City of Sycamore City Council met Dec. 7.
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, Pete Paulsen, Virginia Sherrod, David Stouffer, Chuck Stowe, Alan Bauer, and Steve Braser. City Attorney Keith Foster was also present.
INVOCATION- Moment of Silence
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – Led by City Engineer Mark Bushnell
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
MOTION
Alderperson Stouffer motioned to approve the agenda and Alderperson Braser seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a roll call vote to approve the motion. Alderpersons Copple, Huseman, Paulsen, Sherrod, Stouffer, Stowe, Bauer, and Braser voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
AUDIENCE TO VISITORS
CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approval of the Minutes for the Regular City Council Meeting of November 16, 2020. B. Payment of the Bills for December 7, 2020 in the amount of $732,790.19.
C. Façade Grant Close-Out for 330 W. Elm Street.
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, Paulsen, Sherrod, Stouffer, Stowe, Bauer, and Braser voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS, COMMUNICATIONS, AND BILLS
Pete Paulsen updated the Council that the tree in memory of Alderman Spider Kramer will be planted this week in the Sycamore Park by the Good Tymes Shelter.
REPORT OF OFFICERS
City Manager – Brian Gregory recognized and congratulated Fire Lieutenant Tal Hickey who retired on November 30th after over 30 years of service to the city. He appreciates everything he did throughout his career and said that his steady leadership has been a value in our Fire Department for many years. There will be a Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) meeting next Monday, December 14th to consider two requests to amend the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). If they take action, they will come forward to the City Council on December 21st. The January 1st utility billing will reflect the new water infrastructure fee as well as the contractual increase for the fifth year of the five-year contract with Waste Management.
Police Chief – Jim Winters said that the Police Department recently applied to obtain certification of our Use of Force policy under criteria established by the US Department of Justice. The certification recognizes a police department’s policy is consistent with best practices on a national level and also adheres to all federal and state laws. Additionally, the certification ensures the city will maintain eligibility for discretionary Department of Justice grant funding. They have completed the process and received the good news that certification was awarded and will be in place for three years at which time we will apply for renewal.
Fire Chief – Pete Polarek said Tal Hickey retired last week with 32 plus years of service. His presence and skillset will be greatly missed. They also promoted Firefighter Erik Carlson to Lieutenant and they will have a replacement firefighter hired in the upcoming weeks. He wished everyone Happy Holidays.
Director of Public Works – Fred Busse said the Leaf Pick-up program ended last Friday as the warm weather made it favorable this year. The dumpster will still be available for bagged leaves at the Public Works building through Sunday, December 13th. With the warm weather, they have extended street sweeping until it gets cold. He also reported that there were five main breaks of which four happened last week. They did break a valve on one which had to be replaced. He added that this is pretty normal with the seasonal change.
Director of Community Development – John Sauter said that they did a final inspection at the Ignatius Press addition and they are approved for full occupancy. There is a Phase 2 interior remodel that was postponed but that work should start this spring. They’re at 34 single family permits as of the end of November. Believe it or not, they were at 38 at this time last year and ended the year with 38. They have had an influx of permit submittals recently so he feels pretty good that they may end up at or above last year’s totals.
Director of Human and Administrative Resources (DHAR) – Maggie Peck said kudos to Chief Polarek and his staff for how they handled the swearing in of Lieutenant Carlson with everyone nicely spread out for social distancing. Police Officer Daniel Ludwig was sworn in today. There are currently three vacancies with two starting and being sworn in on December 28th. The Fire & Police Commission just recently approved the Entry Level Police Officer List and they will begin the hiring process to find a candidate that suits our needs to fill that position. In regards to the passing of Steve Griglione, Mr. G’s Music, a memorial of cards and notes will be collected at City Hall and placed in the window. The city participated in the Park District’s Tree Decorating contest this year and she sent the council a link to vote for the best decorated tree. She said kudos to the staff.
City Engineer Mark Bushnell said they received a copy of the smoke testing report and it confirmed their suspicions. There are leaking manhole frames within ditch lines and the golf course. They will develop a plan to fix these items resulting in increased sewer capacity and less unmetered flow to the plant.
REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES
Finance – Alan Bauer - no report
Public Safety – Pete Paulsen - no report Public Works – Chuck Stowe – no report
PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. A Public Hearing Regarding the Proposed Lead Water Service Replacement (L175795) and the Well #7 Radium Removal (L175816) Projects in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.
City Manager Brian Gregory said that the first public hearing includes two topics both related to borrowing from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) for projects that involve the water system. This public hearing is part of the process of the grant that the city applied for in February for a forgivable loan, of under one million dollars, to help residents replace the 150 identified lead service lines. Although the ownership of the service lines is with the private resident, they are hoping to assist residents with this grant. They have yet to officially receive word that they have secured the forgivable loan funds but each step is a positive sign. With the public hearing being required as part of this process, residents can make comments or submit comments directly to the IEPA regarding this project and the use of these funds for a forgivable loan for the lead service lines replacement program. He also mentioned that the Council previously approved a contract to begin preliminary engineering which is another step forward.
He introduced the second public hearing topic as the potential use of IEPA funds in the event that Well #7 needs a radium removal system. This is the only well the does not have a WRT Radium removal system. In order to have funding potential, a public hearing is required. He said that the well is currently within IEPA requirements for radium at its current daily production settings.
Mayor Lang opened the public hearing at 7:20 pm and hearing no comments, closed the public hearing at 7:21 pm.
B. A Public Hearing on the Proposed 2020 Corporate Property Tax Levy.
City Manager Brian Gregory said that they walked through different scenarios and options three weeks ago related to the city’s property tax levy which needs to be approved by the end of the calendar year for the dollars collected on next year’s payments in June and September. He explained per the agenda:
Based upon an estimated city-wide EAV of $486,900,285 in 2020—an increase of over $18.7 million in the City’s collective real estate wealth from 2019—the proposed corporate levy should result in a tax rate of $.88450 per $100 EAV. This rate represents a 2.10% decrease from the 2019 rate. The tables below illustrate the recent history of City levies along with the breakdown of operational and pension obligations:
| Category | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| General Operating | 1,407,322 | 1,407,322 | 1,407,322 | 1,407,322 | 1,432,476 | 1,432,476 | 1,452,336 | 1,452,336 |
| FICA/IMRF | 337,175 | 337,175 | 337,175 | 337,175 | 337,175 | 337,175 | 337,175 | 337,175 |
| Police Pension | 341,525 | 356,321 | 418,537 | 528,471 | 570,593 | 612,556 | 572,243 | 556,767 |
| Fire Pension | 518,599 | 530,747 | 594,763 | 595,926 | 613,614 | 659,218 | 730,220 | 771,635 |
| Crossing Guards | 20,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 |
| Total Levy | 2,624,621 | 2,651,565 | 2,777,797 | 2,888,894 | 2,973,858 | 3,061,425 | 3,111,974 | 3,137,913 |
| City-Wide EAV | $343,636,270 | $337,661,389 | $357,501,358 | $389,722,536 | $419,949,225 | $445,724,508 | $468,168,714 | $486,900,285 |
| City Tax Rate | 0.76378 | 0.78527 | 0.77703 | 0.74127 | 0.70815 | 0.68684 | 0.66475 | 0.64447 |
Should result in a City tax rate of 0.64447.
The total levy is $3,137,913 (0.84% overall increase attributed to new construction); with $1,452,336 going to
general operations.
Property Taxes minus the portion going directly to the Police and Fire Pension funds would represent only
11.06% of all budgeted FY21 General Fund expenditures, less pass-thru pension transfers ($16,358,026).
Maintains the funds available for general operations.
Resulting Impact on Single-Family Homeowner: With each of the options, residents want to know what the impact is on their home. The chart below shows the estimated change in the City tax bill for a $200,000 home in 2019 (payable in 2020) and the same home in 2020 (payable in 2021) which is now valued at an estimated $206,037 based on the average increase in EAV (3.02%)
| 2018-19 | 2019-20 | |
| Property EAV | 66,667 | 68,679 |
| City Tax Rate | 0.66475 | 0.64447 |
| City Tax Bill | $443.17 | $442.61 |
| Difference | ($0.56) |
| Year | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Library Levy | $971,702 | $971,702 | $1,020,287 | $1,066,295 | $1,119,500 | $1,138,857 | $1,157,661 | $1,168,703 |
| 3.00% | 0.00% | 5.00% | 4.50% | 4.99% | 1.73% | 1.65% | 0.95% | |
| City-Wide EAV | 343,636,270 | 337,661,389 | 357,501,358 | 389,722,536 | 419,949,225 | 445,724,508 | 468,168,714 | $486,900,285 |
| Library Rate | 0.28278 | 0.28778 | 0.28539 | 0.27360 | 0.26658 | 0.25551 | 0.24727 | 0.24003 |
| 11.25% | 1.77% | -0.83% | -4.63% | -2.57% | -4.25% | -3.22% | -2.93% |
| 2018-19 | 2019-20 | |
| Property EAV | 66,667 | 68,679 |
| City Tax Rate | 0.24727 | 0.24003 |
| City Tax Bill | $164.85 | $164.85 |
| Difference | $0 |
Combined, the City and Library levies make-up the corporate levy. Based on the options recommended above, the corporate levy totals $4,306,616, which represents a 0.87% increase. Current taxpayers should see slightly less in the amount of taxes paid to the City of Sycamore and Sycamore Public Library in 2020 as new construction accounts for any new dollars being added to the proposed levy.
He said that Ordinance 2020.17 is on First Reading only tonight and pointed out that a public hearing is not required as they are actually seeing flat or a reduction in taxes. If the council or any taxing body was increasing it by over 4.9%, there is a Truth in Taxation Hearing that is required, however, in practice, they have traditionally done a public hearing.
Mayor Lang opened the public hearing at 7:25 pm and hearing no comments, closed the public hearing at 7:26 pm.
ORDINANCES
A. Ordinance 2020.17—An Ordinance Levying Taxes for the Corporate Purposes of the City of Sycamore for the Fiscal Year Commencing May 1, 2021 and Ending April 30, 2022. First Reading.
City Manager Brian Gregory said that this ordinance approves what he walked through in great length at the last meeting and the public hearing for the Corporate Levy. This is only on First Reading for action requested at the December 21st meeting.
B. Ordinance 2020.18—An Ordinance Abating the Debt Service Levy for the General Obligation Refunding Bond Issue Series 2012 for the City of Sycamore, DeKalb County, Illinois for Fiscal Year 2021-2022. First Reading.
City Manager Brian Gregory said that the 2012 Refunding Bond was issued in July 2012 to refinance the 2002 General Obligation Bond and the majority of the 2003 General Obligation Bonds. All of the debt service ($265,150) on the 2012 Refunding Bond series will be abated. This approach is consistent with the City policy of paying the greatest share of its annual general obligation bond debt service from general revenues other than property taxes. The attached ordinance will levy $265,150 and abate $265,150, so the extension will be $0.00. The debt service will be paid by the 2012 Bond Proceeds Fund (Fund 36) which gets its primary revenue from General Fund, Capital Fund (Fund 6) and Road & Bridge Fund (Fund 8) transfers. These are the same sources that funded the 2002 and 2003 issues. He said that is on First Reading tonight and will be brought back for action on December 21st.
C. Ordinance 2020.19—An Ordinance Partially Abating the Debt Service Levy for the General Obligation Bond Issue Series 2017 Refunding Bond for the City of Sycamore, DeKalb County, Illinois for the Fiscal Year 2021- 2022. First Reading.
City Manager Brian Gregory said that this ordinance concerns the FY2021-2022 debt service on the 2017 General Obligation Refunding Bond. Historically, the City has levied $155,000 for debt service to be applied to the 1999, 2005 and 2007 bond funds. Both the 1999 and 2005 bonds have been retired and the 2007 series was refunded as part of the 2017 Refunding Bond, therefore the levy will be applied to the 2017 series. As a result, the total levy is $326,936 and $171,936 will be abated. The debt service will be paid from the 2017 Bond Fund (Fund 38) which receives its principal revenue from General Fund transfers.
Alderman Stouffer said nice job in keeping it tight and not passing those costs on to the property taxes.
City Manager Brian Gregory said that it’s really decisions that councils have made collectively over the years to be fiscally prudent.
RESOLUTIONS
A. Resolution No. 847—A Resolution Amending Resolution No. 814 for Improvement by Municipality Under the Illinois Highway Code in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.
City Manager Brian Gregory said the funds that the City receives from the Department of Transportation (IDOT) are a combination of Motor Fuel Tax funds and Rebuild Illinois Bond Funds. IDOT has requested Resolution No. 814 be amended to identify the funding breakdown of the $575,000 allocation. Resolution No. 847 indicates that $200,000 of Motor Fuel Tax and $375,000 of Rebuild Illinois Bond Funds are the breakdown of the allocation for FY21. He said there is no change in the money, it’s just for clarification.
MOTION
Alderperson Copple motioned to approve Resolution 847 and Alderperson Huseman seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a roll call vote to approve the motion. Alderpersons Copple, Huseman, Paulsen, Sherrod, Stouffer, Stowe, Bauer, and Braser voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
CONSIDERATIONS- None OTHER NEW BUSINESS APPOINTMENTS
Mayor Lang added that he would like to appoint David Stouffer to the Architectural Review Committee and the Public Safety Committee, relinquishing his post on the Fire & Police Commission. He would also like to appoint Tana Knetsch to the Fire & Police Commission.
MOTION
Alderperson Bauer motioned to approve the appointments and Alderperson Sherrod seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a roll call vote to approve the motion. Alderpersons Copple, Huseman, Paulsen, Sherrod, Stouffer, Stowe, Bauer, and Braser voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION
Alderperson Stowe moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:37 p.m. and Alderperson Paulsen seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL VOTE
Mayor Lang called for a roll call vote to approve the motion. Alderpersons Copple, Huseman, Paulsen, Sherrod, Stouffer, Stowe, Bauer, and Braser voted aye. Motion carried 8-0.
https://cityofsycamore.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/cc20201207.pdf
Alerts Sign-up