City of Polo City Council met Aug. 21.
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
1. Invocation.
2. Pledge of Allegiance.
3. Call to order- Mayor Knapp called the meeting to order.
4. Mayor Knapp called roll call and the following members of the Council answered present: Alderman Keith Chesnut, Alderman Larry Weaver, Alderman Thomas Bardell, Alderman Joseph Kochsmeier, Alderman Busser, and Alderman Randy Schoon.
Absent: Alderman Schoon
5. Motion to approve the Consent Agenda
Motion made by Alderman Bardell second by Alderman Weaver to approve the following items on the Consent Agenda:
A. Minutes from the August 07, 2023 Council Meeting.
B. List of Bills as amended. Alderman Busser added bills from BNSF Railway for $380.03 and Erin Beers for $239.19 for the water and sewer department.
C. Treasurer’s Report
Motion carried 5-0. Yes- Chesnut, Weaver, Bardell, Kochsmeier, Busser.
6. Mayor Knapp opened Public Comment and the following persons provided comments: Members of the public are welcome to speak at this time but are limited to only 3 minutes. Mike Rock- Ogle County State’s Attorney was present to give the City Council an update and would like our support in the election next year in March. He has decreased the pending case load since he took over.
Tamela Merdian- Read a complimentary thank you letter from one of the patrons who attended the Polo Chamber Car Show this year.
Jim Deets- Stated his positive opinion on taking away the semi-truck parking. Art Johnson gave that land to the city for them to do something with. It was not given to the city for semi parking.
Debra Gorzny- She would like to know what happens to vehicles that do not have current license tags? Can the police department run the tag and see if they have paid their registration but have not put the sticker on their vehicle? She states that there is a chevy truck on East Buffalo that has been sitting for 2 weeks without being moved and there is not sticker. There is no reduce speed to 30 MPH on pines road she would like that remedied.
Sue Heyer- She received a letter regarding her tree that fell down on her neighbor’s garage. She has questions and comments on letter on storm damage. She was instructed by neighbor’s
insurance company not to move the tree. The insurance company was taking their time to get to their homes to take pictures of the incident. Sue would have preferred a phone call or a visit to her home instead of a letter that was confusing.
Jaci Gorzny- She was wondering if her driveway would be repaired? It was torn out due to the construction work on West Buffalo St. She is also wondering why can cranes be parked on Buffalo overnight but semi-trucks can’t be parked on the street? She had a lot of weeds and big rocks in her yard from the construction work. Will that be taken care of? She was also complaining about trash cans in front of houses for over 3 weeks that haven’t been moved.
7. Committee Reports
➢ Alderman Chesnut- None.
➢ Alderman Weaver- Building permits were issued for a shed and a fence.
➢ Alderman Bardell- Pool season is almost done. There is a park board meeting on Wednesday. Continue receiving comments on how well the parks look and how well the pool is being run.
➢ Alderman Kochsmeier- None.
➢ Alderman Busser- None.
➢ Alderman Schoon- None.
➢ Police Chief Troy Randall- None.
➢ City Clerk Bartelt- None.
➢ Public Works Director Kendall Kyker- None.
8. Items Removed from Consent Agenda
NONE
9. Old Business- Discussion/Action Items
A. Consideration & Possible Action on Ordinance 23-10, water and sewer rates. (Second reading)
Alderman Busser made a motion to approve ordinance 23-10, seconded by Alderman Bardell. Motion carried 5-0. Yes- Weaver, Bardell, Kochsmeier, Busser, Chesnut.
10. New Business- Discussion/Action Items
A. Presentation from Wipfli on 2022/2023 City of Polo Audit.
Becca Powell was present from Wipfli, LLP. A financial report presentation was given by Mrs. Powell.
B. Consideration & Possible Action on the zoning board of appeals decision on the possibility of eliminating the requirement of a concrete floor for any accessory building containing an area equal to or more than 144 square feet in the Polo Code of Ordinances §152.028(D). Alderman Busser made a motion to accept the zoning board’s recommendation, seconded by Alderman Chesnut. Motion carried 5-0. Yes- Bardell, Kochsmeier, Busser, Chesnut, Weaver. Attorney Suits will proceed with drafting an ordinance with this change.
C. Consideration & Possible Action on funding the business development district to purchase a pavilion for the empty lot located at 212 S. Division Ave.
Alderman Kochsmeier does not feel that this is a good way to use the business development district funds. He feels that the funds for that shelter are outrageous and fund should be used to update the parks instead of an empty lot. Alderman Weaver also feels it is too much money.
Alderman Bardell made a motion to fund the business development district with $60,000 to put a down payment on a pavilion for the empty lot located at 212 S. Division Ave., seconded by Alderman Chesnut. Motion carried 3-2. Yes- Kochsmeier, Busser, Chesnut, Bardell. No Kochsmeier, Weaver.
11. Other Items for Discussion & Information
Attorney Suits stated that the next court date with Mr. Farraj is August 23rd. He is expecting an updated quote from Mr. Farraj’s contractor based on the City Building inspectors findings.
12. Adjournment
Motion by Alderman Busser, second by Alderman Kochsmeier adjourn from regular session at 7:52 p.m. Motion carried 5-0.
https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/3619/Polo/3495393/08212023_Minutes_of_the_Regular_City_Council_Meeting.pdf
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