Kane County Reporter

City of Geneva Committee of the Whole met Jan. 21

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Elected Officials Present: Mayor Burns, Ald. Bruno, Ald. Kilburg, Ald. Kosirog, Ald. Malecki, Ald. Marks, Ald. Mayer, Ald. Paschke, Ald. Swanson, Clerk Kellick.

Elected Officials Attending by Teleconference: Ald. Hruby.

Elected Officials Absent: Ald. Bowring.

Others Present: City Admin. Dawkins, Asst. City Admin. McCready, City Attny. Sandack, Dir. Babica.

Others attending by video or teleconference: None.

Call to Order

Ald. Paschke, serving as chair, called the meeting to order at 8:29 PM noting all council members were present save for Ald. Bowring and with Ald. Hruby

attending remotely.

Approve Committee of the Whole Minutes from January 6, 2025

Moved by Ald. Bruno, seconded by Ald. Kosirog.

MOTION CARRIED by voice vote 9-0.

Items of Business

Consider Draft Resolution Authorizing the Execution of a Professional Services Agreement with FehrGraham in an Amount Not to Exceed $40,500 for Design of Sanitary Sewer on Reed Road.

Moved by Ald. Malecki, seconded by Ald. Marks.

On a question by Ald. Kosirog, Dir. Babica stated that city utilities are within the county right-of-way and not in a protected easement. As such, the utilities must be relocated at the utility owner’s expense. On another question, Dir. Babica noted that the current sanitary line runs along the east edge of the right of way. A new retaining wall will be built and the footings for the wall will be on top of the sanitary line which will cause future service disruptions.

On a question by Ald. Mayer, Dir. Babica noted that the two properties not inside the city limits are not connected to the city sanitary system. One has requested to connect to the sanitary system and be annexed into the city.

On a question by Ald. Kilburg, Dir. Babica explained that the existing sanitary sewer will be relocated to run parallel to Reed Rd. and connect to the existing system on Old Kirk Rd. The existing system and Kirk Rd. right-of-way will be abandoned in place.

On a question by Ald. Marks, Dir. Babica noted that part of the study is to find and negotiate the easements. A potential annexation could negate the need for an easement there.

MOTION CARRIED by voice vote 9-0.

Continued Discussion on FY 2026 Budget and FY 2027 Forecast.

Admin. Dawkins stated that there are three capital improvement projects on which the City needs the Committee’s feedback. The first is the Route 31/Phase 1 sidewalk study. The project estimates for FY26 for planning is $120,000 and for FY27 for engineering is $200,000. This doesn’t guarantee that a sidewalk will be built but will provide a starting budget should the opportunity present itself and engineering determines that it is feasible. This consensus would only be to include this amount in the current and forecasted budgets.

On a question by Ald. Kosirog, Dir. Babica stated that a crossing across Rt. 31 could be included in the project scope. The purpose of the Phase 1 study is to determine the feasibility of the project, even as an alternate.

The consensus of the Committee was that there was no objection to keeping this in the budget.

Admin. Dawkins stated that the second capital improvement project involved the historic retaining wall on south First St. The wall is located in a dedicated easement and if the wall is removed, the easement would need to be vacated, and the area returned to private property.

On a question by Ald. Kilburg, Dir. Babica noted that there is an option to remove the wall completely. The wall does not trigger an historic review as there is no permit required to remove the wall on City property. If it is maintained and kept in service, it will require an accurate historic restoration which is beyond City staff’s capabilities. If the wall is removed, the easement will vacate and the property will be returned to the private property owners.

Several alderpersons noted that they prefer not to commit $350,000 to preserving the wall. On a question by Ald. Kilburg, Dir. Babica stated that the City routinely bids out retaining wall repairs and that it tries to be sensitive when building retaining walls in older parts of the City to mimic the style of the area. Such repairs would not be accurate regarding the pre-existing conditions.

The consensus was to include $100,000 in the budget for this item.

Admin. Dawkins stated that the third capital improvement project is the bridge railing and the sidewalk widening project to be done in conjunction with the east State Street construction. The total estimated cost of the project has increased to $1.8 mil since the beginning of the project.

Dir. Babica stated that the cost was determined by working together with the historic preservation planner. They researched appropriate designs for the pedestrian railings which were approved by the Council. Widening the sidewalks was also proposed which could be done by having the interior barrier median shifted to the inside. Accent lights will also enhance the appearance and aesthetics of the bridge.

On a question by Ald. Swanson, Dir. Babica noted that the original scope of the project was a $600,000 railing project. All engineering resources spent to date have focused on expanding the sidewalks.

The consensus was to keep $1.8 mil in the budget for the project.

On a question by Ald. Mayer regarding the budget in light of the removal of the referendum, Mayor Burns stated that he is uncomfortable discussing such issues as the removal of the referendum has not yet been filed. He stated that he believes there is a need to be overly cautious regarding discussing issues related to facility improvements until the document is filed and approved by the county.

There was no consensus to hold a meeting on January 27 to discuss the budget.

Admin. Dawkins stated that there will be a public hearing on the budget at the next meeting on February 3. However, even after the public hearing, amendments may be made to the budget. Changes may be made and the budget passed in the same night.

Public Comment

None.

New Business

None.

Adjournment

On a motion by Ald. Kilburg, the meeting was adjourned by unanimous voice vote at 9:10 PM.

https://www.geneva.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02182025-2488