DeKalb Times

City of Sycamore City Council met May 3.

Here is the minutes provided by the council:

ROLL CALL

Mayor Lang called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. and City Clerk Mary Kalk called the roll. Those Alderpersons present were: Pete Paulsen, Virginia Sherrod, David Stouffer, Chuck Stowe, Alan Bauer, Former Alderman/Mayor Elect Steve Braser, Nancy Copple, and Josh Huseman. Alderperson Elect Jeff Fischer was present and City Attorney Keith Foster was also present.

INVOCATION- Led by Steve Persson, First Baptist Church

SWEARING-IN OF ELECTED OFFICIALS

City Attorney, Keith Foster, swore in City Clerk, Mary Kalk.

City Clerk, Mary Kalk, swore in Mayor Steve Braser. Retired Mayor Curt Lang congratulated and handed the gavel over to Mayor Steve Braser.

City Clerk, Mary Kalk, swore in Alderpersons Alan Bauer, Pete Paulsen, Alderperson Elect Jeff Fischer, David Stouffer, and Virginia Sherrod.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

MOTION

Alderperson Stouffer motioned to approve the agenda and Alderperson Sherrod seconded the motion.

ROLL CALL VOTE

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

AUDIENCE TO VISITORS

Larry Bond, 50W046 Lukens Road, President, Kishwaukee Valley Art League, Gallery on State, spoke to convince the council to approve their outdoor event application to hold the 50th Annual Northern Illinois Art Show and explained all of their precautions that will be used.

Alec Rossiter, 187 McLaren Drive, Kishwaukee Valley Art League said that with Sycamore having already lost businesses that without the money that the art show brings in, they may have to close Gallery on State which has only been open since October. He said that DeKalb County has already granted them a permit to do the show on county property if this one is not granted.

CONSENT AGENDA

A. Approval of the Minutes for the Regular City Council Meeting of April 19, 2021.

B. Payment of the Bills for May 3, 2021 $1,622,538.98.

C. Receipt and File of the Annual Police and Fire Commission Report.

MOTION

Alderperson Bauer motioned to approve the Consent Agenda and Alderperson Stowe seconded the motion.

ROLL CALL VOTE

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

APPOINTMENTS

Mayor Braser appointed Matt White to the Library Board and Josh Huseman to the DeKalb County Tourism Board.

MOTION

Alderperson Bauer motioned to approve the appointments and Alderperson Copple seconded the motion.

ROLL CALL VOTE

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

PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS, COMMUNICATIONS, AND BILLS

A. A Proclamation Declaring May 2nd through May 8th, 2021 as Public Service Recognition Week in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.

B. A Proclamation Declaring May 9th through May 15th, 2021 as Police Week in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.

REPORT OF OFFICERS

Acting City Manager – Maggie Peck congratulated all that were sworn in and said thank you for the service and dedication to the City of Sycamore. She extended a warm welcome to Jeff Fischer. This week is Employee Recognition Week and will be delivering lunches to the staff over the next four days. She read a letter regarding Sycamore Senior Graduating Class of 2021 Month from Sycamore Superintendent of Schools Stephen Wilder, here within. She added that Spartan Flags will be flying for the rest of the month.

Police Chief – Jim Winters said that they received the Dodge Ram special services vehicle last week which was budgeted for in the FY21 Budget. That vehicle will be outfitted and on the street in the next month and a current patrol vehicle with about 111K miles will be rotated out of the fleet. He said they appreciate the recognition in the proclamation and announced a tentative Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Service held locally on Friday, May 14th on the DeKalb County Courthouse Lawn but details will be sent when it is confirmed. Lastly, he said congratulations to our newly elected and re-elected city officials. Good luck and said not to hesitate to contact the Police Department if they can ever be of any assistance.

Fire Chief – Pete Polarek extended his congratulations to the elected and newly re-elected officials and said he looks forward to working with them all and said if any of them have questions of his staff or want to know more about the Fire Department mission to let him know.

City Treasurer Dan Prombo said that the fiscal year ended this past Friday and they are preparing the year-end accruals. The Acting City Manager and he met with the audit team this week. The preliminary field work begins May 7th with the full field work starting July 12th. He congratulated the newly elected and re-elected officials and said to be sure to reach out if they ever have any questions.

Director of Community Development John Sauter said congratulations to all and then reported that they’re at 17 single family permits as of the end of April. At this point last year they were at 11, so that is well ahead of last year’s pace so far. They’re also reviewing plans for an 11,000 square foot multi-tenant commercial building that will be south of the Meijer gas station. Five tenant spaces are proposed and it sounds like there’s already interest in one of the spaces. They will keep the council updated as things progress.

Director of Public Works Matt Anderson said congratulations to the newly elected and re-elected officials. He thanked Public Work employees Kurt Sanderson and Matt Schroeder for bringing their families to assist in the Arbor Day planting. Kurt has been doing this for nine years and does an excellent job. He reported that new employee Phil Jorstad started today. He has previous municipal experience as well as previously working at Nicor and ComEd so they are excited to use his skill set in the department.

REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES

Finance – Alan Bauer said no report.

Public Safety – Pete Paulsen said no report.

Public Works – Chuck Stowe said no report.

PUBLIC HEARINGS

ORDINANCES

RESOLUTIONS

A. Resolution No. 865—A Resolution Requesting the Permission of the Illinois Department of Transportation to Close Illinois Route 64 from Main Street to Sacramento Street from 5:00 A.M. Until 5:00 P.M. on Sunday, July 25, 2021 to Allow for the “Turning Back Time” Car Show in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.

MOTION

Alderperson Huseman motioned to take Resolutions 865, 866, 867, 868 in omnibus fashion and Alderperson Stowe seconded the motion.

ROLL CALL VOTE

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

Acting City Manager Maggie Peck stressed that these events listed here have not been approved at this point. The plan is to move as if things were going as normal with the intent that if something opens up, they would pass those through right away. We have to do these so early because we send these to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for approval of road closures and for when they bring oversized weight limit and wide loads through.

B. Resolution No. 866—A Resolution Requesting Permission from the Illinois Department of Transportation to Close Illinois Route 64 from Governor Street to Sacramento Street from 6:00 P.M. Until 7:30 P.M. on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 to Allow for the Sycamore High School Homecoming Parade in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.

C. Resolution No. 867—A Resolution Requesting Permission from the Illinois Department of Transportation to Close Illinois Route 64 from Kingsway Drive to Sacramento Street between 8:30 AM and 10:00 AM on Sunday, October 31, 2021 to Allow for the “Road Run” as Part of the Pumpkin Festival in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.

D. Resolution No. 868—A Resolution Requesting Permission from the Illinois Department of Transportation to Close Illinois Route 64 from Locust Street to Sacramento Street from 12:00 Noon Until 5:00 P.M. on Sunday, October 31, 2021 to Allow for the Pumpkin Festival Parade in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.

MOTION

Alderperson Sherrod motioned to approve Resolutions 865, 866, 867, 868 and Alderperson Paulsen seconded the motion.

ROLL CALL VOTE

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

CONSIDERATIONS

A. Consideration of a Public Works Department Recommendation of a Program to Assist with the Replacement of Privately-Owned Residential Lead Service Lines

Acting City Manager Maggie Peck said that in 2019, the City completed a Water Master Plan that identified short and long-term goals. One goal was to continue to identify and inventory private lead service lines which Public Works (PW) has been actively doing for quite some time. So far, they have identified over 220 lead services; however, over 4,800 private connections remain unknown. To facilitate and defer costs for the replacement of privately owned lead water services, the City continues to explore options. The city recently applied for a forgivable loan. Additionally, they are also in the beginning design stages of multiple water main projects. The City’s current five-year plan, approved by City Council in February of 2021, calls for the replacement of over three miles of water main and approximately 245 services. During these projects, the City will replace watermain and related appurtenances such as hydrants and services. At no cost to the owner, the City will replace the service line from the main to the shut-off valve, which is typically located at the property line. Services will be replaced regardless of material type. The property owner will bear the cost of replacement from the shut-off to the water meter inside the building. In an effort to provide assistance to the residents of Sycamore who are unable to participate in these aforementioned programs, City staff has developed a program to provide some assistance and incentive for lead service replacements. Residents would submit an application similar to the sidewalk replacement program and City would use the best available information and field investigations to confirm it is a lead service. Provided the service qualifies for the program, the resident would hire a licensed plumber and/or contractor to complete the work. The City would waive permit fees (approximately $150-$175), provide the saddle and corp. stop, and tap the water main (up to 1” service). The resident would be eligible for reimbursement from the City up to $1,000. This would be done by crediting back their bi-monthly service utility bill.

Mayor Braser asked if there is a form ready to be used.

Acting City Manager Maggie Peck said they are currently working on it and have a rough draft.

Alderman Huseman asked what the cost, on average, is from the shut off into the home.

Public Works Director Matt Anderson said that it depends on what side of the main it is on. If the water main is in your parkway, it will be less expensive than if it is across the street. He said that it could be estimated at $4,000-$8,000 depending on the circumstances. He said they have the lead service line replacement program with this IEPA loan and they are going to try to cluster those services together to get the best bang for our buck and then they have the main replacement work. Anybody with a new water main will be getting a new service and the box. They are not trying to double up these areas.

Alderman Bauer asked if the ones that qualify will get a flat $1,000 or will it be prorated based on the total amount of the resident’s expense.

Acting City Manager Maggie Peck said that they are looking at a cap of $1,000 but they are here for direction.

Alderman Bauer said that he understands the cap but is everybody getting $1,000 whether the service line cost $3,500 or only $1,200.

Acting City Manager Maggie Peck said it is up to the council as they are open-minded.

Alderman Stowe said that the federal government is talking about getting money in to help replace lead services so he is wondering if they are ahead of the game. He said that as much as folks are worried about the lead, he doesn’t see a lot of people volunteering for $1,000 off of a $3,500-$8,000 job. Yes, it saves money, but said he may be generalizing that they are older homes in town that may or may not be occupied by older citizens who aren’t ready to spend that sort of money to fix drinking water that they have had for 30 years. He doesn’t know how much bang for the buck they will get.

Acting City Manager Maggie Peck said that they are aware that the federal government is talking about a program but don’t want to hold our breath on that. They have been talking about this plan this since 2019 and want to take the next step. If residents want to wait for federal funding, they are happy to hold off, but these are steps to keep moving along.

Mayor Braser said that it is smart to move forward because as we don’t know what the federal government is going to allow and they don’t tend to move as fast. He said that he really appreciates the work that she, Brian Gregory, and Matt Anderson have put in on this.

Alderman Bauer stated asked to bring it back being prorated based on the total as a per foot rate. Acting City Manager Maggie Peck said that they will bring two options back.

B. Consideration of a Public Works Department Request for an Open Purchase Order for Replacement Water Meters.

Acting City Manager Maggie Peck said they did an open order last year and this is budgeted to continue replacing the meters and transmitters. This will replace approximately 600 meters this year and said this is just for the hardware as the labor is done in-house. This is for transparency as they purchase the meters throughout the year because the warranty begins when at purchase time.

MOTION

Alderperson Paulsen motioned to approve the consideration and Alderperson Huseman seconded the motion.

ROLL CALL VOTE

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

Mayor Braser said that he wouldn’t have done this or have wanted to do this without the support of the great staff that we have. He said he looks forward to working with everyone and getting more contributions from each one. He respects all the

work that Maggie has done and Keith Foster and said that we have a great council going forward. He looks forward to the next four years.

C. Consideration of an Administration Request for a Closed Session to Discuss the Appointment, Employment, Compensation, Discipline, Performance, or Dismissal of a Specific Employee or Legal Counsel for the Public Body.

MOTION

Alderperson Huseman motioned to enter into Closed Session at 7:48 p.m. and Alderperson Bauer seconded the motion.

ROLL CALL VOTE

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

MOTION

Alderperson Stouffer motioned to enter back into Open Session at 8:05 p.m. and Alderperson Huseman seconded the motion.

ROLL CALL VOTE

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

OTHER NEW BUSINESS

ADJOURNMENT

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