DeKalb Times

City of Sycamore City Council met Sept. 20.

Here is the agenda provided by the council:

1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL

2. INVOCATION

3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

5. AUDIENCE TO VISITORS

In accordance with previously adopted Rules, Public Comments shall be limited to a maximum of thirty minutes per meeting and the public may participate only during the “Public Comment” portion of the meeting. Comments shall not exceed three minutes per speaker unless limited to a shorter duration if numerous people wish to speak. All participants will be required to provide their name and address for the record. No speaker may speak more than once during any meeting unless specifically permitted to do so by the presiding officer. The City encourages that a spokesperson be chosen for individuals wishing to speak about the same subject matter to avoid repetitive presentations. All remarks should be addressed to the City Council as a whole and not to any individual member or employee. In the event speakers pose questions the Council or City staff, they should be aware that those individuals may decline to answer. Each speaker shall maintain civility and decorum. The Presiding Officer retains the right to stop or remove any speaker who becomes disruptive to the meeting.

6. CONSENT AGENDA

A. Approval of the Minutes for the Regular City Council Meeting of September 7, 2021. B. Payment of the Bills for September 20, 2021.

7. PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS, COMMUNICATIONS, AND BILLS

8. REPORTS OF OFFICERS

9. REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES

10. PUBLIC HEARINGS—None

11. ORDINANCES

12. RESOLUTIONS

A. Resolution No. 885—A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of a Lease Agreement Between the City of Sycamore and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Suite 301 in the Sycamore Center.

The City was approached by CASA with interest in renting the vacant third floor space referred to as Suite 301. The attached agreement includes a two-year lease for Suite 301 that commences on October 1, 2021, with a monthly rent of $1,650 inclusive of utilities and taxes, with annual renewal options.

City Council approval is recommended.

13. CONSIDERATIONS

A. Consideration of an Administration Recommendation to Award the Bid for the City’s 2021 Tree Planting Program.

The City opened bids for the 2021 Tree Planting Program on Wednesday, September, 15th. The City pays for 50% of the cost of the tree and planting as part of the program. Staff recommends the program be limited to a maximum of one tree per residence through October 1. Orders will be taken at the City Clerk’s Office at which time the resident will receive a stake to be placed in the front yard to indicate the desired location of the tree. Each tree will be planted between October and November and is guaranteed for one year.

This year’s program does not include pear trees, as they have been prone to a bacterial disease called “fire blight.” Many of the downtown pear trees have been infected by the disease, which is evident in the many dead branches and considerable thinning of the trees. Approximately 10-15 of the trees in the downtown will be removed this fall and replaced with one of three types of trees – State Street Miyabe Maple, Triumph Elm, and Autumn Fantasy Maple – for the second year in a row. These trees were added to the quantities for competitive bidding purposes. A total of three bids were submitted as follows:

Note: Extended Cost Prices within the Langton Group’s bid were incorrectly calculated by further multiplying by the number of species in each group. These values are shown in italics. When quantities are multiplied by unit prices, Langton Group is the apparent low bidder. This recommendation is consistent with the language in the Instructions to Bidders on page 3 of the Bid Documents, allowing the City to waive any informalities.

The per-unit costs are reduced proportionately, resulting in the following costs for this year’s program:

Group A Trees – Resident Pays $211.05

Kentucky Coffee Tree

Group B Trees – Resident Pays $206.12

Skyline Honeylocust

State Street Miyabe Maple

Sienna Glen Maple

Marmo Freeman Maple

Autumn Fantasy Maple

Common Hackberry

Triumph Elm

Staff recommends the approval of Langton Group’s proposal in the amount of $12,543.46 with staff’s ability to add trees to Group C as needed, up to a maximum of eleven, for a total contract value of $16,680.92.

City Council approval is recommended.

B. A Consideration to Amend Ordinance 2021.05—An Ordinance Amending Title 8, “Water and Sewer”, Chapter 2, “Water Use and Service”, Section 6, “Repairs or Replacement; Excavations”.

In 2019, the City completed a Water Master Plan that identified short- and long-term needs required to meet the consumption demands of the community and regulatory compliance. One goal was to continue to identify and inventory private lead service lines and assist residents with replacing their lead water services. While the City is responsible for watermains, City Code Section 8-2-6 identifies the property owner as the responsible party for “all repairs for or replacement of water service pipes from point of connection to the city water main to the building.” The City has identified over 220 lead services; however, over 4,800 private connections remain unknown.

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. In June, Council approved Ordinance 2021.05 for residents to participate in the Lead Service Line Reimbursement Program. Residents currently need to submit a short application to apply for the program. From this point, the 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 $2,000 if the replacement is on the “long side” or involves street restoration. The “long side implies the need to go into or under the street to reach the main. Residents replacing lead water service lines on the “short side” would be eligible for $1,000 in assistance upon the successful replacement and inspection of the entire water service. The reimbursement currently comes in the form of a credit on the residents bi-monthly utility bill. After questions were raised by a few residents, the Public Works Committee met on September 7, 2021 to discuss the possibility of changing the current reimbursement structure to a one-time reimbursement in the form of a check to the resident.

To incorporate this program change, the following language (underlined) is proposed:

8-2-6: REPAIRS OR REPLACEMENT; EXCAVATIONS:

7. The City will reimburse the resident the awarded funds in the form of a one-time check upon completion of the work.

City Council direction is requested.

14. OTHER NEW BUSINESS

15. APPOINTMENTS

16. ADJOURNMENT

https://cityofsycamore.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/20210920-CC-Final.pdf