City of Sandwich City Council met Dec. 14.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
Mayor Robinson called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM.
Roll call was taken:
Present: Mayor Robinson; City Clerk Ii; Aldermen Littlebrant, Surratt & Whitecotton; Chief Bianchi
Present via WebEx teleconference call: Aldermen Dell, Kelleher, Killey & Kreinbrink; City Attorney Harrill, Department of Public Works Horak, Building Official Steffens & EMA Director Ciciora
Audience Comments: None
Consent Agenda: Motion made by Alderman Surratt, and seconded by Alderman Whitecotton, to adopt the Consent Agenda. Aye: Aldermen Dell, Kelleher, Killey, Kreinbrink, Littlebrant, Robinson, Surratt & Whitecotton Nay:0 Motion carried 8:0
a. Approval of Regular Council Meeting Minutes of November 23rd, 2020
b. Approval of Special Council Meeting Minutes of December 7th, 2020
c. Approval of Committee-of-the-Whole Meeting Minutes of December 7th, 2020
d. Approval of April bills totaling $ 169,033.01
Mayor Robinson
1. Ordinance 2020-17 entitled “Annual Tax Levy Ordinance” presented for passage.
Motion made by Alderman Littlebrant approving Ordinance 2020-17 as presented. Motion was seconded by Alderman Surratt. Aye: Aldermen Dell, Kelleher, Killey, Kreinbrink, Littlebrant, Robinson, Surratt & Whitecotton Nay:0 Motion carried 8:0
2. Ordinance 2020-18 entitled “Ordinance Abating the Tax Heretofore Levied for 2020 to Pay the Debt Service on a Portion of $5,600,000 General Obligation Waterworks Refunding Bonds (Alternate Revenue Source) of the City of Sandwich, DeKalb and Kendall County, Illinois. Because of time constraints, Council will be requested to waive first reading and move for adoption.
Alderman Dell moved to waive first reading on Ordinance 2020-18 as presented. Alderman Whitecotton seconded. Aye: Aldermen Dell, Kelleher, Killey, Kreinbrink, Littlebrant, Robinson, Surratt & Whitecotton Nay:0 Motion carried 8:0
Regular Council Meeting December 14, 2020
Motion made by Alderman Surratt to adopt Ordinance 2020-18 as presented. Motion was seconded by Alderman Dell. Aye: Aldermen Dell, Kelleher, Killey, Kreinbrink, Littlebrant, Robinson, Surratt & Whitecotton Nay:0 Motion carried 8:0
3. Ordinance 2020-19 entitled “An Ordinance authorizing and providing for the issuance not to exceed $3,500,000 aggregate principal amount General Obligation Bonds (Alternate Revenue Source) of the City of Sandwich, DeKalb and Kendall Counties, Illinois, and for the levy of a direct annual tax sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on said bonds” presented for adoption. Council reserves the right to waive first reading.
Wes Levy presented a five-year budget projection to the council. The projection included estimated revenue, expenses, and internal transfers for fiscal year 2022 through 2026. This budget projection also included the same actual data for the five preceding years, 2017 - 2021. The projections showed positive general fund cash flow for fiscal years 2023 – 2026 with the estimated debt service payments for the police station upgrades included as expenses. Mr. Levy also explained to the council that the projection only included general fund operating activity. No capital or MFT dollars were included in the analysis. In addition, the projection also held the city’s unreserved fund balance or cash reserves at roughly 6 months’ worth of annual expenses. Several assumptions were made in the projection and it was assumed that City staffing would stay level through 2026 with a reduction of police staffing of one individual during that time.
Both Aldermen Dell and Kreinbrink were hesitant in approving the ordinance until the Council had additional time to review projected revenues through the year 2026. John Vezzetti, Vice President of Bernardi Securities, explained that by approving the ordinance, the City would have up to two years to bond for $3.5 million. For better understanding, he compared approving the ordinance to that of a mortgage pre-approval on a house purchase.
Alderman Whitecotton made a motion to waive first reading on Ordinance 2020-19, and seconded by Alderman Surratt. Aye: Aldermen Kelleher, Killey, Littlebrant, Robinson, Surratt & Whitecotton. Nay: Aldermen Dell & Kreinbrink
Motion made by Aldermen Whitecotton adopting Ordinance 2020-19 as presented. Alderman Surratt seconded. Aye: Aldermen Littlebrant, Robinson, Surratt & Whitecotton Nay: Aldermen Dell, Kelleher, Killey & Kreinbrink Motion was lost due to tied vote
Foster, Buick, Conklin & Lundgren Law Group: No report
City Clerk Ii: No report
Director of Public Works / City Engineer Horak:
Chief Bianchi: No report
EMA Director Ciciora: No report
Aldermen Reports:
Alderman Dell reported that the annual premium for the City’s insurance has increased by 23% or roughly $58,000 - $60,000. He explained the increase is a national effect caused by weather-related claims, number of claims, and increased costs from rising litigation resulting in larger jury settlements. Alderman Dell suggested the City might research new insurance carriers, including returning to IML (Illinois Municipal League).
Alderman Kreinbrink thanked the community, youth organizations and social clubs for their participation in the Franklin Mall Project. Due to Covid-19, the program was forced to restructure by purchasing pre-packaged food and gift cards via monetary donations and distributing commercially baked sweets.
Alderman Robinson reported that Officer Greg Karge has requested a carryover of 62 unused vacation hours. Officer Jennifer Marcellis has also requested a carryover of 50 unused vacation hours and a payout of 100 unused vacation hours. No action was required by the Council.
Announcements: The next Finance Committee Meeting will be held on Monday, December 21st, following the Committee-of-the-Whole Meeting.
Adjournment: There being no further business to come before the Council, motion made by Alderman Surratt and seconded by Alderman Whitecotton to adjourn the Regular Council meeting at 7:51 PM. Motion carried unanimously by viva voce vote.
http://www.sandwich.il.us/MINUTES/rc121420.pdf
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