City of La Salle City Council Met Feb. 8.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
A regular meeting of the La Salle City Council of La Salle, Illinois was held at 6:30 p.m. with Mayor Jeff Grove presiding with proper notices being duly and continuously posted.
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL
Present- Aldermen Demes, Bacidore, Ptak, Reynolds, Lavieri, Jeppson, Crane
Excused Absence: Alderman Herndon
A quorum was present.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Moved by Alderman Demes and seconded by Alderman Reynolds to accept and place on file the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the City Council held January 25, 2021. Each and every alderman has a copy.
Voice vote, all ayes. Motion carried.
PETITIONS
Moved by Alderman Crane and seconded by Alderman Jeppson to grant the request of Ameren Illinois to break ground at 831 O’Conor Avenue to retire gas service. Each and every alderman has a copy.
Voice vote, all ayes. Motion carried.
Moved by Alderman Reynolds and seconded by Alderman Demes to grant the request of the Hegeler Carus Foundation and Club 55 for 2021 Raffle licenses. Each and every alderman has a copy.
Voice vote, all ayes. Motion carried.
Moved by Alderman Lavieri and seconded by Alderman Reynolds to grant the request of the La Salle Girls Softball League to hold a Tag Day collection on Friday, April 16 and Saturday, April 17, 2021 at the intersection of 11th and Bucklin and at area businesses. Each and every alderman has a copy.
Voice vote, all ayes. Motion carried.
Moved by Alderman Reynolds and seconded by Alderman Demes to grant the request of Jose Felix for a Redevelopment Incentive Program grant totaling $3,206.31 for premises located at 1114 8th Street. Each and every alderman has a copy.
ROLL CALL: AYE: Aldermen Demes, Bacidore, Ptak, Reynolds, Lavieri, Jeppson, Crane
NAY: None Absent: Alderman Herndon Abstain: None
Motion Carried 7-0
REPORTS OF CITY OFFICERS
Moved by Alderman Ptak and seconded by Alderman Lavieri to accept and place on file theTreasurer’s Report for January 2021 showing total cash balances in La Salle State Bank of $9,526,922.25 and in Hometown National Bank of $4,463,859.47. Each and every alderman has a copy.
Voice vote, all ayes. Motion carried.
OLD BUSINESS
Alderman Bacidore questioned if the council has been provided with an update from the Safe House Animal Rescue League. He recalled the council giving the group $500 to address the feral cat issue within the city, more specifically in the Canal Street area, but wondered if there was any follow-up as to the services they actually provided with that money. Mayor Grove stated that he did not recall asking the representative of the group to follow-up with the council, but said that he would be happy to reach out for an update and report his findings to the council at the next meeting. Alderman Ptak said that if she came before the council again requesting a donation, the council may take different action. He said “if we make mistakes we face up to them and move on”. Alderman Demes said Safe House Animal Rescue posts regular updates on Facebook.
Alderman Bacidore expressed his continued concern that the council gives money to certain organizations without requiring any type of follow-up, yet denies donation requests to well established organizations such as the Boy Scouts.
Alderman Bacidore also asked if the city received any benefits from the $3,000 IVAC membership fee paid in 2020. He said that currently they do not have a director, so he wondered if the council will hand over another $3,000 to the new director. Mayor Grove responded by saying that Alderman Bacidore has the right to vote on these matters however he so chooses, but Mayor indicated that in his mind the council cannot base decisions on one off year. He continued by saying that there has not been a lot of opportunity for economic development due to Covid. Alderman Bacidore replied that IVAC did nothing for the city the previous year either. Leah Inman said the Economic Development Committee has recently discussed the IVAC membership for 2021 and hopes to have a recommendation at the next meeting. Mayor Grove responded to Alderman Bacidore’s concerns by saying that sometimes things are black and white, but at other times decisions are made in the spirit of community.
Alderman Bacidore said he understands giving in the spirit of community, but does not understand how we, as a council, often tell organizations that the city cannot afford to donate to their cause because we do not have the money. We tell them donations are being denied in order to stay consistent with our current policy. Alderman Bacidore continued by saying, “Yet,this lady comes before the council with her idea to fix cats and clip their ears and we give her $500 like it’s nothing.”
Mayor Grove replied that he disagrees with Alderman Bacidore’s assessment because animal control is a community issue. Mayor said the Boy Scouts and the Food Pantry are worthy organizations, but it hard to pick and choose which organization is more worthy to support. He stated that by the city staying consistent with its donation practices, we are doing the right thing. He ended by stating that animal control benefits the city as a whole, whether it is done by IVAR or an organization like Safe House.
Mayor said he does agree with Alderman Bacidore that we should follow up with Safe House. He added that in regard to IVAC, if the Economic Development Committee recommends we join for another year, we may need to be more firm about requiring a quarterly update from the organization.
Mayor Grove thanked the Police, Fire, and Public Works departments for their efforts during recent snow events and water main breaks. He thanked residents who had boil orders as a result of these water main breaks for their patience. He also reminded residents to keep a tiny stream of water running from a faucet to avoid pipes from freezing in these cold temperatures.
Alderman Reynolds said he received several compliments on the job our crews have done to keep the roads clear and safe.
NEW BUSINESS
No New Business was brought forth.
ORDINANCES/RESOLUTIONS
There were no ordinances or resolutions on the agenda for consideration.
COMMENTS
City Engineer Brian Brown gave a brief update on current projects going out for bid. Currently, the two projects going out for bid include the pathway to Prairie Lake at Rotary Park as well as the sewer separation project. Bid openings for these two projects are set for February 26, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. respectively.
Mr. Brown stated that he provided the Mayor with a set of plans for the restroom at Rotary Park. That project will also go out for bid in the next couple weeks. Mr. Brown said he is deciding whether or not to add the fishing pier as part of this project being that it is a similar type of construction.
Mr. Brown also mentioned that he has received comments back from IDOT regarding road improvements on Crosat Street from 5th to 11th Streets. That project will be on the state letting on April 23 or 26, 2021.
Alderman Crane asked City Engineer Brown how he advertises for bids on these projects. Mr. Brown said the request for bids typically go in the NewsTribune as required and on the city’s website. Attorney McPhedran said there have been occasions where we have advertised in other places as well. Mr. Brown said he typically reaches out to contractors who are local and have submitted bids in the past to make them aware of the projects. There is a sheet within the bid documents that the contractor can fill out showing their interest in becoming a plan holder. He explained that this process makes it easier if he needs to send addendums to contractors. Alderman Crane asked if he sends bid requests to the Contractor Association. Mr. Brown said he prefers not to have the Contractor Association as a plan holder, as then he has no way of knowing which specific contractors have taken out plans, therefore he has no way of ensuring contractors receive addendums. Mr. Brown said he prefers not to rely on the Association to act as the middle man and have the responsibility of forwarding addendums to interested contractors.
Mayor Grove recapped the projects on the docket for the spring/summer which include the sidewalk program, the 351 road improvements from the Canal Bridge to Flying J, Crosat Street from 5th to 11th and the sewer separation project in the area of Sterling up to 14th to Zinc, Zinc to Porter, all of Porter Avenue, Tonti Street from Hegeler Park to Roosevelt Road and La Harpe Street from the low area north of 11th to Porter Avenue.
Mayor Grove thanked City Engineer Brown for securing grant money to fund these separation projects and said that the city will continue to work toward solving as many water and sewer separation issues as possible in order to reduce overflows.
City Engineer Brown also reported that there are plans to install a flow control valve at 7th and Sterling Streets this year as well. He added that the valve is currently being manufactured. This valve will assist in controlling the flow going down the hill because of the work done at the top of the hill. By restricting a bit of the flow, overflows should not occur at the bottom.
Mayor said possible improvements on 24th Street from the stoplights to the Peru border are also in the works. City Engineer Brown said that he has completed the design and submitted it to Peru in October for their review. Mayor Grove said this would be a great safety improvement and encourage future development on the Cleer property.
APPROVAL OF BILLS
Moved by Alderman Ptak and seconded by Alderman Lavieri to accept, pay, and place on file bills for February 8, 2021 with Total Submitted: $366,642.45 (Total Payroll $187,493.53, Bills to be Paid $40,010.39) Total Bills Paid $139,138.53. Each and every alderman has a copy.
ROLL CALL: AYE: Aldermen Demes, Bacidore, Ptak, Reynolds, Lavieri, Jeppson, Crane
NAY: None Absent: Alderman Herndon Abstain: None
Motion Carried 7-0
Moved by Alderman Reynolds and seconded by Alderman Crane to adjourn the meeting. Voice vote, all ayes. Motion is carried.
ADJOURNED 6:50 p.m.
https://www.lasalle-il.gov/sites/default/files/agendas-minutes/2021-02/2-8-2021_2.pdf
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