City of Byron City Council met Jan. 22.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
1. CALL TO ORDER – Mayor Rickard called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – Led by Mayor Rickard
3. ROLL CALL – Aldermen present: *Todd Isaacs, Emily Gerdes, Mittzi Fulrath, Zeke Hobbie, Michael Gyorkos, Christy Hanlin. Six members present by roll call vote. Quorum established.
* - denotes start of the roll call vote
Aldermen absent: Dan Reilly (military deployment)
PRESENT: Mayor John Rickard
City Clerk Caryn Huber
City Attorney Kim Krahenbuhl
Dir. Of Public WorksAaron Vincer
Police Chief Todd Murray
Dir. of Econ. Dev. Larry Hewitt
City Engineer Jason Stoll
Citizens Pam Kultgen, Tammy LaPier
4. REVERENCE PERIOD – Mayor Rickard led the Council in prayer.
5. APPROVAL/AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA –Motion by Alderman Hanlin to approve, as presented, the January 22, 2020, agenda. Seconded by Alderman Gerdes. Roll call vote: Gerdes, AYE; Fulrath, AYE; Hobbie, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE. Motion passed: AYE, 6; NAY, 0; ABS 0.
6. MINUTES –
a. December 4, 2019, Regular Council Meeting Minutes – Motion made by Alderman Fulrath to approve, as presented, the December 4, 2019, Regular Council minutes, seconded by Alderman Hanlin. Roll call vote: Fulrath, AYE; Hobbie, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE; Gerdes, AYE. Motion passed: AYE 6; NAY 0; ABS 0.
b. January 8, 2020, Regular Council Meeting Minutes – Motion made by Alderman Hanlin to approve, as presented, the January 8, 2020, Regular Council minutes, seconded by Alderman Hobbie. Roll call vote: Hobbie, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE; Gerdes, ABSTAIN, Fulrath, AYE. Motion passed: AYE 5; NAY 0; ABS 1.
7. PUBLIC COMMENT – None
8. TREASURER’S REPORT – Reports are in Dropbox.
9. LIST OF BILLS - The tentative bills for the City of Byron were presented to the Council for discussion. There are three lists, and each will be voted on separately.
a. December 18, 2019 – Motion by Alderman Isaacs to approve the December 18, 2019, list of bills in the amount of $258,791.62, seconded by Alderman Hanlin. Roll call vote: Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE, Isaacs, AYE; Gerdes, AYE; Fulrath, AYE; Hobbie, AYE. Motion passed: AYE, 6; NAY, 0; ABSTAIN, 0.
b. January 8, 2020 - Motion by Alderman Fulrath to approve the January 8, 2020, list of bills in the amount of $535,233.34, seconded by Alderman Gerdes. Roll call vote: Hanlin, AYE, Isaacs, AYE; Gerdes, AYE; Fulrath, AYE; Hobbie, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE. Motion passed: AYE, 6; NAY, 0; ABSTAIN, 0.
c. January 22, 2020 - Motion by Alderman Isaacs to approve the January 22 2020, list of bills in the amount of $185,760.34, seconded by Alderman Hanlin. Roll call vote: Isaacs, AYE; Gerdes, AYE; Fulrath, AYE; Hobbie, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE. Motion passed: AYE, 6; NAY, 0; ABSTAIN, 0.
10. MAYOR’S REPORT – IDOT has informed us that the Route 72 bridge has repairs scheduled for this summer. It is out for the March letting, and work should begin sometime in July. They will be patching the bridge and replacing the expansion joints. • The mayor has been contacted by the Northern Illinois ALS Chapter. They are interested in having their annual walk in Byron. Previously, the walks were held at Rock Valley College, but they would like to begin moving them to different locations. The walk takes place in the fall, and they will also need to coordinate with the schools. • The Mayor has discussed the City Treasurer position with at least seven people, but all have declined. Therefore, he appointed and administered the oath of office of Treasurer of the City of Byron to City Clerk Caryn Huber.
11. CITY ATTORNEY’S REPORT – No report.
12. CITY ENGINEER’S PROJECT STATUS – Engineer Stoll has begun work on estimates for the 2020 Street Projects. He will be discussing with Director Vincer prior to presenting to Council. • He thanked the council for their well wishes on the birth of his daughter, Sydney.
13. REPORT OF DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT –Director Hewitt reported that the building department issued 120 permits in 2019, many of them for solar installations. He anticipates seeing more of these, as Illinois continues to offer subsidies for solar. • The County has several new people in the Building and Zoning Department, and Director Hewitt recently met with the new director and the Byron Fire Chief to discuss the fire department having a licensed fire inspector on staff. The county, who in the past has not had building codes, is working towards that also.
14. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS REPORT – Director Vincer had previously reported an elevated level of tetrachloroethylene in well 3. This was one of the reasons Well 1 and 2 were shut down years ago. The EPA has sent a representative to test the water again, and we were well below the original result. The water and sewer department will continue to test the water monthly. He will work with Engineer Stoll to put a plan in place in the event the well would need to shut down in the future due to higher levels of the chemical. • The Public Works Department has been testing options for street sweepers. Prices range from $170,000 to $220,000. Director Vincer feels one of the $170,000 models would fit our needs. • An email module was implemented for water and sewer billing, and 200 people are signed up to date for a savings of $70/month. Linda is making calls to the people who are already signed up for automatic billing. The information is also included on the water bill. • Discussions are being held regarding not replacing the City Hall generator. Chief Murray is discussing with the Fire Chief the possibility of moving ESDA headquarters to the Fire Department. • The Public Works Department has been taking advantage of the warmer weather to work on sewer cleaning and equipment cleaning and maintenance. Asst. Director Oleson has been painting equipment in an effort to protect it from rust and keep it in good working order. • The salt that we pre-bought is being used up. They will start mixing chip with the salt in order to make our salt supply go further.
15. COMMITTEE REPORTS
a. Community Services – Alderman Fulrath reported that the committee did not have a quorum at the January 8 meeting. They would like to schedule a second Community Services meeting in February, on the19th.
b. Public Safety – Alderman Hanlin reported that the Public Safety Committee met prior to council. They discussed items in the Police Department budget. Several items may still be covered in this budget year.
c. Administrative – No report.
16. CONTINUING BUSINESS –
a. Rush Property – Nothing new to report.
b. Cannabis Ordinances –Nothing new to report.
17. NEW BUSINESS –
a. Audit Approval – Item remains in committee.
18. COUNCIL TALK – Alderman Gerdes asked Attorney Krahenbuhl for the status on the Baker house. Attorney Krahenbuhl has not heard from their attorney and needs to proceed. Alderman Gerdes confirmed that they have turned down an offer on the property from the Byron Park District.
19. EXECUTIVE SESSION
a. Section 2(c)11 – Pending, probable or imminent litigation
b. Section 2(c)1 – Personnel
c. Section 2(c)(5)(6) – Purchase/Sale of City Owned Real Property
d. Section 2(c)(21) – Review/Approval of Closed Meeting Minutes
e. Section 2(c)(2) – Collective Bargaining Negotiations
Mayor Rickard advised there was no need for an Executive Session.
20. COMMUNICATION –
a. Next Regular City Council Meeting – Wednesday, February 5, 2020 @ 6:30pm.
Mayor Rickard adjourned the City Council meeting at 6:53 pm.
https://www.cityofbyron.com/vertical/sites/%7B67304C08-5FC3-4329-8F07-4786D33EE040%7D/uploads/Minutes_-_2020-01-22-Approved.pdf
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