DeKalb Times

City of Sycamore City Council met Sept. 3.

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: Nancy Copple, Josh Huseman, Rick Kramer, Pete Paulsen, Virginia Sherrod, Chuck Stowe, Alan Bauer, and Steve Braser. City Attorney Keith Foster was also present.

INVOCATION – Pastor Dan Swinson, Sycamore United Methodist Church, gave the invocation. 

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

MOTION

Alderperson Sherrod moved to approve the agenda and Alderperson Braser 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- None

AUDIENCE TO VISITORS - None

CONSENT AGENDA

A. Approval of the Minutes for the Regular City Council Meeting of August 19, 2019. B. Payment of the Bills for September 3, 2019 in the amount of $3,728,954.26.

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 Copple, Huseman, Kramer, Paulsen, Sherrod, Stowe, and Braser voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.

PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS, COMMUNICATIONS, AND BILLS

A. A Proclamation Declaring September 2019 as National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.

Mayor Lang read the proclamation as he said we have all been affected by suicide in town for the last three years.

REPORT OF OFFICERS

City Manager – Brian Gregory said at the next Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on September 9th, there will be an action item for Wellspring Counseling Services for a Special Use for the former Morningstar Media building at 240 Edward Street. There will be two workshop items for St. Mary’s Church who is looking for a Special Use to do some work on the corner of Waterman and Somonauk Streets. The second item is Mason Properties bringing forward plans for the site of the fire at St. Albans. The Mayor’s Ad Hoc Committee will meet on September 18th at 5 p.m. He said the “old” new sign of “Life Offers More in Sycamore” is up on the south side of the Auto Meter building. He talked about preserving our past as we move forward. It’s important to remember who we are and what Sycamore is about. He thanked everyone involved with getting that sign put back up.

Police Chief – Jim Winters said thanks for the proclamation as suicide affects our community and our First Responders. He appreciates bringing attention to a very serious situation. September 6th-21st, officers will be participating in the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Speed Campaign. Through some grant funding received, they will run some speed details to try to slow drivers down and increase the speed enforcement. There are about 450 accidents a year of which 38% are related to speed.

Deputy Fire Chief – Art Zern said after hearing the proclamation, he echoes the Police Chief. Being a survivor of suicide of a family member, it was something that wasn’t ever talked about. He appreciates bringing this proclamation forward as it’s important.

Director of Public Works – Fred Busse said he will save his time for the agenda item but said that Assistant Director of Public Works, Matt Anderson, who got all the quotes shown in the background, is present to answer any questions.

Treasurer/Asst. to the City Manager – Adam Orton said in keeping up with banking technology that could benefit the City, they have implemented Positive Pay which is a list of checks the City has cut so the bank can compare the checks as they clear to minimize fraud. They already have ACH Positive Pay, which is similar but with ACH debits. The second program is Bill Pay Consolidation. This replaces the physical checks that are submitted to the City for water bills that are paid through the bank’s bill pay system. They will now be captured and deposited electronically saving the City time on processing about 700 checks per month. The 2020 Census is quickly approaching so they are looking for ways to partner or work with the Census Bureau to get the most accurate count and promote the fullest participation.

Building & Engineering Director – John Sauter said he’ll reserve his time for the building code agenda item, but did want to note that they’re at 31 single family permits as of the end of August. Last year at this time, they were at 35, but there’s still plenty of time left in the construction season to catch up to last year.

Director of Human and Administrative Resources (DHAR) – Maggie Peck said Open Enrollment is now closed. The Safety Committee met to discuss how to mitigate risk around the City. All Department Heads are participating in doing a safety checklist for their buildings. The risk providers will be double checking those lists, too. For this month’s Give-Back Campaign, employees are helping deliver Meals on Wheels for the next two weeks and will be partnering with the Illinois Food Bank to help unload the truck next Monday.

City Engineer – Mark Bushnell said as roadwork continues, they will continue to post updates regarding City of Sycamore work as well as any information received on County and City projects impacting our residents and businesses. His name and contact information are on the bottom of each update. Once a month, they upload photos and videos of the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) to YouTube. This offers a safe and unique view of the progress at the plant. Once on YouTube, type in Sycamore WWTP.

Mayor Lang asked Mark Bushnell to give an update regarding Route 64.

Mark Bushnell said that IDOT is doing road patching with road closures starting at 7 am to 3 pm and will shut down one lane at a time. The work will occur between the library and east towards the Kane County line and from Peace Road to the high school entrance. There shouldn’t be any impact to downtown. They have 26 working days to complete the project.

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

A. Ordinance No. 2019.20—An Ordinance Amending Title 9, “Building Regulations,” of the City Code of City of Sycamore to Adopt the 2015 International Building Code, the 2015 International Residential Code for One and Two- Family Dwellings, the 2015 International Fire Code, the 2015 International Plumbing Code, the 2015 International Mechanical Code, the 2015 International Fuel and Gas Code, the 2015 International Pool and Spa Code, the 2015 International Existing Building Code, the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code and the 2014 National Electrical Code and Modify the 2014 Illinois Plumbing Code in the City Code of the City of Sycamore, Illinois. First Reading.

City Manager Brian Gregory said the City is in the process of adopting the 2015 International Code series which was last updated in 2008. The City of DeKalb adopted the series in 2017 and DeKalb County recently just adopted it all to make the process more consistent and user-friendly for those doing construction in the Sycamore-DeKalb area. He said that substantial work was done in DeKalb and Chuck Shepherd, representing DeKalb County Builders and Developers Association, who sat on a committee for many months reviewing the code line by line, is present tonight to answer any questions. Once adopted, DeKalb was gracious and allowed Sycamore to pick up from there. No action will be held tonight but will recommend it on the September 16th meeting and it would be effected January 1, 2020. The builders and developers have indicated their support as per the letter in the background.

Director of Building and Engineering John Sauter gave the following highlights that will affect the local contractors, developers, and architects, although there are tons of changes. The following highlights as stated in the agenda:

9-1-2: Restroom Facility:

9-1-3: Construction Hours:

9-2-3: Re-inspection Fees:

9-3: Contractor Requirements:

9-4.A: Building Code Adopted and 9-4.B: Amendments: 9-4.C: Enforcing Officers:

9-4-3: International Residential Code for One and Two-Family Dwellings: 9-5: Accessory Structures:

9-7-7: Inlet Protection:

He said he would be happy to answer any questions.

Several other sections of the City Code have been modified in conjunction with the adoption of 2016 International Code Series as outlined below in Ordinances 2019.21 through 2019.24.

Mayor Lang said a lot of effort with Chuck Shepherd and the County’s help has gone into this and that we can help each other. This is all volunteer work for the good of the community.

Chuck Shepherd, Shepherd Construction, 2400 Coltonville Road, Sycamore, who has been on the Builders and Developers Board and part of the DeKalb Council for over 35 years, said this is extremely difficult as this code book is over 1,000 pages and it took 18 months to go over it. He highly recommends that the City adopts it and said it does minimally affect the ISO rating for the Fire Department.

City Manager Brian Gregory said that he talked about partnership and governments working together at the last meeting and this is another example that benefits everyone. It creates a network for communication and makes it easier for builders and developers. He is very excited about this and said thank you to Chuck Shepherd and his crew, City of DeKalb, County of DeKalb, The Building and Engineering Department, all department heads who had a role in working with Director John Sauter, Engineer Mark Bushnell, Inspectors Rob Cyr and Dan Black, and Denise Setchell. This is a good example of collaboration. This is on two readings since there is so much information to digest and said it will be brought back for the second reading at the next meeting.

Mayor Lang said that Ken Anderson, CEO of the Builder and Developers Association has endorsed it as noted in the background.

B. Ordinance No. 2019.21—An Ordinance Amending Title 3, “Business and License Regulations,” Chapter 7, “Electrical Contractors,” and Establishing Chapter 25, “Mobile Homes and Mobile Home Parks,” of the City Code of the City of Sycamore, Illinois. First Reading.

City Manager Brian Gregory the next ordinances are all companion ordinances that have references to the 2015 International Building Code and have referenced a piece of the prior code. These will be read into the record unless anyone has questions.

C. Ordinance No. 2019.22—An Ordinance Amending Title 4, “Public Health and Safety,” Chapter 3, “Nuisances,” Section 1, “Nuisances Declared,” of the City Code of the City of Sycamore, Illinois. First Reading.

D. Ordinance No. 2019.23—An Ordinance Amending Title 5, “Police Regulations,” Chapter 4, “Miscellaneous,” Section 15, “Noise,” of the City Code of the City of Sycamore, Illinois. First Reading.

E. Ordinance No. 2019.24—An Ordinance Amending Title 8, “Water and Sewer,” Chapter 2, “Water Use and Service,” Section 8, “Taps and Water Service Pipes,” of the City Code of the City of Sycamore, Illinois.

RESOLUTIONS

A. Resolution No. 802—A Resolution Declaring Wednesday, October 23, 2019 through Sunday, October 27, 2019 as Pumpkin Festival in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.

MOTION

Alderperson Stowe moved to take Resolutions 802, 803, and 804 in omnibus fashion and Alderperson Huseman seconded the motion.

VOICE VOTE

Mayor Lang called for a voice vote to approve the motion. All Alderpersons voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.

B. Resolution No. 803—A Resolution Authorizing the Use of City Parking Lot #3 at the Corner of Sacramento Street and State Street for a Carnival to be Held from Wednesday, October 23, 2019 through Sunday, October 27, 2019 in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.

C. Resolution No. 804—A Resolution Authorizing the Use of City Parking Lot #1 at the Corner of Somonauk Street and Elm Street for a “Kiddee Carnival” to be Held from Wednesday, October 23, 2019 through Sunday, October 27, 2019 in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.

MOTION

Alderperson Stowe moved to approve Resolutions 802, 803, and 804 and Alderperson Huseman seconded the motion.

VOICE VOTE

Mayor Lang called for a voice vote to approve the motion. All Alderpersons voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.

CONSIDERATIONS

A. Consideration of a Public Works Recommendation to Award a Contract to Municipal Well and Pump of Waupun, Wisconsin for Well Repairs at Well #6.

City Manager Brian Gregory said there is a significant amount of information in the agenda and background on this consideration so Fred Busse and Matt Anderson can help with any questions. This is a recommendation to award a contract to Municipal Well and Pump who has done work for the City in the past. He gave some background that Well #6, located at 238 Maertz Drive, has shown evidence of bronze shavings in the raw water supply which are filtered out. Municipal Well and Pump investigated and raised the pump to reduce the shavings, but they returned. He said the pump needs to be pulled out to diagnose the problem. Mr. Anderson got a quote for the cost to remove the well and put it back in not knowing what is going to happen in the middle. Municipal Well and Pump also gave a “worst-case scenario” quote if everything needs to be replaced, as shown in the background for about $165,000. In order to meet the procurement policy, they needed two quotes. Municipal Well and Pump quoted $91,049 for the pulling of column pipe and pump and the reinstallation after necessary repairs have been made. Layne Company quoted $140,729 for the pulling of the column pipe, pump and the reinstallation after necessary repairs. Without knowing the extent of the problem, it is difficult to gauge the overall cost of the repairs. Therefore, staff is recommending authority to authorize repairs after diagnosis up to a total of $170,000. Should the needed repairs exceed this amount, Council approval would be required for any additional expenses. The request is that the contract is awarded to the lowest quote, Municipal Well and Pump and allow staff up to $170,000 which is the worst-case scenario. He said that if this wasn’t time sensitive, as Well #9 and Well #10 will both get the WRT media exchange this fall or winter, they would first quote to pull the pump and reinstall it with one company and then bring a quote back for repairs once the issue was diagnosed. But with the other two pumps having media exchanges, it could present issues if another well went offline for other reasons.

Director of Public Works Fred Busse said a well of this type is normally due to be pulled and inspected every 10 years and this has exceeded that by a few years so it is due for an inspection. The well is not producing 900 gallons per minute as there is a decline that normally happens over the 12 years life of a pump. By doing this, we will gain 150 gallons per minute and with all things considered, it will benefit the City in the long run. He added that this well is in 10 foot sticks instead of some 20 foot stick pipes, so when they pull and reinstall it, it will be twice the amount of work.

Matt Anderson added that it is also a line shaft pump, not a submersible pump so there are a couple other items that need to be removed with the pump that also make it labor intensive.

MOTION

Alderperson Paulsen moved to award the bid to Municipal Well and Pump for up to $170,000 and Alderperson Huseman seconded the motion.

ROLL CALL VOTE

Mayor Lang called for a roll call vote to approve the motion. Alderpersons Copple, Huseman, Kramer, Paulsen, Sherrod, Stowe, Bauer, and Braser voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.

B. Consideration of an Administration Request for Closed Session to Discuss the Setting of a Price for Sale or Lease of Property Owned by the Public Body.

MOTION

Alderperson Huseman moved to enter into Closed Session at 7:43 p.m. and Alderperson Braser 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 Braser moved to enter back into Open Session at 7:55 p.m. 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.

OTHER NEW BUSINESS

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION

Alderperson Stowe moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:56 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/2019/09/cc20190903mins.pdf