Coal City Village Board met Jan. 14

Coal City Village Board met Jan. 14

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Call Meeting to Order 

Mayor Spesia called the Coal City Village Board Meeting to order on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 7:00 PM. A roll call was conducted with Trustee Dave Togliatti, Trustee Dan Greggain, Trustee Pam Noffsinger, Trustee Ross Bradley, Trustee Bill Mincey and Trustee CJ Lauterbur present. Also in attendance were Attorney Mark Heinle, Matt Halloran from Chamlin Engineering, Chief Mike Imhof and Matt Fritz, Village Administrator. 

Pledge of Allegiance 

All present recited the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Approval of Minutes 

The Mayor presented the meeting minutes from December 10, 2025, for approval. No comments, questions, or corrections were raised. 

Motion to approve the meeting minutes was moved and seconded. Motion carried with all Trustees voting yes. 

Approval of Warrant List 

The Mayor noted one correction on the first page of the warrant list regarding the stop signs at Second Street and Washington. 

The Police Chief provided information about the new breathalyzer listed on the warrant list. He explained that they had been operating with an outdated breathalyzer for some time, with parts no longer available. The purchase had been planned and budgeted for, and after a 7-8 month wait, they finally received and installed the new unit. 

A question was raised about the Robinson Engineering payment for the Quiet Zone project. The Village Administrator explained that this was another payment on an existing contract that had been held for approximately 20 days. 

Motion to approve the warrant list was moved and seconded. Motion carried with all Trustees voting yes. 

Public Comment 

No public comment. 

Resolution 26-01: Recognizing and Supporting the Illinois America250 Commemoration 

Village Administrator Matt Fritz explained that the resolution was created based on a template from the Illinois Municipal League for municipalities who wanted to participate. He noted that Coal City has been planning their “Coal City Salute” celebration and with the new year beginning, it was a good time to formally adopt a resolution. 

Trustee Noffsinger, serving as co-chair of the parade committee, provided an update on planning efforts. She mentioned that she and co-chair Sherry Siegar are working to organize a large parade and have been contacting various bands that could both march in the parade and perform concerts. While no firm commitments have been secured yet, planning is progressing well. 

The Village Administrator added that the celebration framework includes a parade kicking off at noon on June 20, 2026, proceeding from south to north. Beginning at 1:30 or 2:00 PM, events will be held with Broadway closed between two stage areas – one just south of Willow and the other by Fisher Auto Parts. Tammy Moran has been coordinating with public safety departments to ensure proper planning, and Anne Gill is serving as liaison with the school district. 

The Mayor emphasized that all trustees should mark their calendars and plan to be available for most or all of the day on June 20, 2026. 

Motion to adopt Resolution 26-01 supporting and being part of the Illinois 250th celebration was moved by Trustee Noffsinger and seconded by Trustee Bradley. Motion carried with all Trustees voting yes. 

Resolution 26-02: Allow Savings from the State of Illinois Grocery Tax Repeal to Residents, Businesses, and Customers 

Village Administrator Matt Fritz explained that this resolution memorializes the board’s previous decision not to reinstate the grocery tax that was repealed by the state of Illinois effective January 2026. He noted that many municipalities throughout Illinois are choosing to readopt the grocery tax through ordinance, which is permitted by the new state law. 

The board had previously discussed this matter in finance committee meetings and determined that despite some loss of revenue, they wanted Burkhart’s (the local grocer) to be able to compete effectively and to provide the tax savings to residents. The Village Administrator noted that this resolution is not binding on future boards, and they could revisit the decision if needed, though there would be a 3-6 month lag in implementation due to Department of Revenue processing. 

Motion to adopt Resolution 26-02 allowing savings from the grocery tax repeal to be enjoyed by Coal City residents, businesses, and customers was moved and seconded. Motion carried with all Trustees voting yes. 

Resolution 26-03: Authorize Village Administrator to Sign on to NIMEC Electricity Supply Bids 

Village Administrator Matt Fritz presented the resolution, explaining that Coal City has been participating in the Northern Illinois Municipal Cooperative Electrical Cooperative (NIMEC) since 2008 to achieve lower electricity prices for village facilities. The current two-year rate is expiring, and new bids will likely be sought in March. 

He explained that the electricity market requires immediate decisions when bids are received, so this resolution authorizes the Village Administrator to enter into a contract for up to three years when favorable bids are obtained. Fritz noted the current expiring rate is just over 6 cents per kilowatt hour, and NIMEC predicts rates will be about level or possibly increase slightly. 

Trustee Bradley asked about the process for securing rates. The Village Administrator explained that there are four different conference calls held throughout the day when bids are obtained, and they can choose between 1-year, 2-year, or 3-year terms based on what makes the most sense for the village. 

The Village Administrator also mentioned that the sanitary plant’s efficiency upgrades appear to be resulting in electricity cost savings, as current expenses are running below budget forecasts. 

Motion to adopt Resolution 26-03 allowing the village administrator to enter into a contract with NIMEC competitive bid winner for up to 3 years of electrical supply was moved and seconded. Motion carried with all Trustees voting yes. 

Authorize First and Final Payout to D Construction for North Broadway Bridge Replacement Project 

Village Engineer Matt Halloran explained that the North Broadway Bridge replacement project had been completed, with some change orders necessary. He detailed that the riprap installation was originally planned to be handled by the village but was given to D Construction as they were already on site and equipped to do the work efficiently. 

He also explained that when the old deck was removed, the existing dowel bars were found to be deteriorated and broke, requiring replacement. The project also required more concrete repair to the piers than originally anticipated, as the condition was worse than expected when exposed. 

Despite these changes, the project came in only about $3,000 over the original IDOT scope, and overall, about $34,000 less than the budgeted amount for the entire project. The Village Engineer mentioned that the striping done before Thanksgiving faded quickly due to a snowstorm, but D Construction would restripe it in the spring when they have other paving work scheduled at the water plant. 

The Mayor asked for clarification on the change order amounts. After some discussion about the figures, it was determined that the total net change to the contract was $3,690. 

Motion to authorize the first and final payment for construction regarding the North Broadway Bridge to include approval of a change order of $18,540 for quantity changes as well as the final payment of $549,921.12 to D Construction regarding the IDOT contract completed work and approval of the scope related project change totaling $60,434.45 to D Construction was moved and seconded. Motion carried with all Trustees voting yes. 

Report of the Trustees 

Trustee Lauterbur reported that the village had been notified that day of receiving an OSLAD grant for Hunter Run Park development. This is a $600,000 matching grant for park development, which will significantly help the parks department. The Mayor added that combined with the local match, this will allow for a $1.2 million park project featuring green space, a walking trail, exercise stations, and a football and cheer field. 

Trustee Mincey welcomed everyone back and congratulated CJ and his crew for their excellent work. 

Trustee Bradley had nothing to report. 

Trustee Noffsinger wished everyone a happy new year and mentioned she was working on the America 250 celebration, inviting anyone with ideas or time to help to contact her. 

Trustee Greggain had nothing to report. 

Trustee Juliet had nothing to report. 

Report of Village Clerk 

The Village Clerk welcomed everyone back, congratulated CJ on the grant, and stated that she would be joining the America 250 committee meetings to help where needed. 

Report of Village Attorney 

Village Attorney Mark reported that the first meeting in February would include several annexation agreements and annexations for board consideration. He also announced that the village would be closing on the purchase of the former Doc’s Drug site the following Wednesday. He shared that the property had been thoroughly investigated and found to be clean, with no environmental issues that would hinder future development. Additionally, the purchase price had been reduced by $13,000, from $265,000 to $252,000. 

Report of Village Engineer 

Village Engineer reported on the water plant progress, mentioning that they recently had a call with equipment supplier Kurita to discuss communication issues that had delayed the project. He noted that interior doors had been installed with exterior doors scheduled for installation the following week. He explained that the plant was functioning properly despite being essentially “two plants in one” with the old and new systems communicating with each other. 

Report of Chief of Police 

The Police Chief congratulated CJ on the grant and noted that the Police Department had a productive year, referring to the statistics provided to the board. 

Report of Village Administrator 

Village Administrator Matt reported that well #5 was back up and running as of the previous Saturday, which was good news as it meant two large wells were now operating side by side. He also mentioned plans to reserve a table at the GDC chamber dinner scheduled for Wednesday, March 4, 2026. 

The Mayor provided additional details about the OSLAD grant for the park at Hunters Run, emphasizing how this project demonstrates how properly managed growth can have positive benefits in the community. The 3+ acres had been donated to the village as part of the senior housing development, and now with the grant funding, it would be developed into valuable recreational space. 

Executive Session to Discuss Collective Bargaining Negotiating Matters 

Motion to exit into executive session to discuss collective bargaining negotiating matters, ILCS 5 120/2(c)(2) at 7:36 PM was moved and seconded. Motion carried with all Trustees voting yes. 

Adjourn 

Motion to adjourn was made by Trustee Greggain, seconded by Trustee Bradley. Motion carried with all Trustees voting yes. 

https://coalcity-il.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/VB-Meeting-Minutes-01-14-2026-Web.pdf