NW Illinois News

City of Rochelle City Council Met April 12.

Here is the minutes provided by the council:

The Rochelle City Council met in Regular Session at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 12, 2021 in the Council Chambers of City Hall; 420 N. 6th Street; Rochelle, IL 61068.

PLEDGE TO THE FLAG & PRAYER: The pledge said by Mayor Bearrows and prayer by Pastor Joy Alsop.

ROLL CALL: On March 16th, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Pritzker suspended the in-person attendance requirement for public meetings allowing public bodies to conduct meetings electronically without having to comply with the physical quorum requirements or the conditions for participating electronically in a meeting. On March 31st Governor Pritzker extended the order until April 30th. On May 29th Governor Pritzker extended the order until June 27th. On June 26th Governor Pritzker extended the order through July 25th. On July 24th Governor Pritzker extended the order through August 22nd. On August 21st Governor Pritzker extended the order through September 19, 2020. On September 18th Governor Pritzker extended the order through October 17, 2020. On October 16th Governor Pritzker extended the order through November 14th. On November 13th Governor Pritzker extended the order through December 12th. On December 11th Governor Pritzker extended the order through January 9th. On January 8th Governor Pritzker extended the order through February 6th. On February 5th Governor Pritzker extended the order through March 6th. On March 5th Governor Pritzker extended the order through April 3rd. On April 2nd Governor Pritzker extended the order through May 1st. As a result, Councilman Bil Hayes has notified the City Clerk of his desire to participate remotely. Unless there is a motion objecting to his attendance, the request of the council member will be deemed approved. Present on Roll Call were Councilmembers Burke, Gruben, D. McDermott, T. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey, Mayor Bearrows and Councilman Hayes attended remotely. Absent: None. A quorum of seven was present. City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh, Deputy City Clerk Rose Huéramo and City Attorney Dominick Lanzito were also present.

PROCLAMATIONS, COMMENDATIONS, ETC: National Telecommunicators Week - April 11-17, 2021.

REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS:

• Mayor’s Report Thanked the Community for casting their votes for City Council. Congratulated Kate Shaw Dickey, Dan McDermott and Rosie Arteaga for their win for City Council. Councilmembers will be sworn-in 5/4/2021 at 1:00pm. Thanked Councilman Don Burke for his involvement on Council over the years.

o Accept the Declined Appointment of Russ Crull from the Planning & Zoning Commission Effective Immediately. Motion made by Councilor T. McDermott and seconded by Councilor D. McDermott, “I move the Council accept the Declined Appointment of Russ Crull from the Planning and Zoning Commission Effective Immediately.” Roll call vote was taken. Ayes: Burke, Gruben, D. McDermott, T. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.

• Council Members

• Good News – Officer Gilliam

Dawson Williams

Kyle Bridgeman

Rosie Belmonte

PUBLIC COMMENTARY: None.

Motion made by Councilor D. McDermott and seconded by Councilor Shaw-Dickey, “I move Discussion #1 Fairways Golf Course and #3 Wastewater Treatment discussion moved up to the beginning.” Roll call vote was taken. Ayes: Burke, Gruben, Hayes, D. McDermott, T. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7- 0.

DISCUSSION ITEMS: Fairways Golf Course. Golf courses in Illinois were not allowed to open until May 1, 2020. Fairways typically opens mid- March. Along with the opening, the Governor put strict guidelines in place. Under these guidelines all tee times must be prepaid over the phone or online through our website. Tee times were for two people only with fifteen minutes between each tee time. Carts can only be rented to individuals with a physical disability or physical limitation that prevent them from walking the course. All touch points had to be removed from the course. Golf carts had to be sanitized after each use. It was not until May 29, 2020 that we would get back to groups of four and carts being allowed for all golfers. Mitch Hamilton discussed how Fairways navigated through all the guidelines and proved more than ever to be an asset for the Rochelle community through the pandemic.

Wastewater Pretreatment. Baxter Woodman and Associate’s is currently working with the City of Rochelle’s water reclamation department to ensure compliance with several new Illinois EPA regulations. Part of the work is the pretreatment program which Rochelle is currently under no state or federal mandate to operate. With the ever-changing regulatory framework, Baxter Woodman would like to discuss the future of this program and possible changes for the City of Rochelle. Nichole Schaeffer, from Baxter Woodman gave a presentation.

BUSINESS ITEMS:

1) CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS BY OMNIBUS VOTE with Recommendations:

a) Approve Minutes of City Council Meeting – 3/22/21

b) Approve Exceptions – 03/16/21-03/22/21, 03/23/21-03/29/21, 03/30/21-04/05/21

c) Approve Payroll – 03/08/21-03/21/21

d) Accept and Place on File Minutes of Planning & Zoning Meeting – 3/1/21

e) Approve Rochelle Rotary Club Request to Hold a Concert, Vendor Fair and Car Show – 06/12/21 f) Approve Lincoln Highway Heritage Festival Request – 8/21/21

Motion made by Councilor D. McDermott and seconded by Councilor T. McDermott, “I move Consent Agenda Items (a) through (f) be approved by Omnibus Vote as recommended.” Roll call vote was taken. Ayes: Burke, Gruben, Hayes, D. McDermott, T. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.

2) City Hall and Police Entrance Renovation. The main entrance doors to City Hall and the Police Department are not ADA accessible. In addition, the entrance doors to the Police Department are not commercial grade exterior doors, the original tile floor is failing, and the unit heater and thermostat for the entrance/waiting area have been inoperable for several years. As a result, the City hired Willett Hofmann & Associates in 2020 to provide project specifications to install ADA entrance operators at both entrances, and replace the entrance doors, flooring and unit heater at the police department. Willett Hoffman & Associates estimated the City Hall and Police Entrance Renovation Project at $38,000. This amount was included in the 2021 Capital Outlay Budget for the Municipal Building. The project was divided into three parts to aid in the flexibility and funding. The base bid included all of the desired work. The two alternate bids were deductions from the base bid for the unit heater and thermostat and the city hall entrance operators. Subsequent to the required public notice, the City opened bids from three contractors on March 12th. The apparent low bidder for the entire project, including the base and 2 alternates, is Larson & Larson Builders, Inc. with a total bid of $45,400. Our consultant, Alan Hulstedt of Willett Hofmann believes that the bids came in over the estimate due to significant increases in material prices this past year, especially lumber and metal. Due to the lack of ADA accessibility to the building entrances and heating/cooling loss resulting from the police department entrance doors, staff recommends that the City proceed with the entire project as designed and award the Base Bid to Larson & Larson Builders for the sum of $45,400. Other minor maintenance and periodic cleaning will be delayed in the municipal building budget to offset the difference. Jeff Fiegenschuh was available for questions. Motion made by Councilor Gruben and seconded by Councilor D. McDermott, “I move Council accept the base bid of $45,400 for the City Hall and Police Entrance Renovation Project from Larson & Larson Builders, Inc. and reject all other bids.” Roll call vote was taken. Ayes: Burke, Gruben, Hayes, D. McDermott, T. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.

3) Prologis Park Substation Installation Project. On March 25, 2021 we received and opened bids for the installation contract for the Prologis Park Substation project. A total of five (5) bids were received and have been reviewed for completeness and ability to meet specification requirements.

▪ Bidder Total Bid Price Notes

JF Electric $6,924,179.00 ($6,986,387.00) Exclusions listed

Whittaker Construction $6,935,150.00 None

LE Myers $7,078,826.06 Clarifications listed

Morse Group $7,116,178.00 None

Tri-City Electric $8,405,200.00 None

The bid from JF Electric included several exclusions, a clarification summary is attached which takes their bid higher than Whittaker. Therefore, it was determined the bid from Whittaker Construction was the low bid for Specification 2031K004, no major exceptions were listed. The bid includes a $150,000 allowance for overages. Whittaker has a good list of reference completed projects. The company appears to be in good standing and employs certified and trained craftsmen, they are partnered with the Morse Group to complete the electrical portion. The low bid for the project is unfortunately over our Engineer’s budget of $5,500,000 for the contract putting the project $1.5 million over budget. We feel this overage can be attributed to the significant increase in material prices and partially due to the requirements imposed by ComEd. The total budgeted amount for the construction of the Prologis substation is $12,000,000, contract cost to date is $13.8 million. Utilities Supervisor Adam Lanning and Jason Jackson with BHMG were available for questions. Motion made by Councilor T. McDermott and seconded by Councilor Burke, “I move Council award the Prologis Park Substation Installation Project to Whittaker Construction at a cost of $6,935,150 and reject all other bids.” Roll call vote was taken. Ayes: Burke, Gruben, Hayes, D. McDermott, T. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.

4) Ordinance Waiving the Competitive Bidding Requirements and Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a Master Service Agreement with Syndeo Networks, Inc. for the Purchase of Increased Bandwidth. The Advanced Communications Department recommends entering into a three-year (3) Master Service Agreement with Syndeo for 10 Gb of diverse internet bandwidth. The internet feed will be diverse, which means it takes two different paths to connect to two different major metropolitan areas (Chicago and Denver) from the Tech Center. This provides for redundancy in the event of a failure of either path, which is critical to an ISP like ours. The new contract will provide an additional 9 Gb of bandwidth, which will allow us to provide a wider array of bandwidth capabilities to our customers. Syndeo included hardware lease costs in the monthly pricing which after 3 years RMU will own the equipment. With higher demand for internet service, this will allow RMU to provide uninterrupted service and grow the customer base. The term of the agreement is for 3 years from the date which the bandwidth is activated at a cost of $9,200 per month. The existing agreement with Syndeo is $6,700 per month for a total of 1Gb. After researching and obtaining two quotes for additional bandwidth, Syndeo was able to provide a significant bandwidth capacity for a reasonable amount. Network Adminstrator/Communications, Pat Burst was available for questions. Motion made by Councilor D. McDermott and seconded by Councilor Shaw-Dickey, “I move Ordinance 21-5226, an Ordinance Waiving the Competitive Bidding Requirements and Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a Master Service Agreement with Syndeo Networks, Inc. for the Purchase of Increased Bandwidth at a cost of $110,400 per year, be approved.” Roll call vote was taken. Ayes: Burke, Gruben, Hayes, D. McDermott, T. McDermott, Shaw Dickey and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.

5) Ordinance Extending the Rochelle Dining Reopening Plan & Suspending Provisions of Article IV, Chapter; 82 & Article XII, Chapter 110 of the Municipal Code. In May of 2020 the City Council approved an Ordinance Adopting the Rochelle Dining Reopening Plan & Suspending Provisions of Article IV, Chapter; 82 & Article XII, Chapter 110 of the Municipal Code. This action was taken to provide opportunities for the use of outdoor public spaces and the extension of liquor licenses under the limited capacity and social distancing guidelines of Governor Pritzker's Restore Illinois Plan.

As a result, the following opportunities and regulations allowed for our local bars and restaurants to reopen:

1. Public property has been designated throughout the downtown area to be used by restaurants and bars to serve their customers. Hours of operation for these spaces is limited to 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. with a maximum use of 60 minutes.

2. Use of Parking Lots for outdoor Seating from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., with a maximum of use 60 minutes.

3. Within the areas designated only, the City has provisionally waived prohibitions on the public consumption or possession of alcohol. This prohibition waiver is for the consumption of packaged alcoholic beverages purchased from adjacent licensed bars/restaurants only. After hours public consumption will be enforced along with public consumption outside of the designated areas.

4. Local and State laws and all guidelines from the Center for Disease Control (“CDC”) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (“IDPH”) surrounding public gatherings and alcohol consumption will remain in full effect and enforcement by the Rochelle Police Department. This applies to public intoxication, disturbances, fights, noise complaints and other statutory laws.

The prior ordinance is in affect during the extent of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation. Staff recommends that this ordinance be approved to extend these provisions through calendar year 2021. Jeff Fiegenschuh was available for questions. Motion made by Councilor T. McDermott and seconded by Councilor Burke, “I move Ordinance 21- 5230, an Ordinance Extending the Rochelle Dining Reopening Plan & Suspending Provisions of Article IV, Chapter; 82 & Article XII, Chapter 110 of the Municipal Code, be approved..” Roll call vote was taken. Ayes: Burke, Gruben, Hayes, D. McDermott, T. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.

6) Rochelle Solar – Continuation of Public Hearing. The submitted Petition for Rochelle Solar (15537 E Twombly Rd PIN 25-18-100-005) for a proposed preliminary and final plat of subdivision, plat of annexation, zoning map amendment, rezoning to rural development, special use for a solar farm, and variance of municipal code sections 82- 14 and 110-405 for the property located at the Southeast corner of Twombly Road and North Caron Road (future), parcel 25-18- 100-005 requires a public hear and voting action. At the April 5, 2021 Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted to continue the Public Hearing to April 19, 2021 regarding the proposed Preliminary and Final Plat of Subdivision, Plat of Annexation, Zoning Map Amendment, Rezoning to Rural Development, Special Use for a Solar Farm, and Variance of Municipal Code Sections 82-14 and 110-405 for Rochelle Solar. The Public Hearing for City Council will be continued to the April 26, 2021 meeting. Community Development Director, Michelle Pease was available for questions. Motion made by Councilor T. McDermott and seconded by Councilor Shaw-Dickey, “I move the council approve the continuation of the Public Hearing regarding the proposed Preliminary and Final Plat of Subdivision, Plat of Annexation, Zoning Map Amendment, Rezoning to Rural Development, Special Use for a Solar Farm and Variance of Municipal Code Sections 82-14 and 110- 405 for Rochelle Solar to the April 26, 2021 City Council meeting.” Roll call vote was taken. Ayes: Burke, Gruben, Hayes, D. McDermott, T. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.

7) Resolution of Support for the USDA Rural Development Grant Application. USDA Rural Development Opportunity Grant funds are made to public bodies, non-profit corporations and federally recognized Indian Tribes to analyze rural business (small and emerging or larger business) opportunities, identify and/or provide training opportunities to rural entrepreneurs, conduct leadership development, establish training or technology centers and conduct technical assistance or area- wide planning activities. In March of 2021, the City of Rochelle submitted an application for the USDA Rural Development Grant. The grant amount requested is $99,499.00. The proposed use of funds will enable area-wide planning activities that address blight and vacancies in the Downtown, therefore encouraging economic growth. At this time, the grant application is in the review process and will be finalized when all required documents are submitted, including a resolution of support passed by City Council. Michelle Pease was available for questions. Motion made by Councilor Gruben and seconded by Councilor D. McDermott, “I move Resolution R21-09, a Resolution of Support for the USDA Rural Development Grant Application, be approved.” Roll call vote was taken. Ayes: Burke, Gruben, Hayes, D. McDermott, T. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.

8) Ordinance Amending Chapter 110 of the Rochelle Municipal Code to Adopt and Approve a Zoning Code. City staff have been working with Pete Iosue from Teska & Associates to update our Zoning Codes, specifically Section 110 of the Municipal Code. The Steering Committee consisted of City staff, Councilwoman Kate Shaw-Dickey and Planning and Zoning Commissioner Gary Chiavini, Mayor Bearrows and City Manager Fiegenschuh.

The presented updates address the following:

1. Codes are aligned with State and Federal laws.

2. Revised staff roles and zoning processes (variance, special use, amendments, etc.) reflect current City practices.

3. Document is more user friendly for staff, residents, and developers.

4. Graphics and links are now available for easier use.

5. Duplication of conflicting regulations have been removed to eliminate confusion.

6. District Classification Use List has been revised and simplified.

Michelle Pease was available for questions. Motion made by Councilor D. McDermott and seconded by Councilor Burke, “I move Ordinance 21-5231, an Ordinance Amending Chapter 110 of the Rochelle Municipal Code to Adopt and Approve a Zoning Code effective May 1, 2021, subject to Teska renumbering the sections to better integrate into the existing code and leaving space for future updates, be approved.” Roll call vote was taken. Ayes: Burke, Gruben, Hayes, D. McDermott, T. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.

9) Intergovernmental Personnel Benefits Cooperative premium renewal rates for July 1, 2021– June 30, 2022. In September of 2017, the City Council approved a Resolution, and the City of Rochelle became a member of Intergovernmental Personnel Benefits Cooperative (IPBC) starting in 2018 in the sub pool known as Quad Cities Health Insurance Pool (QCHIP). Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois is the insurance carrier with only a PPO option to all full-time employees. IPBC’s fiscal year is based on July 1-June 30th and our rate changes with the fiscal year in July even though our plan year is based on the calendar year. The premiums are a shared cost with the City and employees, those with start date prior to 1/1/2020, currently paying 15% of the monthly premium for single coverage and 18% of the monthly premium for family coverage. Those employees that started after January 1, 2020, they are on “tier 2” with single at 20% and family at 25%. In 2021 we added a 3rd tier, which is a part of the Fire Department CBA, with firefighters shared rates at 16% for single and 19% for family. The IPBC board approved the 2021/2022 premium rates for the members and the sub pools and were presented to the members in mid-March. The renewal rate for Rochelle is 10.9%, which is a significant increase to the premium amounts. The total premium increases: family from $1,888.01 to $2,035.54 and single from $736.21 to $793.74. This increase is partly due to the IPBC premium rate increase restructure with the equalization of rates across the entire IPBC and the overall insurance rates increasing. The 2021/2022 is 4.84% higher over the rates we had in 2018/2019. Because in 2019/20 there was a significant reduction by 8%, this led to 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 experiencing lower rates, which was a huge savings on premiums over those two years. The insurance plan will be reviewed for 2022 with possible changes in the plan structure to stabilize or reduce rates for the future. We will be looking at adding a HMO option to the plan to help offset some of the costs. Human Resources Coordinator Nancy Bingham was available for questions. Motion made by Councilor D. McDermott and seconded by Councilor Gruben, “I move Council approve the Intergovernmental Personnel Benefit Cooperative Premium Renewal Rates for July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022.” Roll call vote was taken. Ayes: Burke, Gruben, Hayes, D. McDermott, T. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.

DISCUSSION ITEMS: New Hello Rochelle Application. As part of the City-wide software system upgrade, a new mobile app has been designed to give residents and businesses a way to access the City of Rochelle at their fingertips. The newly designed app, available at no charge in the App Store and Google Play, gives citizens the ability to easily contact City Council members and staff; report issues online with a photo and GPS tagging; and to pay utility bills directly from a phone or tablet. A calendar of events that includes meeting dates and special events as well as a news icon that features the latest City happenings are also included on the home screen of the app. On the back end, staff will be able to communicate updates to residents who submit issues, track timelines and costs of making such repairs. Staff also has the ability to utilize the app for internal issues such as for IT assistance or entering information from phone calls received at City Hall or RMU Customer Service. With the GPS capabilities included, requests for service are plotted on a map to give staff a big-picture look at areas of concern. The updated app is now available for residents to download and utilize. For those who had the previous version of the City’s mobile app, “Hello, Rochelle!”, simply visit the app store and update your app to see the new version. Marketing plans for the new app include tonight’s presentation video; a press release; a social media campaign; a scavenger hunt within the app with 10 - $25 gift cards as prizes; and an all-resident mailer. The current app has been downloaded approximately 865 times to date and our goal is to double that number in the next year. Jenny Thompson, Director of Marketing, PR & Tourism gave presentation to Council.

ADJOURNMENT: At 7:55 PM, moved by Councilor D. McDermott and seconded by Councilor Gruben, “I move the Council adjourn.” Roll call vote was taken. Ayes: Burke, Gruben, Hayes, D. McDermott, T. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.

https://www.cityofrochelle.net/2021-city-council-meeting-minutes/8541-04-12-2021-city-council-meeting-minutes/file.html