City of Rochelle City Council met Nov. 28.
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
I. CALL TO ORDER: Pledge to the Flag was led by Mayor Bearrows. Prayer was said by Pastor Joy Alsop.
II. ROLL CALL: Present were Councilors T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Gruben, Shaw-Dickey, and Mayor John Bearrows Absent: Councilor Arteaga. A quorum of six were present. Also, present City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh, City Clerk Rose Huéramo and City Attorney Dominick Lanzito.
III. PROCLAMATIONS, COMMENDATIONS, ETC: None.
IV. REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS:
1. Mayor's Report: Tuesday 11/29/2022 is Giving Tuesday, City Hall will be collecting donations for Rochelle Area Community Foundation. Filling period for petitions ended Monday 11/28/2022 at 5 P.M. for this next election on April 4th and congratulated all those that filed petitions.
2. City Clerk Rose Huéramo informed every one of the Notice of Simultaneous Filling Lottery being held on December 7, 2022 at 8:00 A.M. at the Office of the City Clerk.
3. Council Members: None.
4. New Employee Introduction - Sue Steffens, Utility Operations Generalist
5. Swearing In - Sergeant Ryan Beery
6. Swearing-In - Sergeant Joseph Sester
V. PUBLIC COMMENTARY: None.
VI. BUSINESS ITEMS:
1. CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS BY OMNIUS VOTE with Recommendations:
a) Approve Minutes of City Council Meeting - 11/14/2022
b) Approve Payroll - 10/31/22-11/13/22
c) Approve Check Registers - #203770-203854, 203855, 203871-203960, 203961-204055 Motion made by Councilor Hayes, Seconded by Councilor Shaw-Dickey, "I move consent agenda items (a) through (c) be approved by Omnibus vote a recommended." Voting Yea:T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Gruben, Shaw-Dickey, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 6-0.
2. Budget Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Hearing and Adoption). Motion made by Councilor D. McDermott and Seconded by Councilor T. McDermott, "I move the Council recess into a Public Hearing for the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget." Voting Yea: T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Gruben, Shaw-Dickey, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 6-0. There were no comments made from the public. Motion made by Councilor D. McDermott and Seconded by Councilor Hayes, "I move the Council return to open session." Voting Yea: T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Gruben, Shaw-Dickey, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 6- 0. The City of Rochelle held a Committee of the Whole meeting on November 7th. to discuss the upcoming 2023 budget. During the meeting, the City Manager presented a PowerPoint highlighting the 2023 budget and answered specific questions on various line items. The City Clerk published a Public Hearing Notice, as required by State law, to consider adoption of the budget at the November 28th City Council Meeting. Final action on the 2023 Budget is required on or before December 30, 2022, to be filed with Ogle and Lee Counties. The final Proposed 2023 General Fund revenues are budgeted at $13,405,888. This represents an increase of approximately 10% compared to the original approved 2022 budget. Budgeted expenses total $14,702,934 which is approximately 11% higher than the 2022 budget. This results in a budget deficit of $1,297,046. The combination of the General Fund, Special Revenue Funds, Enterprise Funds, Internal Service Funds, Trust and Agency Funds, and Capital Project Funds results in budgeted revenues of $96,251,524 and budgeted expenses of $106,616,478. Illinois statutes require that the City conduct a public hearing on the proposed budget to allow citizens the opportunity to provide comments. After the Council returns to regular session, members of the Council can propose modifications to the proposed budget, each of which will be voted on by the Council. The proposed budget as amended will then be subject to a final Council vote for approval. City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh was available for questions. Motion made by Councilor D. McDermott, Seconded by Councilor Shaw-Dickey, "I move Ordinance 22-5386, an Ordinance Adopting a 2023 City of Rochelle Municipal Budget, be approved." Voting Yea: T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Gruben, Shaw-Dickey, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 6-0.
3. A Resolution Approving the 2023-2042 Capital Improvement Plan. The City’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) is a multi-year planning instrument for the evaluation and identification of the capital infrastructure projects in need of renovation, repair, and/or construction along with the equipment or vehicle replacement over the next twenty years. The CIP relates these projected capital needs to the financial sources that will support their realization and the timeframe in which the financing and work will take place. Capital improvement programming is the process by which these capital projects are identified, prioritized, and selected, and thus are incorporated into the long-range fiscal and strategic planning of the City. The Capital Improvement Plan document is different from the annual budget as it sets forth a twenty-year program. The first year’s program contains projects that are included in the 2023 City of Rochelle Budget. The remaining nineteen years reflect staff’s recommended priorities in the future. City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh was available for questions. Motion made by Councilor Hayes, Seconded by Councilor D. McDermott, "I move Resolution R22- 47, a Resolution Approving the City of Rochelle's Capital Improvement Plan, be approved." Voting Yea: T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Gruben, Shaw-Dickey, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 6-0.
4. An Ordinance Waiving Competitive Bidding and Authorizing the City Manager to Negotiate and Enter into an Agreement with Baecore Group for ERP and EAM Services. In November 2020, City Council authorized the City Manager to enter into agreements with Tyler Technologies, Data Transfer Solutions, and Baecore Group to implement new ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) softwares. For the past 22 years, the City had been using the same Caselle software for payroll, accounting, utility billing, accounts payable, accounts receivable, inventory and project management. Gaps in system functionality were identified in Caselle as well as significant staff time was being spent on manual calculations, data entry, and manual tracking of information in addition to losing opportunities for customer service. Over the last two years, many changes have happened including converting historical data into Incode 10 (Tyler Technologies product) and VUEWorks (Data Transfer Solutions product) and having all staff using at least one aspect of the new softwares. In 2023, additional resources will be needed to successfully close out these projects. Baecore Group proposes the following service agreements for a total cost of $48,293: Incode Post Live Assistance - $14,385 for January – March 2023 Addendum 1 – ERP Post Live - $9,158 for 6 weeks when the update is available EAM Advanced Services - $24,750 for January – May 2023 Mary Smith, our consultant from Baecore, will be in attendance to answer any questions and update the City Council on the first two years of the projects. These amounts are included the 2023 draft budget. Finance Director Chris Cardot and Baecore Consultant Mary Smith were available for questions. Motion made by Councilor T. McDermott, Seconded by Councilor D. McDermott, "I move Ordinance 22-5387, an Ordinance Waiving Competitive Bidding and Authorizing the City Manager to Execute Agreement with Baecore Group for ERP and EAM Services for a amount not to exceed $48,293, be approved." Voting Yea: T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Gruben, Shaw-Dickey, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 6-0.
5. Resolution Approving the 2023 Risk Insurance Renewal with the Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust (ICRMT) and Brokerage Services through Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA). The City of Rochelle’s Risk Insurance Policy with the Illinois Municipal Insurance Cooperative (IMIC) is set to expire on December 31, 2022. The Policy includes property, casualty, and excess liability insurance. Workers’ compensation coverage is held with the Illinois Public Risk Fund (IPRF). Unfortunately, IMIC’s claims experience through Davies Group and administration through AJ Gallagher has been unsatisfactory, and the City has found itself in need of better representation. In effort to ensure fiscal responsibility, the City went out to bid for its 2023 Risk Insurance. Though IMLRMA was noted as the low bidder for the Risk Insurance Package, including property, casualty, excess liability, and workers’ compensation insurance coverage, they refused to honor the City’s requirement of choice of counsel for all litigation matters, were unable to procure the amount of cyber insurance requested and excluded equipment breakdown coverage as part of their Risk Package. Because of this, IMLRMA was excluded as a vendor due to the City’s Right to Reject bids that did not conform to the City’s RFP. Marsh McLennan Agency provided the City with a Risk Insurance Package Proposal from the Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust (ICRMT) that includes property, casualty, and excess liability insurance coverage, workers’ compensation coverage through IPRF, cyber liability insurance furnished by HCC Tokio Marine, and a 3-year pollution liability policy through Chubb. By procuring its Risk Insurance Package with ICRMT, the City will be provided violent response coverage, sales tax interruption in the amount of $3.8 million, and equipment breakdown coverage (with exclusion of the Electric Generation Facility) - which the City does not currently have in place. The total premium cost for 2023 is approximately 9.6% greater due in part to soaring inflation, nationwide catastrophic claims and cyber insurance becoming a top tier coverage. Human Resources Director Nancy Bingham and Risk and Safety Coordinator Brittney Zick were available for questions. Motion made by Councilor Gruben, Seconded by Councilor T. McDermott, "I move Resolution R22-48, a Resolution Approving the 2023 Risk Insurance Renewal with the Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust (ICRMT) and Brokerage Services through Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA), be approved." Voting Yea: T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Gruben, Shaw-Dickey, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 6-0.
6. A Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Terminate Pole Attachment Agreement. City previously entered into a Pole Attachment Agreement in 2009 to allow communications attachments on its electric distribution poles. The contract was for a period of 10 years and expired in 2019. Frontier Communications purchased certain assets from Verizon, the original contract holder. The 2009 Pole Attachment Agreement requires written termination of the original agreement that continues year to year, in order to renegotiate the terms of the agreement. The termination of the agreement is necessary to update the terms and rates in the agreement. City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh was available for questions. Motion made by Councilor D. McDermott, Seconded by Councilor T. McDermott, "I move Resolution R22-49, a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Terminate Pole Attachment Agreement executed with Verizon North, Inc. be approved." Voting Yea: T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Gruben, Shaw-Dickey, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 6-0.
VII. DISCUSSION ITEMS: Utility Radios: Risk and Safety Coordinator Brittney Zick and Superintendent of Electric Blake Toliver along with John Fotos from Motorola and Brittany Miller from Barbeck spoke briefly about workplace safety and the benefits of ION Smart Radios use in the utility department.
VIII. EXECUTIVE SESSION: None.
IX. ADJOURNMENT: At 7:42 P.M. Motion made by Councilor D. McDermott, Seconded by Councilor Shaw Dickey, "I move Council adjourn." Voting Yea: Councilor T. McDermott, Councilor Hayes, Councilor D. McDermott, Councilor Gruben, Councilor Shaw-Dickey, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 6-0.
https://mccmeetings.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/rochelleil-pubu/MEET-Minutes-439fd054ad06418eae0f104a30a5772f.pdf
Alerts Sign-up