City Council Minutes 2001 02-08-01 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE UNITED CITY OF
YORKVILLE, KENDALL COUNTY, ILLINOIS, HELD IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS. 800
GAME FARM ROAD, ON THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 8. 2001.
Mayor Prochaska called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. and led the Council in the Pledge of
Allegiance.
ROLL CALL
_ Clerk Simmons called the roll.
Ward I James Present
Sticka Present
Ward II Burd Present
Kot Present
Ward III Anderson Present
Munns Present
Ward IV Sowinski Present
Spears Present
QUORUM
A quorum was established.
INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS
Mayor Prochaska welcomed those present and asked them to introduce themselves and to enter
their name on the attendance sheet provided.
AMENDMENTS TO THE AGENDA
Public Hearing is for the Plan Commission, February 14, 2001.
Public Works Committee Reports - Municipal Well Setback Ordinance - tabled.
COMMITTEE MEETING DATES
Public Works Committee 7:00 P.M., Wednesday, February 21, 2001
City of Yorkville Conference Room
800 Game Farm Road
Economic Development Committee 7:00 P.M., Tuesday, February 20, 2001
City of Yorkville Conference Room
800 Game Farm Road
Public Safety Committee 6:30 P.M., Tuesday, February 27, 2001
City of Yorkville Conference Room
800 Game Farm Road
Administration Committee 6:30 P.M., Tuesday, February 13, 2001
City of Yorkville Conference Room
800 Game Farm Road
CITIZENS COMMENTS
None.
PUBLIC HEARING
None.
PLANNING COMMISSION /ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS /SIGN REVIEW BOARD
No report.
MINUTES FOR APPROVAL
A motion was made by Alderman Anderson to approve the City Council minutes of 1/25/01;
seconded by Alderman Munns.
Motion approved by a viva voce vote.
Minutes of the Reqular Meetina of the Citv Council - February 8, 2001 - Paae 2
BILLS FOR APPROVAL
A motion was made by Alderman Anderson to approve the bills from the bill list dated February
1, 2001, checks in the amount of $184,917.46 (vendor), $81,797.04 (payroll period ending
1/27/01), total $266,714.50; seconded by Alderman Sowinski.
Motion approved by a roll call vote. Ayes: 8 Nays: 0
Sticka -aye, James -aye, Kot -aye, Spears -aye, Burd -aye, Sowinski -aye, Anderson -aye,
Munns -aye.
REPORTS
ATTORNEY'S REPORT
Attorney Kramer stated this afternoon Holly received a call from the Illinois Commerce
Commission and also a call from ComEd. There's an amendment on the Electric Utility Tax
Ordinance.
(Ordinance) 2001 -5 Amended Ordinance Modifvind Ordinance 20014 Repealinq a
Portion of Ordinance 1998 -31 Imoosinq a Municipal Electrical
Utilitv Tax
A motion was made by Alderman Sticka to approve the amended Ordinance regarding the utility
tax with Commonwealth Edison; seconded by Alderman Anderson.
Motion approved by a roll call vote. Ayes: 8 Nays: 0
James -aye, Kot -aye, Spears -aye, Burd -aye, Sowinski -aye, Anderson -aye, Munns -aye,
Sticka -aye.
MAYOR'S REPORT
Mayor Prochaska recommended the reappointment of Johanna Byram to the Facade Board.
A motion was made by Alderman Sticka to approve the reappointment of Johanna Byram to the
Facade Board; seconded by Alderman Burd.
Motion approved by a roll call vote. Ayes: 8 Nays: 0
Kot -aye, Spears -aye, Burd -aye, Sowinski -aye, Anderson -aye, Munns -aye, Sticka -aye,
James -aye,
Mayor Prochaska recommended the appointment of Scott Gryderto the Zoning Board of Appeals
Board.
A motion was made by Alderman Sticka to approve the appointment of Scott Gryderto the Zoning
Board of Appeals Board; seconded by Alderman Kot.
Motion approved by a roll call vote. Ayes: 8 Nays: 0
Spears -aye, Burd -aye, Sowinski -aye, Anderson -aye, Munns -aye, Sticka -aye, James -aye,
Kot -aye.
Mayor Prochaska stated that he found out yesterday afternoon that the utility tax that is collected
on the electric bills has not been collected for the past year and a half on residential bills. He said
that the budget could be short anywhere from $50,000.00 to $100,000.00. Mayor Prochaska
stated he has put out an immediate city wide freeze on non - essential expenditures and any
expenditures that are not deemed necessary for day to day operations must be approved by
himself and run through the department heads. Mayor Prochaska stated this is something that
no one had seen. He said the city did receive checks but the checks became less than what they
normally would be. He said apparently no one bothered to look over what was coming in to see
that the dollars were less. He said he is not sure why this was not done. He asked the City
Treasurer if he had any indication that there were less dollars coming in and if he had done any
investigation on it. He asked if Com Ed had sent anything to the city.
Treasurer Allen replied that he did not recall any notification coming in from Com Ed.
Minutes of the Regular Meetinq of the City Council - February 8, 2001 - Pape 3
Mayor Prochaska stated it is within the bounds and duties of the Treasurer to look at the dollars
coming in. He asked if there is a way to make sure something like this doesn't happen again.
Mayor Prochaska stated the checks come in and are posted and put into the bank. He said
something needs to be put together to make sure we are checking these things as they come in
so we could see if there is a significant drop to let someone know. He said looking at the budget
- — report we would not have noticed this. He said he would like to see more communication with the
city office staff.
TreasurerAllen stated a year ago this issue did come up. He said he addressed this issue to the
City Administrator. He said he is very concerned about this issue. He said the level of
communication with the city office is also of concern. He said the City Administrator commented
to him that in orderto facilitate communication he would preferthat he address questions directly
to him on a routine basis per the Mayor's directive.
Mayor Prochaska stated a hostile environment had evolved in the city office and it had to be
calmed down and one of the ways was to address questions or problems directly to the City
Administrator. He said Mr. Nanninga unfortunately is not present this evening and cannot defend
himself. He said he is not blaming anybody at this point for doing anything wrong or
inappropriate, but somehow this has to be taken care of.
Treasurer Allen stated that he would like to discuss the problem with people working together.
Mayor Prochaska stated regarding the Treasurer's request for a new Deputy Treasurer, he said
he has not received any specs or any information as to what the City Treasurer would be looking
for. He said at this point this is not anything that is being considered.
Alderman Sticka stated he asked city employee Kim King about the receipt of these checks. He
_ said she keeps a log on all the checks and you can look at the log and see the checks listed on
separate piece of paper, the money that was received from Commonwealth Edison, month by
month. He said all of a sudden the amount drops to half and stays there and apparently for a
year and a half that was never looked at, it was never noticed and it was never observed, it was
never recognized that the city was losing all of its revenue. He said Kim King gets the checks,
she records the amount and she doesn't question what it is, how it is or why it is and is probably
not aware of all of these things that are going on externally. He said we did everything in a timely
fashion and the City Council did everything they were supposed to do. He said we passed the
ordinances on time and submitted them on time, but the Commerce Commission claims they
never received them. He said Commonwealth Edison didn't say anything either because they
don't care. He said if the city had a financial director right now, that person should be dismissed.
Alderman Sowinski asked if the city is at a point where we should look into a financial officer.
Mayor Prochaska stated other neighboring communities are starting to do this. He said this could
be discussed at Administration and investigated further.
Treasurer Allen stated he noticed the drop a year ago. He said he is quite reliant on the city staff
to follow up. He said when he brought this up a year ago he never received a response. He said
the city had recently changed its method of assessing this particular tax.
Alderman Spears stated if the treasurer was aware of this and not getting any results, he should
have brought it to the Administration Committee or to the City Council.
Alderman James stated communication is so important. He said we must work together and be
able to communicate with everybody and be adults.
Mayor Prochaska made reference to a memo sent out in August in reference to records, bank
statements and canceled checks of the cities that need to be brought into the city office. He said
these are permanent records of the cities and any citizen of Yorkville has the right to come in and
see them.
Treasurer Allen stated at the time this was proposed he asked the City Administrator when it
would be an appropriate time to bring these records in and he said the Administrator said the fire
proofing was not done.
Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Citv Council - February 8, 2001 - Page 4
Alderman Anderson stated at Administration Committee Treasurer Allen was instructed to bring
anything he had in his home into the city office.
Alderman Sowinski stated the fire proof cabinets were put in place shortly after construction was
completed.
- Alderman Burd stated she is uncomfortable that everybody is jumping on the City Treasurer. She
said we are embarrassing him. She said he is an elected official and we are not showing him
respect. She said the city staff should have a responsibility if they see something wrong.
Mayor Prochaska asked Treasurer Allen to put together a procedure on how to look at the dollars
coming in.
CITY CLERK'S REPORT
No report.
CITY TREASURER'S REPORT
Treasurer Allen requested a motion to approve the monthly Treasurers Report for the month of
December 2000 as presented.
A motion was made by Alderman Sticka to approve the monthly Treasurer's report for the month
of December 2000 as presented; seconded by Alderman Sowinski.
Motion approved by a roll call vote. Ayes: 8 Nays: 0
Burd -aye, Sowinski -aye, Anderson -aye, Munns -aye, Sticka -aye, James -aye, Kot -aye,
Spears -aye.
CITY ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT
No report.
CHIEF OF POLICE REPORT
Chief Graf stated Jerry Ikemire has reached his 10 years of service. He said he will be presented
with a plaque.
Chief Graf gave an update on the Paris trip. He reported the students will be giving a
presentation at the high school on February 22.
Chief Graf stated regarding the state disaster relief funds, the city cannot recover all the cost we
lost in the snow storm. He said we would only be allowed 75% of the cities allowable expenses
of $9,000.00.
COMMUNITY & LIAISON REPORTS
Alderman Spears gave an update on the Human Resource Commission meeting. She stated
another grant was awarded called the Teen Reach Grant. She said it was administrated by the
YMCA. She said the amount of the grant was $80,000.00.
OLD BUSINESS
None.
NEW BUSINESS
None.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE REPORT
Municipal Well Setback Ordinance tabled to the City Council meeting on February 22, 2001.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE REPORTS
No report.
Minutes of the Reqular Meetinq of the Citv Council - February 8, 2001 - Page 5
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE REPORTS
December Police Report
A motion was made by Alderman Kot to accept the December 2000 monthly police reports as
presented; seconded by Alderman Sticka.
Motion approved by a viva voce vote.
(Resolution) 2001 -4 Domestic Violence Protocol & Supplementary Procedure
A motion was made by Alderman Kot to approve the Domestic Violence Protocol as presented;
seconded by Alderman Sowinski.
Motion approved by a roll call vote. Ayes: 8 Nays: 0
Munns -aye, Sticka -aye, James -aye, Kot -aye, Spears -aye, Burd -aye, Sowinski -aye,
Anderson -aye.
(Resolution) 2001 -5 Liquor & Tobacco Enforcement Policv & Procedure
A motion was made by Alderman Kot to approve the Liquor and Tobacco Enforcement Policy and
Procedure as presented; seconded by Alderman James.
Motion approved by a roll call vote. Ayes: 8 Nays: 0
Sticka -aye, James -aye, Kot -aye, Spears -aye, Burd -aye, Sowinski -aye, Anderson -aye,
Munns -aye.
(Resolution) 2001 -6 Request to Purchase Replacement Police Vehicle
Chief Graf stated there is a difference in the interest rates between both banks. He is
recommending going with Yorkville National Bank even though the interest rate is a little higher
because we have always dealt with them and have all our other loans with them.
Alderman Sticka and Alderman Burd stated they feel we should go with the bank with the lower
interest rate.
Need 2/3 majority vote in order to pass. Not a true bid.
There was discussion and questions.
There was discussion regarding consolidating the loans, going to both banks for bids and coming
up with a procedure on getting sealed bids from the banks.
A motion was made by Alderman Kot to purchase a 2001 Ford Crown Victoria, Police Package
from Terry Lincoln Mercury, Fleet Sales Division, Peotone, Illinois, at a price of $20,921.60 and
to authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to sign and execute the promissory note from the Yorkville
National Bank in the amount of $25,000.00 for the purchase of the vehicle and squad car
equipment and approve the resolution for the promissory note with the Yorkville National Bank
in the amount of $25,000.00; seconded by Alderman Sticka.
Motion approved by a roll call vote. Ayes: 6 Nays: 2
James -aye, Kot -aye, Spears -aye, Burd -nay, Sowinski -aye, Anderson -aye, Munns -aye,
Sticka -nay.
_ (Resolution) 2001 -7 Resolution of Support for Safer Dam Structure.
A motion was made by Alderman Kot to approve the Resolution of Support for Glen Palmer Dam
enhancement and creating a safe zone below the dam; seconded by Alderman Sowinski.
Alderman Kot stated if this is passed we should immediately send it to the Department of Natural
Resources Director, our local state officials and anybody else appropriate it should be sent to.
Chuck Robert, 305 E. Main Street requested to make a comment. He said there has been no
official referendum put before the public. He said it is not a fact that the majority of the public
want the dam improved.
Mayor Prochaska stated there are no dollars being spent.
Minutes of the Reqular Meetinq of the City Council - February 8, 2001 - Pa 6
Alderman Kot stated the feedback the city has received has been in favor of keeping the dam.
Alderman Burd stated the city has received petitions signed by 5000 people to keep the dam and
there are no petitions from people to remove it.
Mayor Prochaska stated Mr. Roberts can get a petition to have it put on a ballot as a referendum.
Attorney Kramer stated it probably won't be able to be put on a ballot until April 2002 or
J November 2002.
r
Alderman Sticka stated he has personally received only one letter from someone stating they
wanted the dam removed.
Mayor Prochaska stated we can look at having another town meeting.
Motion approved by a roll call vote. Ayes: 8 Nays: 0
Kot -aye, Spears -aye, Burd -aye, Sowinski -aye, Anderson -aye, Munns -aye, Sticka -aye,
James -aye.
ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE REPORTS
No report.
ADDITIONAL BUSINESS
Alderman Spears thanked Joe Wyrott on controlling the traffic on Countryside Parkway. She
asked the Budget be reviewed at the next Administration meeting.
Alderman Spears stated she was offended by the comments written in an article in the Beacon
News discrediting City Clerk Deborah Simmons. She said she feels she is doing an excellent job.
She said some people are not aware that note taking does not involve recording every single
word. She said the minutes are to be a general overview. She said the minutes are open to the
j public for review. She said sometimes we do not say things to complete our thoughts and we
cannot expect her to complete them for us. She said personally she feels she is doing an
excellent job.
Mayor Prochaska stated Kendall County will be sponsoring a Bowl for Kids on March 10, 2001.
He read a letter from Com Ed regarding the problems in California. He said he will put it in the
box for anyone interested in making a copy.
Chief Graf stated the Citizens Police Academy Alumni will be having a chili supper with a Silent
Auction on Saturday, February 17 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Beecher Center.
ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made by Alderman Sowinski to adjourn the meeting at 8:40 p.m.; seconded by
Alderman Sticka.
Motion approved by viva voce vote.
By:
Deborah K. Simmons, City Clerk
City of Yorkville, Illinois
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