DeKalb Times

City of Genoa City Council met April 7.

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, Carroll, Winter and Lang were present. Motion made by Alderman Wesner to allow Aldermen Di Guido, Stevenson, Cravatta and Brust to attend the meeting remotely due to a family or other emergency, seconded by Alderman Lang. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Cravatta, Brust and Lang voted yes. Motion carried.

Guest Speaker: City Clerk Winker swore in part time Officer Trevor Owen

Motion made by Alderman Wesner to approve the minutes of the March 17, 2020 City Council meeting, as well as the minutes of the Emergency meeting on March 17, 2020, seconded by Alderman Lang. Voice vote was taken. All voted yes. Motion carried.

Motion made by Alderman Lang to approve payment of the accounts payables for the second half of March 2020, in the amount of $158,628.00, seconded by Alderman Wesner. Public Works Director, Rich Gentile was asked for clarification of line item #31, the appraisal for Railroad Avenue. He responded that due to the water main project, an appraisal needed to be done in order for Railroad Avenue to be dedicated to the City. Director Gentile was also asked if line item #42 was just a one-time set-up fee for the portable generator. He responded yes. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Lang, Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Cravatta and Brust voted yes. Motion carried.

ITEMS FROM INDIVIDUALS IN ATTENDANCE – No individuals were physically present at the meeting. Resident, Gordon Jones attended remotely, but did not have any issues to discuss.

OLD BUSINESS - None

NEW BUSINESS

CONSIDER THE PURCHASE OF TWO STREET LIGHTS: Motion made by Alderman Lang to approve the purchase and installation of two street light poles, light brackets and necessary electrical wire from Meade Electric Company, not to exceed $11,675.00, seconded by Alderman Carroll. There was a brief discussion regarding cost savings and how the City would be in charge of the street lights instead of ComEd. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Lang, Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Cravatta and Brust voted yes. Motion carried.

CONSIDER ITEMS TO PROVIDE ECONOMIC RELIEF DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC:

 Motion made by Alderman Wesner to waive water penalty payments and cease water service shut-offs until the July 2020 billing cycle, seconded by Alderman Lang. Consensus amongst Council was that it would be the right thing to do during this unprecedented time. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Cravatta, Brust and Lang voted yes. Motion carried.

 Motion made by Alderman Lang to extend the liquor license fee deadline until July 31, 2020, seconded by Alderman Winter. Administrative Director, Alyssa Seguss explained that the fee is not waived; it is just postponed. It was also determined that since some of these businesses are currently closed and have no source of income, the City should support them in their time of need. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Lang, Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Cravatta and Brust voted yes. Motion carried.

 Motion made by Alderman Wesner to approve a Resolution authorizing the forbearance of City of Genoa revolving loan payments during the Illinois State of Emergency due to COVID-19, seconded by Alderman Carroll. There was discussion as to whether the forbearance payments would extend the term of the loan or if the payments would need to be paid in full once the State of Emergency has been lifted. Council determined that extending the term of the loan would be more feasible. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido, Stevenson, Winter, Cravatta, Brust and Lang voted yes. Motion carried.

 Motion made by Alderman Winter to approve a Resolution authorizing the forbearance of Genoa Township Park District Fitness Center rent payments during its closure due to COVID-19, seconded by Alderman Lang. There was in-depth discussion regarding this item. Although Council was sympathetic to this situation, impact to the City’s Budget would need to be considered as revenues from the Park District Fitness Center are approximately $4200 per month. Consensus amongst Council was to help the Park District during this unprecedented time. Council was not comfortable leaving an open-ended time frame for the forbearance payments; therefore, Alderman Winter amended her original motion for Section 2 of the Resolution to state that forbearance payments would be for the months of March and April 2020, seconded by Alderman Carroll. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Winter, Cravatta, Brust, Lang, Wesner, Carroll, Di Guido and Stevenson voted yes. Motion carried.

2020-2021 FISCAL YEAR BUDGET REVIEW: Treasurer and Finance Office Manager, Jan Tures provided a brief overview of the Budget. She indicated that the City of Genoa’s Budget is 8 million dollars, which is comprised of 16 separate funds. Other highlights included: receiving the GFOA “Excellence in Financial Reporting Award” for 13 consecutive years resulting in an improved bond rating; the City has $1,154,820 in General Fund reserves, which is approximately 5 months of expenditures; final payments on the 2005 & 2010 bonds will be made in December 2020; challenges include, escalating Police Pension contributions & sales tax down approximately 50%. Treasurer Tures informed Council that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City’s Budget will be impacted, but she was unable to predict how much at this time as the State of Emergency is currently active.

DEPARTMENT REPORTS

Administrative Report – Administrative Director, Alyssa Seguss reported that the City Hall and Police Department Lobbies will remain closed until at least May 1, 2020; Java with Jeff has been cancelled and will be rescheduled for a later date; there have been several inquiries regarding chicken permits; additional information from Teska regarding TIF District is delayed until at least May and lastly, she asked Council how they would like to proceed with meeting attendance; to keep the same current format with the female Aldermen attending physically and the male Aldermen attending remotely or to alternate. Consensus was to keep the same format until the State of Emergency has been lifted.

Finance Report – Treasurer & Finance Office Manager, Jan Tures had nothing additional to report after her Budget presentation.

Public Works – Public Works Director, Rich Gentile went over the projects scheduled and equipment needed for the new Budget year. Some of them include: A Control Center for Well 3 that will be located in the center of town, along with a new pump down the line; new motors & pumps for the lift stations; rebuilding of generator at Walnut Street; getting rid of invasive trees and planting Oak trees along the trails; road project at Stiles/Evans Streets; new street striper and repairing the Auger system. Lastly he reported that paperwork is being finalized for the Well 4 project and work is anticipated to begin in approximately 3 weeks.

Police Department – Chief Smith reported that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a decrease in calls and the Police Department has ample supply of masks and hand sanitizer.

Mayor’s Report – None 

ANNOUNCEMENTS – None

Motion to adjourn the regular meeting of the City Council was made by Alderman Wesner, seconded by Alderman Winter. Voice vote was taken. All voted yes. Motion carried. Meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

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