City of Galena City Council met Sept. 25.
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
23C-0360 – CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Renner called the regular meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. in the Board Chambers at 101 Green Street on 25 September 2023.
23C-0361 – ROLL CALL
Upon roll call, the following members were present: Bernstein, Kieffer, Tegtmeyer, Westemeier, Wienen, Renner
Absent: Johnson
23C-0362 – ESTABLISHMENT OF QUORUM
Mayor Renner announced a quorum of Board members present to conduct City business.
23C-0363 – PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge was recited.
23C-0364 - REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES
No reports.
23C-0365 – CITIZENS COMMENTS
Barb Hocker, 606 Dewey Avenue – Hocker thanked Mayor Renner, Mark Moran and the council for supporting the fire, police and EMS in the active shooter training.
Rick Pariser, 113 S. High Street – Pariser voiced his concerns with the recent tree trimming in town. While he understands they need to be trimmed, it looks more like they are “butchering” the trees the way they have been cut up.
Pariser thanked Alderperson Tegtmeyer for her comments about open government at the last meeting. He took that to heart and hopes that others did too.
Dr. Ruegsegger, Veterinary Associates, 1241 Franklin Street – Dr. Ruegsegger voiced concern with the traffic problems on Franklin Street during pickup and drop off times at the school. The bottleneck of traffic causes concerns for his emergency clinic. They are unable to get clients in or out on short notice. He noted sometimes their emergencies are a matter of life or death. He also noted people have driven in their yard which has a water pipe sticking up at the end of the driveway.
CONSENT AGENDA CA23-17
23C-0366 – APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2023
23C-0367 – APPROVAL OF A CONTRACT WITH NELSON CARLSON MECHANICAL CONTRACTORS FOR BACKFLOW PREVENTION DEVICE INSPECTION AT $55.00 PER DEVICE
23C-0368 – ACCEPTANCE OF AUGUST 2023 FINANCIAL REPORT
23C-0369 – APPROVAL OF GALENA KIWANIS TRAIL RUN ON THE GALENA RIVER TRAIL, APRIL 20, 2024
23C-0370 – ACCEPTANCE OF 2023 YEAR-END POOL REPORT
23C-0371 – APPROVAL OF A REQUEST BY THE GALENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS FOR THE “ART THAT STAND OUT IN ITS FIELD…SCARECROWS” EXHIBIT THROUGH NOVEMBER 1, 2023
Motion: Wienen moved, seconded by Kieffer, to approve Consent Agenda CA23-17. Discussion: None.
Roll Call: AYES: Kieffer, Tegtmeyer, Westemeier, Wienen, Bernstein, Renner
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Johnson
The motion carried.
NEW BUSINESS
23C-0372 – DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON COUNTRY FAIR WEEKEND AND HALLOWEEN WEEKEND PUBLIC PARKING LOT PLAN
Motion: Westemeier moved, seconded by Kieffer, to approve Country Fair and Halloween weekend public parking the same as it has been for this year only.
Discussion: Westemeier noted the revenues from parking have already been included in this year’s budget. He was in favor of discussing it when the new budget comes up. Kieffer agreed.
Tegtmeyer clarified the Boy Scouts have asked for 75-100 percent of the profits this year. She agreed the revenues have already been budgeted for this year. She also noted if a change is made it needs to be fair across the board. Tegtmeyer feels there could be a creative way to come up with a cap.
Bernstein questioned if these were the only groups allowed to do this and questioned why the same group always does the Depot Lot. She felt it would be more equitable to rotate the lots. Renner noted the Depot Lot is a very big lot and takes a lot of volunteers.
Wienen stated the volunteers not only park cars, but they also give directions and are ambassadors for the town. She stated she would like to see it move up to 75 percent next year. She noted at one time they received all of the money.
Kieffer noted the city has to pay overtime for Police and Public Works.
Roll Call: AYES: Kieffer, Tegtmeyer, Westemeier, Wienen, Bernstein, Renner
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Johnson
The motion carried.
23C-0373 – DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE PURCHASE OF NEW BENCHES FOR RECREATION PARK
Motion: Westemeier moved, seconded by Kieffer, to approve the purchase of new benches for Recreation Park, 23C-0373.
Regular Board Meeting 25 September 2023
Discussion: The existing benches are rusty and in poor condition.
Roll Call: AYES: Tegtmeyer, Westemeier, Wienen, Bernstein, Kieffer, Renner
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Johnson
The motion carried.
23C-0374 – DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON A POLICY FOR THE USE OF HERBICIDES FOR WEED CONTROL
Motion: Tegtmeyer moved, moved, seconded by Wienen, to draft a policy in accordance with Item 1, page 24 of the agenda, that formally prohibits the use of all herbicides for weed control on all city properties. Special use exceptions for items under item 3B could be discussed on a case by-case basis only after all non-chemical alternatives are exhausted, 23C-0374.
Discussion: Tegtmeyer stated she has heard some concerns from constituents with regard to spraying. The city stopped spraying temporarily. She would like to see something permanent to help the health and environment for citizens as well as animals. Tegtmeyer further recommended exploring going from fuel operated weed eaters to electric powered weed eaters.
Renner questioned if the intent was to prohibit spraying on all city properties. Tegtmeyer felt there could be special exceptions made for areas listed under 3B.
Kieffer stated he would be in favor of the third option which would allow the use of non-synthetic naturally occurring herbicides such as Finale for weed control provided it isn’t used in areas where kids or people frequent.
Finale is a herbicide non-synthetic weed control chemical. Once used, it cannot be touched for 24 hours. Tegtmeyer stated there are some dangers with the use of Finale as well. She would like to come up with a policy that uses the least amount of herbicides as possible.
Westemeier feels it could be used under the solar panels. He agrees it should not be used on playgrounds. He noted the cobblestone street and the bricks on Water Street have a lot of weeds and questioned if the city would have to have someone pull the weeds in those areas.
Bernstein recommended using vinegar. She was also in favor of transitioning to electric weed eaters. She feels it would save a lot of money on gasoline. Bingham estimates the weed eaters use approximately 100 gallons of gas for a season. Bernstein stated while she understands electric weed eaters may not be up to the intense use by the city, she would recommend purchasing one electric weed eater to see how it works. If it works out, she would like the city to consider transitioning fully.
Roll Call: AYES: Westemeier, Wienen, Bernstein, Kieffer, Tegtmeyer, Renner
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Johnson
The motion carried.
23C-0375 – U.S. WATER MONTHLY REPORT ON WATER AND SEWER OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
Andrew Schuler, US Water, gave the monthly operations report for the month of August. They continue to work with Fischer’s on the Highway 20 project.
Matt Oldenburg, City Engineer, explained the recent water breaks. Oldenburg stated as part of ongoing efforts to make the system more resilient, they are putting in more components to certain control valves. A new 2” PRV was installed to allow a more stable flow. The next step was to adjust the pressures at the Dodge Street standpipe. Minor adjustments were made to make the water level go up and down more in the tower. Adjustments were made on Thursday afternoon to elevate the tower to 5 pounds over pressure. Everything was stable until 9:00 p.m. when the main on Hill Street popped. Oldenburg noted the mains in that area are 137 years old. When isolating the pressure relief valves to keep the break isolated, it continued to find weak spots. The was a second break on Franklin Street the next morning as well as in the area of Adams Street. They continue to try to eliminate weak areas by using control systems to provide better pressure, water quality and loping. Oldenburg apologized for the disruption and noted they continue to work on things to make it better.
23C-0376 – WARRANTS
Motion: Kieffer moved, seconded by Wienen, to approve the Warrants as presented with the addition of a Warrant to First Community Bank in the amount of $500 for a loan origination fee, 23C-0375.
Discussion: None.
Roll Call: AYES: Wienen, Bernstein, Kieffer, Tegtmeyer, Westemeier, Renner
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Johnson
The motion carried.
23C-0377 – ALDERPERSONS’ COMMENTS
Thank you – Westemeier thanked Hillary Dickerson for the pool report. The report was well written. It was a great year and he hopes to have staff come back next year. Bernstein agreed.
Downtown – Westemeier stated the downtown looks good and clean.
Thank you – Wienen thanked everyone for their patience with the traffic issues in and around Galena. All of the new changes will be good to have and we will make it through it.
Water Breaks – Wienen stated the city needs to do a better job notifying the public in a quicker fashion.
Valves – Wienen sated she would like more detail on the valves that were closed. She would like to know where those were and what it affected. She would like to dive into this so the city can be more proactive.
Thank you – Tegtmeyer thanked the city for the opportunity to attend the IML conference in Chicago. She learned a lot and looks forward to making connections.
Streets – Kieffer stated he likes all of the construction and likes the new roads in his ward.
23C-0378 – CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
Street Paving – Moran noted there are new roads in multiple wards. The city did $600,000 in street paving last week; the largest we have ever done.
Annexation – Moran advised the Public Hearing for the annexation for Tractor Supply will be on the next agenda. They have received approval for the rezoning of the former Bartell farm.
Pool Report – Moran thanked Hillary for the excellent report.
Financial Report – Moran thanked Jen Schmidt for providing the financial report noting it is at a new level and provides excellent information.
Code Red – Moran advised he attempted to send a message out using the Code Red Notification System on Friday. That particular day the system was down on the software level. He will follow up on that.
23C-0379 – MAYOR’S REPORT
Trees – Mayor Renner stated he agrees with the comments made by Rick Pariser. The trees have been stripped pretty good. He too wishes they would have taken a little more care. The City’s feelings have been expressed.
Pool Report – Mayor Renner thanked Hillary Dickerson for the detailed pool report.
Thank you – Mayor Renner thanked Chief Hefel, the Galena EMS and the volunteers for the recent drill.
23C-0380 – ADJOURNMENT
Motion: Wienen moved, seconded by Bernstein, to adjourn.
Discussion: None.
Roll Call: AYES: Bernstein, Kieffer, Tegtmeyer, Westemeier, Wienen, Renner
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Johnson
The motion carried.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:04 p.m.
Alerts Sign-up