City of Byron City Council Met May 19.
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, Mittzi Fulrath, Zeke Hobbie, Jessica Nehring, Michael Gyorkos, Christy Hanlin (by phone). Six members present. Quorum established.
* - denotes start of the roll call
Aldermen Absent: Emily Gerdes
PRESENT: Mayor John Rickard
City Clerk Caryn Huber
City Attorney Aaron Szeto
Police Chief Todd Murray
Dir. of Econ. Dev. Larry Hewitt
Dir. of Public Works Aaron Vincer
City Engineer Jason Stoll
Citizens Pam Kultgen, Bill Pirnat
4. REVERENCE PERIOD – Mayor Rickard led the Council in prayer.
5. APPROVAL/AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA – Mayor Rickard asked to add “NextSite Contract” as item 18e. Motion by Alderman Hobbie to approve, as amended, the May 19, 2021, agenda. Seconded by Alderman Gyorkos. Roll call vote: Fulrath, AYE; Hobbie, AYE; Nehring, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE. Motion passed: AYE, 6; NAY, 0; ABS 0.
6. MINUTES –
a. May 5, 2021 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes – Motion by Alderman Nehring to approve, as presented, the May 5, 2021, City Council Regular Meeting Minutes. Seconded by Alderman Isaacs. Roll call vote: Hobbie, AYE; Nehring, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE; Fulrath, AYE. Motion passed: AYE, 6; NAY, 0; ABS 0.
7. PUBLIC COMMENT – None
8. TREASURER’S REPORT – Treasurer Huber stated that the report for the month of April 2021 is in Dropbox. There are a couple of CDs coming due in the month of June.
9. LIST OF BILLS – Alderman Hobbie asked about the $5,236.64 charge from J & R Supply, Inc. Director Vincer said the charges were for brass hardware to rebuild the spray system for the Headworks screen. The charges were also for a flushing hydrant at the end of River Road. Alderman Isaacs motioned to approve the list of bills dated May 19, 2021, in the amount of $137,031.19. Seconded by Alderman Hobbie. Roll call vote: Nehring, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE; Fulrath, AYE; Hobbie, AYE. Motion passed: AYE 6; NAY 0; ABS 0.
10. MAYOR’S REPORT – The mayor has not received any names for the Ward 1 alderman vacancy. He asked council members to forward if they knew of anyone that would be a possible candidate. With the new election, it is common to restructure committees. The mayor asked that alderman make him aware if they would like to serve on a different committee. • The city will be starting a mobile alert app, and asked the council members to forward possible names for the app.
11. CITY ATTORNEY’S REPORT – The Baker property has been demolished. Potential fines and fees will be discussed later in the agenda. • A judge’s order has been issued to allow sale of the Rush property. 2020 taxes will need to be paid on the house.
12. CITY ENGINEER’S PROJECT STATUS – Engineer Stoll reported that we are waiting for Struck & Irwin to do the paving in Brighton Ridge. Martin & Co. has been awarded the bid for Union St., and he is waiting for direction from council on the Alternate bid for Sumner Street. Construction on Union St. will not begin until after ByronFest. • A second coordination meeting for the facility plan was held last week.
13. DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECT STATUS – Director Hewitt reported that there are a few new homes being built (Brighton Ridge and Jackson Knolls). • The commercial building across Blackhawk Dr. is in plan review. Alderman Isaacs asked if there were plans for a garbage enclosure. • Mill Road was repaved last week, and will be striped this week. Engineer Stoll reminded council that Martin and Company did the work at no cost to the city. Fehr Graham also donated their time to the project. • Century Tap is almost ready to re-open under a new owner. They are not serving food, but encourage patrons to bring in food from local restaurants. Aero may soon be opening with the same plan. It is difficult for restaurants to staff their establishments right now. • With the planned construction on Union Street, there is concern about the structural soundness of Spanky’s. An appraisal will be done, and the owners have indicated they may entertain an offer on the building. The appraisal should be complete by June 10 at a cost of $800. • Alderman Hobbie asked if there was any progress made to put a cross walk across Mill Road. The project, and the best place to locate it, is still being discussed. Director Vincer thinks it can potentially be done this summer.
14. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS REPORT – Director Vincer reported that a second facility plan meeting was held. He is impressed with the team, and likes the way that the team is considering long term options. We are currently relying on facilities that were built in the 1920s and 1930s. Discussion includes ways to move the sewer plant out of the flood plain. • The Well 3 tower was being cleaned, and the tower was empty when a fire call came in. Ultimately, we were able to provide enough water to the Fire Department. • It was discovered that the pressure valve that allows water from the upper loop (north on Tower Road) to the lower loop, has failed. Director Vincer is researching the cost to repair. • A resident at the end of Devil’s Lane has complained about his water quality for years, and Director Vincer may consider using an auto flusher at this location also. The resident has contacted the EPA. • The EPA appears to be moving forward with their lead/copper rule. Under this rule, we would need to identify and replace all lead piping, as well as copper pipe soldered with lead. Any home built before the mid-80s could have lead from the main to the curb stop. This would be an unfunded mandate. Because this is coming from a federal agency, non-compliance could result in losing the opportunity for loan programs. • Alderman Isaacs asked if we are sure there will not be any more settling on Mill Road. Engineer Stoll replied that it has been two years since we have seen settling. Benchmarks were placed prior to winter and they have not shown any movement. Engineer Stoll expressed his thanks to Martin and Company for their cooperation with fixing this project.
15. POLICE CHIEF REPORT – A new records management system is in place. The system allows officers to share information with the Ogle County Sheriff, Rochelle and Oregon. • A new squad car should arrive next month. • Chief Murray will make a Facebook post thanking all of those that provided gifts to the department in recognition of Police Week. • Bub’s (formerly Century Tap) was issued their liquor license yesterday, and plan to open June 12.
16. COMMITTEE REPORTS
a. Community Services – No report.
b. Public Safety – Alderman Hobbie reported that the committee discussed the need for another new squad car next year. • One of the police officers is being deployed. We will likely need at least one, and probably two, new officers in the near future. We have reservations in the January and April training sessions. • Plans for social media include posts educating on how to determine city residency.
c. Administrative – No report.
17. CONTINUING BUSINESS
a. Food Truck Application and Ordinance – Attorney Szeto reported that he wrote an ordinance for regulating food trucks stating much of what the food truck application includes. It is in Dropbox, and will be discussed at committee next month. Alderman Isaacs asked how the fees were determined. Director Hewitt responded that these are standard fees in this area.
b. Ordinance Amending Permit Fees – This ordinance is also in Dropbox and will be discussed at committee next month.
c. Ordinance Amending Zoning Code to Allow Short Term Rentals as Special Use – This needs to first go to the ZBA for a recommendation.
18. NEW BUSINESS
a. Struck & Irwin Change Order – Slurry Seal in Fawn Ridge – This will first be discussed at committee next month.
b. Baker Property Fines and Fees – Even though the Baker property has been demolished, the city has incurred lawyer fees since we had to file a lawsuit in order to get this done. Attorney Szeto asked if council wants to consider recouping lawyer’s fees which total approximately $3,600. Mayor Rickard would like to recoup the City’s cost. The council agreed.
c. Declare 2008 Caterpillar Backhoe Loader as Excess Equipment – The Public Works Department has the opportunity to sell their 2008 Caterpillar Backhoe for $37,000, and purchase a new backhoe (almost the same machine), with less hours, from Rockvale Township for $50,000. The difference of $13,000 is in the budget. Attorney Szeto will prepare a resolution to declare the old machine as excess and authorize the direct sale.
d. Street Maintenance Plan Proposal – Director Vincer explained that he and Engineer Stoll will be preparing an inventory of streets and a plan to seal and repair those streets over the course of several years. The cost to develop the plan will be $14,250, which will be taken out of the street budget. It will include how much will be allocated to maintenance and how much will be allocated to road rebuilds each year.
e. NextSite – The mayor has received an agreement to sign from NextSite. It will be put on committee and council agenda for approval next month.
19. COUNCIL TALK – More discussion ensued regarding the name of the new alert app for the City of Byron. • Alderman Isaacs asked if there was any update on the power plant. June 1 is the drop dead date, so we expect to hear soon.
20. COMMUNICATION –
a. Next Regular City Council Meeting – Wednesday, June 2, 2021, 6:30pm.
21. ADJOURN – Alderman Isaacs motioned to adjourn. Seconded by Alderman Hanlin. Roll call vote: Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE; Fulrath, AYE; Hobbie, AYE; Nehring, AYE. Motion passed: AYE 6; NAY 0; ABS 0.
Mayor Rickard adjourned the City Council meeting at 7:32 pm.
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