City of Byron City Council met Feb. 5.
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, Dan Reilly (present by telephone), Zeke Hobbie, Michael Gyorkos, Christy Hanlin. Seven members present by roll call vote. Quorum established.
* - denotes start of the roll call vote
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, Bill Pirnat, Mike Traum, Jennifer Meneses, Zach VanVickle, Terry Reeverts, Trey Kelly, Bryce Erbes, Ryan Bruce, Jordan Manion, Nicole Manering, Cole Stegall, Andy Politsch
4. REVERENCE PERIOD – Mayor Rickard led the Council in prayer.
5. APPROVAL/AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA –Motion by Alderman Hanlin to approve, as presented, the February 5, 2020, agenda. Seconded by Alderman Gerdes. Roll call vote: Gerdes, AYE; Fulrath, AYE; Reilly, AYE; Hobbie, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE. Motion passed: AYE, 7; NAY, 0; ABS 0.
6. MINUTES –
a. January 22, 2020, Special Council Meeting Minutes – Motion made by Alderman Isaacs to approve, as presented, the January 22, 2020, Special Council Meeting minutes, seconded by Alderman Hanlin. Roll call vote: Fulrath, AYE; Reilly, AYE; Hobbie, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE; Gerdes, AYE. Motion passed: AYE 7; NAY 0; ABS 0.
b. January 22, 2020, Regular Council Meeting Minutes – Motion made by Alderman Hobbie to approve, as presented, the January 22, 2020, Regular Council minutes, seconded by Alderman Hanlin. Roll call vote: Reilly, ABSTAIN; Hobbie, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE; Gerdes, AYE; Fulrath, AYE. Motion passed: AYE 6; NAY 0; ABS 1.
7. PUBLIC COMMENT – None
8. TREASURER’S REPORT – Treasurer Caryn Huber informed Council that there is a Treasurer’s Report in Dropbox for December 2019. Going forward, she will report during the second meeting of the month for the prior month. This report is the same form that has been used in the past, but she is willing to tailor the report in any way that would be beneficial to the aldermen. Treasurer Huber will be looking into alternative investment options that have the potential to earn more than our CDs. One in particular is the Illinois Funds, a program run through the Illinois Treasurer’s office.
9. LIST OF BILLS - The tentative bills for the City of Byron were presented to the Council for discussion. Motion by Alderman Fulrath to approve the list of bills dated February 5, 2020, in the amount of $36,557.36. Seconded by Alderman Hanlin. Roll call vote: Hobbie, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE; Gerdes, AYE; Fulrath, AYE; Reilly, AYE. Motion passed: AYE 7; NAY 0; ABS 0.
10. MAYOR’S REPORT – Census materials are being distributed. Information will be available at the front desk at City Hall, and the committee will prepare a grocery bag stuffer. The Library and School are partnering with the city to help ensure a complete count. Mayor Rickard added that, based on school enrollment figures, he expects to see a decrease in the Byron population. He asked aldermen to encourage everyone to participate. • IML is offering a half day seminar in Rockford on the municipal regulation of adult-use Cannabis. The event is on May 13 from 1-4:30pm. He suggested removing the Cannabis Ordinances from the agenda until then. Nobody has applied for a Byron license with the next July letting. Contact Clerk Huber if you are interested in attending the seminar.
11. CITY ATTORNEY’S REPORT – No report.
12. CITY ENGINEER’S PROJECT STATUS – Engineer Stoll reported that he submitted cost estimates for the recommended 2020 street projects at committee. Repairs to Mill Road were included in the package, and with that, an estimate from TSC (Testing Service Corporation) for sub-surface analysis.
13. REPORT OF DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT –Director Hewitt reported that he has received two applications for permits for new home construction in Fawn Ridge, and he expects to receive another shortly for new construction on Friday Road. Several commercial projects are being discussed.
14. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS REPORT – Director Vincer reported that the department has been doing snow removal. Complaints regarding snow removal have been minimal. They removed over 100 truck-loads of snow out of the downtown area and into the boat dock parking lot. • They have been cleaning and maintaining equipment. • After siding the public works building last year, they are now focusing efforts on the inside of the building. • The department had a recent visit from OSHA. They had a few suggestions that are being taken care of. • The water and sewer department is working on calibrating their master meters. This will tell them if the master meters at the well sites are correctly reporting the water being pumped. This information is the first step in conducting a rate study, which Director Vincer hopes to complete this summer. • Last year, the department hosted a clean- up day, where residents could use large dumpsters made available to them. This summer, he suggested scheduling the clean-up day on June 13, in conjunction with the combined garage sale days/Celebrate 610.
15. COMMITTEE REPORTS
a. Community Services – Alderman Fulrath reported that the committee discussed a quote from TSC to have subsurface testing done on Mill Road. The testing will tell us more about ground water levels and underground compaction levels. At the very least, the information gathered will give us a baseline for in the future. • The committee discussed the street sweeper purchase. They would like to sign an agreement that commits us to purchasing a demo model, but defers the payment to the new fiscal year. Our current street sweeper will be declared as excess equipment and sold. • An additional Community Service Committee meeting will be held this month on February 19 in order to discuss the 2020 street projects further. Projects being discussed are: Remaining costs from Walnut St. and Crestview Trail; 3rd St. from Mineral to IL Route 2; Hamer Court from 3rd St. to end; and Mill Rd. from Kingsway Lane east approximately 600 ft. They are also considering pavement resurfacing on Colfax St., to be completed in four phases. Alderman Isaacs stated that the budget for street projects this year is $550,000. Engineer Stoll replied that without the Colfax project, estimated costs with testing are approximately $520,000.
b. Public Safety – No report.
c. Administrative – Alderman Hanlin reported that all items discussed at tonight’s meeting appear later in the agenda.
16. CONTINUING BUSINESS –
a. Rush Property – Attorney Krahenbuhl has spoken with the minor son’s father, and it appears the case will move ahead.
b. Cannabis Ordinances –Nothing new to report. Ordinances will be tabled for the time being.
c. Audit Approval – Alderman Hanlin reported that the Administrative Committee is making the recommendation to council to approve the 2018-2019 Audit as submitted. They are hoping to have a representative from WIPFLI come and speak to the committee about several of the items cited in their letter to council. These are items that appear every year, and are a result of our limited staff. Roll call vote: Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE; Gerdes, AYE; Fulrath, AYE; Reilly, AYE; Hobbie, AYE. Motion passed: AYE 7; NAY 0; ABS 0.
17. NEW BUSINESS –
a. Byron Firefighter’s Association Request – Mike Traum spoke on behalf of the Association. He gave a short history of the Fire Department carnival, and its’ history with ByronFest. The Association has contracted with the carnival company, and ByronFest has received a portion of the proceeds. This year, ByronFest wanted to partner with the Fire Department, but they were not able to reach an agreement. In order to fulfill their contract with the carnival company, they are requesting approval to hold the carnival on Memorial Day weekend. A proposed layout is included in Dropbox. Chief Murray brought up concerns about delivery trucks having access to the County Market loading dock. Mr. Traum stated that he has spoken to County Market and they will work together on the issue. Alderman Hanlin asked if they planned to hold this carnival every year, and Mr. Traum replied that if it is successful, they would hope to continue. Alderman Hanlin stated that the committee recommends the approval of the dates and location of the Byron Firefighter’s Association carnival. Roll call vote: Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE; Gerdes, AYE; Fulrath, AYE; Reilly, AYE; Hobbie, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE. Motion passed: AYE 7; NAY 0; ABS 0.
b. Celebrate 610 – Clerk Huber stated that information regarding Celebrate 610 is included in Dropbox. This event is a combination of two events happening in collaboration with Stillman Valley and Davis Junction. The clerks from these communities have discussed holding a joint community garage sale days. They also discussed having an event similar to Rockford’s 815 day. Celebrate 610 is a combination of the two. The event will begin on Wednesday, 6/10, and continue until Saturday, 6/13. The event will end with the Byron clean-up day, and possibly an electronics recycling event. In addition, businesses and organizations will be invited to participate in whatever way they would like.
For instance, they can offer discounts of 6.10%, or offer an item for $6.10, etc. Alderman Hanlin stated that the committee recommends the approval of the Celebrate 610 event. Roll call vote: Isaacs, AYE; Gerdes, AYE; Fulrath, AYE; Reilly, AYE; Hobbie, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE. Motion passed: AYE 7; NAY 0; ABS 0.
18. COUNCIL TALK – Alderman Gerdes asked Attorney Krahenbuhl for the status on the Baker house. Attorney Krahenbuhl stated the complaint has not yet been prepared. • Alderman Fulrath discussed the fireworks. July 4 falls on a Saturday, and she asked if an alternate date should be considered. She has discussed the event with BJ Vangsness, and he is willing to have the fireworks at the dragstrip, however, Chief Murray said that having the event on Saturday may be difficult because of the events already scheduled at the Dragway, and the number of people already in atttendance. Alderman Fulrath mentioned that we can purchase more fireworks if we do not hold the event on the 4th. They will plan on holding the event on Friday, 7/3, or Sunday, 7/5, instead.
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 19, 2020 @ 6:30pm.
Mayor Rickard adjourned the City Council meeting at 7:05 pm.
https://www.cityofbyron.com/vertical/sites/%7B67304C08-5FC3-4329-8F07-4786D33EE040%7D/uploads/Minutes_-_2020-02-05-Approved(1).pdf
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