Council meetings
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2001 Council meetings |
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The Minonk City Council met Monday night, February 5. At the meeting Minonk
resident Nelda Smith objected to a 3 foot variance granted by the city zoning board
to her neighbor, Larry Stith, as part of his plans to build a garage next to her property. Smith contended that the garage
as planned would lower the property value of her house. The council voted to
table the discussion until the next council meeting in hopes that a compromise could
be reached by the involved parties by then.
City Manager Phillip Cotter reported that Well #3 at the city pumping station has periodically been contaminated by some kind of bacterial slime. Cotter emphasized that the contamination does not pose any danger since the contaminate is removed by the filtering system before it reaches the distribution system. Nevertheless, the EPA wants the contaminate removed. The council granted Cotter's request to receive 3 bids not to exceed $15,000 to have Well #3 treated to remove the source of the problem.
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In other business, the council approved the mayor's appointment of Mark Spencer to the finance committee. Councilperson Shari Stalter reported that playground equipment will be installed at Veteran's Park this spring by the Parks and Recreation Department. |
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The Minonk City Council learned at its meeting Monday morning, February 19, that it
may need to drill another well. According to Doug Melton of Farnsworth and Wylie the
EPA requires that the city's water needs must be supplied by its auxiliary wells if the
main well, Well #3, goes down. The other two wells cannot meet that requirement. Melton estimated the cost of a new well to be $400,000.
He said government 20 year loans are available at 1/2 of the market rate to finance the
well. Other alternatives to drilling a new well include adding another storage tank that
would help weather peak periods if a well is shut down. The council authorized Farnsworth
and Wylie to prepare a study of Minonk's future water needs and the alternative solutions
to meeting those needs.
The bacteria that has infected Well #3 is gradually being reduced from application of disinfecting agents and flushing of the well by city personnel. Melton advised the city to continue the treatments and feels that this procedure will eventually eliminate the bacteria. He said bacterial infestations are not uncommon and are usually introduced during well maintenance. He saw no need to contract outside help in eliminating the bacteria, which he claims is a nuisance and is not health threatening.
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In other city news, the council voted to accept the low bid of $39,905 from Rupe Excavating of Rutland
to complete the Eighth Street sewer project. The bid includes the installation of 18 inch
polyethyline sewer pipe. In a related note, Melton of Farnsworth and Wylie recommended that the
city proceed with installing new sewer lines along the old IC tracks to help the
drainage at the corner of First and Chestnut Streets. The council told Melton to request
bids for the project since the money is available for the project.
The council voted to grant Brian Brown $1088.14 for damage done to his new carpet in his basement that was flooded with sewer water due to a plug in the sewer line. The council denied a variance to Larry Stith to build a garage 3 foot from his property line. A zoning change from industrial to downtown commercial was granted to the Alpha Community Bank for the property it owns east of the Caroline Development and west of Stoller's International in the Industrial Park. The council authorized the donation of $250 to the Fieldcrest Post Prom party. Phillip Cotter, Minonk City Manager, resigned from that position during an executive session meeting with the Minonk City Council Monday morning, February 19. There was no explanation given for his resignation. Cotter was hired last April for a three year term as city manager. He is expected to leave the job at the end of April. Mr. Cotter, when contacted, gave no comment on his resignation. |
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At its regular council meeting Monday night, March 5, the Minonk City Council scheduled
a special work session with the Millenium Community Center Committee on March 15 at 7:30 pm
at City Hall. The purpose of the session is to inform the city of the plans for a proposed community center.
The public is invited to attend the meeting.
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City Manager Phil Cotter indicated that a water leak has been corrected in the City's water system. Cotter stated that during the winter it was noticed that water usage increased by 50,000 gallons a day. A private contractor was hired to search for water leaks. A leak was found in a cracked water main on the east side of town. All of the water was running directly into a tile and draining into the city sewer system. Cotter said that the leak has been corrected and water usage is being monitored. |
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At its regular Monday night meeting, the Minonk City Council approved the payment of
$4858.80 to Service Master for water damage cleanup to Minonk residents
Elsie McNamara, Marilyn Hakes and Brian Brown. The city hopes to recover these costs from
its insurance carrier but there is no indication if, in fact, that will occur according to
City Manager Phil Cotter. Previously, the city had approved payment to Brian Brown for furniture
damage as well.
Alderman Dean Barth, who voted against the motion, asked the council if people who had damage in the past could also seek compensation from the city for damages. Mayor Anderson said that it would have to be on a case by case basis. Barth replied that if the city has to pay Brian Brown for his damages then they should have to pay everyone for water damage to their basements. Councilperson Shelly Butler also questioned whether the city could set up some kind of policy so that future incidents could be handled easier. City Manager Phil Cotter re-emphasized that each claim would have to be handled on a case by case basis. The council approved the payment of $1500 to Farnsworth and Wylie for inspecting the condition of the Young's Chevrolet garage which is adjacent to city hall. Alderman Spencer indicated that the council is interested in the purchase of the building for storage use of city equipment. The building is to be auctioned off on April 7. Aldermen Barth and Wayne Tucker voted against the motion. Both felt that the building was in too bad a condition to warrant its purchase and renovation. The council also approved the payment of $5,000 to Leak Detection Services, Inc. for detecting water leaks in the city's water lines. The stopping of the leaks reduced the water usage by 50,000 gallons day. This reduced water usage enables the city to be able to take well # 3 offline so that it can be cleaned and repaired while letting wells # 1 and 2 perform the pumping.
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The City Manager estimated that the cost to the city for the annual city spring cleanup
on April 10-11 will be $4,500 to $5,000.
Meadow equipment, who replaced well #3 last December, felt that there was too much voltage fluctuation to the pumps. The council approved the payment of $3149.42 to ComEd for installing a larger transformer to correct the problem. The council was informed by City Manager Phil Cotter that unless the city appoints a private company to test the city's water periodically, the EPA will do the testing for a sum of $7,000 a year. The council approved the selection of PDC of Peoria to do the testing at a savings of $13,000 over 3 years versus allowing the EPA to do the testing. The contract runs for 3 years. The mayor wanted to assure the public that the city crew will be doing its best to repair the large number of potholes that have occured this year due to the extreme weather conditions this winter. City Manager Phil Cotter indicated that the city will be trying some new computer software for its accounting systems. The vendor of the present software is no longer supporting city accounting systems. Cotter also suggested that the Finance Committee be given the authority to determine TIF elgibility for those businesses who want to apply for TIF money. In replying to public comments, Mayor Anderson indicated that the drainage problems at First and Chestnut are being addressed and will be corrected this summer when the sewer projects are completed. Also in reply to a public comment, the Mayor indicated that he was aware of the litter problem at the Shell Truck Stop and Restaurant at the I-39 interchange. Also, it was confirmed that there is no requirement that the owner of the complex must provide landscaping to the area. |
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At Monday night's city council meeting, April 2, it was learned that well #3 has
bacteria again. Farnsworth & Wylie hydrologist Bob Kohlhase told council members that
testing revealed that the bacteria count from the well exceeds the state EPA standards. He
emphasized that the bacteria is not harmful or pathogenic but is considered a nuisance
bacteria and poses no public health threat.
The well had been treated for bacteria earlier this winter and it appeared that the problem had been eliminated. The fact that it is re-occuring means that more aggressive measures must be taken. Right now the EPA will not allow any new water permits to be granted or any water expansion projects be allowed until the bacteria problem is solved. Kohlhase thinks that the reason the previous treatments have not stopped the bacteria is due to some irregular surface in the well that is hard to reach with normal treatments. He gave the council his recommendation for eradicating the bacteria. The new treatment process requires first removing the pump. Then the inside of the well is televised to determine the condition of the well and to identify potential trouble spots. Next, tremmie chemicals will be put into the well followed by wire brushing the well. Then the well and chemicals would be agitated and the chemicals allowed to sit over night. Finally, the pump is re-installed and the chemicals pumped off and the well tested again at 24 hour intervals. The estimated cost of this latest treatment process is between $20,000 - $24,000. Kohlhase said that the cost of the treatment is expensive because of the deepness of the well. Well # 3 is 1902 feet deep making it one of the deepest wells in the state. Mark Spencer made a motion to accept the proposal to do the suggested treatment with a cap of $24,000 to do the job. He cited the need to get this done right away since the water usage will be going up soon with the advent of warmer weather which will prohibit the shutting down of well # 3 for any length of time. Well # 3 could be shut down for up to 2 weeks during the treatment process. The council approved Spencer's motion. It was noted that a boil order would not be required during the treatment process. Bob Rychlicki from Kane, McKenna gave the council guidlelines and samples on how to set up a TIF district for the downtown area. He mentioned that the city must define the review process for potential TIF applicants and set up parameters for implementing a TIF project. Other things to consider is what type of percentage split to apply to TIF payments. Rychlicki indicated that new construction is not elgible for TIF money unless it is a public building.
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The council is planning on establishing a TIF ordinance. The TIF committee would
consist of the city council and perhaps some local residents.
Frank McKay from Locis Company explained the computer accounting package that his company markets. The software package consists of a Utilities system, general ledger, accounts payable and payroll. The package is being used by 200 cities in Illinois and is controlled by the Illinois Municipal League. Local cities that have been using the accounting package include Metamora, Pontiac and Henry. The system includes an optional membership program that provides unlimited telephone support and enhancements to the system. McKay indicated that his company can provide help in converting the city's current files into a format for the new system. Councilman Dean Barth made a motion to buy the accounting package along with the membership program. The package's individual systems can be bought and implemented separately. City Administrator Phil Cotter recommended that the city first start with the Utility program. Cotter also mentioned that the city would need a new computer in order to handle the new system. He said he would work with the software vendor in buying a new computer that would meet the requirements of the system. City Administrator Cotter gave the proposed city budget for 2001-2002. The budget will be discussed at a public town meeting on April 16 at 7:00 p.m. Cotter advised council members to make a changes or corrections prior to that meeting. The public can review the budget at city hall after April 5 and can make suggestions or inquiries to their councilperson prior to the town meeting. The town meeting will be conducted by a Farnsworth & Wylie representative. In other affairs, Councilman Dean Barth said that he has been requested to ask that the speed limit be decreased from 35 to 25 between First Street and Fourth Street on Chestnut Street. He indicated that there are new families with children living along that stretch of road necessitating the action. The CDPA grant has been successfully closed according to City Administrator Cotter. He indicated that this grant provided the money to start the Caroline Development and was tied to the creation of jobs. |
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At its normal Monday night session, April 16, the Minonk City Council passed a motion asking
City Administrator Phillip Cotter to delay his leaving of his position until July 1 or until a
replacement is found for him, whichever comes first.
The motion was spurred by requests from public attendees at the meeting. Melvin Matter and Ron Redenius both gave testimony praising Mr. Cotter's work for the city and asked the council to consider asking him to stay at the post. The council passed the motion by Shelley Butler to keep Mr. Cotter on. Future mayor Mark Spencer was the lone dissenter. After the council vote of confidence, Mr. Cotter said his decision will be made after he meets with the future mayor to make sure that there is enough commonality between them to allow him to continue. If the meeting does not result in that goal he will be leaving April 30. Farnsworth & Wylie hydrologist Bob Kohlhase told the Minonk City Council Monday night that Well #3 is filled with stagnant water at the bottom due to blockage at a depth of 1640 feet. Kohlhase indicated that this stagnant water could be the source of the high bacteria count that has been plaguing the well. Meadow Equipment has been in the process of cleaning the well and used a television camera to inspect the well. The camera showed normal mineral buildup on the walls of the casing but could not pass the 1343 foot depth. The well was wire brushed to a depth of 1640 feet before it ran into the blockage. The bottom of the well is 1920 feet deep. Kohlhase gave the council two options to consider. The first option is to disinfect the well from 1640 feet up. Money already has been approved for this option. The second option was to drill out the blockage and then disinfect the well. This option could cost anywhere from $45,000 to $100,000 depending on the method of drilling. Councilperson Shelley Butler asked if it would be possible to seal the well at the 1640 foot level to prevent the stagnant water from leaching up into the above water. Kohlcase said that would be a viable option but would cost another $10,000. After a discussion the council voted to spend another $10,000 to seal the well with grout at the 1640 foot level to prevent any contamination from the stagnant water below. Alderpersons Dean Barth and Sherri Stalter voted against measure stating that it would be better to spend the extra money to drill through the blockage.
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Kohlhase indicated that neither option is guaranteed to remove the bacterial infestation. He said that the city
should start planning now for drilling well #4 so as to have a more guaranteed supply of water for future expansion.
A preloan application has been made for $400,000 to cover the expense of a new well.
City Administrator Phil Cotter said that he and a Farnesworth & Wylie representative inspected all the streets in Minonk to determine places that needed to be repaired. It was estimated that $17,000 is needed to spread oil and chips to repair the problem areas. Cotter also mentioned that the city should be looking ahead to repaving Chestnut Street in its entirety. The estimated cost for that project is $300,000. The council voted to spend $1312.66 to purchase 2 adult fiberglass backboards, 2 pediatric fiberglass backboards and 1 papoose fiberglass backboard for the Minonk Ambulance Squad. Ambulance Squad member Tanya Minz indicated that the present wooden backboards are outdated and not OSHA approved. The council appropriated $450.00 to the Filger Library for the summer reading program. The council also approved the budget for 2001-2002. A revolving loan fund of $20,000 to Mary Kearfoot was tabled until later due to a question on the amount of collateral required for the loan. The council denied a petition by Dan Marshall to not have to pay a water bill of $325.85. Marshall stated that the water pipes at his north end restaurant building burst when the water was not turned off by the city. However, the city indicated that the water meter shutoff was inside a building put around the meter and could not be reached by city employees for turning it off. Marshall said he would take care of it himself and turned off another shutoff valve of his own inside the building. The pipes froze between the two shutoff valves. Since the water froze after the city shutoff valve, the council felt that it was then the fault of the owner and denied his request. City Adminstrator Phil Cotter received a letter from Mike and Debby McCann and Pam Jollie complaining about the sewer backup in their basements and asking for compensation from the city for the cleanup. Their request was tabled until the exact amount of the insurance claim can be determined. Cotter indicated that he has received only 3 or 4 complaints about sewer backup from the past rains. He said that older areas of Minonk with clay tiles and broken tiles are more suspectible to sewer backup from heavy rains and that there are no easy answers to the sewer backup problem. Installing a new system is economically prohibitive he stated. The council denied a request from a storm watch volunteer to cover the $100 deductable on the hail damage to his vehicle during last week's hail storm. |
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A new mayor and city council were sworn in Monday night at city hall. Mayor Mark Spencer
took over from outgoing Mayor Earl Anderson at the normal city council meeting. In addition, new
aldermen Bill Koos and Matt Fink were also sworn in along with encumbment Shawn Cunningham.
The first order of business was for Mayor Spencer to appoint Roberta Evans as city clerk to replace Kathy McKay. Spencer then appointed Kathy McKay to take over his old position as alderperson in Ward 1. The council meeting started off with business conducted by the old council. In that session, the council tabled a discussion on a $20,000 revolving loan for Mary Kearfott in starting up a restaurant/catering business in the former VFW building. Alderman Tucker reported that he received many complaints from residences about the construction mess involved in the sewer project underway on East Eighth Street. Tucker said that the mess will eventually be cleaned up and everything will be back to normal. In his parting comments, Tucker added that he was glad to see the city get beyond its initial problems with the Caroline Development and was pleased to see the building of the Shell truck stop and restaurant and the Motel 6. In his parting comments, ex-Mayor Anderson said that it was a priviledge to serve as mayor of Minonk and will miss working with the council. He said it was time for new blood and new ideas. He received a plaque from Alderman Spencer citing his efforts as mayor. Outgoing councilperson Shelley Butler said she was grateful for her four years and made new friends and learned a lot from the job. She encourages other people to get involved and help to make Minonk grow. In its final business the outgoing council approved the payment of $729.86 to Pam Jolly for sewer damage to her basement in her house on Walnut Street. Aldermen Cunningham and Tucker voted against the motion. She said that when she filed a claim for damages from her insurance company they paid for the damages but then dropped her coverage. Jolly wanted the city to pay for the damage so that she could withdraw the claim in order to get her insurance coverage back. After a discussion the council decided that it could file the claim with the city's insurance carrier while reimbursing Ms. Jolly.
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After the swearing in ceremony, a short intermission was taken with snacks and refreshments
provided for those in attendance. Mayor Spencer gave his list of mayoral appointments to the council for their approval. To see the list,
Click here.
A letter was given to the council from Farnsworth & Wylie requesting that the New Millennia Community Center Committee be able to use the City of Minonk as a tax body vehicle in applying for a Department of Natural Resource grant from the state. The grant would be used to develop a parking lot, athletic fields, and a jogging and walking track at the proposed site of the new community center. Since the community center committee is not a governmental tax body it is necessary to go through a governmental agency such as the city or township to get a grant. It was emphasized that this would not require any matching funds from the city. Alderman Barth said he would not vote for the measure unless the city would have decision making power in the use of the grant and also insisted that it was necessary to have an audit performed on the financial status of the committee before the city takes any action. Alderman Cunningham objected saying that he was already on the committee and thought that the city should give its support to the project. He and Spencer added that if the city is involved in the grant the committee would automatically be subjected to a public audit. Alderman Barth stated that the community center project is largely unknown to the public and he didn't think it was wise to go ahead and commit the city's financial backing until more is known about the project. After much discussion, the request to use the city as the vehicle for applying for the DNR grant was approved by the council with Barth casting the only dissenting vote. It was noted that Meadow Equipment was still cleaning out Well #3 and had not yet got to the bottom. It was learned that the company did not bring a long enough cable to reach the bottom of the well and had to go back to their suburban Chicago location to retrieve a longer cable. The council closed its meeting by going into an executive session to review applicants for the position of city administrator. |
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At its normal Monday night meeting the city council learned that Well #3 was being treated with
chemicals to remove the bacteria that has contaminated the well since December. Meadow Equipment
finished drilling through the blockage at the 1410 foot level last week and this week is sending chemicals
to the bottom of the well through a dremmie pipe. The well is being treated at 20 foot intervals starting from the
bottom.
The treatment is expected to be finished by the end of the week. After that 2 samples will be taken 24 hours apart and tested for contamination. If both samples reveal 0% contamination, the EPA will allow the use of the well once again. Results shown be known by next Tuesday, May 29. The council voted to give a DECA loan of $12,000 to Mary Kearfott as a business loan to develop a restaurant in the former VFW Hall. The new building is now known as the Woodford. The council budgeted for 3000 lineal feet of sidewalk replacement this year. However, unfinished work from last year will be completed before any new sidewalk replacement is undertaken this year. The council learned from Public Works Supervisor Charlie McGuire that a new 10 inch sewer pipe was put in at the corner of Seventh and Walnut to alleviate the sewer backup problem on Walnut Street. Existing sewer lines are being televised to determine potential problems elsewhere in the city. The council also learned that a sewer tile at Tenth street between Skaggs Welding and SMF has tree roots growing in it and must be replaced.
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Councilman Bill Koos expressed concerned about the rough condition at Eighth and Mary Streets in the aftermath
of the sewer repair work being done there by Rupe Excavating. Supervisor McGuire said he will contact Rupe about
smoothing out that corner.
Councilman Sean Cunningham requested approval to have the city crew shut off parking on the west side of Chestnut Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets for the Minonk Western Days celebration that will take place on June 15. Cunningham also said that the Economic Development Committee is meeting next week to discuss potential TIF projects for downtown. The Public Safety Committee will meet next week to make a decision on a request to lower the speed limit to 25 mph on Chestnut Street between First and Fourth Streets. In preparation for the upcoming Fourth of July celebration Councilman Kathy McKay requested the council to designate one-way traffic going north on Maple Avenue from the corner of Moran and also one-way going west on Moran from Mary Street. Mckay also requested permission to install electrical power at the north end of Veterans Park for the event. Both requests were granted. The council also approved a motion to donate $2500 to the Fourth of July committee for expenses. Mckay indicated that expenses this year will reach $50,000. In other news, the mayor announced that he was appointing Lanna Ruestman to the Zoning Board. A motion by Alderman Dean Barth to purchase a new push mower for the city crew was rejected when no one would second the motion. Mayor Spencer announced that there will be an open house for Jim Beaver at the Filger Library on May 24 at 7:00 p.m. to honor him for his many years of service on the library board. |
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The Minonk City Council learned at its Monday night meeting June 4 that City Well #3
is still not free from contamination after weeks of cleaning and treatment. Public Works
Supervisor Charlie McGuire reported that Meadow Equipment apparently did not treat the well
as was originally intended. Instead of inserting the chemical treatment in 20 foot increments
starting from the bottom, Meadow Equipment employees instead directed all of the chemicals to the
bottom of the well. Tests for bacteria taken after this treatment revealed that bacteria was still
in the well.
McGuire said that on advice from engineers Farnsworth & Wylie the city employees dumped a chlorine treatment in the top of the well in hopes of saturating the well with the chemicals all the way down to the bottom. Tests will be taken again this Saturday and again next Monday to determine if this treatment will eridicate the bacteria. Mayor Spencer said that it may be advisable to hold up payment to Meadow Equipment if it can be determined that they did not treat the well with chemicals as specified in the contract made with the company. McGuire stated that there remain other methods of treating the well for contanimation including air bursting the bacteria or installing a chlorinator at the pump house. The chlorinator treatment was not advised by McGuire since it would be very expensive. Alderman Dean Barth expressed dismay that Farnsworth & Wylie did not give the city other options to consider before. |
The Seneca FFA Chapter asked the city to consider buying disease free elm trees for city-wide
planting. Public Works Supervisor Charlie McGuire recommended that the city plant trees on
the owner's side of the sidewalk in any tree replacement project so that the tree roots will
not get into the sewer lines. Alderman Bill Koos recommended against planting elm trees along
city streets since they get very big and can interfere with utilities. He recommended planting
them in open areas. The council asked that a price be quoted on the trees before any decision
is made on buying the trees.
The council approved a quote from a local contractor to do straight line striping and turn arrow painting on the streets in the Caroline Development for $354. Alderman Barth said that the city is waiting for a quote from a local mechanic on repairing the air conditioning on a 1988 pickup truck. Barth also indicated that a proposal for replacing the current 1 ton truck used for mosquito spraying will be submitted by July 2. Sean Cunningham read a list of proposed ordinance changes for the city as proposed by the Public Safety Committee. The council approved the submission of the following ordinance changes: (1) Speed limits between 1st and 4th streets on Chestnut Street be decreased from 35 mph to 30 mph; (2) The burning law be changed to say that all fires must be extinguished by midnight. (3) Place a 4-way stop at 6th and Lincoln to replace the 2-way stop sign. The committee felt that this was needed because of the grade school pedestrian traffic and also because that corner has visibility problems. The council approved a request by the Annual Dollars Against Diabetes campaign committee to allow the collection of money at the corner of Fifth and Chestnut streets. Alderman Barth and Matthew Fink voted against the request citing that it was too dangerous to allow collecting money from street traffic. The council approved the appointment of Connie Jenkins, Marcia Stolz and Priscilla Ryan to the Filger Library Board. The council voted to replace the brick sidewalk in front of city hall with a concrete walk. |
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The Minonk City Council learned at their regular Monday night meeting that Well # 3 is
back online after months of treatment for bacterial infestation. Bob Kohlhase, a Farnsworth & Wylie
representative, said that the EPA allowed the city to start normal use of the well after the lastest
test showed no significant colonies of bacteria.
Kohlhase said that the well probably became contaminated when the pump had to be pulled last December when an electrical malfunction occured. He theorized that in the process of pulling the pump that incrustation from the well casing may have been scraped loose and contained bacteria that fell into the water supply. He said if the pump needs to be pulled in the future, the well should be treated first to make sure bacteria cannot be introduced again during the procedure. Kohlhase added that the project resulted in a clean well, albeit at a high price. Mayor Spencer asked Kohlhase about Meadow Equipment not following recommended procedures when cleaning out the well. Instead of treating the well from the bottom up in 20 foot increments, Meadow injected all of the chemicals at the bottom of the well. Kohlhase said he feels that the city has a legitimate complaint with Meadow on this performance and perhaps an adjustment in payment should be considered.
Finally, Kohlhase also felt that the city should contact ComEd about sharing expenses on the well
treatment process since it was ComEd's fault that the pump had to be pulled.
Because the pump was wired as an open delta system instead
of a three-phase system, the pump had electrical problems and had to be pulled and the bacteria contamination
was introduced during this procedure.
The council approved an IDOT Summer Road Maintenance Bid of $14,759 by the lone bidder.
Nancy Stock was appointed by the mayor to the Westside Park Pavilion Committee.
A proposal to have a partnership with the Village of Dana to provide police support was put off
by the council until a later date. Alderman Bill Koos thought that Minonk had enough to handle
by itself and couldn't afford the time and money to patrol other communities as well.
The council voted to pay the $250 deductable for water damage in Marilyn Hakes basement from
sewer backup last winter. Alderman Koos made a motion that the Finance committee come up by September 1 with
an ordinance that will cover city policy on water and sewer backup damage submitted by residents.
The council approved the removal of a tree from underneath the utility lines on the east ball diamond
in Veterans Park.
The council approved the moving of a tree in the berm by Casey's store so that the store
can expand their parking space that would include curbing.
Brush pickup will be the last Tuesday and Wednesday of June instead of the first Tuesday and Wednesday
in July because the Wednesday in July falls on the Fourth of July.
Fire hydrants will be flushed the last week of June.
Mosquito spraying will be done next Wednesday night, June 20.
The council approved putting a stop sign at the alley behind Maple Avenue as it
enters Moran Avenue.
Mayor Spencer said that three candidates for city administrator were interviewed Saturday
and that the expects to make an appointment to that position in July.
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The city voted Monday night to lease some land from the New Millenium Committee Center
committee so that a government grant can be applied for in developing outdoor recreation
facilities and parking spaces on the land. Neil Finlen, a Farnsworth & Wylie representative
for the committee, said that the committee will lease the land for $100 a year until a park
district can be formed, at which time the park district would take control of the land from
the city.
Finlen said that the grant proposal must be submitted by July through the city. If the grant is approved, about $300,00 will be made available to the project with the other $300,000 being contributed by the New Millenium Community Center committee. Alderman Dean Barth said that grants for an updated sewer system and a new well are more important to the city than a grant for recreational facilities. He said that the public has not been informed about the project yet and he didn't think it was appropriate for the city to get involved in a project in which the city had basically no control. Alderman Koos wanted to make sure that the city would not be responsible for contracts undertaken on the project or in the enforcement of governmental policies. Finlen said the city would have no liability in the project. He indicated that the obtaining of the grant would give the community center the momentum it needs to elicit public interest and support. He also mentioned that the public will be given an opportunity to vote on a park district as early as next spring. |
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The Minonk City Council learned from Public Works Supervisor Charlie McGuire that the
pump and motor on Well # 1 failed last week and had to be pulled and replaced. After
replacing the pump and motor in the 460 foot well the pumping rate fell from the normal
90 gallons per minute to about 55 gallons per minute.
This reduction in pumping capacity caused the water level to become low again. Another problem cropped up due to the fact that Well # 2 is linked with Well #1 in the Reverse Osmosis treatment and had to bypass the R/O treatment in order for it to provide water since Well #1 was not operating properly. This may lead to a somewhat lower level of water quality for a period of time. McGuire said that they are attempting to find the reason for the reduced pumping rate. It is thought that it is due to iron or rust clogging the screen in the well. Meanwhile, tests for bacteria are being taken and submitted to the EPA for tests to determine if the water is contaminated. |
In other council news, Mayor Spencer said that Tomlinson Disposal will be picking up
garbage from the East side of Minonk on Thursday instead of Wednesday due to the July 4th
holiday on Wednesday.
The council approved the purchase of a one ton truck and/or a pickup truck for the city. The council approved to reduce the speed limit on Chestnut Street between First and Fourth streets to 25 mph. The council also discussed stop signs. Alderman Dean Barth said that Minonk has one stop sign for every 12 residents, a rather high ratio. He and other councilman cited the need to enforce the existing speed limits rather than put up more stop signs in order to control the speeding at various intersections. A motion by Alderman Barth to accept a $1200 bid to paint stripe Chestnut Street from First Street to Seventh Street was passed. A motion to accept a bid by Jim Cinnamon to install an air conditioning unit for $1050 plus labor at the O/R treatment office was approved. |
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At its normal Monday night meeting the Minonk City Council voted to charge a $10 fee
for sending out disconnection notices for water to a resident. City Administrator Trent
Smith said that the city currently sends out 100 notices a year and is time consuming. The
fee is intended to discourage residents from waiting to pay their bill until a disconnection
notice is sent.
A request to annex a parcel of land to the city was submitted by John Durre. He wants to build on a lot that fronts the south side of First Street across from Maple Avenue. Durre wants the property to be annexed so that he can get city sewer and water. The council is taking his request into consideration and will make a decision soon. City Administrator Trent Smith advised the city council to divert the proposed storm sewer that is to run along the old IC tracks from Seventh Street to First Street. Smith said that instead of running the sewer down the middle of the block it is better to move the sewer line 50 feet west toward the curbside so that future business buildings will not cover the sewer line. The council approved the change. In other news, the council was told that the county will stripe old Route 51 from Route 251 to the curve north of Minonk. Previously, the city was planning on hiring the striping to be done. Alderperson Sherry Stalter said that the Parks and Recreation Committee wants to officially name the land north of Eighth Street along Chestnut Street as Sutton's Park. The city administrator is looking into the procedure for the naming. Alderman Dean Barth of the Adhoc Committee on Westside Park Pavilion said that there will be a meeting with architect Chuck Fischer on Wednesday, September 26, at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall to discuss preparing blueprints for the proposed Westside Park Pavilion.
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Public Works Supervisor Charlie McGuire reported that the City of Minonk was taken off of the
EPA's watch list for water quality. The city no longer has to provide water samples to the EPA. The
city can go back to their normal water testing schedule
Fieldcrest Superintendent Michael Stagliano addressed the city council on his concern over the litter problem in Minonk. Mr. Stagliano said that as a new resident of the city the litter problem is especially noticeable. He said that he found the Minonk area a very friendly place and that Minonk has the potential to grow significantly. He is building a home in Minonk and wants to help make the city a better place to live.
Mr. Stagliano said that he would provide the resources of the Fieldcrest school district to aid the
city in its cleanup indicating that students held for detention will not sit in a classroom but
rather will be put to work cleaning the streets. He also suggested that the city look
into hiring a retired person to do routine and periodic cleanup in the city. He indicated that
other cities already have such programs.
City Administrator Trent Smith presented a proposed revised fee schedule to be
considered by the city council. The proposal was originally developed last year
and Smith wanted the council to make a decision on the new fees. The proposal
included raising the building permit fee from 2 cents per $100 of valuation of the
building to be 12 cents per square foot of building space and to also increase
the extension fee to $40. Smith felt that the 12 cents per foot was too high and
would result in a fee of $240 on a 2000 square foot building. The proposal was
turned over to the finance committee where a new fee will be determined.
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After much debate the Minonk City Council voted to put the new well #4 in the
westside city park. The location of the well would be in the southwest corner at Fourth
and Jefferson Streets. The other potential sites were a corner lot at Fifth and Jefferson
and a strip of land south of West Fourth Street between Johnson and Washington.
Alderman Bill Koos pushed to have the well put in the city park because that was the most economical place since the city owned the land already. The other sites would require land purchases. Alderman Dean Barth indicated that the cost of buying land and putting in a road for a well south of West Fourth Street could be offset by the benefits of having a road to farmland within the city limits that could eventually be developed. Dave Uphoff, a member of the Westside Park Pavilion Committee, addressed the council with his concerns about putting a well in the city park. Uphoff felt that the city park was too small to accommodate the well and would further reduce the amount of space for recreational use. In addition, he said future well maintenance would require well rigs in the park. He indicated that the future growth of Minonk is dependent on residential growth and keeping the city park attractive and opening up new areas of residential growth are worth the extra cost of buying land south of West Fourth Street. Koos countered by saying that the city must be fiscally responsible and also that future recreational dollars should be concentrated on Suttons Park in concert with the New Millenium Community Center Committee who have plans to develop recreational facilities in that area. Public Works Supervisor Charlie McGuire and city employee Jim Brown also felt that it was too expensive to consider the West Fourth Street land purchase. The council voted to put the new well in the city park with Alderman Dean Barth the lone dissenter.
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In other news, the council was addressed by Jim Hinrichsen on the need for a feasibility study for
Woodford County Regional Airport. Hinrinchsen mentioned that the standard for a reliever airport
is to have an airport within a 30 minute drive from any point in the county, which is not the case
for Woodford County. He said the federal government will provide 95% of the cost of a feasibility
study and the state will provide the rest. Hinrinchsen said that Woodford County needs to come up
with $2500 to complete the study and he wanted the council to contact their county board
members and urge them to do the study. Alderman Sherry Stalter made a motion that the council adopt
a resolution to recommend a feasibility study be done by the county board. The motion was not seconded
and no further action was taken.
The council approved a motion that stipulated that the Halloween Trick or Treat hours be between 5-7 p.m. on October 31 with alderman Stalter the lone dissenter. The Eighth Street Sewer Project was completed according to Farnsworth & Wylie, engineers for the city. Public Works Supervisor Charlie McGuire indicated that the contractor has completed the requirements of the project and that the remaining work to be done such as seeding grass, etc. can be completed by the city. Alderman Barth recommended that the contractor be paid for his work and was agreed to by the council. The council voted to approve the transfer of $1068 from the capital budget to the Parks and Recreation Department in order to cover the cost of new playground equipment that exceeded the $12,000 budgeted for the equipment. The council tabled a request to replace doors in the library for $1392 until it is determined how much money is available in the Library Maintenance Fund. |
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Alderman Bill Koos presented the council a proposal on new water rates to cover the cost of the
well as well as to reduce the current deficit of $117,000. Koos said that by not keeping the rates in line
with the consumer price index that the city lost over $127,000 in water revenue since 1993. Starting with December
the new water bills will increase by 25% to cover the cost of the new well and to pay down the current deficit. The water
portion of the water bills will increase by 49% while sewer and garbage will remain the same. The average bill will increase from $16.72 to $25.16.
Koos said that the new rates will allow the current deficit to be paid off in 5 years and the new well to be paid off in 20 years.
Alderman Matt Fink said that the waste/recycling fees need to be increased from $8.00 to $8.80 to cover the increased cost of the spring cleanup which jumped from $4700 to $5000. The council approved the motion. Cathy Mckay of the Public Safety Committee said that the committee recommends that the city require each house in Minonk to have a house number. Many houses do not have numbers and it is hard to locate those houses on emergency calls. The city administrator is to look into developing an ordinance on requiring house numbers. Cross walks are to be painted at the corner of Sixth and Walnut Streets and the curb is to be painted as well. |
In a council session Monday night that was heavily attended by concerned citizens,
the Minonk City Council voted again to put the new well in the city park. The council
rescinded the vote from the last session to put the well in southwest corner of the park. The council
approved a new motion by alderman Sherry Stalter to put the well in the northwest corner instead. Again,
only alderman Dean Barth voted against putting the well in the city park.
After the session, a petition signed by 95 residents of Minonk against putting the well in the park was given to Mayor Spencer. At the beginning of the session Doug Melton of the Farnsworth Group presented an outline of procedures for the council to follow in putting in the well. The outline included getting a low interest loan from the EPA, developing a plan, getting a permit from the EPA, preparing bids, awarding bids and constructing the well. The council passed a motion to give Melton permission to proceed with submitting a loan to the EPA for a $422,000 loan to construct the well. |
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The Minonk City Council was informed by the Public Works Department at its Monday night meeting that the generator
at the sewage treatment plant no longer works and must be replaced. The generator has been in use since 1978. Employee Carey Nass told the
council that the generator is needed to take over to provide power when electrical power is
lost at the plant due to lightning or other acts of nature. Evidently, power has failed
several times in the past and the generator was unable to kick in and provide the power to
run the treatment plant. This resulted in raw waste water being run into a nearby creek and
the toxic water caused a fish kill. Public Works Supervisor Charlie McGuire said that if this
happens again the EPA will likely sue the city.
In reply to the council's question as to why fuses are blown so often at the treatment plant, Supervisor McGuire claimed that ComEd has been beating around the bush by saying that the fuses are blowing because of wildlife interference such as squirrels getting into the electrical system. He indicated that it has been hard to pin ComEd down as to why there are so many electrical failures at the treatment plant. The council was told that a slightly used generator is available immediately from Stoller Equipment for $29,900. Stoller would sell a new one for $38,574 but it would require an 8 week delivery delay. The same unit can be bought from Rental Service Corporation for $23,700. Alderman Bill Koos made a motion that a new generator be bought from Rental Service Corporation for $23,700 which the council unaminously approved. Alderman Cathy McKay then made a motion to looking into renting a generator for the 8 week delivery time so that the city will have backup power until the new generator is delivered. Her motion was also unaminously approved. Alderman Dean Barth said that the Public Works Committee is investigating ways of updating the maintenance sheds for the city equipment. City Administrator said the he was informed that the city cannot tear down the old shed because it must be done by qualified contractors. He also indicated that it would cost $20,000 to tear down the old shed. |
Effective January 1, 2002, there will be a 3% hotel bed tax in the City of Minonk. This additional
revenue can be used by the city for tourism. According to Mayor Mark Spencer this money could be used
to help defray expenses for the city's Fourth of July celebration, pay for the city's Christmas lights
decoration and even to help develop a website for the city.
In other news, it was learned that the sanitary sewer between Seventh and Eighth Streets along Maple Avenue is plugged with tree roots and must be cleaned out and replaced. The new sewer project also requires that a storm sewer be laid along the same road. It will be necessary to lay both the new storm sewer and the new sanitary sewer along the same stretch. EPA requirements require that an 8 foot wide trench be dug to allow both lines to be laid together. This will necessitate either tearing up the street or the sidewalks and berm. Alderman Koos said that people will have to realize that it is going to cost a lot of money to upgrade the city sewer system because of the new EPA regulations. Alderman Barth indicated that there are other areas of the city which have similar blockages in the sewer lines and must be repaired as well. The city council agreed to split the cost of new Christmas decorations and lights with the Minonk Businessmen's Association. The new decorations will replace the older ones on the light poles along Chestnut Street. The council agreed to contribute up to $1300 for the decorations. |
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At its regular Monday night session, the city council approved a Revolving Loan
Application for $10,000 to V. P. Circle of Quality, Inc. The new business is
buying the building formerly occupied by the GreenTree Pharamcy near Oak and Sixth
and plans to improve the buildings on that site.
V. P. Circle is a healthcare management company that has contracts with the State of Illinois to do inspection of nursing homes. The company also does healthcare consulting and management. They initially will have 5 employees. Part of the loan will be used to install offices, conference rooms, a reception area and a kitchen in the newer south building. The older north building will be renovated and rented out to Just Stuff who will subdivide the rest of the building into different size spaces to house antiques; collectibles; crafts and other small businesses. In other news, Bob White of the local VFW and Melvin Matter of the local American Legion both asked the council to speed up the plans for finding a final resting place for the World War I memorial plaque taken from the demolished bandstand in the park. They felt that the proposed Westside Park Pavilion would be an appropriate place to display the war memorial. Mayor Spencer replied that the council approved the demolition of the old bandstand with the understanding that it would be replaced and that the council is working on getting the Westside Park Pavilion project completed. The city received a letter from ComEd indicating no liability for the outage on well 3 last winter. ComEd stated that they felt that the fault was due to equipment failure and not due to any electrical malfunction on the part of ComEd. |
Doug Melton of Farnsworth & Wylie explained the low interest EPA loan application forms for drilling
Minonk's new well #4. Melton indicated that the loan amount will be $422,000 and will be repaid through
increased water rates over the next twenty years. The new water rate will be $0.76 per cubic foot.
Melton stated that the EPA requires that the city drill a new well because the existing wells cannot meet
the city's water needs if any of the current wells go down.
Melton said that the city has no choice but to drill a deep bedrock well since there are no shallow sand acquifers near Minonk. He indicated the schedule is to start construction on the well by July. Melton said that after the well is completed in the park that it will look just like another fire hydrant. The city council appointed Miller Hall & Triggs as legal council for the city at the rate of $130 per hour. The council approved a motion to adopt a zoning fee ordinance that sets a flat fee of $25.00 plus an additional permit of $0.08 per square foot for new construction and additions with a maximum additional fee of $500.00. A charge for a variance application was set at $50.00. Mayor Spencer wanted to thank everyone involved in putting on the Parade of Lights this year. He indicated that this year's parade was the biggest and best yet. City Administrator Trent Smith said that there will be a reception for John Martin at the Woodford this Thursday afternoon, December 6. Martin is running for the State Senate against State Representative Keith Sommer. |
