DeKalb Times

City of Genoa City Council met July 16.

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 Carroll, Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Brust and Lang were present. Aldermen Wesner and Cravatta were absent.

Mayor Vicary led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Motion made by Alderman Lang to approve the minutes of the July 9, 2019 Special City Council meeting, seconded by Alderman Brust. Voice vote was taken. All voted yes. Motion carried.

Motion made by Alderman Brust to approve payment of the accounts payables for the first half of July 2019 in the amount of $102,636.78, seconded by Alderman Winter. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Brust, Lang, Carroll, Di Guido, Stevenson and Winter voted yes. Motion carried.

ITEMS FROM INDIVIDUALS IN ATTENDANCE – None

OLD BUSINESS – None

NEW BUSINESS

CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE ANNUAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018-2019: Motion made by Alderman Stevenson to approve an Ordinance amending the Annual Budget for the Fiscal Year beginning May 1, 2018 and ending April 30, 2019, for the City of Genoa, DeKalb County, Illinois, seconded by Alderman Lang. Finance Office Manager, Jan Tures, explained that once a year we need to amend the Budget to accommodate for unforeseen expenditures. She indicated that increased revenues covered the increased expenses. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Stevenson, Winter, Brust, Lang, Carroll and Di Guido voted yes. Motion carried.

CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CITY CODE PERTAINING TO THE SALE OF TOBACCO: Motion made by Alderman Di Guido to approve an Ordinance amending Title 5, Chapter 2, Minors, Section 2 of the City Code of the City of Genoa, seconded by Alderman Brust. Chief Smith clarified that tobacco cannot be purchased by anyone under the age of 21, but they cannot be given a citation if they possess it while under age. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Brust, Lang and Carroll voted yes. Motion carried.

CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CITY CODE PERTAINING TO DRIVING WITH EXPIRED REGISTRATION: Motion made by Alderman Brust to approve an Ordinance amending Title 6, Motor Vehicles and Traffic, Chapter 2, Stopping, Standing and Parking, Section 4 of the City Code of the City of Genoa, seconded by Alderman Lang. Chief Smith explained that due to the State increasing the price of their citations to $164 for expired registration as of July 1, 2019, he would like the City citations to remain at $20. It was brought up that the City would have the capability of re-evaluating this and amending it again in the future if needed. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Brust, Lang, Carroll, Di Guido, Stevenson and Winter voted yes. Motion carried.

Guest Speaker: George Gaulrapp, the External Affairs Manager for ComEd went over some outage information for Genoa for 2018. He explained that outages can be due to animals chewing wires, tree branches, storms, vehicles hitting poles, equipment failure, etc. He stated that ComEd has implemented several devices and equipment to assist in preventing & lessening power outages, including distribution automation devices, as well as smart meters, grids and fuses, which are considered parts of a “self-healing” system. George then indicated that over the next few months, ComEd will be replacing some equipment and approximately 500 old electrical poles in Genoa and the surrounding areas. George then announced that ComEd has rewarded the City of Genoa an Openlands Grant in the amount of $10,000. He then presented the $10,000 check to Mayor Vicary. Alderman Carroll commended the program that ComEd has where they go to homes and replace light bulbs with energy efficient ones. George stated that the program is called Residential Audit. He indicated that this is a free service and they will replace all your lights with led lights, wrap your pipes for the hot water heater, install a programmable thermostat and install power strips. ComEd also partners with Nicor and they will install low flow shower heads. Due to all of these items being energy efficient, residents should see a noticeable reduction in their energy bills.

OTHER BUSINESS: (ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION):

CONSIDER A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH WG MUNICIPAL MANAGEMENT, LLC: City Administrator, Art Osten Jr., stated that Mr. Ganek’s current contract has ended, but would like it extended so he can assist with various projects that are already in motion or may arise. Mr. Osten indicated that with his limited hours, Bill’s experience & knowledge will allow us to accomplish things in a timelier manner. He also stated that funds are budgeted and the City would be reimbursed from Developers to cover some of the expenses. Some of the projects Bill would be working on include: the purchase of some tax delinquent properties relating to the RiverBend subdivision, fixing issues with our current Unified Development Ordinance, major development proposal’s that may come to town and to offer general advice. There was discussion pertaining to the number of hours Bill would be working. Art explained that it would be based more on dollar amount because if Bill was working on a development project, the expense wouldn’t be coming out of the City Budget. Also, Bill’s services would be on an “as needed” basis.

 Motion made by Alderman Di Guido to approve a Professional Services Agreement for City Consultant Services, seconded by Alderman Lang. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Brust, Lang and Carroll voted yes. Motion carried.

CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE APPROVING AMENDMENTS TO THE FINAL PUD, FINAL PLAT OF SUBDIVISION AND A STREET VACATION WITHIN RIVERBEND: Brian Grainger, the RiverBend Developer, was present to answer questions and address any concerns. He was asked if the new street would still be called Stearn Drive. He responded yes. Director Gentile added that he spoke with the Post Master, Police Department, Fire Department and the County, and they are all okay with the addresses being Stearn Drive. He also indicated that the units in the front of Stearn Drive would be even number addresses and the units in the back would be odd number addresses; that way in the event of an emergency, the fire department would be able to identify the location easier. It was also asked if parking would be allowed on the street. Director Gentile responded that parking will be permitted on one side of the street. The opposite side of the mailboxes so there’s no conflict with the post office delivering mail and also to prevent a restricted view when trying to back out of a driveway. Alderman Brust expressed his concern regarding the stub street on Winding Trail. He doesn’t care for the idea of blocking it off to thru traffic and tearing up the street. Brian Grainger responded that he would like it blocked off to limit access to the retirement community and defer people from cutting through. Brian also suggested maybe putting in a speed bump. Director Gentile added that maybe narrowing the street or putting brick pavers down may be an option, as it wouldn’t look like an actual thru street, but emergency vehicles would still be able to access it if needed. It was determined that Director Gentile would work with Brian Grainger to work out a solution and Alderman Brust would be involved in the process as well.

 Motion made by Alderman Stevenson to approve an Ordinance approving an amended Final Planned Unit Development and amended Final Plat for Units 4 and 6 of the Riverbend Subdivision and a Plat of Vacation for a portion of Stearn Drive and Angler Lane, seconded by Alderman Lang. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Stevenson, Winter, Brust, Lang, Carroll and Di Guido voted yes. Motion carried.

CONSIDER ORDINANCES ESTABLISHING SSA’S: City Administrator, Art Osten Jr., began the discussion by explaining that Special Service Area’s (SSA’s) are designed to serve as an insurance policy. These will allow the City to levy a special property tax on those properties if the home owner or Home Owner Association doesn’t provide enough funds for utility repairs and/or landscaping to the City’s satisfaction. The City would then have the capability of using those funds for the repairs. He indicated that Unit 4 would need approximately $5,000 in reserves to cover landscaping, signage and possibly drainage issues. The money can be built up over time since they are new and won’t require maintenance for quite some time. He then stated that Unit 6 is estimated to need $360,000 in reserves. It is much higher due to the original water, sewer and storm water being built for single family homes. Now to accommodate the higher density for the quads, utilities are under garages and driveways, so if/when they need to be repaired it will be more costly. Mr. Osten asked Assistant City Administrator, Alyssa Seguss for clarification regarding the Public Hearing and process to get the SSA’s in place. She responded that the Public Hearing will be September 17, 2019 and we have been advised to wait 60 days in case there is an appeal. So the earliest the SSA’s would be in place would be December 3, 2019.

 Motion made by Alderman Winter to approve an Ordinance proposing the establishment of a Riverbend Special Service Area 2 within the City of Genoa and providing a Public Hearing and other procedures in connection therewith for the property commonly known as Unit Four of the Riverbend addition to Genoa, seconded by Alderman Stevenson. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Winter, Brust, Lang, Carroll, Di Guido and Stevenson voted yes. Motion carried.

 Motion made by Alderman Brust to approve an Ordinance proposing the establishment of a Riverbend Special Service Area 3 within the City of Genoa and providing a Public Hearing and other procedures in connection therewith for the property commonly known as Unit Six of the Riverbend addition to Genoa, seconded by Alderman Carroll. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Brust, Lang, Carroll, Di Guido, Stevenson and Winter voted yes. Motion carried.

DEPARTMENT REPORTS

Administrative Report – City Administrator, Art Osten Jr. reported that he and Alyssa will be attending a zoning class. He was asked for a status update on the food pantry. Art responded that he has been working with the Developer and B & F Construction Code Services. There have been some issues regarding which codes apply. Art stated that he would be following up to see where they are with everything. Assistant City Administrator, Alyssa Seguss added that the owners of the Everything Floral building took the siding off and are interested in the Façade Program. Also, the City will begin accepting bids for the house on South Sycamore Street for asbestos removal and demolition.

Public Works – Public Works Director, Rich Gentile, reported that with the Openlands Grant that we received for $10,000, the City is obligated to match that for improvements. He stated that he would like to pave the canoe launch access road and install a paved trail connecting the pedestrian path to the South.

Police Department – Chief Smith reported that school starts August 19th and he would be meeting with the school to discuss the upcoming school year. He also reached out to the Pastor at the church to discuss the parking issues. Chief then stated that he will be meeting with the State’s Attorney at the end of the month to discuss the upcoming changes regarding Cannabis. Once that is done, he will discuss with staff what needs to be done to be in compliance with the new law.

Mayor’s Report – Mayor Vicary reported that we will be seeing some construction soon for the Sugar on Top bakery and the Gillerson’s Grubbery that will be opening soon. He then asked the Aldermen to please let Alyssa know if/when they are unable to attend meetings to ensure there’s a quorum.

ANNOUNCEMENTS – Fish Fry at the Genoa Veteran’s Home on Friday, Movies on Main Street on Saturday and Brian Grainger’s ground breaking BBQ on Thursday, July 25th from 4-7 p.m.

Motion to adjourn the regular meeting of the City Council was made by Alderman Brust, seconded by Alderman Di Guido. Voice vote was taken. All voted yes. Motion carried. Meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m.

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