City of Batavia City Council met Sept. 21.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
PLEASE NOTE: These minutes are not a word-for-word transcription of the statements made at the meeting, nor intended to be a comprehensive review of all discussions. Minutes are intended to make an official record of the actions taken by the Committee/City Council, and to include some description of discussion points as understood by the minute-taker. Any references to discussion and /or statements are only to provide greater clarity to the public and they may not reference all, some, or any of an individual speaker’s comments.
1. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Schielke at 7:32 p.m.
2. INVOCATION followed by PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Schielke offered a brief invocation. Ald. Miller led the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. ROLL CALL
12 of 14 aldermen were present at roll call.
Aldermen (by ward):
Jennifer Baerren (1), Michael O’Brien (1), Alan Wolff (2), Dan Chanzit (3), Michael Russotto
(6), and Keenan Miller (7) attended in person.
Martin Callahan (2), Elliot Meitzler (3), Tony Malay (4), Abby Beck (5), Nicholas Cerone (6) and Drew McFadden (7) attended by phone.
Joe Knopp (4) and Mark Uher (5) were absent.
Also present were members of the public and the following:
City Attorney Roman Seckel
City Clerk Ellen Posledni
City Administrator Laura Newman
Fire Chief Randy Deicke
Community Development Director Scott Buening (by phone)
4. REMINDER: Please speak into the microphone
Mayor Schielke reminded everyone to use their microphones.
5. ITEMS REMOVED/ADDED/CHANGED
None.
6. CONSENT AGENDA
Ald. Chanzit read the Consent Agenda as follows.
Accept and Place on File:
A. Committee of the Whole Minutes August 25, 2020
B. Historic Preservation Commission July 13, 2020
Approvals:
C. September 18, 2020 Payroll $901,528.76
D. Accounts Payable Check Register $5,758,278.12
E. City Council Minutes for August 17, 2020 and September 8, 2020
F. ORDINANCE 20-61: Annexing 1450 Thoria Road (Voluntary) (SCB 9/9/20 COW 9/15/20 11/0) CD
G. RESOLUTION 20-109-R: Authorizing Certain Elected Officials and Staff to Receive Confidential Prairie State information (GH 9/10/20 COW 9/15/20 12/0) PU
Motion by Ald. Chanzit, seconded by Ald. O’Brien, to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Motion carried 12 yea/ 0 nay/ 2 absent.
7. PUBLIC HEARING 7:35 P.M.: Establishment of Special Service Area 66 (Mill-McKee Retail Center)
Mayor Schielke convened the Public Hearing at 7:36 p.m. Director Buening explained that the SSA would only be activated if the property owners did not maintain the property. There were no public comments.
Motion by Ald. Wolff, seconded by Ald. Russotto, to adjourn the Public Hearing. Motion carried 12 yea/ 0 nay/ 2 absent.
8. MATTERS FROM THE PUBLIC: (For Items NOT on the Agenda) None.
9. MAINSTREET
Beth Walker introduced herself at the new Executive Director. Oktoberfest and Bat Fest traditional events will be canceled this year due to the pandemic, but Main Street hopes to offer some alternative options for downtown entertainment on those dates.
Main Street is finalizing plans for the indoor Farmers Market, and vendor applications will be available soon.
Beth can be reached at beth@downtownbatavia.com or cell phone 630.263.1429. Batavia Main Street offices are located at 5 E. Wilson Street, next to Folto’s downtown.
10. ORDINANCE 20-60: Establishing Special Service Area 66 – Kingsland, Batavia Land Company and Menard Subdivisions (Mill-McKee Retail Center) (DMR 9/9/20 COW 9/15/20 11/0) CD
Ald. Callahan introduced the item that was the subject of tonight’s Public Hearing, reiterating that this is a dormant SSA being established as a backup if needed.
Motion by Ald. Chanzit, seconded by Ald. O’Brien, to approve the ordinance as presented. Motion carried 12 yea/ 0 nay/ 2 absent.
11. RESOLUTION 20-108-R: Authorizing the Purchase of a Sutphen Fire Engine/Pumper
(RD 9/9/20 COW 9/15/20 12/0) CS
Ald. Wolff introduced the item related to the purchase of a fire truck that was approved in January. The purchase price of $546,321 is well under budget. The truck is estimated for delivery in summer 2021.
Ald. O’Brien complimented Chief Deicke for the extensive research and efforts made to keep the purchase price down. Administrator Newman noted that staff put in a lot of time to carefully choose exactly what equipment they would need on the truck, noting that it should serve the city for 20 years. Ald. Wolff added that this will be a multi-use vehicle that holds a lot of equipment.
Mayor Schielke agreed that the Fire Department did a nice job selecting this truck, adding that they had to design this truck in a particular way partly to meet the needs of the Fire Protection District, such as having a 1,000-gallon water tank on board. He said this truck is being built to serve both Batavia and the Fire Protection District, and he will make sure the taxpayers in the Fire Protection District know about the valuable service the City of Batavia provides to them. He said they have some of the largest homes in Kane County, and added that the district also includes Mooseheart, which pays no taxes.
Motion by Ald. Wolff, seconded by Ald. Russotto, to approve the resolution as presented. Motion carried 12 yea/ 0 nay/ 2 absent.
12. RESOLUTION 20-107-R: Authorizing the Sale of Municipally Owned Real Estate North and West of 917 N. Van Buren Street 2/3 MAJORITY VOTE REQUIRED (SCB 9/3/20 COW 9/15/20 12/0) GS
Ald. Chanzit introduced the item related to property acquired by the city on Park Street in June. The homeowner on Van Buren Street indicated an interest in purchasing some of the land in order to make their lot more rectangular. This was previously discussed in Executive Session and at the Committee of the Whole. The land purchase will be put out for bid, with a minimum bid of 80% of appraised value.
Motion by Ald. Chanzit, seconded by Ald. Wolff, to approve the resolution as presented. Motion carried 12 yea/ 0 nay/ 2 absent.
13. ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
Administrator Newman shared that the Candidate Packet for the 2021 Consolidated Election was posted today on the city’s website and shared via social media. Seats are available in every ward, with two seats available in Ward 1. The packet can be downloaded or picked up at the city reception desk.
The city has purchased wood barrels to establish more temporary lighting on River Street based on an idea shared by Ald. Cerone. A more permanent solution will be pursued for the 2021 solution, but that will require some engineering and agreement with property owners.
Outdoor public tables on River Street will be retrieved November 9 in preparation for snow removal. Continued outdoor dining options are being explored and shared among leaders from other cities as businesses try to extend their on-site dining business during the pandemic.
The public parking lot for the South Batavia Avenue businesses has been patched and additional signage has been installed directing patrons to the parking lot and open businesses.
The Lincoln Highway mural lighting is in need of repair. Public Works will be updating the lighting.
Staff is preparing the city’s application for CARES Act grant money. The initial application has been approved. An IGA with Kane County will need to be signed; a request will be brought to City Council soon. The funding will also trigger an additional audit.
A Joint Review Board will meet on One Washington Place on October 6 at 10 am at City Hall. A Public Hearing will be held November 2 at 7:30 pm. The city has established an Interested Parties Registry for those who want to be notified about actions pertaining to the project: applications for the registry are available in the Community Development office.
Plans are under staff review for a building at 1200 Pearson Drive.
A variety of projects are underway and wrapping up:
• The 2020 resurfacing project should be completed by early October.
• The Area 3 sewer separation project is on schedule to be completed by the end of construction season.
• Prairie Street is on schedule to be completed by mid-October.
• Work along Batavia Avenue is anticipated to be completed by the end of construction season.
• The city is talking with the contractor on the Main Street project about doing Saturday work to maximize the amount of work completed prior to the onset of winter.
• Startup of the new NE distribution electric substation is scheduled for this week.
• Soil borings have been completed in the Carriage Crest subdivision as part of the Phase I, Part B project.
• Online permitting is now live, and residents can now apply for and pay for many permits entirely through the city’s website.
14. COMMITTEE REPORTS
None.
15. OTHER BUSINESS
Ald. Callahan said as part of the Water Street Studios Activate the Alley program, the Fox Valley Patriotic Organization will unveil its new mural at 5 pm in a socially distanced gathering.
16. MAYOR’S REPORT
Mayor Schielke said he has never heard from so many people as he has during the pandemic, and people seem to believe the city has more control over things than it actually does. In particular, he is hearing complaints about schools not opening and kids not playing football. He said every mayor in the six-county area is hearing the same complains about the school districts. He said people should contact their state officials if they want to see changes in how the pandemic is being handled.
Some older adults are being left behind in today’s society. Mayor Schielke noted that some residents are complaining that they can’t access the TV show that recently won several Emmy awards because it is not carried on cable TV. He also shared a story about a city resident who tried to purchase something recently and was told that she could not pay with cash – the store would only take a credit card, but she didn’t have one. Many older adults don’t have computers and are not tech savvy, and they need support. City staff is trying to help when possible.
Ald. Wolff suggested a partnership between students and these older adults could benefit both groups, and perhaps that is something the city should facilitate.
Administrator Newman pointed out that the Batavia Public Library does an excellent job helping people with new technology. She said you can bring your devices to the Information Desk and someone there can help you figure out how to use it.
Mayor Schielke noted that Batavia has five senior living facilities with a sixth one opening off of Fabyan that will be quite large. Grandparents are following their grandchildren here.
Ald. O’Brien noted that this one reason he is hearing of interest in One Washington Place.
Administrator Newman shared a note from the Police Department that they have seen a large increase in burglaries to motor vehicles, many from unlocked cars. They suggest removing valuables from vehicles, keeping them locked, and keeping garage doors closed. They will share a video on the Police Department Facebook page.
17. ADJOURNMENT
Motion by Ald. Wolff, seconded by Ald. O’Brien, to adjourn. Motion carried by voice vote.
The meeting adjourned at 8:16 pm.
https://www.cityofbatavia.net/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_09212020-1612
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