City of Rochelle Mayor John Bearrows | City of Rochelle Website
City of Rochelle Mayor John Bearrows | City of Rochelle Website
City of Rochelle City Council met Sept. 22.
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
I. CALL TO ORDER: Pledge to the Flag and prayer were led by Mayor Bearrows.
II. ROLL CALL: Present were Councilors T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey, Arteaga, Valdivieso, and Mayor John Bearrows. A quorum of seven were present. Also, present City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh, City Clerk Rose Huéramo, and City Attorney Dominick Lanzito.
III. PROCLAMATIONS, COMMENDATIONS, ETC:
1. VFW Day - September 29, 2025
2. Public Power Week - October 5-11, 2025
3. Fire Prevention Week - October 5-11, 2025
4. Domestic Violence Awareness Month – October
IV. REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS:
1. Mayor's Report: Homecoming weekend celebrations, including the pep rally on Thursday evening and the football game on Friday night. Mayor expressed appreciation to Councilwomen Arteaga for her dedicated efforts on behalf of the Fiesta Hispana. Additionally, Mayor acknowledged Councilors Hayes, Valdivieso, and City Manager for attending the recent IML conference focused on cybersecurity. In celebration of Peanut Day, Kiwanis Golden K will be selling peanuts this weekend, September 26–28.
2. Council Members: Councilwoman Arteaga announced that the City of Rochelle will be hosting a Business Growth Academy on Wednesday evenings from October 8 - 29, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. She also extended her gratitude to Pastor Xavier Valdivieso for leading the prayer at the Fiesta Hispana. Councilor T. McDermott expressed his enthusiasm for the new Hub City banners being installed downtown and encouraged residents to come out and take a look.
V. PUBLIC COMMENTARY: None.
VI. DISCUSSION ITEMS: None.
VII. BUSINESS ITEMS:
1. CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS BY OMNIUS VOTE with Recommendations:
a) Approve City Council Meeting Minutes - 09/08/2025
b) Approve Payroll - 08/18/2025-08/31/2025
c) Approve Payment Registers - 09/08/2025, 09/15/2025
d) Approve Special Event Request - Lions Club Candy Day
e) Accept & Place on File - Police Pension Municipal Compliance Report
f) Accept & Place on File - Fire Pension Municipal Compliance Report
g) Accept & Place on File - August Financials
Motion made by Councilor Valdivieso, Seconded by Councilor D. McDermott, "I move consent agenda items (a) through (g) be approved by Omnibus vote as recommended." Voting Yea: T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey, Arteaga, Valdivieso, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.
2. An Ordinance Amending Chapter 70 – Peddlers, Solicitors, Canvassers and Itinerant Merchants. We are proposing that the City Council amend Chapter 70 of the Rochelle Municipal Code to include ice cream trucks and food carts within the existing framework for mobile vendors. Ice cream trucks would fall under the peddlers, solicitors, canvassers, and itinerant merchants’ provisions, while food carts would be included under Sections 70-154, 70-155, and 70-156, which regulate mobile food vendors. This means food carts would follow the same rules already in place for food trucks and other mobile vendors, including the standards outlined in Section 70-155 and the requirement to operate only at designated mobile food vending sites identified under Section 70-156. These sites are designated by the Community Development Director in consultation with the City Engineer and Superintendent of Streets. Food carts must also follow limits on operating hours, including a prohibition on vending between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. in all zoning districts. Ice cream trucks would continue to follow the standard itinerant merchant licensing process through the City Clerk and would be allowed to play music, consistent with traditional operations, even though Section 70-156 prohibits sound for mobile food vendors. Food carts, however, must comply with all applicable mobile food vendor requirements—such as adherence to traffic and safety laws, size restrictions, prohibited sales, proper trash disposal, and maintaining clean vending areas—while also observing the same operating hour restrictions. Adding ice cream trucks and food carts to Chapter 70 will help protect public health, this change will also make enforcement more straightforward for staff and ensure that both long-standing and new vendors understand and follow the same set of rules. City Clerk Rose Huéramo was available for questions. Motion made by Councilor Hayes, Seconded by Councilor T. McDermott, "I Ordinance 2025-55, an Ordinance Amending an Ordinance Amending Chapter 70 - Peddlers, Solicitors, Canvassers, and Itinerant Merchants, be approved." Voting Yea: T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey, Arteaga, Valdivieso, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.
3. An Ordinance Amending Chapter 94 Sec.94-224 - Parking Prohibited at Specified Times on Designated Streets. In efforts to promote the health, Safety, and welfare of the City and its residents it is necessary to amend certain portions of its traffic regulations contained within the City Code from time to time. Sec. 94-224. – Parking prohibited at specified times on designated streets. Currently, parking is prohibited along either side of Avenue G between S. Main Street and Wood Street. As Avenue G from S. Main St. to Wood Street is no longer part of Rochelle’s designated truck route, prohibited parking along either side of Avenue G is no longer necessary. Due to varying pavement widths along Avenue G, no parking restrictions can be completely removed on both sides of the road between S. Main Street and S. Third Street. However, the pavement between S. Third Street and Wood Street is only wide enough to remove no parking restrictions from one side of the road. Staff believe it is in the best interest of the City of Rochelle and its residents to remove No Parking Signage and allow parking on either side of Avenue G between S. Main Street and S. Third Street and remove no parking signage to allow parking only on the south side of Avenue G between S. Third Street and Wood Street. Director of Public Works Tim Isley was available for questions. Motion made by Councilor T. McDermott, Seconded by Councilor Hayes, "I move Ordinance 2025-56, an Ordinance Amending Section 224 - Parking Prohibited at Specified Times on Designated Streets of Chapter 94 - Traffic and Vehicles, be approved." Voting Yea: T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey, Arteaga, Valdivieso, Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7- 0.
4. An Ordinance Waiving Competitive Bidding Requirements and Authorizing the Purchase of One New Bobcat T86 Compact Track Loader Under Sourcewell Contract 020223-CEC. The Public Works Department is responsible for the maintenance and repair of a wide variety of assets and infrastructure throughout the City of Rochelle. Compact track and skid loaders are key machines used to accomplish these tasks due to their versatility. Compact track loaders can operate a broad array of attachments, which reduces the need for multiple specialized machines. Public Works currently has large section of Bobcat attachments, many of these attachments can only be operated by Bobcat loaders. Public Works has been using Bobcat skid and track loaders for over 20 years. During this time these machines have proven to be dependable and efficient with very few issues. For these reasons Public Works would like to continue operating Bobcat compact loaders. The Public Works 2025 budget includes funds to replace a 2016 Bobcat T770 track loader with a sweeper bucket and angle broom and purchase one new Bobcat T86 track loader with a new sweeper bucket and angle broom from Bobcat of Dixon under Sourcewell Contract 020223-CEC in the amount of $115,554.75. The current 2016 Bobcat T770 and broom attachments will go to the Water Department for use in their operations. Director of Public works Tim Isley was available for question. Motion made by Councilor Shaw-Dickey, Seconded by Councilor Arteaga, "I move Ordinance 2025-57, an Ordinance Waiving Competitive Bidding Requirements and Authorizing the Purchase of One New Bobcat T86 Compact Track Loader Under Sourcewell Contract 020223-CEC, be approved." Voting Yea: T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey, Arteaga, Valdivieso, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.
5. An Ordinance Accepting the Bid Proposal from DPI Construction, Inc., in the Amount $3,127,095.12 for Phase Two of the City’s Rebuild Downtown & Main Street Grant Project. In January of 2022, the City of Rochelle applied for the DCEO Rebuild Downtown & Main Street Capital Grant. The grant request was for $1,151,794.00. The City was awarded the grant August 2022. Grant agreement was executed on June 12, 2023. Contract #1 was awarded September 23, 2024. Construction is substantially completed. This contract included the parking lots only. This proposed Contract # 2 will include the stage and restrooms, reconstruction of Parking Lots 1 – 3, the new parking lot on the corner of Washington and 2nd Avenue, the reconstruction of the alley between 4th Avenue and 5th Avenue, and a new storm sewer on 4th Avenue. 3 bids were received by the deadline. A summary of the bids is as follows:
| Contractor | Bid | $ OVER/UNDER ESTIMATE | % OVER/UNDER ESTIMATE |
| DPI Construction, Inc. Pecatonica, IL | $3,127,095.12 | $319,912.42↑ | 11.4%↑ |
| Stenstrom Construction Group Rockford, IL | $3,316,768.17 | $509,585.47↑ | 18.2%↑ |
| Helm Civil Freeport, IL | $3,874,403.40 | $1,067,220.70↑ | 38.0%↑ |
| Engineer’s Estimate | DPI Construction, Inc. | |
| Base Bid | $2,807,182 | $3,127,095 |
| Alternate 1- Removing the new parking lot at Washington & 2nd Ave. | ($325,176) | ($321,545) |
| Total | $2,482,006 | $2,805,550 |
6. A Resolution Waiving Competitive Bidding and Authorizing an Emergency Expenditure for Cleanup at Spring Lake by Clean Harbors in the Amount of $73,937.03. This Memo is a continuance of the emergency expenditure relating to the utility pole incident that occurred near Flagg-Rochelle Community Park District’s Spring Lake Pool on June 5th, 2025. On July 29th, Clean Harbors (Hepaco) took soil samples of the area next to and at the base of the waterfall area where mineral oil had leaked from the severed utility pole’s transformers. The hope was that any residual oil would be baked and washed away by sunshine and rainfall. Unfortunately, the soil samples taken confirmed the continued presence of mineral oil, and excavation of the oil impacted soil is now needed. Clean Harbors has provided a quote for the excavation and removal of this special waste. As concerns with the weather changing, getting the excavation project on Clean Harbor’s schedule, and not affecting the Park District’s pool operations in spring of 2026, it is important that the City move this project forward in a time-sensitive manner. In effort to mitigate future incidents of this nature, Electric Operations is working with Fast Forward, a utility technology solutions company, to provide visual inspection and documentation of utility poles and lines to proactively identify issues before they occur. HR Risk & Safety Coordinator Brittney Zick was available for questions. Motion made by Councilor T. McDermott, Seconded by Councilor Valdivieso, "I move Resolution R2025-41, a Resolution Waiving Competitive Bidding and Authorizing an Emergency Expenditure for Cleanup at Spring Lake by Clean Harbors in the Amount of $73,937.03, be approved." Voting Yea: T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey, Arteaga, Valdivieso, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.
7. A Resolution Authorizing an Intergovernmental Agreement with IDOT for Annual Maintenance. 1. The IDOT has submitted an updated Intergovernmental Agreement for maintenance of certain State routes within the City of Rochelle corporate limits. The term of the agreement is from July 2025 to July 2035. The scope of work and areas identified for routine maintenance are generally identified in the agreement. This maintenance does not include major reconstruction or resurfacing projects but instead provides for normal routine maintenance responsibilities, more particularly described in part 5 of the agreement and associated calculation sheets. The compensation for such services is described in part 6 of the agreement. 2. The City Engineer and Public Works director met with IDOT in July to discuss the scope of agreement and identify some questionable maintenance limits contained within the agreement along with other concerns to the condition of IDOT/State highways within the City limits. At the time City staff expressed its hesitation in extending the agreement another 10 years while immediate construction needs and costs are not being addressed in a timely/routine manner by the IDOT along the State routes. More specifically, how long the IL Rte. 251 IL/ Rte. 38 reconstruction project phase1and other projects along Rte. 251 south of 10th Avenue have taken to address infrastructure improvement needs well beyond the maintenance. IDOT is aware of these issues and has indicated they are committed to working on these issues with Therefore, while it is a 10-year agreement staff recommends a reevaluation of the agreement no later than December 31, 2028 and determine if IDOT has in fact taken a more proactive approach to addressing upgrades along its State routes within the City of Rochelle. If conditions/expectations aren’t met within the agreement or on certain transportation project improvements during that time, then the City could opt out of the agreement with notice. 3. It is also important to understand that, over the past 50 years, City Council has approved various intergovernmental agreements for urbanized traffic and signal upgrades along various roadway sections/intersections along the State route. However, those agreements also committed the City to various maintenance exposures and are not part of this agreement. 4. The Public Works Department, in many cases, is typically the first response to address the immediate and short-term maintenance issues of local streets and highways within its corporate limits and contained within the agreement. However, this agreement is considered maintenance only for a determined list of items. In part 4 and 5 of the agreement, it contains a designee to be identified by the City of Rochelle (“governmental body”) to negotiate, review and approve certain minor modifications and invoicing to the Department that may come up from time to time with the agreement or maintenance limits. The City Engineer and/or Public Works director are currently those designees. Recommendation is to keep those names and add the City Manager. City Engineer Sam Tesreau was available for questions. Motion made by Councilor Arteaga, Seconded by Councilor D. McDermott, "I move Resolution R2025-42, a Resolution Authorizing an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation Regarding the Maintenance of State Routes, be approved." Voting Yea: T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey, Arteaga, Valdivieso, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.
8. A Resolution Establishing M1 Electric Rate. Staff recommends establishing Rate M1, a market based rate designed to serve large industrial users. This rate structure will permit qualifying customers to secure power directly through wholesale markets while continuing to utilize Rochelle Municipal Utilities (RMU) as the local provider. Utility Financial Solutions and IMPA have completed extensive reviews of RMU’s cost of service, including NITS charges and capacity costs, to ensure that the proposed rate is competitive while maintaining adequate protection for the utility. As an additional safeguard, Rate M1 requires participating customers to post a bond, thereby ensuring that the City is not financially liable for any consumption shortfalls or nonperformance by the customer. Approval of Rate M1 will provide a flexible option for large industrial users while protecting the financial stability of RMU and the community it serves. (NITS charges are federally regulated fees RMU must pay for its share of the regional transmission grid to ensure reliable delivery of power to our community.) Superintendent of Electric Operations Blake Toliver was available for questions. Motion made by Councilor D. McDermott, Seconded by Councilor Shaw-Dickey, "I move Resolution R2025-43, a Resolution Establishing M1 Electrical Rate, be approved." Voting Yea: T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Shaw-Dickey, Arteaga, Valdivieso, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0.
VIII. EXECUTIVE SESSION: At 7:37 P.M. Motion made by Councilor Valdivieso, Seconded by Councilor Hayes, "I move the Council recess into executive session to discuss setting of a price for sale or lease of property owned by the City Section (c) (6)." Voting Yea: T. McDermott, Hayes, D. McDermott, Shaw Dickey, Arteaga, Valdivieso, and Mayor Bearrows. Nays: None. Motion passed 7-0. At 7:50 P.M. Motion made by Councilor Shaw-Dickey, Seconded by Councilor Arteaga, "I move the Council return to open session." Voice vote all in favor. Motion passed 7-0.
IX. ADJOURNMENT: At 7:51 P.M. Motion made by Councilor T. McDermott, Seconded by Councilor D. McDermott, "I move the Council adjourn." Voice vote all in favor. Motion passed 7-0.
https://mccmeetings.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/rochelleil-pubu/MEET-Minutes-bbe137a1b4fc4d028208fdd71a0ee883.pdf
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