City of Byron City Council met Feb. 27.
Here are 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, Jessica Nehring, Michael Gyorkos. Four members present. Quorum established.
Aldermen Absent: Emily Gerdes, Zeke Hobbie, Christy Hanlin
PRESENT: Mayor John Rickard
City Clerk Caryn Huber
City Administrator Brian Brooks
Citizens Ron Boyer, Mack Llanas (Fehr Graham)
4. APPROVAL/AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA – There were no objections to the agenda.
5. RESOLUTION DECLARING SUPPORT FOR SUBMITTAL OF APPLICATION TO 2023 RAISE GRANT AND LOCAL FUNDING MATCH – Administrator Brooks stated that the council had decided to submit a RAISE grant through the US Department of Transportation to build a roundabout at the intersection of Mill and Tower Rds. Because of the lack of a rec path to the homes north on Tower Road and it helped with scoring of the grant, a rec path was also extended north on Tower Rd. (to Water Rd.). Even though we were not required to offer a matching portion of the grant, it has been Fehr Graham’s experience with the grant that it would benefit our scoring as well to include a matching portion. The budgeted amount for the project is $3 million, and a 10% match would be $300,000. The grant application is due tomorrow. The council would need to pass the resolution in order to commit the city’s local funding match and support the application. There is an option to add curb and gutter along Tower Rd., however, it was not added to the plans in order to keep the cost at $3 million. Mack Llanas from Fehr Graham was in attendance to answer questions about the project.
Mayor Rickard asked for a motion to approve the Resolution Declaring Support for Submittal of Application to 2023 Raise Grant and Local Funding Match. Alderman Isaacs made the motion, and Alderman Nehring seconded the motion.
Discussion: Alderman Gyorkos asked if the resolution commits us to spending money. Administrator Brooks replied that it is, only if we get the grant. Per Fehr Graham, the earliest that the project would be done is the summer of 2026. Alderman Isaacs said that it gives us three years to set aside the money. Administrator Brooks proposed that we could use our remaining ARPA funds of $184,000, with the remaining funds being set aside out of our 1% street improvement funds. Alderman Isaacs asked what the cost of submitting the grant is. Administrator Brooks replied that we have spent $25,000 for Fehr Graham to put the grant proposal together. These funds came out of various engineering funds. Alderman Gyorkos asked if there would need to be any property acquisition and if there will be additional costs involved in that. Administrator Brooks said that there will be some Right of Way acquisition. Alderman Fulrath asked if we have committed ARPA funds to anything else. Administrator Brooks stated that out of the $499,000 received, $265,000 has been earmarked for generators and $49,000 may be earmarked for the Ogle County Economic Development Corporation (on agenda for Wednesday night’s meeting).
Alderman Fulrath asked how much the recreation path is alone. Mr. Llanas estimated the cost to be approximately $1 million. Mayor Rickard added that the addition of the path improved our scoring on the grant. Alderman Fulrath stated that we have $700,000 in the streets program account now. The 2023 streets program is estimated at $856,000. She is apprehensive about spending future money. She added that Director Vincer and Engineer Stoll have worked very hard to put together a 6-year streets plan. During COVID, and immediately after, we were conservative with money spent on streets projects. She is concerned that the money we put aside during those years is now being taken up by other projects. Alderman Isaacs said that we have $750,000 in the street improvement account as of the end of January. We should collect approximately $40,000 each month for the next several months which brings the total to $870,000. This is in addition to the General Obligation bond payment of $354,000. In two years, we will be eligible to levy for another bond. Mayor Rickard added that several of the general fund CDs are assigned to streets, and total $1,000,000. Even though Alderman Isaacs has concerns about the general fund, he is comfortable with committing the funds that have been earmarked for streets. Alderman Fulrath has concerns of how quickly the council is expected to make a decision. Administrator Brooks said that he has been asked to present this opportunity to council but does not necessarily advocate for it. He added that Director Vincer feels that this intersection needs to be addressed, but it is not a priority, and he does not want to jeopardize the streets budget to fund it. Mayor Rickard said we did not know about this grant until recently, and we did not know about the matching fund commitment until last week, which is why the decision seems rushed. He added that if the grant is awarded to us, we still have the option of refusing the grant if council is uncomfortable with spending the additional funds at that time. Matt Llanas estimated that the grant will be awarded in summer or fall.
Alderman Gyorkos has concerns about the city’s total debt with the construction of a Public Works program and the treatment plant. Alderman Isaacs explained that those projects are part of water and sewer and are separate from streets. There is a budget meeting with department heads on Saturday, and council will be presented with a proposed budget soon. Even though the intersection of Mill and Tower Rds. needs to be reworked, he questioned whether a roundabout is needed. We have already spent the $25,000 to have Fehr Graham prepare the application but the chances of being awarded the grant are slim. He thinks we should proceed. The committee can discuss the need for a roundabout in the coming months, and if we are awarded the grant, the funding can be discussed more at that time.
Roll call vote: Fulrath, AYE; Nehring, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Isaacs, AYE. Motion passed: AYE, 4; NAY, 0; ABS, 0.
6. ADJOURN – Alderman Isaacs motioned to adjourn. Motion seconded by Alderman Fulrath.
Roll call vote: Nehring, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Isaacs, AYE; Fulrath, AYE. Motion passed: AYE, 4; NAY, 0; ABS, 0.
Mayor Rickard adjourned the City Council meeting at 7:11 pm.
https://www.cityofbyron.com/sites/default/files/fileattachments/city_council/meeting/4152/minutes_-_2023-02-27_special_meeting-approved.pdf
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