REGULAR MEETING OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF TAMPICO
October 7, 2014 7:00 PMReagan Community Center
Mayor Kristine L. Hill called the regular meeting of the Tampico Village Council to order at 7:00 PM.
Commissioners Toby Johnson, Bruce Hill, Mary Jo Sigel and Derrick Maupin were present. Public Works Superintendent Tom Pierce was also present. Village Clerk Kathy Leathers recorded the written and digital minutes.
Mayor Hill led those present in the Pledge of Allegiance.
The minutes of the September 16, 2014 Regular Meeting were approved as presented.
The minutes of the September 30, 2014 Special Meeting were approved as presented.
There were no public comments.
Commissioner Maupin advised he has been talking with Donovan DeMay with Mediacom about providing service upgrades to village residents, such as internet service. Maupin stated the fiber optic line that has been run through town here will reduce their cost to provide upgraded services if they can tie into it at a reasonable rate. DeMay needed information about whose line it was and who to contact. Maupin said the Village Clerk has helped him get that. Maupin has also spoken with Daniel Payette, Outreach Coordinator with the Blackhawk Hills Regional Council. Maupin advised those present Payette is more than happy to help to facilitate the issue. Payette will try to reach both of the village contact persons at Mediacom. Maupin reported Payette also provided him with a list of other providers along the fiber optic line in case the village wants to go another route if the issues with Mediacom do not pan out. Maupin stated in talking with Mediacom, they indicated when the issue of providing internet service was first discussed several years ago, it was determined that there was no exisitng fiber optic line and Mediacom would have to furnish approximately ten (10) miles of fiber optic to find a place to hook into and it would involve several hundreds of thousands of dollars to go that far with fiber optic. DeMay from Mediacom told Maupin if they could hook into the current fiber optic at the corner of Hahnaman Road and Route 40 it will cost less. Maupin told the council he forwarded all the information he received to DeMay after his conversation with Payette. According to DeMay, he had a budget meeting coming up soon and would present the village’s case to see if he could get things rolling. Maupin recommends holding off on signing the franchise agreement with Mediacom a little longer to see what could be done by them on the village’s behalf. Maupin said if Mediacom is willing to help the village out, he has no problem signing the agreement. Maupin also said if they can’t, the village may want to move on and find somebody else for that service. The matter will be tabled until another meeting.
Superintendent Pierce provided the council with a report on the rusty water conditions the village has been experiencing due to the extreme winter temperatures. The report, done by Water Solutions Unlimited, Inc., cited “the unusually cold, brutal winter froze service lines full of old iron scale. The report went on to say, “the lines have since been behaving much like a scab you can’t leave alone that will continue bleeding. Only time and leaving them alone will settle them down.” Pierce also suggested the council send out a mailing to residents sometime in November to encourage them to let their water run during harsh winter conditions like the village experienced last winter. He advised water / sewer bills could be adjusted throughout December, January and February. He also requests the council advise residents that the Village is not responsible for frozen water lines. Commissioner Maupin stated it makes sense with the older lines and it would be easier for the village to give residents a cheaper bill in order to keep their service running. Mayor Hill said hopefully the coming winter won’t be as harsh.
Commissioner Sigel asked when the village would be working on water lines. Mayor Hill advised not for a while. It’s farther down on the list for infrastructure improvements laid out by village engineers, Willett, Hofmann and Associates, Inc. Mayor Hill said unfortunately, it’s not a priority on the list village engineers had given the village. Mayor Hill also advised there are other more critical issues ahead of the water lines. Mayor Hill said it’s just been a strange winter and hopefully there won’t be another one.
A member of the audience asked to be recognized in order to ask a question. The resident asked if the fire hydrants had all been pumped or opened up and flushed as she had heard. Mayor Hill advised her according to the report discussed earlier, Water Solutions does not really recommend doing that. She also said Pierce found in the past too that it just agitates the system. The resident wanted to know if they were all flushed or not. Pierce advised all of the hydrants except several that are so old the village does not flush or open since it’s not worth the risk of damaging them. Mayor Hill advised they can all still be used for fire issues and in that case of course they will be opened up to save someone’s place. Pierce stated the fire department has never used a hydrant since he has been with the village. He said they fill at the fire station. Pierce said the fire department can get better pressure there and at the water tower. The resident stated her son lives on E. Market and is sure the one near him had not been done. Pierce advised it may be one of the older ones.
Next on the agenda, the Village Council set Halloween dates and times. Trick or Treating in the Village of Tampico will be on Friday, October 31, 2014 from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM. In addition, there is to be no burning of any kind in the village limits from 12:01 AM until 11:59 PM on that day.
Superintendent Pierce has recommended purchasing a “snow pusher” attachment for the village backhoe. He presented the council with two price quotes. The price from Bonnell Industries, Inc. was for $5,097.00. A trade-in allowance of $1,200.00 for an obsolete Gledhill Trip Edge Plow would have reduced the purchase total to $3,897.00. A price quote from Northshore Truck & Equipment Co., Inc., came in at $2,400.00 with another $332.55 added for freight charges for a total of $2,732.55 with no trade-in. Mayor Hill said it’s still a lot cheaper than with the trade-in. Mayor Hill said the village could turn around and sell the trade-in. Commissioner Sigel wanted to know if the different units were made by the same manufacturer. Pierce advised they were not. Pierce advised he has looked at both of them and they are basically the same. Commissioner Hill said you can’t really make them much different. Pierce also said there were two other quotes for around $5,000-6,000.00. Mayor Hill stated she is fine with the purchase especially with the man hours the village had last year and if snow removal can be done more efficiently. Pierce said the new piece of equipment will work better downtown by not pushing so much snow up on the sidewalks because it’s a box instead of a plow. He said with a plow, no matter how you do it, you’re still rolling snow. Commissioner Maupin wanted to know if the unit would only fit the tractor the village has now. Pierce advised it would fit anything with a bucket since it basically just slides on. On a motion by Commissioner Maupin, second by Commissioner Sigel, approval was given to purchase a “Snow Pusher” at a cost of $2,732.55 from Northshore Truck and Equipment, Inc. With the cost to be shared equally by the General Fund and Water / Sewer Funds. “Yes” votes were Johnson, Hill, Sigel, Maupin and Mayor Hill. The motion carried.
In the next order of business, Mayor Hill signed a proclamation declaring October 24, 2014 as Manufacturing Day in the Village of Tampico. The proclamation recognizes the efforts of manufacturers and educators in the Sauk Valley area to encourage local students to prepare for their future employment needs in manufacturing whether it’s a highly technical or highly skilled position.
In the matter of extending the limits of the IL RT 172 / Main Street maintenance agreement with IDOT to include from Market Street north to Fourth Street, Mayor Hill advised it would double what the state is now paying the village. Mayor Hill advised the village pretty much maintains that portion of Main Street now, the resolution would make it official. Mayor Hill told the council the maintenance fee will increase from $757.92 to the estimated amount of $1,510.94 per year. Commissioner Sigel stated she would have liked to have been informed about this since she is in charge of the streets and alleys and any information for that. Mayor Hill advised Sigel it has been discussed at previous village meetings a couple times. Mayor Hill said it has been brought up and the council actually approved sending the letter to be sent up there. This is their confirmation back and this finalizes everything we have done at the previous meetings. Commissioner Sigel asked if Mayor Hill had had a meeting with someone dealing with this. Mayor Hill stated the village sent in a letter requesting to extend the limit. Now the state has sent back the letter saying yes the village could do that. Commissioner Sigel said she would like to be a bit more informed. Mayor Hill stated it was in the meetings, a couple meetings that it has been discussed. When asked what meetings Mayor Hill said she doesn’t have the exact dates. She added that it does get more revenue for the village. Commissioner Sigel said that’s fantastic. Mayor Hill asked if everyone was okay to go forward with the resolution and requested a motion and a second. On a motion by Commissioner Johnson, second by Commissioner Sigel the resolution to extend the limits of a maintenance agreement with IDOT for IL RT 172 or Main Street from Market Street north to Fourth Street effective July 1, 2015 for the 2016 fiscal year was approved. “Yes” votes were Johnson, Hill, Sigel and Maupin. Mayor Hill abstained. The motion carried.
There were no building permits issued by Zoning Administrator, Ron Kuepker.
Reports of Village Officials
Mayor Hill reported “Brat Fest” will be going on a week from Saturday. Everything is in line. The Crystal Cork is coming down to provide beer and wine tasting. She said that was what the recent special meeting was about to get the special event liquor license in place. Mayor Hill advised any funds raised will go to the plaques for the historic downtown buildings on Main Street. The Tampico Historic Preservation Advisory Committee is trying to purchase 13 of the plaques that will give more detail of the history behind each building. There will be brats and hot dogs, nachos, pretzels and pop along with the beer and wine tasting. Mayor Hill said there will be something for everyone. Commissioner Johnson advised it’s a good idea. Mayor Hill advised the event will be October 18, 2014 from 2:30 – 8:00 PM at the RCC.
Commissioner Maupin reported to the Council basketball in the RCC gym will resume on Wednesday evenings at 7 PM. Maupin said a fee is yet to be decided upon when they find out if there are enough people interested.
Mayor Hill reported a donation of gym equipment from Bruce Anderson. She advised it would be placed on the stage for now. Mayor Hill also told the council of several wonderful donations for the day care. Representative Mike Smiddy gave $200.00, the Royal Neighbors donated $412.00 and Betsy Hoover gave a donation of $200.00. The mayor also advised the council there have been donations of toys, games, and a kitchen play set. Mayor Hill said it’s moving along really good and the board of directors is doing a fantastic job. Commissioner Sigel asked how the board of directors was chosen. Mayor Hill told her she called them and asked if they would sit on it and they accepted. A resident in the audience asked if they need to be approved by the council. Mayor Hill advised they are working with the village attorney to get that to what the village does with the Historic Preservation Committee. Mayor Hill said these people are just happy to step up and volunteer at this point. They are not as concerned about that as they are about seeing a day care being here. Mayor Hill stated they are working and getting everything in order under our attorney so everything is legal, there will be a budget with line items but right now until they are officially our board and officially named then we will have to approve them at a council meeting. Commissioner Sigel asked Mayor Hill how she decided who was going to be at large, the board member who was going to be at large. Mayor Hill said she talked to the people who were interested in helping. She continued by saying there are not a lot of people who step up as these people have. Commissioner Sigel said she is talking about the board members at large. Mayor Hill asked Sigel what she meant by board members at large. Commissioner Sigel replied the Mayor and Toby. Mayor Hill again asked Sigel what she was talking about. Mayor Hill stated she and Commissioner Toby Johnson have been working on the day care because he has a lot of experience with the Y and has worked with these programs before. Commissioner Sigel said she was just wondering because it has never been discussed at a board meeting. Mayor Hill replied that it was never really discussed that she and Sigel would be on the on historic committee. Commissioner Sigel maintains that the council did discuss that. Mayor Hill asked Sigel what the point was. Commissioner Sigel said she thought it should have been discussed at a board meeting. Mayor Hill told Sigel the council had talked of Commissioner Johnson being on it before. Commissioner Sigel said not as far as she knew. Mayor Hill stated it was discussed and this is the first objection. Commissioner Hill agreed that it had been discussed a couple of meetings back. Commissioner Sigel said she would like to see the minutes of that. Commissioner Sigel stated she had no problem with them being on it, she would just like to discuss it at a meeting. Commissioner Hill wanted to know what the problem is with who is on the board. Commissioner Hill said people are doing a good job and trying to help and get it going and wonders why it is an issue. Mayor Hill said like Commissioner Maupin and Commissioner Johnson are taking care of the Recreation Board. Commissioner Sigel said that’s great, that’s wonderful, but she would like it to be discussed at a meeting. Commissioner Hill said every time everything is an issue. Everything every body does here. Commissioner Hill would rather see everyone work together instead of pushing each other apart. Commissioner Sigel said no, work together, discuss it at a meeting. Commissioner Hill said we’re not working together and she is making everything an issue. Comissioner Sigel said no she is not. Mayor Hill suggested the council move on. Mayor Hill said she felt Commissioner Johnson was very qualified to be helping with this board and her role is just to be steering. Mayor Hill asked if anyone else had any comments. Commissioner Johnson said if need be he could bring in a resume if anyone wants to see it. He advised he has about a decade of experience at the Y with youth development programs in a range of programs from six weeks of age to school age children before starting to run the after school program. He said he also had experience working with the teen reach programs which was from junior high kids to high school. Johnson said, officially, he has worked with children from six weeks old to high school for about 12 years. Johnson said when the idea for a day care came up he was excited. Johnson also said he believes it was discussed at meetings but not in an official capacity. Mayor Hill said as mayor she can appoint commissioners to do different jobs. Commissioner Sigel told Commissioner Johnson that was very good and she is glad he is on it.
Communications
Clerk Leathers told the council of correspondence she received from Rock River Energy Services regarding municipal aggregation and rumors of electric bill costs doubling. Clerk Leathers reported since the whole municipal aggregation concept started, it has opened the door for different companies to send letter and make phone calls using scare tactics to get residents to change providers. The only increases residents will see are the energy supply charges. Many municipal aggregation programs came up for renewal this summer and those communities are still offering fixed rate programs that are still a large savings over the utility companies. Clerk Leathers reported that any time anyone has any questions about their energy costs they may contact Rock River Energy Services directly. Village Hall will provide the information to any resident who requests it.
At 7:29 PM, Mayor Hill asked for a motion to leave the regular meeting session to go into a Closed Session portion of the meeting to discuss the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of employees. The motion was made by Commissioner Hill with a second by Commissioner Johnson. “Yes” votes were Johnson, Hill, Sigel, Maupin and Mayor Hill. The motion carried.
At 7:43 PM, a motion was made by Commissioner Johnson, second by Commissioner Hill to adjourn the closed session portion of the meeting and return to the regular meeting session. “Yes” votes were Johnson, Hill, Sigel, Maupin and Mayor Hill. The motion carried. On a motion by Commissioner Sigel, second by Commissioner Maupin, Staci Shaffer was hired as a part-time / as needed employee, at $10.00 per hour, to help set up the proposed day care procedures and equipment. “Yes” votes were Johnson, Hill, Sigel, Maupin and Mayor Hill. The motion carried.
On a motion by Commissioner Johnson, second by Commissioner Hill, bills were paid as outlined and attached. “Yes” votes were Johnson, Hill, Sigel, Maupin and Mayor Hill. The motion carried.
Commissioner Johnson reported there will be a Tampico Community Blood Drive on Thursday, November 13, 2014 from 2-7 PM at the United Methodist Church.
The meeting adjourned at 7:50 PM. The next Regular Meeting of the Tampico Village Council will be October 21, 2014 at 7:00 PM in the Reagan Community Center located at 202 W. Second Street.
Kathy A. Leathers _____________ Kristine L. Hill __________________
Clerk Mayor
MINUTES APPROVED THIS _21st_ DAY OF __October____, 2014
**These minutes are not official until signed, dated and sealed by the Village Clerk**
