DeKalb Times

City of Genoa City Council met Nov. 19.

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 Wesner, Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter and Lang were present. Aldermen Carroll and Brust were absent. Motion made by Alderman Di Guido to allow Alderman Cravatta to join the meeting electronically due to a work related absence, seconded by Alderman Lang. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Cravatta, Lang and Wesner voted yes. Motion carried.

Mayor Vicary led the Pledge of Allegiance. Guest Speaker: None

Motion made by Alderman Stevenson to approve the minutes of the November 5, 2019 City Council meeting, seconded by Alderman Lang. Voice vote was taken. All voted yes. Motion carried.

Motion made by Alderman Wesner to approve payment of the accounts payables for the first half of November 2019, in the amount of $85,016.08, seconded by Alderman Winter. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Wesner, Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Cravatta and Lang voted yes. Motion carried.

ITEMS FROM INDIVIDUALS IN ATTENDANCE – Mr. J.T. Anesi addressed Council to express his concerns regarding the property at 131 S. Sycamore Street. He read a letter that he had given to Council before the meeting. In summary, he indicated that he and his mother have owned the home next door to this property for 18 years and has watched it deteriorate. He and his mother were excited when they heard that after 2 years, the City had finally been given court approval to demolish the home, only to find out that City Council voted no to tearing it down. He believes that the information presented to the judge must have been serious enough to authorize the demolition. Mr. Anesi also indicated that after a tour of the home by the Public Works Director, 2 Builders and a City Council Member; their opinion was that the house is salvageable, as it has a solid roof and a furnace that is 90% efficient. He then asked if a solid roof and furnace are enough to make up for all the other things wrong with the house. Mr. Anesi also mentioned that he has heard that some people feel the house is historic. He believes if it was historic, it would be required to be restored to a higher standard. He stated that he also heard that someone from the City said they had talked to the neighbors of the property at 131 S. Sycamore Street and they didn’t care what is done with the property. He stated that neither he nor his mother, were ever contacted. Lastly, Mr. Anesi stated that the City and Police Department have been contacted several times to secure the property. He stated that there are several windows broken out and if they were boarded up, it would have prevented raccoons from gaining access to the house. He requested routine visits by the City to ensure the house is secure. Council thanked Mr. Anesi for bringing forth his concerns and Mayor Vicary stated that staff will look into this to see what can be done legally and this issue will be addressed again at a future meeting.

NEW BUSINESS

CONSIDER THE 2020 CITY HALL CLOSINGS AND MEETINGS:

 Motion made by Alderman Stevenson to approve the list of 2020 Office Closings, seconded by Alderman Wesner. Alderman Lang questioned the 2 “working” holidays. Administrative Director, Alyssa Seguss responded that the 2 days in question are not major holidays that everyone typically observes. During these 2 days, the City is closed to the public and allows employees to work on filing paperwork and working on projects that they normally are not able to do while answering phones and assisting people that come in to City Hall. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Stevenson, Winter, Cravatta, Lang, Wesner and Di Guido voted yes. Motion carried.

 Motion made by Alderman Wesner to approve the list of 2020 City of Genoa Council, Boards and Commissions meetings, seconded by Alderman Winter. Alderman Wesner asked if Committee of the Whole meetings will only be on an “as needed” basis. Administrative Director, Alyssa Seguss responded yes and our calendar reflects that, so we won’t have to keep cancelling them; we will only need to post them when a meeting is necessary. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Wesner, Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Cravatta and Lang voted yes. Motion carried.

CONSIDER A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH WG MUNICIPAL MANAGEMENT, LLC: 

Motion made by Alderman Di Guido to approve a Professional Services Agreement for administrative consultant services with WGMM, LLC, seconded by Alderman Stevenson. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Cravatta, Lang and Wesner voted yes. Motion carried.

CONSIDER A CANNABIS SALES TAX: Motion made by Alderman Stevenson to approve an Ordinance amending Title 3, Chapter 2 of the City of Genoa by the addition of Section 3-2-3 Municipal Cannabis Retailers’ Occupation Tax, seconded by Alderman Lang. Alderman Lang indicated that she did some research and located a document from the State of Illinois regarding taxation of cannabis. She read an excerpt from the document that suggested not immediately taxing to the cap, as tax rates around the country are already near the high end and it is vital to allow the marketplace to mature before increasing tax rates. The document also indicated that it is critical to allow the new market to gain traction before increasing consumer costs through taxation. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Stevenson, Winter, Cravatta, Lang, Wesner and Di Guido voted yes. Motion carried.

DISCUSSION AND CONSIDERATION OF ZONING FOR CANNABIS BUSINESSES: 

Motion made by Alderman Winter to authorize staff to sign a zoning petition on behalf of the City for text amendments related to zoning regulations for cannabis businesses, seconded by Alderman Lang. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Winter, Cravatta, Lang, Wesner, Di Guido and Stevenson voted yes. Motion carried.

CONSIDER THE ESTABLISHMENT OF RIVERBEND SPECIAL SERVICE AREAS:

 Motion made by Alderman Stevenson to approve an Ordinance ratifying the establishment of Special Service Area Number 2 within the City of Genoa for the property commonly known as Unit Four of the Riverbend Subdivision, seconded by Alderman Wesner. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Stevenson, Winter, Cravatta, Lang, Wesner and Di Guido voted yes. Motion carried.

 Motion made by Alderman Winter to approve an Ordinance ratifying the establishment of Special Service Area Number 3 within the City of Genoa for the property commonly known as Unit Six of the Riverbend Subdivision, seconded by Alderman Stevenson. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Winter, Cravatta, Lang, Wesner, Di Guido and Stevenson voted yes. Motion carried.

CONSIDER THE 2019 TAX LEVY DETERMINATION FOR THE CITY OF GENOA: 

Motion made by Alderman Di Guido to approve the 2019 tax levy determination for the City of Genoa, seconded by Alderman Wesner. Alderman Di Guido commended Treasurer, Jan Tures for putting everything together. It is very informative and provides great background on the reasoning for the tax levy. Mayor Vicary agreed that Jan put a lot of time into it. He stated that it is very difficult to put it in layman’s terms and Jan did a great job of doing so. Administrative Director, Alyssa Seguss told Council that since Jan was unable to attend the meeting, if there are any questions, please call or email Jan before it’s considered at the December 17, 2019 City Council meeting. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Cravatta, Lang and Wesner voted yes. Motion carried.

OTHER BUSINESS

DEPARTMENT REPORTS

Administrative Report – Administrative Director, Alyssa Seguss reported that she is working with Prairie State Winery regarding the Façade Program. She also reported that the State of the City Address will be on Thursday, November 21, 2019 at the Veteran’s Home at 11:30 am. Lastly, she reported that the calendar and annual report were sent to the printer.

Public Works – Public Works Director, Rich Gentile reported that IDOT will be completing Main Street within the next few days. The City’s road repairs are underway and should be completed within the next week.

Police Department – Chief Smith reported that the Police Department is doing a food drive with the Middle School on Tuesday, November 26, 2019. There will be a basketball game between the Police Department Staff and the GK Middle School Staff. Any students that bring in a canned good will be allowed to watch the game. He then reported that the stabbing incident downtown is being taken care of. The offender is currently in jail.

Mayor’s Report – None

ANNOUNCEMENTS – The Community Thanksgiving Dinner will be on Thursday, November 28th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Everyone is invited and there is no cost.

CLOSED SESSION: CANCELLED

Motion to adjourn the regular meeting of the City Council was made by Alderman Wesner, seconded by Alderman Stevenson. Voice vote was taken. All voted yes. Motion carried. Meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m.

https://www.genoa-il.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/CCMinutes20191119.pdf