DeKalb Times

City of Genoa City Council met Aug. 6.

Here is the minutes provided by the council:

Mayor Pro Tem Stevenson called the regular meeting of the City Council to order at 7:07 p.m. Roll call was taken. Aldermen Wesner, Carroll, Winter, Cravatta, Brust and Lang were present. Motion made by Alderman Cravatta to allow Alderman Di Guido to attend the meeting remotely due to a work related absence, seconded by Alderman Lang. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Cravatta, Brust, Lang, Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido, Winter and Mayor Pro Temp Stevenson voted yes. Motion carried

Mayor Pro Tem Stevenson led the Pledge of Allegiance.

GUEST SPEAKER: None

Motion made by Alderman Winter to approve the minutes of the July 16, 2019 regular City Council meeting, seconded by Alderman Lang. Voice vote was taken. All voted yes. Motion carried.

Motion made by Alderman Winter to approve payment of the accounts payables for the second half of July 2019 in the amount of $111,446.93, seconded by Alderman Cravatta. Alderman Carroll stated that for line items 3, 4 & 5 to B&F Construction Code Services, she would like more information in the packet regarding these charges, as they are a substantial amount of money. City Administrator, Art Osten Jr., responded that most of the expenses to B&F are reimbursable. He also indicated that more information has been added to the Accounts Payable Summary, such as “see memo” or “reimbursable expenses”, due to the new purchasing policy and for a better explanation of some of the purchases and expenses. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Winter, Cravatta, Brust, Lang, Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido and Mayor Pro Tem Stevenson voted yes. Motion carried.

ITEMS FROM INDIVIDUALS IN ATTENDANCE – Mr. John Cornwell who resides at 243 A Street addressed Council. He requested that the City take a look at his alley and consider re- paving it. He indicated that the alley is breaking apart and turning into gravel. He stated that the garbage trucks have driven on it so much that it is falling into the ditch. Mayor Pro Tem Stevenson responded that Public Works Director, Rich Gentile, will take a look at it and get back to him.

OLD BUSINESS – None

NEW BUSINESS

CONSIDER AN APPOINTMENT TO THE POLICE PENSION BOARD: Motion made by Alderman Winter to approve the appointment of Jamie Sibigtroth as a member of the Police Pension Board, seconded by Alderman Cravatta. Jamie Sibigtroth introduced herself. She stated that she has worked at Heartland Bank for 16 years and enjoys being involved in the Community. Mayor Pro Tem Stevenson thanked Jamie for filling the vacancy and volunteering her time. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Winter, Cravatta, Brust, Lang, Wesner, Carroll,

Di Guido and Mayor Pro Tem Stevenson voted yes. Motion carried.

CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CITY CODE PERTAINNG TO SPECIFY THE PENALTY FOR OUTDOOR BURNING: Motion made by Alderman Brust to approve an Ordinance creating Title 4, Chapter 4, Outdoor Burning, Section 8 of the City Code of the City of Genoa, seconded by Alderman Winter. Chief Smith and Assistant City Administrator, Alyssa Seguss indicated that the rules of this Ordinance are not changing; there was no reference to a fine in the title of the Ordinance, so it is just being added. It was determined that the fine is $50. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Brust, Lang, Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido, Winter, Cravatta and Mayor Pro Tem Stevenson voted yes. Motion carried.

AUTHORIZATION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE CANOE LAUNCH AND PATH:

Motion made by Alderman Wesner to authorize the Director of Public Works to move forward with the Canoe Launch and Path and Citizens’ Park, seconded by Alderman Carroll. Public Works Director, Rich Gentile, provided a hand out to Council with a picture for a better understanding of the canoe launch access road, trail improvements and event parking along the paved trails. Aldermen Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido, Winter, Cravatta, Brust, Lang and Mayor Pro Tem Stevenson voted yes. Motion carried.

CONSIDER THE PURCHASE OF 2 NEW SALT SPREADER CONTROLLERS: Motion made by Alderman Winter to approve the purchase of 2 new salt spreader controllers, not to exceed $6,528, seconded by Alderman Brust. Director Gentile was asked why they are being purchased now. He responded that it takes a while for them to come in and for them to be calibrated. He was also asked if these are to replace existing ones. He responded yes and as they get older, they start becoming obsolete with newer equipment. He also stressed the importance of controlling how much salt is being spread due to the cost and the impact it has on the roads. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Winter, Cravatta, Brust, Lang, Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido and Mayor Pro Tem Stevenson voted yes. Motion carried.

CONSIDER RESCINDING A BID AND AWARDING A BID FOR THE NORTH WATER TOWER REPAINTING:

• Motion made by Alderman Wesner to rescind a bid award to TeCorp Inc., for the IEPA North Elevated Water Storage Tank Repainting and Improvements Project, not to exceed $353,353, subject to the City’s IEPA Loan and Forgiveness Receipt, seconded by Alderman Lang. Public Works Director, Rich Gentile, explained to Council that since TeCorp Inc., will be unable to complete the project this year, he would like to rescind the bid and award it to the next lowest bidder, L.C. United Painting Co. Inc. He stated that L.C. United Painting Co. Inc. indicated that they will be able to complete the project by the end of this calendar year. Mr. Gentile also stated that he wants the project completed as soon as possible, as it may affect the 75% forgiveness loan from the IEPA, if the project hasn’t been completed by the end of the fiscal year in which it was awarded. He was asked if the City has worked with the new Contractor. He responded no, but our City Engineers, Baxter & Woodman have. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido, Winter, Cravatta, Brust, Lang and Mayor Pro Tem Stevenson voted yes. Motion carried.

• Motion made by Alderman Wesner to award the lowest responsible bid contract for the IEPA North Elevated Water Storage Tank Repainting and Improvements Project to L.C. United Painting Co. Inc., not to exceed $354,000, subject to the City’s IEPA Loan and Forgiveness Receipt, seconded by Alderman Cravatta. No further discussion. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido, Winter, Cravatta, Brust, Lang and Mayor Pro Tem Stevenson voted yes. Motion carried.

CONSIDER AMENDMENTS TO THE MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION DEVICES: Motion made by Alderman Brust to approve an Ordinance amending Title 1, Chapter 4, General Penalty, Section 1 and Title 6, Chapter 1, General Traffic Provisions, Section 2 of the City Code of the City of Genoa, seconded by Alderman Winter. Chief Smith stated that we are unable to issue City citations for cell phone usage. They must be a State issued citation. At a previous City Council meeting, an Ordinance was adopted to keep the cell phone usage citation at the City level, but we are unable to do so due to state law that was passed July 1, 2019. Our City Ordinance needs to be amended to be in compliance with state law and reflect that cell phone usage citations must be issued at the State level. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Brust, Lang, Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido, Winter, Cravatta and Mayor Pro Tem Stevenson voted yes. Motion carried.

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

CONSIDER A LEASE AGREEMENT WITH A PROPERTY OWNER FOR A FENCE:

Motion made by Alderman Cravatta to approve a lease agreement with the property owner at 812 Stone Creek Circle for the installation of a fence on City property, seconded by Alderman Brust. Public Works Director, Rich Gentile, began by stating that the resident would like to extend their fence across a small portion of a City owned right-of-way, which is located adjacent to a drive that provides access to the un-annexed farm property in the Oak Creek subdivision. He also indicated that the property owner has the ability to extend their fence across the road and block access, but will not do so if they are able to put part of their fence on City property. It was determined that the City is able to revoke the agreement at any time for any reason. Mr. Gentile then indicated that there was mention of possibly swapping that small portion of property, but the property owner said he was not interested in that at this time. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Cravatta, Wesner, Di Guido, Winter and Mayor Pro Tem Stevenson voted yes. Aldermen Brust, Lang and Carroll voted no. Motion carried.

DEPARTMENT REPORTS

Administrative Report – City Administrator, Art Osten Jr. reported that the finance budget report is more detailed for a better understanding of the numbers. He also indicated that he & Alyssa are working on a new revolving loan application, property maintenance issues and license to pour and gaming license ideas. They will bring ideas to Council at a later date for discussion. He stated that the County has a zoning variation that they are planning for a property located just outside City limits on Madison Street by Cherry Road. They would like to put an oversized garage/pole barn. They will be discussing this on August 22, 2019. Mr. Osten asked Council if we would like to provide input to the County. Consensus amongst Council was yes. Mr. Osten stated that the County may not accept our input, but we could voice our position. Lastly, the demolition for the property on South Sycamore Street is approaching and Mr. Osten spoke with

Attorney Slingerland to see if the City would be able to put a lien on the property or do a foreclosure to try and recover some of our costs. Attorney Slingerland stated that City can put a lien on the property that includes all of the expenses we have incurred regarding the demolition and when the property sells, the City will be in line to be reimbursed for those expenses. The other option would be to file a lien to move to foreclosure, which would include sending a notice to the property owner, going to court to have the judge determine if it is a valid lean and orders it to be sold. We would then have to put notice in the paper, wait a period of time and finally the Sheriff conducts a sale. The Sheriff receives the money from the sale, takes out his expenses and sends the City what’s left. Mr. Osten was asked about an update on the food pantry. He responded that the issues between B&F Construction Code Services and the property owner have been worked out and are now moving forward with the project.

Public Works – Public Works Director, Rich Gentile, reported that the East parking lot at City Hall will be seal coated and striped courtesy of Custom Aluminum. Also, there is a pre- construction meeting with IDOT regarding Rt. 72 on August 13, 2019. If the project gets underway, it will not affect the Car Show on August 17th.

Police Department – Chief Smith thanked Jamie Sibigtroth for stepping up and joining the Police Pension Board, as they have had a lot of difficulty with having a quorum. There is now an opening on the Police & Fire Commission Board due to Ron Slavenas stepping down. Chief Smith then indicated that there was an increase in the Police Pension costs due to hiring Officer Hoffstead back, as he previously worked full time for us, so is on a higher tier and his age is also a contributing factor. We were able to save some expense as no training was needed for him. He then indicated that School Resource Officer Gates will be going on maternity leave soon, so he and Sergeant Hathcoat will be filling in. Lastly, Chief Smith indicated that he met with the State’s Attorney regarding the cannabis update. The law goes into effect January 1, 2020, so he is working with Assistant City Administrator, Alyssa Seguss, to amend the City Ordinance to be in compliance by then. There was some discussion regarding dispensaries, impairment, paraphernalia and growing cannabis. Chief Smith was asked about the property on Second Street. He responded that a lot of it has been cleaned up and he will do a follow up to see where the resident is in the process.

Mayor’s Report – None

ANNOUNCEMENTS – Genoa Car Show will be Saturday, August 17, 2019. Alderman Brust will be unable to attend the next Council meeting and Alderman Di Guido will need to attend remotely,

Motion to adjourn the regular meeting of the City Council was made by Alderman Wesner, seconded by Alderman Lang. Voice vote was taken. All voted yes. Motion carried. Meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m.

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