Village of Davis Junction Board met June 8.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
CALL TO ORDER and ROLL CALL
Rick opened the meeting at 7:00 p.m.
Present: President Rick Wurm, Clerk Sandie Maahs, Treasurer Brenda Ognibene, Trustees Chris Samples, Jen Christenson, John Talbot, William Luchsinger, Nathan Maahs, and Bill Motisi
Absent:
Also in attendance: Public Works Supervisor Bret Ferge and Village Engineer Matt Hansen
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Rick led the Pledge of Allegiance.
CONSENT AGENDA
Sandie reviewed the items on the Consent Agenda.
a. Removal of Items from Consent Agenda
b. Approval of Consent Agenda by Omnibus Vote
Consent Agenda
1. May 4, 2021 Committee of Committees Minutes
2. May 11, 2021 Regular Board Meeting Minutes
3. Bills Payable/Warrant List dated June 8, 2021
Jen made a Motion to Place Agenda Items 1 through 3 inclusively as Consent Agenda items and that all Items be Considered Together as the Consent Agenda. John seconded the Motion. Motion passed on the following roll call vote:
Jen, Bill, John, Nathan, Chris, and William: yes
Jen made a Motion to Adopt Consent Agenda Items 1 through 3 inclusively on the Consent Agenda in a Single Group Pursuant to the Omnibus Vote Procedures Specified in the Illinois Municipal Code. Chris seconded the Motion. Motion passed on the following roll call vote: Bill, John, Nathan, Chris, William, and Jen: yes
c. Approval of Any Items Removed from Consent Agenda
REPORTS OF OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
Rick discussed that there are five Tuesdays this month and there will be a special meeting on the fifth Tuesday this month for board training and sexual harassment prevention training. After discussion, the special meeting on June 29, 2021 will start at 6:00 p.m.
a. Utility Bill Drawing
421 Hickory Drive was drawn and will receive $25.00 off their next water bill.
TREASURER
a. Treasurer’s Report for May 2021
The Board did not have any questions on the report.
CLERK
a. Discussion and possible approval of Resolution No. 21-24 - A Resolution Amending Public Comment Rules
Sandie discussed that the Resolution amends the public comment policy to allow for public participation via Zoom. William made a Motion to Approve Resolution No. 21-24 - A Resolution Amending Public Comment Rules. John seconded the Motion. Motion passed on the following roll call vote: John, Nathan, Chris, William, Jen, and Bill: yes
REPORT OF VILLAGE ENGINEER
a. Discussion on project update report
Matt Hansen of Willett Hofmann reviewed the project summary status as follows:
• North Junction Road Seal Coat/Blacktop/Widening – William Charles has substantially completed the project and Aaron from Willett Hofmann will check for punch list items before preparing the request for payment.
• IL Route 72 Sidewalks – Matt discussed that he keeps this on the list and Sandie updated the Board to let them know the draft sidewalk policy will be in the packet on June 15th for discussion.
• Water Tower Project – Matt reminded the Board that there is money being held for the completion of the water tower project, and Brenda confirmed that money has been added to the proposed FY22 Budget.
Rick confirmed that North Junction Road is complete as a resident contacted him about the sectioning of the road. John shared that if it doesn’t look new, it doesn’t belong to the Village. Sandie shared that she has already asked for a photo of the road so a blurb can be put together explaining that the sections not repaired belong to Scott Township.
b. Discussion on Village Hall options breakdown (“L” shape highlighted)
Sandie shared that this is breakdown of the options for a new Village Hall and just informational as the Village does not have the funds available at the moment.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND EVENTS COMMITTEE
Jen discussed that Park Supervisor Nate Hill ran the Farmer’s Market on June 2nd as Jen was out of town and heard good things about it from the vendors that were there. Jen is still working on more vendors for the markets.
Jen reminded that the fireworks are on July 3rd followed by the Movie in the Park – Tom & Jerry.
Jen shared that starting Thursday, June 10th to Saturday, June 12th are community garage sales with Stillman Valley and Byron.
The Board discussed whether the Village would direct parking cars on July 3rd and the majority of the Board was in favor of not directing parking again this year. Jen and Sandie discussed that the concession stand would probably be open and Jen will confirm with Parks Supervisor Nate Hill. Sandie let the Board know that they may need to work the event on July 3rd.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Tom Simpson from the Ogle County Fair asked if they could borrow the Village’s generator again this year. The Board did not have any objection. Tom shared that the Ogle County Fair will be July 28th through August 1st and would like to borrow the generator the week before to the week after the fair. Tom confirmed that if the Village needs the generator they will pull it and return it as needed. The public asked if the Village would be spraying for mosquitos for the Fair, and Sandie confirmed that the IEPA will not allow our permit in that area but the Village can work with Tom to ensure we are able to spray in future years if the Board approves it.
FINANCE COMMITTEE
a. Ratification of Emergency Expenditures (Permanent Agenda Item)
b. Discussion on FY2022 Budget
William discussed the initial proposed budget was in the red over $400,000.00 due to a decline in income from the landfill, reviewed the revenue and expenditures over the last 10 years, reviewed the landfill income and tonnage received since 1998, and the largest gap in revenue vs. expenses is in water and sewer. The Board discussed the previous deficit listed in the previous water and sewer rate study, and that the Village collectively decided to do a $0.25 increase in water and sewer every January 1st. Rick discussed that the Village’s need to increase the water and sewer rate has been an ongoing discussion for fourteen years. William discussed that water and sewer should be self-sustaining and the current $0.25 will not be sufficient to move the Village towards no longer subsidizing the water and waste water systems. Chris asked why the Village does not have the residents pay monthly base rate fees to pay for the IEPA Loan like other towns, and Sandie explained that most towns pass the loan payment to the residents while Davis Junction has passed that payment on to the developers when they build a new home, who are currently not building. William recommended that the Village increase water and sewer rates a $1.00 per thousand each to help close the budget gap, add a base rate of $2.50 to water and $5.00 to sewer to start reserve funds for those services, and use reserve funds to pay off the IEPA loan leaving the Village with over $1.2 million left in reserves. Sandie shared that the average homeowner would see an increase of $19.50 a month. John and William discussed that they don’t want to hammer the residents with a rate increase that would not cover the gap of the deficit in water and sewer. Chris shared that he would prefer an increase in property tax over an increase in water and sewer rates. William discussed that even raising the property tax rate as high as is allowable by law would only bring in a little over $100,000.00 in revenue and put the burden of the water and sewer deficit on all homeowners regardless of their use of the system. Chris wanted to make additional budget cuts and William challenged Chris to show where the cuts should be made as the Village is operating at bare bones. Rick shared that he would support charging the residents through their water and sewer rates to close the gap as residents control their water use through conservation. Matt shared that generally the revenue for water and sewer come from water and sewer rates. William reviewed the purchases, projects, and operating costs that has been cut from the FY22 budget. William shared that paying off the IEPA loan frees up $750,000.00 every year, or we will continue to have to use the reserves to pay for capital projects. William shared that even reducing the reserves to $1.2 million would leave the Village above the recommended level of reserve funds. Chris is not in favor of paying off the IEPA loan. William shared that the Village will only be at $1.2 million in reserves for one year as the cash that has been freed can be used to booster the reserve funds again. The Board discussed the possibility of paying off the loan. William shared that the proposed budget is what is being recommended by the supervisors, Rick, and William for approval. Rick asked that Chris be shared the draft line item budget. The public shared that anytime you can pay off a debt of any kind is a good thing and if the Village keeps up the spending like they have over the last 20 years there are going to be repairs that are needed and there will be no money. William shared that we can’t keep on the same path that we were on. Nate shared that he would like to be proactive as much as possible and we are being reactive, so if we can ease into being proactive while not burdening the residents we should do so. Jen discussed that she things this is something that needs to be done as if we put off some of the projects we are putting off they are only going to get worse and if we forgo maintenance we are going to be stuck replacing them again. Brenda confirmed that she will mail a letter to the school letting them know that the donations have been removed from the budget after the appropriations ordinance passes. Sandie explained that she would need to publish for a public hearing for the appropriations ordinance, and the Board agreed to a public hearing on June 29, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Sandie explained that the Village is not a budget community and that we are an appropriations community.
c. Discussion and possible approval of Ordinance No. 21-05 - An Ordinance Establishing Fees, Charges, Fines, Penalties, and Other Regulatory Measures (Annual Fee Ordinance) William made a Motion to Approve Ordinance No. 21-05 - An Ordinance Establishing Fees, Charges, Fines, Penalties, and Other Regulatory Measures (Annual Fee Ordinance). Jen seconded the Motion. Motion passed on the following roll call vote:
Nathan, William, Jen, and John: yes
Chris and Bill: no
William shared that no one wants to pay more, but this was long overdue. John asked if there was a way to project the increase over the next 7 years, and Sandie shared that she could but she would not be able to estimate what future raises would be. Rick asked that the information on the increase be on the back of the next water bill.
ORDINANCE ENFORCEMENT COMMITTEE
PARKS COMMITTEE
John shared that the talks with Fehr Graham are proceeding and the next committee meeting will have a discussion on the possible costs of the park projects.
STREETS & DITCHES COMMITTEE
Chris shared that the State is going to redo the bridge going south of 72 on Route 251 during the 2022 summer, and the road will be closed and rerouted to I-39. Chris will meet with IDOT to discuss the condition of Junction Road before and after the construction as a part of their good neighbor policy. William asked if there could be a temporary light at Route 72 and Junction Road.
Bret shared that the International truck was sent in for repair before we sold it, and right before the meeting Bret found out that there is another repair that will need to occur at this time.
UTILITIES COMMITTEE
Bret shared that the pre-construction meeting for the S.C.A.D.A. Project occurred, the clock is ticking on the project, and updates will be shared on the project as they are available.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Sandie shared that Tim Hayden and Haywell, LLC’s proposed zoning and special use applications are complete pursuant to the attorneys, and the applications will move forward with the Planning and Zoning Commission. Sandie confirmed that the applications seek the gas station and self-storage units to be built simultaneously. The Board confirmed that Tim Hayden has emailed the Board regarding the project.
PUBLIC COMMENT
No public commented.
ADJOURNMENT
William made a Motion to Adjourn the Meeting. Nathan seconded the Motion. Motion passed on a unanimous roll call vote of those present at 7:22 p.m.
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