| Key Discussions and Decisions 1. Maple City Centerpiece Project Sarah Walters shared updates on fundraising for a new Maple City ornament to replace the fountain in the Public Square’s center circle. The council is waiting to confirm sufficient funds before moving forward with removing the current fountain. 2. Traffic Control Measure Discussion Request No presenter was in attendance for this request. The Item will be moved to another date in the future. 3. Fire and Police Reports– Monmouth Fire Department (MFD): Chief Casey Rexroat reported 143 incidents in March, including 95 medical assists. The department also completed training on rapid intervention, forcible entry, and active threat response. A new training prop is nearly ready, and Engine 23 is back in service after repairs.– Monmouth Police Department (MPD): The department stayed busy, responding to 1,250 calls for service. Officers made 60 arrests, and issued 92 citations while investigating 18 accidents. To keep skills sharp, officers completed multiple training sessions focused on de-escalation and emergency response. Christopher Salemi was hired as the newest MPD officer and will be attending the Academy in Dixon starting May 5th. 4. Property Sale at 924 S. D Street The council approved selling a vacant lot at 924 S. D Street to Edgar Velazquez, a neighboring resident, for $1,200. 5. Sewer Overflow Plan (Phase 3) An engineering agreement with Woodard & Curran was approved for $40,000 to study and design solutions for the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Long Term Control Plan. This phase focuses on a study that will determine whether upgrading an undersized sewer pipe to reduce overflows is viable and an appropriate investment. The reduction of CSO events is an unfunded Illinois EPA mandate. 6. New Fire Station Sign The council approved a $26,666.80 proposal from Zendavor Signs and Graphics for a new LED sign at MFD’s Station 1. Funded mostly by a FEMA grant (with a $2,000 city match), the sign will display fire prevention messages. 7. City Hall HVAC and Water Meters– HVAC Replacement: The council approved replacing City Hall’s HVAC system due to age and repair costs. The City received three bids with the lowest bid coming from Independent Heating and Cooling at $13,525.00.– Water Meters: An agreement was approved to replace non-functioning (“dead”) water meters. The total purchase price for the meters is $60,930 from Badger Meter Inc. Badger is the current provider for all water meters in town and is fully integrated with our billing and service systems.The City of Monmouth is undertaking a critical project to replace outdated analog water meters, in service for over 25 years, with advanced smart meters known as “radio read” meters. These aging meters frequently produce erratic readings, resulting in billing inaccuracies and customer disputes. The upgrade aims to enhance billing accuracy, improve water usage monitoring, and help troubleshoot high usage instances. In a generous partnership, Advanced Plumbing and Mechanical will replace some meters at no labor cost to residents or the city during the initial phase of the city’s lead service line replacement program. This means the city will incur no labor charges for the meter replacements, helping to ease an already tight budget while still addressing vital infrastructure updates. The new radio read meters provide significant benefits, including faster and more accurate readings, eliminating the need for manual checks. They also offer a 90-day historical usage trend, allowing homeowners to detect unusual spikes in water consumption caused by malfunctioning appliances like water softeners, toilets, or washers. This feature enables residents to address issues promptly, potentially reducing water bills and preventing waste. 8. Airport Runway Improvements An engineering agreement with Hanson Professional Services was approved for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of rehabilitating Runway 3-21 at Monmouth Municipal Airport. This project is federally mandated and is 97.5% funded by federal/state grants. The cost for the engineering is a total of $133,461 with the City’s funding match only $3,337.00 which will be paid for out of the restricted use airport fund. No general fund dollars will be used for the engineering or the subsequent reconstruction. 9. Surplus Property Ordinance The council held the first reading of Ordinance 25-009, declaring a 22-year-old Monmouth Fire Department breathing air fill station and a City Hall bookcase as surplus property. These items will be sold, with proceeds going to the city’s general fund. 10. Joining Prairie Hills Land Bank Authority The council discussed Resolution 25-002 to join the Prairie Hills Land Bank Authority. The Prairie Hills Land Bank Authority works to combat community deterioration by acquiring, managing, and repurposing vacant, abandoned, or tax-delinquent properties to return them to productive use, such as housing, commercial development, industry, or public spaces like parks. This partnership will help revitalize neighborhoods, clear clouded land titles, and boost local tax revenues. The Land bank is in its early stages of creation and is expected to serve 11 counties throughout this part of the state. Monmouth’s participation would leverage the land bank’s resources to address title issues, back taxes and liens on properties that would otherwise be problematic to acquire.No action was taken on this item tonight and it will return to City Council at a later date. Other Business– The council approved the April 7, 2025, Public Hearing and Executive Session minutes.- An executive session discussed collective bargaining and personnel matters.Action was taken upon return from executive session with an approval of the Fire Chief’s employment contract. Get Involved! Residents can speak at council meetings during the Citizen Inquiries section (3-minute limit). The next meeting date will be posted at City Hall or on the city’s website. For more details, contact City Hall at (309) 734-2141 or email melissa.teel@cityofmonmouthil.gov.Thank you for staying engaged with our community’s progress! |
| Next City Council Meeting: May 5th 2025 |
***Courtesy of the City of Monmouth***
