Carbondale Reporter

City of Genoa City Council met July 19.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

Mayor Brust called the meeting of the City Council to order at 7:02pm followed by roll call. Alderman Wesner, Pulley, Stage, Winter and Hughes were present. Alderman Freund, Braheny and Roca were absent. Quorum present.

Mayor Brust led the pledge of allegiance.

GUEST SPEAKERS – None

Motion made by Alderman Pulley to accept the minutes from the July 5, 2023, City Council meeting, seconded by Alderman Wesner. Voice vote was taken, all voted yes. Motion carried.

Motion made by Alderman Hughes to approve payment of the accounts payable for July 15, 2023, seconded by Alderman Winter. There was a brief discussion regarding the two speed signs that were purchased. Alderman Wesner, Pulley, Stage, Winter and Hughes voted yes.

ITEMS FROM INDIVIDUALS IN ATTENDANCE – None

OLD BUSINESS – None

FUTURE ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION – None

NEW BUSINESS:

PRESENTATION BY THE DEKALB COUNTY SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT REGARDING THE CENTRAL SOUTH BRANCH OF THE KISHWAUKEE WATERSHED RIVER WATERSHED PLAN

Dean Johnson of the DeKalb County Soil & Water Conservation District came before the council to do a presentation that showed the importance of the watershed plan for the community. He went through what they would find through the research gathered within this plan and how it has benefited past communities. He also showed the council the executive summary of a previous watershed improvement plan to give an idea of the results of the project. At the end of the presentation, he explained that the EPA covers 60% of the cost of the plan leaving the last 40% to be provided by the communities. The Dekalb County Community Foundation also donated a majority of that 40%, leaving Genoa, Kingston and Kirkland responsible for about $8,000. Due to that, he is requesting a contribution of $4,000 for the project which will be discussed and voted on at a future meeting.

APPROVE AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 6, CHAPTER 2, STOPPING, STANDING AND PARKING, SECTION 8 OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE

Alderman Pulley made a motion to approve an ordinance amending Title 6, Chapter 2 of the Municipal Code, seconded by Alderman Winter. City Administrator Alyssa Seguss explained that this amendment is due to a farmer who uses North State to get to his grain bins and he can’t make it down the road when cars are parked on both sides. There are currently no parking signs posted but upon investigation they found that were was no ordinance to back the signs up so they can’t yet be enforced. The residents living on this street will be given a warning before the police department begins to enforce the signs and give out tickets. Alderman Wesner, Pulley, Stage, Winter and Hughes voted yes. Motion carried.

APPROVE AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE ANNUAL BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING MAY 1, 2022, AND ENDING APRIL 30, 2023, FOR THE CITY OF GENOA, DEKALB COUNTY, ILLINOIS

Alderman Wesner made a motion to approve of the ordinance amending the budget for the fiscal year beginning May 1, 2022, and ending April 30, 2023, seconded by Alderman Stage. No further discussion. Alderman Wesner, Pulley, Stage, Winter and Hughes voted yes. Motion carried.

DEPARTMENT REPORTS

FINANCE

Finance Director Jan Tures was absent, however City Administrator Alyssa Seguss mentioned that the auditors were in the office all last week and Tures was diligently working on collecting information for them to complete their reports.

PUBLIC WORKS

Public Works Director Janice Melton reminded the council that Genoa is part of IPWMAN, the Illinois Public Works Mutual Aid Network, and because of that there is one employee down in Macomb, IL, helping to do debris removal. Melton also gave an update on the aqua duct that has been being rebuilt explaining that everything must be hand-built which is why the project is taking so long. They recently found that the filtration plant is not taking as much out as it should, so they had it analyzed. Through having it analyzed they found that the media within the rapid rate gravity filter needs to be removed and redone. There will be more information on this in the future.

POLICE

Chris Hathcoat updated the council on the progress of new hires both for the replacement of Edwards and a new officer to send to academy in January. Auxiliary officer Nicolette Gonzales gave the council a quick update on what the department has been doing within their community outreach program. She explained that they have been doing updates on their business directory and have had a great response to that. She also explained that there is a community survey live on the department website to gather more information on the residents’ opinions of the police department and what they view as most important. So far, they have a few responses with overall good results and expect to have more comprehensive findings over the next few months. They hope to have a final report of the information gathered to present at one of the September council meetings. Alderman Hughes asked about the person that was behind the previous car break ins and Hathcoat informed him that the suspect had been apprehended.

ADMINISTRATIVE

City Administrator Alyssa Seguss gave an update on both the strategic plan and the comprehensive plan for the city and explained what next steps will be for them. She also announced that Invoice Cloud, the new online billing system, will launch July 25th. There will be information being sent out through mail and social media to all residents and due to the confusion that came along with the billing switch Seguss has made sure that the information being sent out will be very straightforward. The city is still working on the safe routes to school grant and the deadline for it is September 30th. The biggest portion of information they need can’t be collected until the school year starts, which has caused a delay in its submission. She also updated the council on the progress that Trackside, Genoa Gaming and Napa have been making through the façade grants issued by the city. They are also making progress on the units connected to Dunkin Donuts as new tenants are looking to move in.

MAYOR

Mayor Brust updated the council on the downtown improvement project. He explained that it will be split into two phases with the first phase being the main drag of 72 getting new street lighting, burying cables, crosswalks, etc. and the second phase will be Emmett Street and won’t be done until next year. He also announced that the City Picnic is on August 5th from noon-3pm.

ANNOUNCEMENTS – Alderman Pulley announced that the first Harvest Fest meeting will take place on the 28th at 10am. Seguss also announced that Senator Chesney’s staff will be at City Hall on August 9th to answer questions from the community.

Motion to adjourn the meeting of the City Council was made by Alderman Wesner, seconded by Alderman Winter. Voice vote was taken, all voted yes. Motion was carried. Meeting adjourned at 7:52pm.

https://www.genoa-il.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Meeting-Minutes-07192023.pdf