has worked out so this would align this lease with the others in the building with a starting date of May 1st and comes as $700 per month. He also mentioned that the mezzanine space of 776 square feet is available to rent.
MOTION
Alderperson Kramer moved to approve Resolutions 789 and Alderperson Stowe seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a roll call vote to approve the motion. Alderpersons, Stowe, Bauer, Braser, Copple, Kramer, Paulsen, Sherrod, and Stouffer voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
CONSIDERATIONS - None
OTHER NEW BUSINESS
APPOINTMENTS
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION
Alderperson Stowe moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:43 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.
https://cityofsycamore.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cc20190401mins.pdf
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