DeKalb Times

City of Genoa City Council met Jan. 19.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

Mayor Brust called the meeting of the City Council to order at 7:01 p.m. Roll call was taken. Aldermen Wesner, Pulley, Freund, Cravatta and Holcomb were present. Alderman Winter was absent. Quorum present. A motion was made by Alderman Wesner to have Alderman Cravatta be present through phone call, seconded by Alderman Freund. Voice vote was taken. All voted yes. Motion Carried.

Mayor Brust led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Guest Speakers – None

Motion made by Alderman Pulley to accept the minutes of the January 12, 2022 Special City Council meeting seconded by Alderman Holcomb. Voice vote was taken. All voted yes. Motion carried.

Motion made by Alderman Wesner to approve payment of the account’s payables for January 15, 2022, seconded by Alderman Pulley. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Wesner, Pulley, Freund, Cravatta, Holcomb and Mayor Brust voted yes. Motion carried.

ITEMS FROM INDIVIDUALS IN ATTENDANCE – None

OLD BUSINESS - None

NEW BUSINESS

Approve A Resolution Providing for the Retirement of Certain Municipal Indebtedness By the Use of Motor Fuel Tax Funds: Motion made by Alderman Wesner to approve a resolution providing for the retirement of certain Municipal Indebtedness by the use of Motor Fuel Tax Funds, seconded by Alderman Holcomb. If approved, this IDOT Resolution authorizes the City of Genoa to utilize $100,000 of Motor Fuel Tax Funds to pay principal on the 2020 Bond issued. The 2020 Bond was issued for street improvements, several of which were done in 2021 with more to come in 2022. There was no further discussion. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Wesner, Pulley, Freund, Cravatta, Holcomb and Mayor Brust voted yes. Motion carried.

Approve An Ordinance Adopting the zoning map of the City of Genoa: Motion made by Alderman Freund to approve an ordinance adopting the zoning map of the City of Genoa seconded by Alderman Pulley. The City of Genoa is required to annually update its zoning map. Staff worked with the DeKalb County GIS Coordinator to update the City of Genoa’s Zoning Map. Changes made from the 2021 map include addressing unimproved lots in Derby Estates, Riverbend, and Oak Creek Estates. This will ease the process of creating new addresses for new homes. There were zoning changes approved by the Council that are not included in the 2022 map because they have not been formally recorded at the County (craft barn project and subdivision of two Derby Estates lots). These changes can be included in the 2023 map benefits. No further discussion. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Wesner, Pulley, Freund, Cravatta, Holcomb and Mayor Brust voted yes. Motion carried.

Approve an Ordinance Amending Title 8, Chapter 6, Rates and Charges, of The Municipal Code of The City of Genoa: Motion made by Alderman Holcomb, to approve an ordinance amending Title 8, Chapter 6, Rates and Charges of the Municipal Code of The City of Genoa, seconded by Alderman Wesner. Despite the title of the Chapter this ordinance amends, this ordinance does not change water and sewer rates and charges. Instead, this Ordinance amends the Municipal Code to align with the City’s current water and sewer billing, accounting, and metering practices. Some of the inconsistences in the ordinance were drawn to Staff’s attention during negotiations with the Village of Kingston for the treatment of their wastewater. In example there is language in the Municipal Code that states that each resident is to maintain their water meter, which is no longer accurate. Additionally, the ordinance clarifies the current uses of the rates and charges (operation and maintenance of the Wastewater Treatment Plant) and deletes the “debt service charge” and “debt service rate” as these were replaced by the Capital Fee. No further discussion. Roll call was taken. Aldermen Wesner, Pulley, Freund, Cravatta, Holcomb and Mayor Brust voted yes. Motion carried.

Approve and Authorize the Mayor to Execute a Material Management Agreement with Synagro for Sludge Hauling and Disposal: Motion made by Alderman Holcomb to approve and authorize the mayor to execute a material management agreement with Synagro for sludge hauling and disposal, seconded by Alderman Wesner. During the waste water treatment process, a byproduct (“sludge”) is created which is the material that does not breakdown. To dispose of the sludge, the city contracts with a third party to haul the product away and apply it to land (all of which is regulated by state and federal agencies). Included in the packet is an agreement with Synagro, a company the city has worked with for a number of years, to lock in a 3-year agreement for this sludge hauling and disposal services. The rate for 2022 is $20 per cubic yard, which was a $2 increase since 2021 making it the first price increase in 4 years. In 2021, the city disposed of 380 cubic yards and has been billed $6,840 accordingly. The rates for 2023 and 2024 will be modified according to the CPI adjustments annually. Furthermore, these fees may be adjusted based on the fuel surcharge included in the agreement. Public Works has reached out to another sludge hauler, however, due to not having fields to apply the sludge to in the area, the costs for hauling were higher. There no further discussion. Roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Wesner, Pulley, Freund, Cravatta, Holcomb and Mayor Brust voted yes. Motion carried.

DEPARTMENT REPORTS

Administrative Report – City Administrator, Alyssa Seguss reported that the city submitted the downtown street grant on 1/10/22 and anticipate it will take approximately 6 months before we hearing anything back. Staff has been working with Intersect Illinois which is an organization that focus on keeping business in Illinois and helping them grow, we are working on implementing geographical information system onto our website that would have a property inventory that would be really helpful for staff and business owners that would like to see what properties are available in Genoa. This will also be helpful to recognize where we need to grow and annex into city limits. Economic consultant and Alyssa have been meeting with the department of commerce and have been learning about grant opportunities specifically related to infrastructure as this is an area we are really struggling in; have also been learning about loans for local businesses and are hoping to schedule a community meeting with local businesses and DECO to help them build direct relationships with DECO. A few commercial businesses are looking to expand and or remodel a few are Sibs Corner Grill and Prairie State Winery. Staff and the mayor have been with meeting several industrial businesses that are looking to expand in Genoa. Have also had many meetings with a local developer to build a larger scale industrial building. Residential development has been going well on it’s own we had 29 new home permits in 2021 which is the most since 2007. Staff has been meeting with our IT consultant about various IT improvements that were needed, the city council had approved these expenses in February 2021, since then everything has been completed and now, they are looking at what else needs to be updated before the new budget comes out. Continuing to work on the union contract and hope to have a presentation to the council in the near future.

Finance Report – Treasurer & Finance Director, Jan Tures stated that they are finalizing 2021 payroll tax reporting, W2’s and 1099. Continuing to work on the budget for 2022. If anyone has any ideas of things that need to be changed, improved or areas they feel need to be cut back if they could set up a meeting with Jan and the Mayor before the budget gets finalized would be a big help.

Public Works – Public Works Director, Janice Melton stated that she has been doing Paser Rating on the streets, Baxter and Woodman did a rating back in 2019. There are a few roads that could benefit from chip and seal, this will last approximately 10 years before the roads will have to be done, the cost for this is a huge savings. The council seemed interested in having a few of the roads having this done.

Police Department – Chief Smith reported that COVID has been around for about 2 years and the police department has their first officer out this week with COVID. Record system that was approved in December has been put on hold due to unexpected cost from the company’s side and it is not cost effective at this time, the police department is looking in some other systems. With the new year brings more mandates on the department that are a lot of them are unfunded, they are working out what needs to be done online and in person.

Mayor’s Report – Mayor Brust stated that if there are any budget items that anyone would like to discuss please set up a time with himself and Jan. Mayor Brust would like to budge 1 event for alderman to go to in the next fiscal year, something that would educate or enable the alderman.

ANNOUNCEMENTS – Mayor Brust announced that a previous City of Genoa Mayor, Clerk and Alderman Dave Rood passed away.

Motion to adjourn the meeting of the City Council was made by Alderman Wesner, seconded by Alderman Pulley. Voice vote was taken. All voted yes. Motion carried. Meeting was adjourned at 7:33 p.m.

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