NW Illinois News

City of Fulton City Council met March 10.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Pro-Tem Keith King at 5:30 p.m. On roll call, Alderpersons VanKampen, Mask, Boonstra, Burggraaf, Banker, Brondyke and Wilkin were present. City Attorney Huizenga, Police Chief Hermes, Liquor Commissioner Grant, City Administrator Sikkema, Assistant Public Works Director Foster and City Clerk Wade were also in attendance.

Mayor Pro-Tem King advised the Council that he will be a voting member at this meeting.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Presentations –

Appointments - None

Recognitions – None

Communication from Visitors. (Any communication that is NOT on the agenda for consideration.)

Mayor Pro-Tem King asked for a motion to approve the Council meeting minutes from February 24, 2025.

Alderperson VanKampen made the motion. Alderperson Burggraaf seconded.

On roll call, all yes.

Motion carried.

Current Business –

Mayor Pro Tem King asked for a motion to approve and vote on the FY 2025-2026 Budget for the City of Fulton, Illinois.

Alderperson Mask made the motion. Alderperson Brondyke seconded.

On roll call, all yes.

Motion carried.

Mayor Pro Tem King asked for a motion to approve and vote on the State of IL CY25-26 Rock Salt Joint Participation Agreement Contract. This is needed to order salt.

Alderperson Mask made the motion. Alderperson Burggraaf seconded.

On roll call, all yes.

Motion carried.

Mayor Pro Tem King asked for a motion to approve and vote on an Ordinance vacating an alley between Lots, 1, 3, 5 and Lots 2, 4 and 6 in Block 6, City of Fulton.

Alderperson Mask made the motion. Alderperson Brondyke seconded.

The property owners need to be contacted to make them aware of a $1,500.00 charge to vacate the alley.

The motion needs to be tabled until they are notified.

Alderperson Mask amended her motion to table this. Alderperson Brondyke amended his second, as well.

On roll call, all yes.

Motion tabled.

City Administrator Sikkema explained to the Council how replacing the sidewalks on 4th Street before tearing up the road would be beneficial to business owners because the interruption to having customers being able to walk through their front door will be minimal. Instead of being disrupted for a month or two, businesses would be looking at a week or two. Then when the street is torn up in 2026 it won’t affect businesses because the sidewalks will be done.

Mayor Pro Tem King asked for a motion to approve and vote on 4th Street being a one-way or two-way street.

Alderperson VanKampen said the business people should have the majority of the say because they are there every day.

Alderperson Mask said the way the Motion reads, it’s one or the other, so the motion has to be changed to one way or two way.

Alderperson VanKampen made the motion for a one-way. Alderperson Wilkin seconded.

On roll call, all yes.

Motion carried.

Alderperson Mask said it’s important to make this decision so the City doesn’t let the grant money expire. She feels the Council has to move on with Phase 1.

City Administrator Sikkema, said yes, the City needs to move on with Phase 1 and that is the driving factor in making this decision. The City has a $105,000.00 grant to use for the light post upgrades.

Alderperson Wilkin asked when the project would start. CA Sikkema said it’s out for bid right now for the sidewalks. A bid opening would probably be in a couple of weeks. He projects the work will begin in May or June depending on the contractor.

Mayor Pro Tem asked for a motion to approve and vote on the updated Liquor License classifications and fees.

Alderperson Wilkin made the motion. Alderperson Brondyke seconded.

Mayor Pro Tem King asked for any questions or concerns. Alderperson VanKampen thanked the Liquor License Committee for their hard work on this project.

On roll call, all yes.

Motion carried.

Mayor Pro Tem King asked for a motion to approve and vote on a class B-1 liquor license for Dan Dolan’s new business.

Alderperson Mask made the motion. Alderperson Banker seconded.

Alderperson VanKampen explained Dolan asked for an A license but that’s a bar. He wants just to have a drive-thru, sell beer and wine and video machines. Alderperson told Dolan that what he needs is a B-1 license, mainly for a gambling den.

Liquor License Commissioner, Renee Grant, said she emailed Dan Dolan because of some confusion about the A and the B-1 to make sure he understood what each license is about. He wants to start out small, having a B-1 license and see how business is in the future. He may come back and ask for a C license at a later time.

Alderperson Wilkin said the City only has one B-1 license and that is used by Julie’s. Alderperson VanKampen said yes, that is correct. The City would have to create another B-1 license.

City Attorney Huizenga said that the City does not actually have a B-1 license to give right now. Grant said that is correct.

City Attorney Huizenga stated that the Council cannot vote to give the license when the City does not have one to give. She told the Council that a B-1 license must first be created. This vote will have to wait for the next meeting, until a new Ordinance is created for adding another B-1 license to the City’s licenses. At the next meeting, the Council could vote and approve increasing the number of B-1 licenses and approve the said license for Dan Dolan.

The proposed vote will have to be tabled. Attorney Huizenga stated that the Council would be amending the existing Ordinance right now to add an additional B-1 license.

Alderperson Mask changed her motion to table this. Alderperson Banker changed his motion to table this, as well.

Alderperson Boonstra asked if any information was received from IDOT regarding signage or anything for emergency vehicles coming out of Dolan’s property with the potential increase in traffic with a proposed drive-thru?

CA Sikkema stated that when the Fire Department first moved out there, they asked for signage from IDOT. They would not add it. At that time, the dispensary was not there. Sikkema will get ahold of IDOT asking them what is their traffic standard for signage.

On roll call, all yes. Motion tabled.

Mayor Pro Tem King asked for a motion to approve the revised Ordinance regarding Cannabis funds.

Alderperson Boonstra made the motion. Alderperson VanKampen seconded.

City Administrator Sikkema stated that the revised ordinance was not available yet. He asked that the Council table this.

Alderperson Boonstra revised his motion to table this. Alderperson VanKampen revised her second, as well.

On roll call, all yes.

Motion tabled.

Committee of the Whole – Discussion

A lengthy discussion continued on the Ryan Eissens construction project on 11th Avenue. Eissens spoke to the Council about his project and explained the placement of the townhouses on the property. Discussion was held on the zoning of the property and if there was a need for a new Ordinance regarding a road. It was also discussed that the townhouses should not be rented out. Eissens will take this information into consideration and get back to the Council with actual figures.

Alderperson Wilkin would like the length of time that a Special Events application needs to be turned to the City from 90 days to 40 days.

A was held on the amount of days that would benefit the City and the event planner. Discussion was held on amending the Special Event Insurance and the 90-day application requirement. It was discussed to make the 90-day notice to only a 45-day ordinance. The ordinance would need to be written if it changes to 45 days.

City Attorney Huizenga informed the Council that another issue has come up is previously the IML had indicated that we could have the Committees that run the three main events could go under the City’s insurance as a rider. That has changed and we’re not allowed to do that so that needs to be removed from the Ordinance as well.

In order for an event to be covered by the City’s insurance, it would have to be organized and run by the City.

Mayor Pro Tem King asked the Council to move on to the Dolan TIF amendment. City Administrator Siikkema explained that when the City and Dan Dolan entered in the agreement, it was actually written incorrectly. The 90/10 split and the 80/20 split. That was actually backwards, so it would have been we pay the 80% first and then the 90%. It should have that we pay 90% for the first 5 years and then the 80% for the life of the agreement.

Dan Dolan is aware of this and the City will correct in plenty of time for the first payment.

Mayor Pro Tem King asked if there was anything that needed to be discussed regarding the Marina building. CA Sikkema told the Council the Marina lease is coming up in August. He said there has been a lot of discussion on an updated Police Department building. The Marina building could give the PD plenty of squad car storage space and adding offices there to alleviate some of the cramped office space that is at City Hall. Estimates and grants are being looked into at this point. Nothing would be done until 2026. Other options for a new building were discussed. Chief Hermes told the Council that in order to keep our investment in the police vehicles, a better building would be needed.

Logan Foster, the new Assistant Public Works Director, was introduced to the Council. He was welcomed by everyone.

A motion was made to go into Closed Session.

Meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m.

https://cityoffulton.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Council-Minutes-03-10-25-2.docx