Illinois Valley Times

City of Oglesby City Council met May 5

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

The May 5, 2025, meeting of the Oglesby City Council was called to order by Mayor Jason Curran at  6:09 p.m.

ROLLCALL: Commissioners Rich Baldridge, Austin Cullinan, Gregory McDermott, Hilary Moyle, Mayor Jason Curran. City Clerk Becky Clinard and City Attorney Patrick Barry were present as well.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

There were no comments from the public on agenda items.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Baldridge, SECONDED By McDermott to certify the April 2, 2025, election results. AYES:  Baldridge, Cullinan, McDermott, Moyle, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

Clinard then administered the oath of office to Commissioner Moyle. Moyle, who had been appointed earlier in the year to fill a vacant seat, was elected as Commissioner to fill out the remainder of the term in the April election.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY McDermott, SECONDED By Cullinan to approve the minutes from the April 21 and April 28, 2025, meetings. AYES:  Baldridge, Cullinan, McDermott, Moyle, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Moyle, SECONDED By Cullinan to approve the bills as presented for payment in the amount of $67,634.57. AYES:  Baldridge, Cullinan, McDermott, Moyle, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Cullinan, SECONDED By Moyle to approve the April 23, 2025, payroll in the amount of 67,634.57. AYES:  Baldridge, Cullinan, McDermott, Moyle, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

Moyle then announced the appointments of fire chief and assistant chief, giving a brief summary of their experience with the department.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Moyle, SECONDED By McDermott to appoint Steve Maltas as Fire Chief and Jess Kohr as the Assistant Fire Chief. AYES:  Baldridge, Cullinan, McDermott, Moyle, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

Clinard then swore in Fire Chief Steven Maltas and Assistant Fire Chief Jess Kohr to their respective offices.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Moyle, SECONDED By McDermott to change the order of the agenda items to approve the Wage Ordinance for the Fire Chief (12C to 10).  AYES:  Baldridge, Cullinan, McDermott, Moyle, Curran.  MOTION CARRIED.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Moyle, SECONDED By McDermott to approve Ordinance No. 1288-050525, which Sets the Salary of the Oglesby Fire Chief Steve Maltas. AYES:  Baldridge, Cullinan, McDermott, Moyle, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

The Council then discussed the bids for the waste water treatment plant. McDermott said the bids were still being reviewed by the IEPA and EPA and therefore, were not ready to be awarded. He said he thought the bids would be ready in two to four weeks.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY McDermott, SECONDED By Baldridge to table the bids on the waste water treatment plant. AYES: Baldridge, Cullinan, McDermott, Moyle, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

Discussion ensued regarding potential revisions to the recently passed travel ordinance concerning reimbursements for elected officials. Council members debated the need for clarity on reimbursement procedures, including the potential to streamline approval processes for emergency travel expenses. Ideas emerged about allowing flexibility in travel reimbursement and carpooling to minimize mileage expenses. Barry said he understood the issue to be the language in the ordinance that required pre-approval for reimbursement of any travel expenses. Baldridge disagreed, saying that he felt that it wasn’t the council’s intention to remove any of the existing language, only to add language that took into account situations when pre-approval was not possible. Curran said he didn’t think the current ordinance addressed emergency situations or situations in which he didn’t think public debate about attending an event would be productive, citing an example of attending a conference on marijuana dispensaries for informational purposes only. Cullinan, Moyle and McDermott expressed their support for approving expenses for emergency situations post travel, but thought it was best practice that that travel necessity be shared with the council members beforehand to ensure the council is in agreement with the need for the emergency travel.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Cullinan, SECONDED By Moyle to amend the travel ordinance to allow for reimbursement of travel expenses for elected officials pending approval by the council before or after the expenses are incurred. AYES: Baldridge, Cullinan, McDermott, Moyle, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

The council then moved to finalize the paperwork required for Illinois Valley Community College to annex a portion of their property into the City of Oglesby.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY McDermott, SECONDED By Baldrige to approve Ordinance No. 1382-050525, which annexes IVCC property and grants a special use permit in a M1 district to allow for the college’s ag building. AYES: Baldridge, Cullinan, McDermott, Moyle, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

A recommendation from the Zoning Board of Appeals to deny a request from KEI for a variance to allow fencing topped with barbed wire sparked discussion about the requirements set forth in the Land Development Code to grant variances. However, council members argued that unique circumstances existed that warranted approval, given the value of equipment stored at the facility. Brandy Day, a member of the ZBA, explained the reasoning behind the board’s recommendation for denial, noting that barbed wire would not deter anyone intent on stealing equipment or materials. The council suggested that the Plan Commission be asked to reevaluate the existing requirements at a future meeting, with Barry noting that the change would be a text amendment which requires published notice.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Baldridge, SECONDED By McDermott to grant the variance to KEI to allow for barbed wire on the parcel. AYES:  Baldridge, Cullinan, McDermott, Moyle, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

Curran then told the council that four members of the Plan Commission terms were expiring. He told the council that he had reached out to the members and all had expressed interest in continuing to serve. 

A MOTION WAS MADE BY McDermott, SECONDED By Moyle to reappoint Dave Peters, Karen Watson, Bob Mente and Jim Clinard to the Plan Commission for a 4-year term. AYES: Baldridge, Cullinan, McDermott, Moyle, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

Moyle then suggested the city standardize performance reviews for city employees. She raised concerns over the lack of a consistent performance review format across all departments. The council agreed that employee evaluations were a good idea.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Moyle, SECONDED By Moyle to instruct the labor attorney to work with the council to create a standardized employee evaluation form. AYES: Baldridge, Cullinan, McDermott, Moyle, Curran.  MOTION CARRIED.

Public Comment

Ken Ficek, Chairman of the Plan Commission, reminded the council and residents of the upcoming May 14 meeting to discuss the goals and strategies that will become part of the Comprehensive Plan.  

Commissioner Reports

Austin Cullinan, Accounts and Finance Commissioner

Talked about the past use of social media by elected officials and his plan to utilized the city’s website to promote “civil productive discourse,” calling the recent posts on the Mayor’s Facebook page “kinda icky.”

Hilary Moyle, Public Health and Safety Commissioner

Went over the Fire, Police and Ambulance monthly reports for April.

Gregory McDermott, Streets, Water and Sewer Commissioner

Reiterated that the City should hear something about the bids for the Waste Water Treatment Plant in three to four weeks.

Said the city will be reaching out to residents on Oak Street and Alice Avenue about the new road to the waste water treatment plant to make them aware of the project.

Richard Baldridge, Electric and Public Property Commissioner

Announced that summer camp signups are available online.

Said a short outage would take place Tuesday morning for residents on Richards Street, east of Columbia Ave.

Mayor’s Report

Commented on Cullinan’s plan for the website updates, noting that it would be a good way to get things out quicker, but said the Hazards and Communication Plan might require updating.

Thanked everyone who participated in the Mayor’s Parade. 

Announced the Dickinson House May 12 fundraising dinner.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Moyle, SECONDED By Baldridge to enter into executive session @ 7:20 p.m. to discuss  “collective negotiating matters between the public body

and its employees or their representatives, or deliberations concerning the salary schedules for one or more classes of employees. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2). AYES:  Baldridge, Cullinan, McDermott, Moyle, Curran. MOTION CARRIED.

The council re-entered into regular session at 8:51 p.m.

ROLLCALL: Commissioners Rich Baldridge, Austin Cullinan, Gregory McDermott, Hilary Moyle, Mayor Jason Curran.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY Baldridge, SECONDED By Cullinan to adjourn at 8:53 p.m. AYES:  Baldridge, Cullinan, McDermott, Moyle, Curran. MEETING ADJOURNED.

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