Village of Ladd Village Board met June 14.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The Ladd Village Board met in regular session in the Village Hall. Mayor Frank Cattani called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm and led the pledge of allegiance to the American flag.
Roll Call: Present: Trustees Jim Manning, Dave Margherio, Dan Nelson, Molly Thrasher, and Mike Urbanowski. (5)
Absent: Trustee Jan Martin (1)
In attendance: Attorney Pat Barry, Attorney Colin Barry, Clerk Bezely, Treasurer Koch, Superintendent Englehaupt, Asst. Superintendent Liebe, and Police Chief Frund
Margherio motion/Thrasher second to accept the May 24, 2022, regular meeting and the June 8, 2022, special meeting minutes as presented.
Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski - Motion carried 5-0
Urbanowski asked a question on the IL Railway bill for $3,063.08 for Lease 408014. Discussion ensued on this annual invoice. Bezely will check into this and report back at the next meeting. Nelson motion/Urbanowski second to authorize payment of the bills in the amount of $90,751.05.
Ayes: Manning (abstained on Springfield Electric bill due to position with Company), Margherio, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski - Motion carried 5-0
Correspondence: None
Public Comment: Amber & Zaq Zrust addressed the council on purchasing the building at 101 N Main Ave and using the front for her business and the back portion as an Airbnb. Discussion ensued; the Zrust’s are familiar with Airbnb because they have a successful one in LaMoille. Attorney Pat Barry will check the code to see if anything is needed before placing this on the next agenda if formal permission is needed. The council was very engaged in the conversation and felt it was a positive situation for the Village. Atty. Barry will reach out to Amber and Zaq once he checks the code.
Committee Reports: Nelson informed the council that the sidewalk request is on hold for 206 S. Iowa Ave due to the homeowner having back issues. They will contact the Village once they are in a position to move forward and would like too. Margherio and Nelson reported on a tree at 225 N. LaSalle Ave. Nelson took a picture of the tree. He and Margherio feel this tree looks very healthy and are not in favor of taking it down. The record shows that Jake’s Tree Service told the homeowner the tree on the berm is hollow and poses a risk of falling on the home in a storm. The picture Nelson took shows the tree leaning toward the road. The streets department will look at the tree and let the clerk know their decision.
Engineer’s Report: Ossola was not in attendance. He had emailed Clerk Bezely information for the meeting. Englehaupt and Liebe asked Bezely to see if Ossola had an ETA on the Main Ave Water Main replacement start date. He stated his best guess would be late summer. First, we have to pass the resolution tonight, then sign the IEPA loan documents and get them sent in, the contracts will be finalized with Superior and things will start moving. Ossola would like the decision on the sidewalks chosen for replacement for the DCEO grant placed on the June 28th agenda. Ossola also stated that he will be meeting with IDOT on June 28th to kick off the Safe Routes to School grant. He will report on that at the next meeting also.
Superintendent’s Report: Unfinished Business: Bucket Truck: Englehaupt informed the council that he called Art’s and asked about the $5,000 cost for inspection. Englehaupt was told the inspection is very in-depth and done by a factory rep doing an ANSI inspection. Englehaupt mentioned that a $10,000.00 deposit was sent to Art’s toward the purchase of the 2006 International Bucket Truck. He also told the council that if any part of the inspections fails we will get this money back. Englehaupt asked about an extended warranty and was told they don’t have any available on a 10-year-old vehicle. Transportation to get the truck here was $7850.00. Englehaupt contacted a brokerage company to see if we could get a lower cost to get the truck here. The lowest bid received thus far is $6450.00. He will continue to watch the bids to get the truck to Ladd. Cattani stated that he found someone to drive it up to Ladd. We would fly this person to McAllen Texas and pay for fuel and pay them which would total $5000.00. The board felt it would be safest to trailer the truck to Ladd and not drive it.
Manning motion/Nelson second to transport the truck to Ladd at a cost not to exceed $7000.00 and we will delete that from the prior authorization to purchase the truck for $55,000.00 Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski - Motion carried 5-0 New Business: Purchase of New Bucket Truck: Englehaupt stated that after the special meeting he did reach out to Toni Tribby from Altec and he was told that the Village could design the truck to fit in a 12’ building. The cost went up when factoring in 4 years until the truck actually arrives. The cost was quoted at $271,240.00 with an ETA of receiving this truck in the 4th quarter of 2026. Englehaupt also reached out to Drake-Scruggs to see if they have a “like” model to the Altec bucket truck. He will put together a quote. Going thru Drake-Scruggs we could purchase through the State Bid which is through Rush Truck Centers which is through Central Management of IL. Englehaupt stated we wouldn’t have to go thru a bid process for a cab and chassis by going this route because the State of IL will already have done that. Pricing is much cheaper. Lead time from Drake-Scruggs is 370-400 days which is much better than Altec. Drake-Scruggs also can design a new bucket truck to fit in the 12’ building. Englehaupt stated that numbers/quotes will be coming. We will place this on the agenda once the pricing is received. Englehaupt asked Drake-Scruggs if the existing truck's equipment has any trade in value. He was told their rep would have to come to look at it. Discuss preplanning & Preparation Policy for Planned Rolling Blackouts: Englehaupt reached out to Brik Wedekind from Tee Group Films who is Bobby Lund’s replacement after he retired. When Englehaupt reached out Brik was on family vacation and will contact Englehaupt upon his return to discuss some things we learned through the IMEA webinar regarding the possibility of rolling blackouts this summer. Nelson also attended the webinar. Englehaupt felt that it has to do with the transition from coal-fired to renewable and that some generating facilities will be down for maintenance and some are not being replaced. Because of this along with weather forecasting, they are making their customers aware of the possibility/probability of rolling blackouts. They’ve created a stepped process to aid in keeping this controlled. They will be asking member utilities to do a load reduction. Tee Group Film would be our best way to shed load. It may be possible with the Village explaining the situation that they take a voluntary shut-down to help reduce the load. Atty. Barry explained that his knowledge goes back to that many of the investor-owned utilities, coal-fired power plants that Ameren and people owned have been shut down. We aren’t generating in the State as much and now import from other states. This creates an in-depth system.
We wanted the council to be aware of this possibility. Discussion ensued. Englehaupt will start by speaking with Brik and then a policy could be drafted.
Police Chief: Frund informed the board that all cameras are installed and working well so far. They have aided in policing twice in the first week. Flock camera license plate reader is up and running which is such an asset for public safety. The phone system is being programmed this week. We estimate installation next week. This is going to aid residents who call the office when no one is in with instructions to get help. Sam got a grant from Casey’s corporation for $1,000.00 which will offset the cost to purchase cameras. Sam has 5-6 grants in motion. They take lots of time and take a while to hear back. She is watching for grants to help the Village parks, police, businesses, etc. to help all aspects of Ladd. Frund stated that we hired Zane Behrens as a part-time officer. He works full-time for Spring Valley and has also worked for Bureau County as a jailer. He has ties to Ladd, as his mom lives in Ladd. All shifts are covered. Lots of Ladd residents have positive comments on noticing police presence. Frund mentioned the addition of the new Ladd Senior Village has brought some complaints regarding speeding on West Cleveland Street. A stop sign in both the east and west direction on West Cleveland Street could slow down traffic. This will be placed on the next agenda. Movable speed bumps were discussed and considered in the future. The council told Frund good job. Nelson asked how weekend coverage is. Frund said it's all covered and if not he comes in.
Building Inspector: None
Village Attorney: Ordinance regarding wage for UB Clerk/Deputy Clerk this was discussed at the last meeting and a 3% increase was made to the UB Clerk/Deputy Clerk’s wage.
Thrasher motion/Urbanowski second to establish an ordinance for wage rates for certain employees in the Village of Ladd.
Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski, Cattani - Motion carried 6-0
Bid Opening for 124 N Hennepin Ave no bids were received. Atty. Barry stated we could accept bids at any time and as long as ¾ of the council agrees on the bid-offer we can sell the property. Pass Resolution to allow Village President to sign Loan Agreement Atty. Barry told the council that the resolution we are passing tonight will allow Frank Cattani, Village President to sign the loan applications for $821,024.78, the interest rate is .83% and the State is giving us forgiveness of $400,000.00; therefore, we would be borrowing $421,024.78 plus interest at the rate of .83%. Manning motion/Margherio second pass a resolution to authorize Frank Cattani to sign the loan documents for $821,024.78 and Rhonda Bezely will certify that the resolution has been adopted.
Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski, Cattani - Motion carried 6-0
Unfinished Business: Sale of 336 S Main Avenue 1 bid was received after giving 2 tours and speaking with 4 interested parties.
Thrasher motion/Urbanowski second to accept the offer of $192.500.00 for the sale of 336 S Main Ave
Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Thrasher, Urbanowski - Motion carried 5-0
Nays: Nelson
New Business: Republic Services Jim Pozzi from Republic Services was in attendance and explained that Ladd’s pickup day is going to be moved from Friday to Wednesday. Starting August 3rd Wednesday will be the pickup day. Both trash and recycling and yard waste will be picked up on Wednesday from now on. The last Friday pickup will be on June 29, 2022. Republic will notify all residents of this change via postcard. The change is necessary due to changes by Republic to streamline routing. Next year in the 1st quarter Republic is going to implement track my truck – all you need is an account and people can see where the truck is in your town. This will allow the clerk's office to tell residents if the truck is gone from town when they call and say they were missed. Republic will then come the next day to pick up the missed garbage. The clerk's office will need to notify the supervisor for Ladd about missed pickups. Manning questioned the cost to add carts for residents. Pozzi stated the contract ends next fall and we can open the contract at any time to add carts and extend the contract. If we go to carts, recycling will be every other week for pickup and yard waste would be eliminated. Pozzi asked if Ladd still allows burning and Bezely said there is a lot of unhappiness with people burning. They do have grass carts but we are not sure of what rental costs would be. Bezely mentioned that Pozzi requested Ladd residents' phone numbers to be put in their database so automatic messages could be delivered via phone or text. This would eliminate the Village clerk from having to send a message via BCR alert. Atty. Barry stated that it is our policy not to give our residents personal information. Pozzi stated they don’t share or sell this information. Bezely asked Pozzi if an additional message could be placed on the postcard asking our residents if they would send in their phone number for messages. He will check into this but doesn’t think so. Pozzi stated they could send this information in via the Republic Service Ap. Nelson asked what can be recycled. Republic still sends 2 trucks (1) garbage and (1) recycling. You may see the garbage truck dumping recycling that’s because the recycling is not clean it’s dirty. All recycling must be clean. Nelson also asked if Republic has repaired their trucks from leaking hydraulics. Pozzi stated that drivers are to stop and utilize their clean-up kits to dry up these fluids.
Mileage Reimbursement for UB Clerk Bezely asked if the utility billing clerk could be reimbursed for her mileage when reading meters. This hasn’t been done in the past but with inflation and gas prices increasing considerably Bezely feels the board should consider this. It was asked why we haven’t done this in the past and Bezely stated when she started she was told that they have never compensated the meter reader – it is part of their position. It was mentioned that meter reading used to be walked and no fuel costs were incurred. Prior Mayor, Mike Grivetti had Bezely investigate the cost to her for fuel while reading meters. It was under $7 so she didn’t get compensated. After thinking about it – it is more wear and tear on your vehicle along with fuel which would be satisfied by being compensated with the IRS reimbursement of mileage.
Thrasher motion/Nelson second to reimburse the utility billing clerk for her mileage when reading meters at the IRS reimbursable rate.
Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski - Motion carried 5-0
Donation request HBO: No action was taken.
Donation to Ax Church for their continued dedication during Hope Week for the past 5 years. The council is extremely thankful for their donations and volunteerism to the Village of Ladd. Nelson motion/Urbanowski to donate $500.00 to Ax Church
Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski - Motion carried 5-0
Pressure Washing Army Tank Mike Edgecomb from A Cleaner Image has agreed to pressure wash the Tank in War Memorial Park for approximately $250. Edgecomb wants the council to know it is bad. Once the tank is pressure washed we will contact Cub Scouts to see if anyone may be interested in an Eagle Scout Project and will handle the painting. The Army has given us the paint codes to use.
Nelson motion/Urbanowski second to hire A Cleaner Image to pressure wash the tank for an estimate of $250.00
Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski - Motion carried 5-0
Additional Personnel in the Public Works Department: Nelson feels that we need to discuss hiring another employee in the Public Works Department. With Doug being off until September and then possibly only be able to come back light duty. We will have to check the union contract to see if we can hire an additional employee. Liebe stated he thinks there is a 4th position in the Union Contract which would allow us to hire someone new. Manning & Margherio expressed that we really need to ask Englehaupt the best way to go about helping with his retirement transition and help the public works department keep up with the Village’s workload. Anyone hired must have a class B CDL or be willing to get one. It was asked if this position would be temporary – the idea behind hiring is to help with Englehaupt retiring in the next 2-4 years. We will place this on the next agenda when Englehaupt is here to give insight.
Casey’s vs. Ag View Fuel: Bezely spoke with the police chief and the street guys. They feel that we need to continue with Ag View. Mostly because Casey’s is not 24 hours which is a big issue with snow plowing and police hours being until 3:30 am Fridays. Casey’s has offered a discount but Ag View also discounts the fuel.
Urbanowski motion/Nelson second to stay with Ag View for Diesel and Unleaded Fuel for Village vehicles.
Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski - Motion carried 5-0
Announcements: Bezely told the board the Village was asked if they want to be in the DePue Boat Races information with an ad. No action was taken. NCICG 2022 Semi-Annual meeting July 21, 2022, at Camp Aramoni. Let Bezely know and she will RSVP for the Village. Bezely contacted the RR again about the Cleveland Street crossing and she was told they are waiting for the State to give an ETA on when they can do their side of the crossing. Once this is known they will get it done. Bezely contacted Englehaupt after the last meeting regarding the IMEA Electric Efficiency Funds available being utilized by Chad Vaini who had reached out to see if the Village could offer any help or façade grants with him redoing his Main Avenue building. Englehaupt advised Bezely to check with Rod Whelpley of IMEA and after speaking with Rod who stated that absolutely, Vaini could apply. Bezely gave Vaini the phone number to reach out to Rod for help in applying to get some funding. The City of Peru will be bringing fiberoptic out to the new roofing company in Peru/Hall Township. Bezely wondered if we could ask Peru to bring it to Ladd. Bezely also has a request from another company to bring fiberoptic to Ladd. Barry will review the contract with Comcast to see if we can do this or allow this in Ladd. Bezely announced that Heartland bank has called with pricing on the Herlein Trust. Contact Bezely for information. Steve Bosi contacted Bezely stating there was a game tonight at the large diamond. The diamond looks really bad. The grass is long and the weeds are ridiculous. Bezely reached out to TNT to cut it again and trim it and also reached out to D&M Landscaping to see if they have sprayed weeds yet this year. Yes, the weeds had been sprayed but they sent someone to spray them again since they were so bad. Discussion ensued regarding the lack of use of the diamonds which is part of the problem with the fields. Bezely mentioned residents who live by Kennedy Park feel like the park looks really bad with all the weeds. Margherio mentioned that the Grade School is bringing baseball back to Ladd. Bosi also told Bezely that he’s had an inquiry to rent the Ladd Diamonds from other towns/teams. Bezely announced the 7/1/22 IRS mileage reimbursement is going from .58 ½ cents to 62 ½ cents per mile. Bezely has been approached by a couple of current businesses wanting to purchase the Roy Giacomelli house for a parking lot area. A zoning meeting would need to be scheduled once an application and fee are paid. Bezely wanted to see the board's feelings so they don’t purchase the property and the council won’t approve their request. We will schedule a zoning board meeting upon receipt of the application and fee. Manning asked about Façade grants that were brought up by Margherio last meeting and Margherio feels the council needs to decide how much money to give out annually and then decide on a few rules about the application process. How much will be given to each applicant and how much do they need to spend to get this grant? This will be placed on the next agenda.
Nelson motion/Thrasher second to adjourn.
Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski - Motion carried 5-0
The meeting adjourned at 8:26 pm
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