Next City Council Meeting – December 2nd, 2019 at 6:00 PM
Official Minutes available at www.cityofmonmouth.com
1– Presentations Or Citizen Inquiries
Mike Sheid of Monmouth spoke to City Council this evening. Sheid wished to express his thanks to the City and the recent work that is being done to encourage economic development. A discussion was also held regarding the positive trend that he is observing in the community and the many benefits that come when someone chooses to make Monmouth their home. Sheid also thanked Building Inspector Joe Clark and Administrator Steinbrecher for the assistance they have provided to both him and his wife in their upcoming small business endeavor. Mr. Shied also spoke in his capacity as the manager of Midwestern Pet Foods and discussed the many benefits that the company’s employees will now receive when Cottage Healthcare returns to Monmouth later this year.
2- MFD Monthly Report – Chief Rexroat
• October was fire prevention month for the department. During this time, the department conducts public education talks throughout the school district and at various other locations. The topic for this year’s presentation was “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape”. The crews handed out various coloring books, pamphlets, and other media to help spread the word on fire safety and what to do in an emergency.
• The firefighters also conducted several station tours and received a visit from the “Good Gang” from Stone-Hayes Center for Independent Living.
• Another Halloween event was held at the North Fire Station this year. On Halloween, families were invited to the fire station to trick or treat on the truck floor. Some of the apparatus were parked outside, and several local agencies came to the station to hand out candy to the kids. Due to the cold weather, the Lions Club, who usually hand out hot dogs and chips outside, asked if they could join us inside of the building. The addition of Lion’s Club to this year’s event added to the atmosphere of the night, and the department hopes they will consider joining us again next year. Hundreds of families stopped by the station to partake in the nightly festivities and to stay out of the inclement weather.
• The Fire Department participated in the Monmouth-Roseville High School and the Monmouth College Homecoming parades.
3- MPD Monthly Report – Chief Switzer
• Lt. Bratcher provided a Halloween Safety Talk to children at M.E.L.C.
• Chief Switzer participated in a Mental Health Discussion that was hosted by our local radio station, WRAM 1330. This event featured a wide range of panelists in the field of mental health, as well as first responders and the challenging environment that surrounds this issue. A podcast of this event may be found on their website at https://977wmoi.com/newspodcasts/
• The department received additional training from MPD Investigator Kramer and Officer Benson in the use of ballistic shields and less-lethal shotguns.
• The department has started its regular CPR recertification. This year they can perform this training at a reduced cost due to employees Julie Richardson and Inv. Kramer, who now hold instructor certificates.
4- Approval Of WWTP Phase 2 Bid – Director Jackson
The bid opening for the E.P.A. mandated combined sewer mitigation plan was on November 6th. This project is for phase 2 construction work, which will be an increase in the size of the pumping station that is used to move water from the Jackson Avenue plant to the consolidated plant North of town. The station improvements will allow the main facility to quickly treat the large volumes of stormwater that occur during back to back storms. Needham Excavating of Walcott, Iowa, and Laverdiere Construction of Macomb, Illinois, both submitted sealed bids for the project.
After a discussion of Woodard and Curran’s bid review, a motion was made to approve the lowest responsible bidder for $1,243,750 by Laverdiere Construction. The motion was approved.
5- Award Bid to Remove Asbestos – 830 North Main Street
This item was removed from tonight’s agenda for Administrative Staff review as per 65 ILCS 5/ of the Illinois Municipal Code.
6- Award Bid to Demolish House and Garage – 830 North Main Street
This item was removed from tonight’s agenda for Administrative Staff review as per 65 ILCS 5/ of the Illinois Municipal Code.
6- Resolutions and Ordinances
A. Adoption of 353 Court, LLC Downtown Report (Resolution 19-009) This item is part of a long – term strategic project that involves downtown revitalization over the c oming years. During the September 16th City Council Meeting, 353 Court presented their downtown report which outlines a phased approach and work plan to revitalization that incorporates many areas of improvement over a short time. A copy of their comprehensive plan, as well as the presentation from the September 16th Council meeting, may be found on the www.cityofmonmouth.com website.
A motion to approve 353’s work plan was made and was approved.
B. 2020-2021 Tax Levy (Ordinance 19-033) This ordinance is for the adoption of the previously proposed tax levy, which was discussed at the November 4th City Council meeting.
This year’s Tax Levy is for $2,321,000, which is estimated to be $2.87 for every $100 of assessed value.
• 17% ($400,000) of the levy is for debt service is used to pay for a small amount of the City’s general obligation debt. This debt has been accumulated primarily from federally mandated water and sewer infrastructure projects.
• 14.4% ($333,900) of the levy is used for general services to the community. These services include Police, Fire, and City Hall employees as well as equipment related expenses like vehicles, apparatus, technology, and infrastructure. The general fund encompasses a vast number of services and costs. Property tax revenue only accounts for a small portion of the $1,750,961 budget, with the remaining being derived from additional revenue sources.
• 68.4% ($1,587,100) of the levy is used to fund the City’s portion of the public safety pensions. This levy amount does not include the employee’s mandated contribution to their respective pension funds. Additional information regarding this levy may be found on the cityofmonmouth.com website under the November 4th City Council Meeting Summary.
A motion was made for approval and was approved.
C. Abating Tax on G.O.B. Series 2010 A & B (Ordinance 19-034)
The majority of this bond is paid by the water and sewer enterprise fund (the combined water and sewer bill is the funding mechanism), and as such, the City performs an annual abatement. Property tax funds are not used to pay this obligation. A motion was made for approval and was approved.
D. Partially Abating Tax on G.O.B. Series 2010 C (Ordinance 19-035)
The majority of this bond is paid by the water and sewer enterprise fund (the combined water and sewer bill is the funding mechanism), and as such, the City performs an annual abatement. Property tax funds are not used to pay this obligation. A motion was made for approval and was approved.
E. Abating Tax on G.O.B. Series 2014 (Ordinance 19-036)
The majority of this bond is paid by the water and sewer enterprise fund (the combined water and sewer bill is the funding mechanism), and as such, the City performs an annual abatement. Property tax funds are not used to pay this obligation. A motion was made for approval and was approved.
F. Abating Tax on G.O.B. Series 2015B (Ordinance 19-037)
The majority of this bond is paid by the water and sewer enterprise fund (the combined water and sewer bill is the funding mechanism), and as such, the City performs an annual abatement. Property tax funds are not used to pay this obligation. A motion was made for approval and was approved.
7- Executive Session
No Executive Session was held.
8- Other business
Administrator Steinbrecher informed City Council that he has discovered another formula that may be used to calculate Video Gaming machine fees. This new formula would be used to reduce the individual burden to establishments by obligating a higher percentage to the machine vendor and not on the establishment.
***Report compiled by Ken Helms, City Of Monmouth***
