DeKalb Times

City of Sandwich Committee of the Whole Council met Oct. 3.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

Mayor Latham called the meeting to order at 7:54 PM. Roll call was taken:

Present: Mayor Latham, Clerk Ii, Aldermen Erickson, Fritsch, Johnson, Killey, Kreinbrink & Whitecotton

Quorum established

Also Present: City Attorney Gottschalk & EMA Director Ciciora

Absent: Aldermen Littlebrant & Robinson; Chief Bianchi; City Treasurer Schwemlein & Building Official Steffens

Mayor Latham:

1. Electric Charging Station Discussion: Mayor Latham explained there is grant money available and inquired if the Council is interested in pursuing the installation an electric charging station for the city. He added that a charging station would take up considerable amount of space, and the city would have to reconfigure parking spaces. Comment was made that car dealerships must install charging stations on their premises. A straw poll showed a 50/50 interest in investigating further. Mayor will investigate further for future discussion.

2. Building Permit Fee Schedule Discussion: Mayor Latham would like to have permit fees revisited to assure that the city is charging a fair amount, and that outsourced inspections are being paid reasonably as well. Mayor requested the aldermen to contact neighboring municipalities for their fee structure for comparison. Alderman Kreinbrink asked that the city’s “true” costs be factor into the comparisons. Mayor Latham indicated the ‘true’ costs and overhead costs will be reported by the building official. Discussion will continue at the October 17th meeting.

3. Taste of Sandwich Recap: Mayor Latham thanked the following people who assisted with the Taste of Sandwich on September 28th: Mike & Michelle Rettig, Shaun Legge, Dan Hoyt, Rick Olson, , Fox Valley Community Services, Sandwich Fair Association, Sandwich Fire Department, Sandwich Park District, Dave Kurtz, all the businesses, all the non-for-profit, all the government entities and City Council. He felt it was a great event and everyone had a good time.

4. Haskin School Sidewalk Proposal: Dan Ford, Sandwich Schools Head of Maintenance, is interested in a cost sharing for sidewalk repairs and replacement around Haskin School. If Council is in agreement, Mr. Ford and the City’s Superintendent of Streets can meet with the engineering company to look at the sites in need of attention.

5. Health Insurance Rate Increase: The City’s health insurance rate has increased by 6.4%. Eye and dental are not covered under the City’s Blue Cross / Blue Shield plan. The city will approve the renewal rate at the next meeting. Open enrollment will be in November.

Foster, Buick, Conklin, Lundgren & Gottschalk Law Group: No report

City Clerk Ii reported that Lot 7, Bohnstedt Subdivision has been approved for real estate tax exemption in Kendall County.

Brian Voelkel. Water Department Supervisor, spoke along with Clerk Ii for the need to increase the late charge for delinquent bills. Calling it an insult at $10.00, Clerk Ii said the whole collection process needs to be reviewed and upgraded. Brian Voelkel explained that neighboring municipalities have a 45-day collection period prior to turning off services. Additionally, they either charged a percentage on the delinquency or a flat fee for the late charge. Sandwich has a 90-day collection period that will involve 2-3 city employees for $10.00. As a last resort, the City Clerk will file a lien against the resident’s property. Voelkel suggested a 20% late charge based on the delinquency and reducing the collection by half to 45 days; he is continuing to collect additional data to present before the Council.

City Treasurer Schwemlein: Absent

City Department Reports:

EMA Director Ciciora: No report

Chief Bianchi: Absent

Engineering: No report

Aldermen Reports: Alderman Fritsch questioned a complaint received from his ward regarding tree trimming under Section 70 of the Municipal Code. The matter has already been forwarded to Attorney Gottschalk for review.

Announcement: Brian Gregory, DeKalb County Administrator, has advised that the city has been approved $100,000.00 under the ARPA Transferee Program to be applied toward the EEI water study.

The Chamber of Commerce will be hosting their annual “Spooky Sandwitch” on October 29th between 12 – 2 PM. Alderwomen Erickson and Killey will represent the city by distributing candy.

Audience Comments: None

Adjournment: There being no further business to come before the Council, motion made by Alderwoman Johnson and seconded by Alderwoman Erickson to adjourn the Committee-of the-Whole council meeting at 8:20 PM. Motion carried unanimously on voice vote.

http://www.sandwich.il.us/MINUTES/cw100322.pdf