REGULAR MEETING OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF TAMPICO
March 20, 2018
7:00 PM
Reagan Community Center
Mayor Kristine L. Hill called the Regular Meeting of the Tampico Village Council to order at 7:00 PM.
Commissioners Al Wildman, Scott Meier and Todd Tornow were present. Commissioner Derrick Maupin was absent. Police Chief Terry Strike and Assistant Clerk Jamie McIntire were also present. Village Clerk, Kathy Leathers, recorded the written and audio minutes. The meeting was also video recorded.
Mayor Hill led those present in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Minutes of the March 6, 2018 Regular Meeting were approved as presented.
Reports of Village Officials
Commissioner Tornow said the ball diamond, we’ve been having regular meetings now. We’re trying to get things straightened out between the Tampico and Prophetstown stuff. Right now it’s kind of a pain. Mayor Hill said we’re trying to get our numbers up because some of the forms were mixed up. But we’re going to have teams and it’s going to work. Tornow said yes, we’ll get it worked out and hopefully get enough to play. Mayor Hill said we have good coaches this year. Chief Strike asked when does the season start. Mayor Hill said not until after school. Tornow said right. Mayor Hill said Prophetstown is having their coaches meeting this Saturday, the 24th. Our deadline isn’t until the end of the month, so we still have some kids coming in. It’s going good and we’re getting a lot done over there. It’ll be in the paper, but we received a nice donation from Bonnie Anderson from the Kickback Saloon’s corn beef and cabbage dinner. She’s going to present $500 to the Recreation Board to be used at the ball diamond. We thought that was very generous of her.
Remarks from Guests
Village resident Ramona Smith said in regards to the ball diamond, I filled a report with Chief Strike in regards to the damage that was done to my property with the ball diamond clean up crew. They took it upon themselves to bring a ladder over my fence and climb my tree with a chainsaw. Mayor Hill said he did climb up it to try and trim it nicely. Smith said he was trespassing. Mayor Hill said and we left but we are going to clean up the rest of that fence line. If you want to go ahead and do it ahead of time, go ahead. Smith said I want them to stay off my property. I have been very generous in the past two years with the coaches. I have been very generous with asking them to please keep the kids out of the trees. I have been very generous in asking them to please keep their garbage off my property. Saturday he trespassed, he damaged my trees. Mayor Hill said we have the right to trim the trees. Smith said you do have the right to trim the trees. Mayor Hill said it’s also state statute. Smith said excuse me, I’m speaking. You have a right to trim the trees up to the fence line. Mayor Hill said there’s also a state statute that says if it’s in best interest of the tree you can cross over to make sure it’s trimmed back properly. Smith said no, it does not. It states that you can trim the tree up to the fence line. Mayor Hill asked Chief Strike if he could show the state statute to Smith sometime. Strike said yes, we have it. Mayor Hill said talk to Strike and come in to see that. Smith said I will do that but I’m telling you right now and I’m telling the board. Mayor Hill said that’s fine and if you want to finish trimming along that fence line before we come back that’s fine too. Smith said if they come across my fence line again, it is clearly posted no trespassing. If they come across my fence line I will have charges filed for trespassing. You have no right on my property. There’s a fence there for a reason. You have the right to trim them up to the fence line. Anything beyond that is my responsibility and my husbands responsibility, not yours. If they come across my property I will call Strike. Mayor Hill said that’s fine. You have the right to do that. Smith said I have every right to do that and I’m telling you right now, the kids. Mayor Hill said that’s fine and we backed off right then and there. I was standing right there. We’re just trying to trim it up neatly and nicely. It was on the pavilion at the time and we didn’t just want to wack it off. Smith said why didn’t you guys just come up and knock on the door. Mayor Hill said we have the right to maintain the trees on the lines. Smith said you have the right to on the line. Not on my property. Mayor Hill said ok. Smith said if you would have knocked on my door and said hey, we’re cleaning up the ball diamond, do you mind if we trim the trees, I would of told you no I don’t mind. But when you came across my fence with a ladder and chainsaw you broke the law. Mayor Hill said come in and talk to Strike sometime so he can show you the statutes. Smith said the police report is filed. Mayor Hill said right, we’ve seen it. Smith said I’m telling you right now, anyone that’s on my property I am going to call Strike. Mayor Hill said ok, that’s fine. You have every right. Smith said and I intend to do just that. Mayor Hill said we are coming back about April 7th so if you want to go ahead and trim them back ahead of time that’s fine. Smith I’m telling you right now you have a right to trim them up to the fence line. Mayor Hill said I understand that but I’m saying if you want to go ahead. Smith said I’ll talk to my husband. Mayor Hill said that way it’s the way you want it too. Smith said I’m telling you now, if you come across that fence line I’m going to file charges. Mayor Hill said got it. Smith said this is ridiculous, I’m done with it. Mayor Hill said ok. Smith said I’ve been nice for two years and obviously that gets you no where here. I have asked everybody to please stay out of there. I don’t want somebody to get hurt. I don’t want the kids climbing the trees. I don’t want somebody to fall and get impaled on a branch or a fence post. Mayor Hill said we’re not going to patrol the fence line for all the games. Smith said the coaches should, that’s their jobs. Keep an eye on the children. Mayor Hill said it’s not usually the teams kids that are on the property. Smith said yeah, it really is. Mayor Hill said we’ll address that with the coaches and make sure to talk to them. Smith said if somebody gets hurt back there it’s all going to be on you. Mayor Hill said ok, fine. Smith said this has become ridiculous. Everybody is responsible for boundaries. Commissioner Meier said you’re not liable for that fence anyway. The fence is on Village property. Smith said no it’s not. I had it censored when I bought the property. Actually the fence is 2 foot inside my property line. I had it surveyed from this county when I bought the property. Meier said then they moved the stakes. Smith said well the stakes are out there. Mayor Hill said he use to live there. Smith said I don’t know, but according to the Whiteside Counties Survey Office that property is mine. If anybodies back there I will call Strike. Mayor Hill said ok.
Village resident Susan Frank said did we get the grant, that’s a yes or no. Mayor Hill asked what grant are you talking about. Frank said the one for the water. Mayor Hill said all the paperwork is not done yet and it’s still in the process. Frank said no no no no. Mayor Hill said it’s still in the process. Frank said that’s what you always say. Everything is still in the process and it isn’t. That gentleman said when he met with us that he would know if you got the grant in a month. Mayor Hill said we have not heard. Clerk Leathers said we haven’t. You can call them and see for yourself. Mayor Hill said we’re not trying to hide anything. Frank said why does our water have so much chlorine in it. It’s being chlorinated at least twice a week. Mayor Hill said it’s at safe levels. It’s what we’ve always done. Frank said isn’t it bad that there is that much bacteria in the water. Mayor Hill said we’re at the levels we’re suppose to be at for testing. It’s at safe levels. Frank asked do you have the latest EPA report. Mayor Hill said we have the water report. Frank said you should have your EPA. Leathers said we have all the water reports. We have the CCR report, which reports on everything that’s in the Village’s water. We have that from last year. They haven’t gotten them out for this year yet. Frank said that’s the big one that comes in with all the different ones, right. Leathers said yes. Frank said ok, I want copies of those. I’ll sign the little thing. So when was this project suppose to be started, April, May…November? Mayor Hill said there’s different phases and they have to be adjusted. They put out a time line to the best of their ability. They’re not responsible for offices that aren’t processing in time or funding that gets switched around. They put out the best case scenario for what they wish it to follow and we hope for it to hit all those milestones. Since we haven’t heard back about this yet we’re not proceeding with anything until we do. We have to go through the steps. Our hands are tied. That’s the way it rolls. Frank said ok, now I have another question. In the newspaper or some where you stated that you had to put the baseball diamond on there in the grant as an asset. Mayor Hill said they do include a lot of our properties. I don’t remember that exact statement but usually it’s kind of like an audit of the entire town and the poverty level, and all those things are included in that. The medium income. Frank said we have buildings that are paid for, right. And all the buildings that are paid for have to be appraised and the land has to be appraised. Mayor Hill said that’s all taken care of. Frank said to put in that grant. Mayor Hill said Matt Hansen has taken care of all those things. Frank said why does it need to be there. Mayor Hill said that’s what they require. Frank said so what happens if you. Mayor Hill said those are the things you have to do. Frank said so there’s a possibility you could lose it, right. Mayor Hill said yes. Anybody who goes for a grant could possibly lose it. Then we have to look at other ways to maybe fund it or break it down and do smaller portions like we’ve talked about several times. And maybe more money will come in later but it won’t be as much so we’ll have to sectionalize it back out. They reevaluate these all the time but you try to do the best case scenario for the best tax dollar and to get the funding that we can. Frank said you’ve been working on this for so many years. Mayor Hill said you do. There’s projects that are out there for 20 years, at least. Frank said it sounds like Washington D.C. Mayor Hill said I personally worked on bi-pass 20 from Freeport to Galena back in the 90s. That’s the way it rolls. I don’t know what to tell you. Any other questions.
Frank said when you up the chlorine, do you up the fluoride too every time you do it. Mayor Hill said I honestly can’t answer that. I know he works with the chemicals here and he has to hit certain boundaries and certain levels at all times. It’s taken to Dixon and tested on a regular basis. We do everything that every other community does. We follow all the guidelines. We have to be accountable.
Village resident Mary Jo Sigel said I’m getting a lot of rust at the house on Washington. I’m having to run the water 5 or 10 minutes before it’s clear again. Mayor Hill asked your hydrant or what are you talking about, your faucet. Sigel said yes. Mayor Hill said well hopefully when the water mains come through it’ll clear up a lot of that. You can call Superintendent Pierce and have him take a look at it. Sigel said I discussed it with him today and he doesn’t know whether flushing the hydrant or not would make it worse. Mayor Hill said and that’s why we’re trying to get these water lines redone. That is the main reason. We have an aging infrastructure. Frank said isn’t that the reason we raised the water rates. Mayor Hill said yes. And that’s why we’re using a lot of this funding to take care of a lot of these issues. We have to have so much in our kitty before we can even go after a grant. You have to have match funds and all that. So we’re sitting in a good line so some day down the road it will be the water tower, it will be other issues and stuff and the money will hopefully be there without having to shock people into raising more. Frank said how can it be there when you’ve robbed from it. Both of them. Several times. Leathers said the money you think has been robbed from there is used to pay on the infrastructure loan for the things we did on Market Street and the West Kimball Street lift station. The other note that we’re almost paid off with the EPA is for the sewage treatment plant. When it’s transferred out of the water fund, that’s where it goes. It goes into the infrastructure loan checking account and it goes into the IEPA loan checking account. Frank said then why didn’t you explain that in the past when you passed that. Why didn’t you explain it as well. Mayor Hill said I think we pretty well did. Frank said no. You did not explain it. You said the money is going into the general fund. You never said that once it gets into the general fund we’re going to pay for this and this. You never said it. You don’t inform us about anything. You just say oh we’re taking money from this account and it’s going into the general fund. We don’t know where it’s going. It could be going in your pocket for all I know. Mayor Hill said ok, do you have anything else. Frank said absolutely not. Mayor Hill said thank you.
Unfinished Business
The council began to review and discuss the 2018-2019 First Draft Appropriations Ordinance. Mayor Hill said everybody got theirs in. I know that the new Quicken Books will help clean it up too and get rid of some of these obsolete line items as well. Hopefully we can approve this at the next meeting. Clerk Leathers said yes, that’s what I would like to do. Mayor Hill said if you have any questions in the meantime please bring them to Leathers so we can have them presented in our packets. Leathers said it came together really well and all the figures there were good.
New Business
The council began to review Day Care Summer Program information. Mayor Hill said we double checked with Mr. Shirk and since they are in part of the appropriation, they already have a line item and a budget, we use that money first and he said yes we can transfer funds to cover until they can pay back if need be. The day care is already set. They have a director running right now and getting things in line. Mayor Hill asked Todd Slock if he had more to add. Slock said no, I think we’re going to get going on everything for the summer program. Mayor Hill said awesome. I think that’ll work hand in hand with our baseball program too because if these kids are in town they’ll be able to get to the practices and it’ll be easier. The day care is already set, but we double checked with Mr. Shirk to make sure everything was legal and that we’re doing everything properly.
Building Permits issued by Zoning Administrator, Ron Kuepker, were 106 S. Washington – Storage Shed.
Communications
Mayor Hill said I have one, which is an invitation to the Black Hawk Hills Regional Council. It’s the Northwest Illinois water users. It’s over at Deer Valley. This is just basically environmentally so we’re not depleting our water supply here in Northern Illinois. How can we service larger manufacturers and such with our water supply the way that it is. They’re just trying to be proactive. They’re having their meeting April 9th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Deer Valley Country Club. I will leave that information for anyone that may be interested. It’s mostly farmers and such that go to those.
Bills were ordered paid on a motion by Commissioner Wildman with a second by Commissioner Meier. “Yes” votes were Wildman, Meier, Tornow and Mayor Hill. The motion carried.
The meeting adjourned at 7:19 PM. The next Regular Meeting of the Tampico Village Council will be Tuesday, April 3, 2018 at 7:00 PM in the Reagan Community Center located at 202 W. Second Street.
Kathy A. Leathers
Clerk
Kristine L. Hill
Mayor
MINUTES APPROVED THIS 3rd DAY OF APRIL, 2018
**These minutes are not official until signed, dated and sealed by the Village Clerk**
