NW Illinois News

City of Byron Committee of the Whole met Jan. 29.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

1. CALL TO ORDER – Mayor Rickard called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.

2. ROLL CALL – Aldermen present: Todd Isaacs, Mittzi Fulrath, Ron Boyer, Jessica Nehring, Michael Gyorkos. Five members present.

Aldermen Absent: Emily Gerdes, Christy Hanlin

Alderman Fulrath motioned to allow Alderman Hanlin to attend the meeting electronically. Motion seconded by Alderman Gyorkos. Roll call vote: Fulrath, AYE; Boyer, AYE; Nehring, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Isaacs, AYE. Motion passed: AYE, 5; NAY, 0; ABS, 0. Six members present.

PRESENT: Mayor John Rickard

City Attorney Aaron Szeto

City Clerk Caryn Huber

City Administrator Brian Brooks

Public Works Dir. Aaron Vincer

City Engineer Jason Stoll

Citizens Brad Miller (6:10 pm arrival), Charles Van Horn

3. APPROVAL/AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA – Because Mr. Miller was not yet in attendance, item #5 (Lead and Galvanized Service Line Replacement Planning) will be discussed before item #4 (221 N. Walnut St. TIF Agreement). Motion by Alderman Isaacs to approve, as amended, the January 29, 2025, agenda. Seconded by Alderman Fulrath. Roll call vote: Boyer, AYE; Nehring, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE; Fulrath, AYE. Motion passed: AYE, 6; NAY, 0; ABS, 0.

4. LEAD AND GALVANIZED SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT PLANNING – Director Vincer discussed the EPA requirement to replace lead and galvanized service lines throughout the city. This includes water lines from the main to the curb box and from the curb box to the home. A recent inventory revealed two lead service lines (the department has already been changing out lead service lines for the past 20 years when they have been discovered during roadwork). The EPA has since expanded the replacement requirement to include galvanized services that are downstream from lead. Because we have a looped system, all galvanized surfaces could potentially be exposed to lead. We have 84 galvanized service lines that we know of. The services are in the older part of town, south of the railroad tracks. Director Vincer estimates the replacement cost to be $10,000 per service, much of which is for restoration costs for roads, sidewalks and driveways. The EPA is requiring an inventory and replacement plan to be submitted by April and a final replacement plan to be submitted by 2027. There are two ways to approach completing the replacements of the service lines. The first is to replace 7% of the services per year for the next 15 years (this would be approximately seven lines per year), including the cost in our annual budget. The service lines that have not been replaced yet, however, would need to be tested annually which means additional costs. The second is to apply for an EPA loan and complete the entire project at one time. The EPA loan is a 0% interest loan, with principal forgiveness of up to 50%, for 20 or 30 years. Taking advantage of the loan will enable us to lock in the price to today’s pricing, since the estimated $10,000/service line will inevitably increase each year. Director Vincer proposes applying for the loan this summer and completing the work in summer of 2026. Alderman Isaacs asked if the 50% forgiveness could be less than 50%. Engineer Stoll replied that it could, however, the low to moderate income level is high in the target area, which increases our chances of earning the higher loan forgiveness. He added that because most towns/cities are in the same situation as Byron, the principal forgiveness part of the loan could become competitive. Alderman Isaacs asked if there would be engineering costs as well. Engineer Stoll stated that engineering costs would be approximately 20% of the cost of the project but are reimbursable through the loan. Fehr Graham would not need to do typical engineering work but would take on a project manager role. Services will include preparing bid documents and specs, obtaining easements on private property, pre-home inspections, verification, photos of yard and basement, scheduling for service interruptions, etc. Alderman Boyer asked if some of the service lines can be replaced this summer on the streets where road work is planned. Director Vincer stated that the lines from the main to the curb could be replaced, but not the work on private property.

The EPA is also offering a grant to excavate the city side of the service line for the purposes of inventorying the material from the main to the curb box. The $40,000 no-match grant is available to hire a vac truck and identify the line material on both sides of the curb box. It could potentially decrease the number of service lines that need to be replaced. This grant runs on a rolling cycle so application can be made at any time. Engineer Stoll has all the materials to submit for the grant and there will be no fee to submit the application.

Engineer Stoll will prepare a proposal for project planning for the line replacements and present at the next committee meeting. If approved, it will be submitted in March. The council agreed to proceed with preparing the proposal. Director Vincer and Engineer Stoll will proceed with applying for the grant.

5. 221 N. WALNUT ST. TIF AGREEMENT – Administrator Brooks reviewed the status of the public and private portions of the work at 221 N. Walnut St. The city has awarded the bid to DPI Construction to complete the public portion of the sidewalk replacement at a cost of $78,488.40. DPI also provided a bid of approximately $138,000 for the private portion of the bid which includes a ramp, an ADA lift, and steps. Mr. Miller has also received bids for masonry (brick façade) $16,800 and doorway work $7,645. He estimates the cost for temporary stairs and signage to be $2,000 and electrical $1,000, bringing the total cost of his portion of the project to $163,286. Mr. Miller does have the option of hiring an alternate contractor to complete the ramp and lift. The city will enter into a TIF Agreement with Mr. Miller to pay for a portion of his work, and the council needs to decide what percentage of the project will be paid for with TIF funds. Alderman Isaacs initially proposed that the city pay 80% of the project through a TIF grant. Mr. Miller maintains that the damage to his property was caused by a city water leak. He cited the fact that water should run to the north in the gutter but instead drains to the south. The ground was saturated when the sidewalk was lifted, and there is water/ice pooling in the gutter. In conversations with city staff, Mr. Miller proposed a 90%/10% split, with the dollar amount capped as to what the city will pay. If the cost goes above $163,286, Mr. Miller will absorb the additional cost. If the cost goes below, both parties will benefit from the savings. Mr. Miller is willing to do a portion of the work himself, including façade brick removal, electrical, temporary stairs, signage, and handrail removal, all projects that will benefit the city cost-wise. Even though Mr. Miller sees the benefit of hiring DPI to complete the entire project, he would like to give local contractors the opportunity to bid on the project. Doing this could potentially save money by not having to pay prevailing wage. If DPI is not going to do the private work, Engineer Stoll stated that the private work would need to be completed prior to the city’s work. He would suggest specifying dates of completion in order to ensure the entire project can be completed this summer. Mr. Miller stated that there is also work to do in his basement with moving shelving and taking down finished walls that are not reflected in the bid. The possibility of paying 80% of the project through a TIF grant was discussed, but this would not include a cap as to what cost the city could potentially be responsible for (the city and Mr. Miller would share additional costs at 80%/20%). Alderman Hanlin motioned to recommend to council a TIF agreement with Mr. Miller at 90%/10%, capping the city’s cost at $146,957. Any costs above this amount would be paid by Mr. Miller. Any decrease in costs would be split at 90%/10%. Motion seconded by Alderman Nehring. Roll call vote: Nehring, AYE; Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE; Fulrath, AYE; Boyer, AYE. Motion passed: AYE, 6; NAY, 0; ABS, 0. This motion allows Attorney Szeto and Administrator Brooks to draft a TIF Agreement to present to council and act on at the February 5 council meeting. Engineer Stoll reminded council that the prices from DPI are only good through this construction season. Both Engineer Stoll and Mr. Miller agreed that completion dates will be added to the agreement.

6. ADJOURN – Alderman Boyer motioned to adjourn. Motion seconded by Alderman Gyorkos. Roll call vote: Gyorkos, AYE; Hanlin, AYE; Isaacs, AYE; Fulrath, AYE; Boyer, AYE; Nehring, AYE. Motion passed: AYE, 6; NAY, 0; ABS, 0.

Mayor Rickard adjourned the City Council meeting at 7:09 pm.

https://www.cityofbyron.com/media/4271