COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING
Lincoln City Hall, Council Chambers
700 Broadway Street | Lincoln, Illinois
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
The Committee of the Whole Meeting of the City Council of Lincoln was called to order by Mayor Tracy Welch at 6:03 p.m., with proper notice given. City Clerk Peggy Bateman called roll.
Present:
Alderwoman Robin McClallen, Ward 1
Alderman Steve Parrott, Ward 1
Alderman David Sanders, Ward 2
Alderman Sam Downs, Ward 2
Alderman Kevin Bateman, Ward 3
Alderwoman Wanda Lee Rohlfs, Ward 3
Alderman Craig Eimer, Ward 4
Alderwoman Rhonda O’Donoghue, Ward 4
Staff Present:
Peggy Bateman, City Clerk
Chuck Conzo, City Treasurer
John Hoblit, City Attorney
Walt Landers, Streets Superintendent
Wes Woodhall, Building and Safety Officer
Ty Johnson, Fire Chief
Joe Meister, Police Chief
Andrew Bowns, Veolia Water, Project Manager
Presiding:
Mayor Tracy Welch
Public Comment:
There is no one present for public comment.
Request to Permit: Lincoln Community High School request for road closures for Homecoming Parade on Friday, September 27, 2024 at 2:30pm.
This item will be placed on the consent agenda.
Request to Permit: Carroll Catholic School Field Day – Friday, May 17, 2024 8:20 – 2:30. Closure of 100 block of 4th Street.
This item will be placed on the consent agenda.
Veolia CPI Increase
This is the annual contractual CPI increase. The amount budgeted is $1.496 million. The CPI for February to February came in at $1.493 million.
This item will be placed on the regular agenda.
Sludge/Grit/Waste Disposal
Mr. Bowns is requesting $150,000 for disposal costs.
This item will be placed on the regular agenda.
Blower Building Caterpillar Generator Repair
The generator portion of the generator, not the motor, has a bearing that has failed. This generator runs the aeration basin. That is the blowers that treat the municipal waste that comes in and turns it in to an acceptable product that then gets discharged to Salt Creek. This generator is a critical component of the plant’s operations to stay within the guidelines of their NPDS permit.
The current generator could be repaired. It is a 20-year-old generator with 5000 hours on it. Cost of a new generator is $157,400.00 and will be available in two weeks. It’s also bigger than what is needed. A generator that’s the size needed won’t be available for 50 weeks and costs $109,000.00. These amounts do not include installation or the Sourcewell discount.
The funds will come from the Sewer budget. This may delay a project on Palmer Street for a year. Mr. Bowns is not asking for additional funds for any option.
The council would like to repair the current generator and order the cheaper generator. Keep the repaired generator as a backup.
This item will be placed on regular agenda.
Ordinance 1-28 of the Lincoln City Code Titled “Code Enforcement Officer”
As directed by the council, Mr. Hoblit drafted an ordinance for this position. It outlines the responsibilities of the position and its intent is not to peel any responsibilities from the Building and Safety Office. It was discussed to hire a retired police officer as they would already be familiar with the city codes. The salary has already been budgeted. They will work 3 days a week and will report to the police department.
This item will be placed on the regular agenda.
New Landfill Attendants Building
The existing building is in poor condition. Parts of it leak.
Alderman Bateman would like the new building to have indoor plumbing. The attendants currently use a porta potty. This cost has been budgeted at $15,000.00. The building itself is $9,598.
This item will be placed on the regular agenda with a not to exceed $15,000.
Resolution – 2024/2025 Draft Motor Fuel Tax Maintenance Program
This is an annual resolution that is needed to spend MFT dollars.
This item will be placed on the regular agenda.
Purchase of a Hustler Super Z Commercial Mower
The Street Department needs to replace a 72” deck mower. The cost for a new 60” deck mower is $15,832.00. The mower being replaced will be used as a secondary mower.
This item will be placed on the regular agenda.
Annexation of property owned by Lincoln Industrial Park
This will be a 60-unit independent senior living apartment complex. Due to State requirements for grants, the purchase of the property has to be done after the annexation. There are no court proceedings or public hearing requirements for this.
This item will be placed on the regular agenda.
Mayor Welch moved on to other items on the agenda.
There were items that did not make it on tonight’s agenda. The Mayor listed those….
The advice and consent to the Mayoral appointment of Joe Meister to Chief of Police
The advice and consent to the Mayoral appointment of Aaron Johnson to Fire Chief
The advice and consent to the Mayoral appointment of Walt Landers to Street Superintendent
The advice and consent to the Mayoral appointment of Wes Woodhall to Building and Safety Official
These items will be placed on the regular agenda.
Announcements:
- Ribbon Cutting – Saturday, May 18th at 9am for LaForge Automotive Sales & Tires
- Facebook Live event tomorrow at 6:30pm in regards to the effort to save the Logan Correctional Center.
- The racetrack has had all of their races rained out so far this season. The last race was their big race ($20,000 to the winner) that was to be televised, they’d like to reschedule that race to July 8th. There is no school the next day.
- This Friday is the first 3rd Friday of the Summer.
- Town wide road side cleanup. Meet Saturday, May 18th at Latham Park.
- City drop-off cleanup is this Saturday, May 18th at the LMSB from 8-4.
Adjournment:
There being no further discussion to come before the City Council of Lincoln, Alderman Downs motioned to adjourn, seconded by Alderwoman O’Donoghue. All were in favor. Mayor Welch adjourned the meeting at 7:07 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted By:
Charity Hutchison, Recording Secretary
City of Lincoln