Illinois Valley Times

City of LaSalle Finance Committee met Aug. 5

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

The Oglesby City Council meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Mayor Jason Curran.

PRESENT: Commissioners Don Finley, Gregory McDermott, Tony Stefanelli and Mayor Jason Curran. City Attorney Pat Barry and City Clerk Becky Clinard were also present.

ABSENT: Commissioner Rich Baldridge

PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS (None)

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Stefanelli, SECONDED BY Finley to approve the July 22, 2024 special meeting minutes. AYES: Finley, McDermott, Stefanelli, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Stefanelli, SECONDED BY McDermott to approve the bills presented for payment in the amount of $163,056.71. AYES: Finley, McDermott, Stefanelli, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

BILLS PRESENTED FOR PAYMENT: A & B Garage, $211.66; Altec Industries Inc., $556.52; Ameren Illinois-7419559858, $34.47; Ameren Illinois-821838209, $166.41; Anixter Inc, $139.00; Aplington, Kaufman, Mcclintock, Steele $11,075.00; Batteries & Things $120.00; Batty-Jasper, Mary $186.68; Bellino, Lacey $100.00; Black, Wes $150.00; Blue Cardinal Chemical $266.07; Booker, Bill $225.00; Boudreau, Margaret $265.00; Bound Tree Medical Llc $192.44; Comcast $437.75; Collins, Mollie $50.00; Complete Integration & Service $2,582.00; Conway Shield $364.50; Core & Main $6,962.60; Cosgrove Distributors $391.58; Curran Jr., Jason $150.00; De Lage Landen Financial Services $528.91; Dinner Bell Productions $700.00; Double M Trucking $858.00; Duncan, Kaylee $4,866.00; Duttlinger, Aubrey $200.00; Dzik, Carter $100.00; Dzik, Leah $100.00; Edens, Cathie $180.18; Emergency Services Marketing C, Inc $735.00; Feece Oil Co $903.70; Flores, Maria $50.00; Gill, Amber $120.57; Gordon Electric Supply $526.02; Halm, Kylee $150.00; Halm's Auto Parts $889.23; Hawkins, Inc $1,723.00; Holcim-Mamr Inc. $571.36 Holloway's Portable Restrooms $280.00; Il Public Risk Fund $8,327.00; Ileas $120.00; Jacob & Klein, Ltd. $4,000.00; John Deere Financial $239.96 John's Service & Sales $7,001.98; Kendrick Pest Control Inc. $242.50; King Tire $520.00; Knoblauch Advertising $135.00; Korte And Turpen Tree Service $3,800.00 Marketguide $1,500.00; Mautino Distributing Co Inc $39.75; Menards $685.92; Mertel Gravel Co $1,264.00 Mississippi Valley Pump, Inc $16,100.00; Morton Salt, Inc $26,454.57; Motorola$468.00; Ncpers Group Life Ins $16.00; Old Dominion Brush $2,738.38; Osf Saint Elizabeth Medical Center $195.86; Ottosen Dinolfo $82.50; Red Line Fire And Safety $682.50; Republic Services -- Allied Waste $33,526.72; Rose, Aylssa $100.00; Sinetos, Jordan $133.20; Smart Source Llc $3,270.80; Standard Insurance-Life $913.35; T.E.S.T Inc. $226.00; Teleflex, Llc. $194.50; The Economic Development Group $10,501.99; Thrush, Chrissy $50.00; United Rentals $24.50; United States Postal Service $955.98 Western Aggregates Llc $437.10 TOTAL: $163,056.71

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Stefanelli, SECONDED BY Finley to approve the July 19 and August 2, 2024, payrolls in the amounts of $73,788.25 and $76,054.94 respectively. AYES: Finley, McDermott, Stefanelli, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY McDermott, SECONDED BY Stefanelli to award the bid to John Pohar and Sons for $147,307.00 for the Dry Bridge Water Main Loop. McDermott explained that this work must be done before the Dry Bridge is replaced in 2025. AYES: Finley, McDermott, Stefanelli, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Stefanelli, SECONDED BY Finley to send the Augustyniak site plan to the Plan Commission for review. AYES: Finley, McDermott, Stefanelli, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

The council then discussed the Illinois Municipal League conference and travel costs. Stefanelli provided a breakdown of the costs for the council, clerk, police chief and electric department supervisor to attend. He prefaced the discussion by explaining that he thought it was a matter of good practice and to approve the costs beforehand. He also noted that, after seeing the costs, the council had shortened the stay by one night to save money. There was discussion about whether the city should send a department supervisor, with Curran saying that there were other conferences that he could attend that were more pertinent to his position. Finley agreed, saying that there are sessions that are pertinent to the police chief and clerk, but he had never seen anything related to electric at the conferences he had attended in the past. McDermott disagreed, saying he saw value in the supervisor attending.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Stefanelli, SECONDED BY Finley to approve the conference and travel costs to send the council, police chief and clerk to the IML conference in Chicago. AYES: Finley, McDermott, Stefanelli, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

Talk then turned to the proposed short-term rental ordinance. Stefanelli explained that the proposal had been built upon Peru’s ordinance, with the Plan Commission offering input. He said that with the city’s proximity to Starved Rock State Park and the lack of lodging nearby, the city stood to capitalize by allowing short term rentals. He noted that one of the positives was that short term rentals attract investors who buy and renovate properties, which in turn results in well-kept and maintained properties. Stefanelli invited two potential investors to speak about their experiences in other communities and to voice support for short term rentals in Oglesby.

Matt Deniger owns a short-term rental in Ottawa which he uses as a home base when he works at St. Elizabeth in Ottawa. He spoke about his experiences as a STR owner, noting that his clients choose to rent from him for a variety of reasons. He books 25-30 stays a year at his home in Ottawa. He says his clientele is not only visitors to the area, but families who need housing for holiday guests, workers and groups of families and friends who prefer to stay in a home vs. a hotel room. He noted that he had looked into STR in Peru, but found their rules too restrictive.

MaryJean Orozco, who lives in Tonica, says she owns Airbnb’s all over, which are booked “non-stop.” She echoed Deniger’s comments about who rents a STR, saying that she’s only experienced one problem renter and that is remedied by the rating system that the rental platforms use. She also talked about the benefits the city would receive economically from those who choose to stay in Oglesby. Orozco said she also chose not to do business in Peru after going to a council meeting where STR were discussed.

Both owners said that they felt that Peru’s ordinance “tried to control the way they did business” and they questioned whether neighbors should be notified in the application process. When asked about the requirement to reside in the home, the pair agreed that these properties were investments and felt that renters felt more comfortable in homes that weren’t lived in, noting that that requirement also made for a lot of work switching from residence to rental property each time. They doubted that such a requirement would be profitable for investors. Stefanelli thanked the pair for coming.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Stefanelli, SECONDED BY Finley to instruct the attorney to draft an ordinance for the next meeting. AYES: Finley, McDermott, Stefanelli, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

Curran then gave a brief financial report on Summer Fun Fest. The event made a little less than $1,500. Curran noted that while this was considerably less than other years, the city had spent more on entertainment in an effort to attract more participants and the weather was also a concern, with extreme heat and rain.

The next item to be addressed was council travel costs. Barry told the council that a previous ordinance dealing with travel expenses was placed on file in 2016, but apparently was not approved. He urged the council to place the existing ordinance on the next meeting’s agenda to get something on the books, then look at amending it at a later date.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY McDermott, SECONDED BY Stefanelli to have the attorney draft an ordinance to be placed on the agenda concerning council travel expenses. AYES: Finley, McDermott, Stefanelli, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Finley, SECONDED BY McDermott to approve membership in the Illinois River Scenic Byways AYES: Finley, McDermott, Stefanelli, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

Curran then asked the council to approve the BIG grant program. After clarifying who makes the final decision (the council), A MOTION WAS MADE BY Stefanelli, SECONDED BY McDermott to approve the BIG grant program. AYES: Finley, McDermott, Stefanelli, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

He then asked the council to approve the New Home Rebate program, which rebates the city’s portion of the property tax bill for 4 years. This program is meant to spur new home building in Oglesby. The city will kick off the program on Saturday, Sept. 28th, with an event. AYES: Finley, McDermott, Stefanelli, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

Commissioner Updates

Commissioner Stefanelli, Accounts and Finance

❖ Talked about the projected $2.5 million deficit in Fiscal Year 2025, due to the Mallick Substation project. He asked the council to consider whether the city should take out a bond to cover some of the costs.

❖ Expressed his condolences to the family of former city clerk, Mary Hancock, who died recently. Hancock served the city for almost 25 years in the clerk’s office.

Commissioner Finely, Public Safety

❖ Invited the public to attend the First Responders Night on August 6.

❖ Mentioned that two officers received commendations from Chief Margis. During a recent traffic stop, Officer Rivara identified and apprehended a person wanted in another state for a stolen vehicle and recovered the vehicle. Officer Duttlinger’s attention to detail led to apprehension of an person suspected of shoplifting in both Peru and Ottawa.

❖ Said he had reviewed the police department’s credit card spending and had found nothing suspect about any of the charges.

❖ Read an email sent by Curran to the council concerning their approval of minutes at the last meeting in which he said he was disappointed in Finley’s “professionalism.” Finley took issue with the email, and noted that just because he and the mayor didn’t agree on an issue, it didn’t mean that Finley was “unprofessional.”

Commissioner McDermott, Streets, Water and Sewer

❖ Reminded residents to check on their neighbors and pets during the hot weather. Mayor’s Report

❖ Reminded residents of the car show on August 17.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY McDermott, SECONDED BY Stefanelli to enter into executive session at 7:05 p.m. for the discussion of “the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees.” 5 ILCS 120/(2)(1). AYES: Finley, McDermott, Stefanelli, Curran.

NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

The council reenter regular session at 8:06 p.m.

PRESENT: Commissioners Don Finley, Gregory McDermott, Tony Stefanelli and Mayor Jason Curran.

City Attorney Pat Barry and City Clerk Becky Clinard were also present.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY McDermott, SECONDED BY Stefanelli to direct the attorney to prepare salary ordinances for the city clerk, chief of police and ambulance director. AYES: Finley, McDermott, Stefanelli, Curran. NAYS: None. MOTION CARRIED.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Finley, SECONDED BY Stefanelli to adjourn at 8:07 p.m. AYES: Finley, McDermott, Stefanelli, Curran. NAYS: None. MEETING ADJOURNED.

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