Chambana Sun

City of Paxton City Council met July 13.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

The monthly meeting of the Paxton City Council was held at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. Mayor Ingold called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

Roll call showed the following aldermen in attendance: Cox, Crutcher (appointed and seated during meeting), Evans, Geiken, Hoedebecke, Pacey, and Withers. Also, in attendance were: Mayor Bill Ingold, Treasurer/Comptroller Tammy Jensen, Assistant Public Works Director Bob Carleton, Police Chief Cornett, City Clerk Suzie Shell, Attorney Marc Miller and members of the audience and press.

Mayor Ingold led the meeting in the recital of the Pledge of Allegiance.

MINUTES: Mayor Ingold asked if there were any changes, corrections or additions that needed made to the minutes from the June Council meeting. Alderman Geiken made a motion to approve the minutes of the June Council meeting. Aldermen Hoedebecke seconded the motion. All approved on a voice vote.

LIST OF CLAIMS: Alderman Pacey made a motion to approve the lists of claims. Alderman Cox seconded the motion. Roll Call: ayes – Aldermen Cox, Evans, Geiken, Hoedebecke, Pacey, and Withers. Six ayes, motion carried. Alderman Withers made a motion to approve the EIEC bill. Alderman Geiken seconded the motion. Roll Call: ayes – Alderman Evans, Geiken, Hoedebecke, Pacey, and Withers. Abstain – Wilson. Five ayes, one abstains, motion carried.

TREASURER’S REPORT AND INVESTMENT REGISTER The reports have been emailed to all Aldermen. Alderman Pacey made a motion to approve the Treasurer’s Report and Investment Register. Alderman Withers seconded the motion. All approved on a voice vote.

Mayor Ingold mentioned an absence of alderman for Ward 2. He asked for a concurrence on the appointment of Paul Crutcher to fill the absent alderman spot. Alderman Withers made the motion to concur with the appointment of Paul Crutcher as Alderman for Ward 2. Alderman Evans seconded the motion. All approved on a voice vote. City Clerk Suzie Shell swore in Paul Crutcher as Alderman for Ward 2.

Mayor Ingold asked Greg Cook to take a moment to explain the timeline of the Streetscape. Mr. Cook handed out pictures of the project. Mayor Ingold states that based on what all needs to be done the project is scheduled for completion in approximately 16 weeks. Based on upcoming events including Homecoming, Swine & Dine and the Christmas Parade, it is not feasible to start this project at this time so we need to make a plan for when the best time will be to do the Streetscape. By setting a slightly later start date, this will give contractors the availability to plan for their 2022 schedules and bid accordingly. The plan is to put out for bids in December, get the bids in by February 2022, and bids would then be ok’d in March with hopes that everything would start and be done within a few months. Mr. Cook stated that the city received a notice of state award earlier this year however when reviewing the turn around times to get the project completed, it was not a preference to be doing the work during the winter months. The plan is that by waiting a little bit to ask for bids, prices may have leveled off and contractors will have time to plan. By following this timeline, it will also allow for a full month to be given for bids to be accepted. It is projected to take 16 weeks to complete the project. The Farnsworth Group would like to get the timeline for the Streetscape into the hands of the businesses so they have proper expectations. For anyone concerned about the costs, the city has until the end of 2023 to spend the grant money. Mr. Cook also spoke about the upcoming IML (Illinois Municipal League) conference scheduled in September 2021 where the Mayor, Jeff Martin and others will sit on a panel to discuss the upcoming Streetscape plan with Municipal Leaders across the state. The meeting is scheduled for 10:30am on Saturday, September 25th in Chicago.

FINANCE/BUDGET

Discuss and Approve Annual Appropriation Ordinance. Tammy emailed out the ordinance for review with the usual 10% increase. Alderman Pacey motioned to approve the Annual Appropriation Ordinance for the 2021/2022-year, Ordinance 21-10. Alderman Hoedebecke seconded the motion. Ayes: Cox, Evans, Geiken, Hoedebecke, Pacey and Withers. Crutcher – abstained. Six ayes, one abstention, motion carried.

Discuss and Approve MCS Contract for Monthly Services. Alderman Pacey met with Todd McNutt with MCS this afternoon and they presented us with some updates in regards to security updates. Transition items to the cloud, provide employees with appropriate access, replace wireless access points as needed. Some fees are annual and some are one-time fees. Looking for a managed services contract with lower labor rate and they would cover a majority of our needs. Annual fee for managed services would be $19,440 and cloud computing services of $3,198.00. Total fees around $23,000.00 per year. This should help with potential attacks of the computer system and community information stored on the system. There is an $18,000 one-time set up fee for labor and phone work. Price is guaranteed for three years with 3% inflation increase yearly. Alderman Evans asked if there was another bid and the mayor said they asked another company and there was no response received. Alderman Withers made the motion to approve a 3yr service contract with MCS not to exceed $41,000. Alderman Pacey seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote Ayes: Cox, Crutcher, Evans, Geiken, Hoedebecke, Pacey, Withers. Seven ayes, motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS – ALDERMAN WITHERS:

Discuss and Approve Execution of MFT Contracts – Mr. Cook mentioned the schedule from Iroquois Paving to be completed the 2nd or 3rd week of August. Alderman Withers asked if there was discussion with Iroquois paving about additional road work to be done with the money left over. Mr. Cook will review the next street priority with Mayor Ingold and Bob Carleton. There is approximately $24,000 left on the contract where the bid was under so additional work will be added to use these funds on streets needing additional work. Alderman Withers made the motion to approve the MFT contract work. Alderman Cox seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote Ayes: Cox, Crutcher, Evans, Geiken, Hoedebecke, Pacey, Withers. Seven ayes, motion carried.

Discuss and Approve Oil and Chipping Roadways – Alderman Withers mentioned the roads around Pells Park in dire need of assistance. $15,534.00 is the cost. Alderman Evans mentioned that it might be worth trying to oil and chip another road in town to see if it would save money and help the streets to see if it helps. Alderman Withers made the motion to approve oil and chipping the roads in Pells Park not to exceed $16,000. Alderman Geiken seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote Ayes: Cox, Crutcher, Evans, Geiken, Hoedebecke, Pacey, Withers. Seven ayes, motion carried.

Gray Material out of Gilman will be doing the Oil and Chipping. They were the only company that responded.

Alderman Pacey asked if Gray’s could possibly do another area in town however Mr. Cook stated that based on what the paperwork was submitted to IDOT as approved would not cover other types of other streets. Mr. Cook stated that if we want to test another area, we would need to follow appropriate procedure and advise the community of what is being done. Expectations would be set that this is a test procedure on a road to see how the wear is from the traffic. Mayor Ingold asked if there was money left if it could be used to do an alley type road like that behind Variety Liquors and Village Pantry and Mr. Cook stated that since this is similar roads to what was submitted for approval, it would be approved up to the budgeted amount. Again, this would be subject to money available and review of high traffic roads in need of work.

Alderman Withers stated that he received the standpipe inspection. A representative from Farnsworth was here to inspect the standpipe. Interior/Exterior coatings are looking good. Right now it appears that work will be needed in the next 3-5 years for upcoming needs. Mr. Friend stated that the inspector was very complimentary of Bob Carleton and his staff for being so thorough with being prepared for the inspection and making the process go smoothly. Coating prices were given by a reputable company who has experience with the costs associated with this project. The coating costs when done by a reputable company and using good product then it can have an approximate 20-year life. Alderman Pacey asked if a lead-based paint was used on the outside, would it be a potential problem if it had to be removed in the future. Mr. Friend stated that there are still requirements to be followed with lead paint removal.

Alderman Evans asked about High St between Franklin and Meridian – there is a water issue where people’s back yards are flooding and water is building up by the school. He would like to see the city look into this problem. Bob Carleton spoke about the retention pond put in by the school and that it doesn’t appear to be working appropriately. Alderman Evans mentioned it is flowing west over behind those homes. Alderman Pacey asked if we are looking to explore options for tiling, retention ponds and landscaping to remove the water. Mr. Friend stated he would love to help with that issue and their company is happy to work up a bid after reviewing the area. Alderman Pacey stated that the Park District has considered putting in a retention pond to help with the southwest part of town and the water issues experienced in that area.

The mayor advised that Bob Carleton is Supervisor of water/sewer and Jesse Houtzel is Supervisor of street/alley. The mayor stated that Brian Marshall has also been hired on the street/alley side. Overall, the changes have been positive. Bob Carleton mentioned that with one worker out on an injury and some vacations scheduled, the city is stretched a little thin the next few weeks but they are working through the shortages.

PUBLIC SAFETY – ALDERMAN PACEY:

Discuss and Approve New Camera System at City Buildings – Alderman Pacey referred to an e-mail sent out from Chief Cornett referencing the cameras added to the city buildings. 15 cameras have been installed for $17,043.60 divided between PD and Water Dept. The camera system will send alerts. The funds have already been budgeted for this. Alderman Pacey made the motion to approve the costs of the new camera system. Alderman Evans seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote Ayes: Cox, Crutcher, Evans, Geiken, Hoedebecke, Pacey, Withers. Seven ayes, motion carried.

Alderman Evans asked if the new squad car is in and Chief Cornett advised yes, it is and it is being driven by Officer Stafford right now. The car is set to be marked tomorrow.

CITY PROPERTY – ALDERMAN EVANS:

Discuss and Approve Bids for Painting Clock Tower – Alderman Evans stated that it was time to review bids for painting the clock tower. The mayor handed out the only bid that was received. The bid was from C&M Construction for $27, 925.00. This bid is up from the last bid of $18,875 that was received from the same company last year. Alderman Hoedebecke stated that he has past experience with C&M Construction and that they did good work. Alderman Evans asked if this was budgeted and Tammy said yes it was. Alderman Geiken asked if it was for a certain color and mayor stated probably white or gray but no specifics were given in the bid. Alderman Evans made the motion to approve the bid for painting the clock tower not to exceed $30,000. Alderman Geiken seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote Ayes: Cox, Crutcher, Evans, Geiken, Hoedebecke, Pacey, Withers. Seven ayes, motion carried.

The mayor reported that there have been several cases of vandalism at Pells Park. Restitution is being planned with the Probation Department in addition to community service. The mayor stated that those involved will also be working to help clean up the park as part of their community service. Alderman Evans asked if the lighting could be improved out at the park. Alderman Evans stated that it is very dark there and also over by West Lawn. The mayor stated that they could look at the situation at Pells Park in regards to lighting to see what might be able to be done. The mayor also stated that Tammy submitted and was awarded a grant for $20,000 to be used on improvements for the park. Alderman Geiken mentioned a deep hole in one section of the park along high street.

LICENSE, PERMIT, ZONING & INSURANCE

Discuss and Approve Recommendations from Committee Meeting – Alderman Pacey advised that a meeting was held prior to the city council meeting to review homes that are currently not zoned appropriately. A list will be available soon of the property owners that need to be contacted. The planning commission will be contacted to begin the process of making this happen. It may be necessary to set up more than one meeting to allow all those potentially impacted to be able to attend in person. We are trying to prioritize approximately 100 properties that will need to be reviewed. Alderman Pacey said that there were no formal recommendations to present at the meeting tonight.

Discuss and Approve Distillery Ordinance – Attorney Miller brought an ordinance for review.

This topic will be tabled for next month. Alderman Pacey asked if this would just basically create a new form of liquor license and was told yes.

Alderman Evans asked about the building uptown and mayor said it was in the works. Chestnut homeowner went to court and was found guilty with a $100 fine and $25 a day fee afterwards – the homeowner has been working on cleaning up this area. Liggett property on Patton St. – the back side of the property has been torn down now so a 20-day extension has been given to allow time to get the rest cleaned up. The mayor also said that a man is moving into the property behind the Variety Liquor store.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – ALDERMAN GEIKEN:

Carol Thilmony asked if the purchase has been made for the advertising for the Rantoul Sports complex and Tammy confirmed that the check is ready and in the mail.

OTHER BUSINESS:

Motion made to adjourn tonight’s regular meeting of the Mayor and City Council by Alderman

https://www.cityofpaxton.com/DocumentCenter/View/467/07-13-2021-City-COuncil-Meeting-Minutes-PDF