City Council - Regular Meeting

Is that clock right again? Oh, clock looks mostly right. Yeah. No.

Mine said I think April 4th on mine originally when I clicked it. It's all good.

Oh crap. I didn't get the Oh, heat. You sure? Yeah. All right, that's fine. I didn't have anything long I can say. Live stream's on. Yeah, live stream's on. Uh,

I got one minute yet. I'll be locking in any minute. Did he come through yet? I don't know. And I actually didn't even update the slideshow to reflect the

All right, I have 6 PM everybody. But for anybody watching at home, I apologize. We're we're going to just give a few minutes for our attorney to show up here and then we'll uh we'll get started. I worry that one of these days he he'd be rushing and then

getting a fender bender on the way here or something. Yeah. Hopefully was a good uh what's that?

Hopefully in that case he would have a have a good attorney. Is that him? Perhaps

I didn't hear it screech. You're going like two tires on the corner or something. I think that's him because he has a hybrid. I just heard a hybrid. So you can hear the difference between a hybrid and a Yeah, the hybrids make noises. Yeah. Because they're they're silent. So you have to they put a sound on them so you hear them. So him and mine they both make a sound. Yeah. Well, it's like an alien spaceship sound actually. Both hybrid men.

Saving the planet one day at a time. Dude, everybody in Austin, Texas, all the Ubers use Teslas. Do they? It's crazy. I don't like how there's not a door handle for I knew I heard the hybrid. That's all right. Take your time. Let me know when you're ready. You sure? I'll wait for that.

All right. That's right. like to call the Oglesby City Council meeting to order. Roll call, please. Baldrich here. Cullinin here. McDermott here. Moy here. Currin here. Number three, please stand for the pledge of allegiance. Uh one minute. Um we need to table the um cancel final comment again. You want to table number 15? Yeah, I think we need to we need to. Yeah. Um it's getting ridiculous. Second. Well, should should put it indefinitely. I don't think we can do that. I think we can.

Actually, we can even look at that. I love how being surprised by things that council may never I don't think it was a surprise at all. Okay. Um Pat, I think we talked about this. I I I think we said that that I think they can table something, but they can't stop it from going on the agenda. Correct. Right. Well, Pat, I'm sure you're aware of.12. I can't say I recall it off the That's a good answer to ordinance. I remember we changed it a few years ago and said that the mayor or any any commissioner can put something on the agenda.

I agree. Well, I have your list of what is on the agenda. What I believe he's placing on there is a structural change, which he's not allowed to do without a council approval and an ordinance change. So therefore, unless consider unless it's new business or old business, I consider a structural change. It's on after other than being in that spot, it really wouldn't be on the on the agenda. If that was on number nine, number 10, number 11, number six. It wouldn't it wouldn't effectively I don't know what 9, six, 10 or 11. Well, I'm just saying outside of it being in that exact position, it's

I don't see any difference between structural or regular ones, but honestly, it's not I've ever investigated. I would suggest you take up the motion that's on the table to table it for tonight and we can do some more research on this issue for nothing. Okay. Well, I agree because it's been on there last couple. You're making something up by yourself. You don't have that authority. I council has authority to place. I have the twice.

No, I have the authority to put anything on the agenda. And I think there's a reason to have the agenda that you were told no by the council. We didn't agree with it. I have your comments as well. I believe I have a video of the last meeting where you said that you're just going to do it anyway. You refusing to obey adhere to anything that the council had voted on and agreed to and you said it publicly numerous times. You're just going to do it anyway. Even the council can't override a state statute or ordinance. You can change the ordinance. Go tell me what what your state statute is. I said state statute or ordinance. And your ordinance is that any any council member can put something on the agenda. I agree. Okay, good. I'm not arguing that you have put it on here, but you make a structural change. You're making a structural change. Again, then move it to old business or new business. That's what we can Again, being surprised, but I don't I would

not surprised. Well, I don't know what you're talking about with structural change. I My recommendation would be to send it to the attorney to to review it if that's what you need to do because I don't think there's a problem with it. Commissioner Moy, and I credited for what she's done before here, it has kept these meetings very calm and and productive in my opinion since she's changed that over there and voted on it and the council agreed to it. Um, this here seems to be something that the council didn't agree on. Two times when one of them was almost voted on, one of them was an actual vote with the majority voting against it. And I don't see how you could still say I'm going to put on there anyway. Like I said, you do have the authority to put it on there. Every one of us, but it's under old business or new business.

I don't believe it. That's not how I read that that ordinance. So, I mean I mean you have the right to table something. So, what's wrong? I was just making sure I started the live stream, but I did. Okay. I remember. Um, I mean, you obviously have the authority to table something. Why you would want to table something that tries to improve transparency? I have no idea. Given us your speeches. We've heard them. The public's heard your speeches. It's a waste of our time. It's a waste of everyone's time. You're actually taking more time doing this than we've ever taken on it. It's It's going on there to the rest of my time here. And that's I'm going to do the same thing this way. Okay. So, you're going to take the action to waste the time because I think the last two times we had it. I don't know what else to do here. I mean, you're violating. You don't know what else to do.

There was a motion in a second. Well, we'll go around. No, we're not going around. Yeah. Yeah, you do get an opportunity. Sorry. He tabled it. Uh, why are you just avoiding rules? Well, that's not how that works.

I do think I mean, I've sifted through not even probably a small fraction of the municipal code. so large. But I have sifted through like the first chapter or the first few chapters just skimmed them. And I do know I I do believe that there are some things uh in the municipal code that state that these items should be put on the agenda each meeting something something. But I don't think it is uh I don't think it's exclusively or it only allows for exclusively those items. I'm sure you could add other things on there.

I would agree with that. Um, but I I mean I do agree with the sentiment though. Uh, I I guess I do kind of see this as a structural change to the agenda as opposed to a discussion item. Um, I I know Jason had previously um put um a discussion item to uh discuss council final comments or whatever on it and it was kind of shot down. I I'm very much of the opinion I think the council um changed the ordinances for a good reason uh to allow anybody to put things on the agenda and I think that should be the case. But I I guess I would agree that I I think what I I would agree kind of I don't think there's probably a difference codewise now or lawwise now legally now between structural and non-structural items. But I think maybe that's a distinction that needs to be made from, you know, something like this continuing to be on the agenda and continuing to obstruct um you know, the beginning of city council meetings cuz I I just I hate that we keep arguing about this to start every meeting, especially even before we get to the pledge. Uh I I think it's just I I think it's pitiful honestly. So um anyway, um I would uh be supportive. I mean, if we want to look into defining what a structural item is as opposed to a discussion item and then preventing structural items from being added without a majority of the vote of the council, I'd be supportive of that, but absolutely not uh shutting down any discussion items. Uh that goes against the whole purpose of why the council uh changed the ordinance earlier in this administration. So, that's it.

Thanks, I don't have anything to add. Okay, Mac. Well, I uh I think it's petty that we keep voting this down or whatever. And Pat, if you could look in to see if the indefinitely is a legit in the structural items of the agenda, I would appreciate that. I'm just trying I can look, man. I mean, we could sit up here and talk all day situation. I just have to warn you, I'm not sure it's black and white. May fall into a gray area and then we'll be here every week. Okay. I'm afraid that's what Rich,

I'm not I'm not gonna go through all the speech here that I have, but I disagree with it and I stated my opinion. I have here our city ordinances unless there's been some sort of change that I'm unaware of and it hasn't been updated in our ordinances. Okay. Um, so I don't have the ordinance in front of me, but I'm pretty sure it says something to the effect of any mayor or council member can add anything to the agenda. It doesn't say anything about structural change. I don't know where you're quoting that or citing that. Mac, I do agree with you. It is something that's petty. Um, you made the motion. So, and I made make a motion table.

So, yeah. I I mean, and I agree with Austin. The whole idea is we're trying to be more transparent. I don't necessarily have anything specific to talk about tonight. The point of it is um I'll give you an example. I believe is he not in the audience anymore? We have somebody here that is going to talk about something that I don't want to get in a back and forth about necessarily at at public comment, but there might be a need where someone can bring something up to where you can have an opportunity to address something that new that has come up uh during the course of a meeting. I think there's value in that. Um adds transparency. It adds public awareness. I don't think there's anything wrong with it. So, I'm going to put something like that on there until the end of time unless unless uh you get the uh state attorney telling me that that can't do it. There you go. All right. Well, there's a motion and a second. Um,

roll call, please. Baldridge. I can I get a clarification on what the uh the motion is to table the item uh on our final agenda. Okay. The motion final. Roll call, please. Okay. So, we have Baldy Colin. Uh I McDermott I Moy I Curran. No, that means the supermajority was reached. So, it does get struck. You can you can get justification on that as well that that was a lie. It's not a lie. OMA states OMA states. I have it right here. Okay, guys.

We already moved on. Can't talk. I got no room forgiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Before we sit down, please. Justice for all.

And terrible timing. Um, I'd like to talk about unfortunately, um, last Monday we had, uh, Mayor George Cullinin had passed away. Um, I did have an opportunity to talk to him, uh, as early as February 16th before we honored, uh, Ken Fisc, as I wanted to talk to all the mayors. Um, I know that during his time on council, there was an incredible amount of, uh, difficulty and challenges about all the development that we had on the the west side. when I talked to him in person, I did not realize some of the details of just how difficult a lot of those things were that we see a lot of benefit from today. So, I really appreciate the service uh that Mayor George Cullland uh has given to the city. Uh and I'd like to ask if you could uh join me in a moment of silence, please. Thank you.

Number five, mayor's report. Uh the first item I got is a letter I got from Axe uh church uh service letter. Uh they asked me to read it, so I thought and you'll understand why. Uh dear mayor and city council Wensby, over the last decade, Axe Church has led a campaign known as Hope Week. The idea of this campaign is to get thousands of Christians across the Illinois Valley to serve their community radically for seven days in the summer. Our goal is that these actions inspire hope, which is the feeling that something good is going to happen. During these 10 years, we've accomplished 21,000 hours of community service and given away $225,000 worth of projects. We are setting the plans for Hope Week 2026 and would love to serve in your community once again. Hope Week has so far done, 1664 hours of community service in Oglesby and has been our pleasure to do so. Last year, Hope Week will uh this year, Hope Week will take place June 7th through June 13th. We will be reaching out to contacts from your community to make starting plans this month, but you are the people that know the community needs more than anyone else. Would you consider taking a few minutes to read this letter at your upcoming city council meeting with pleasure and even discuss potential projects in a public or close session? We'll do it in public here. Uh we would love to hear your ideas you might have for hope week projects for this year or the years in the future. Common projects of the past have been cleanups, refurbishing city parks, painting curbs, repairing baseball diamonds, installing new playground equipment, and even creating new basketball courts. We have also done work on city buildings, community centers, libraries, and fire stations. We match talent to each project and never take on something we cannot safely accomplish. If you have questions, we'd be glad to take phone calls from city council, mayor, or city workers. If you think it would be beneficial, we would also be more than willing to attend a council meeting in April or May to discuss plans. Thank you, and we look forward to serving your community. Once again, warmest regards, Pastor Cameron uh Graer. So, I wanted to read that just because um last year it really was something pretty special. I want to say there was I know I gave the the numbers. I want to say it was close to 40 or 50 people that came down. Uh they had several different projects going on in the park. They had the painting. They

had ref reurfacing and painting of the uh all the picnic tables we did at Lehi. We had work on the Lehi stage that was done. We had work on the playground equipment. It really was something wonderful. I want to say it was like three, four hours of work. A lot of people put into it. I thought it was a great thing. I really appreciate that. So, I I figured I'd read the letter in whole because absolutely we'd love something positive like that to happen again. Uh I'm sure we'll talk out to city council members if there's something in your area, whether it's parks again, Rich, or or other areas that we could use some help with. Uh I think that'd be great. It was really a great thing to see. So, thank you so very much for that. Axe Church. Number two, April 23rd at Oglesby Elks is going to be taco night as a fundraiser for Meals on Wheels. Um, one of the things I wanted to chat about this is I, you know, I' I've lived in lots of different places. I've even lived in the Midwest as far as two hours away from here, and this was not a thing I experienced growing up, East Coast, West Coast. I've not really seen I feel like it's a thing that's kind of local to this area where people do um um fundraising events with meals done uh at local establishments. I think it's it's a fantastic way. We have I'm mentioning this because not just for this one for meals on wheels, but there's a lot of them coming up as the season goes on. It's a great way. I try to participate in as many of them as I can because I look at it this way. You you you have to eat anyways, right? It's a meal you don't have to to cook that night. Uh and it's a way that you can give back to your community. So, uh, not only for this one for meals on wheels, but there's lots of them coming up for different baseball boards, uh, softball boards, um, ambulance service, uh, firefighters, firefighters, all the there's all kinds of great organizations that that have it. Uh, I would highly recommend doing that. On the same note, number three, uh, celebrity bartending is at Calinos, uh, April 18th. It's supporting the LP booster club 5 to 10. There's going to be 10 different teams of coaches there. So along the same lines, we have a lot of different type of uh uh volunteer type events and and nonprofits that are trying to bring fundraisers by bringing activity even

into city of Oglesby. So please look into uh supporting those. Uh and then the last item I have is number four. Lasowl County electronic e-waste recycling is going to be on April 11th, uh 8 to 12. Uh but you do need to pre-register. You just can't show up. So you have to go on the county's website for that. I'll see if I can put a link if we can put a link up for it maybe on the city's page. Uh, but you do need to pre-register. It is eligible for Oglesby residents. Those are the only items I have. Number six, public comment on agenda items only.

This sign. Yep.

Okay. Um, Jennifer, you can have my um notes that I'm going to work off of when I'm done. I want to talk about closed sessions and uh the data usage uh in the cloud and the power usage in the data centers keeping the cloud energized. and how this council goes in. I've got I've done some calculations. Um just the first quarter of 2026 there the entire meetings were 16 hours and 26 minutes of which closed sessions took 8 hours and six minutes. So, um, the it's about 50/50 you're spending out here in front of the camera and then half of the time that YouTube currently, it was Facebook for a while, um, has to eat those minutes with sometimes the paddle fan spinning up there. Okay. Um, the next thing here is I'd like to see that clock on that space right there. So, we can at least see the the hand clicking around as the camera is catching nothing up here. And and and we can see how time is progressing in here. Like 10 minutes going on 15 for that pettiness at the beginning of the meeting. Um, I'd like to see the camera moved to the north. You can put a conduit there and um leave the hole in the wall for the wire, but mount the camera to a conduit so we can see Jennifer behind that column. If if it's not a supporting um column, I'd like to see it gone, but um I don't know if it's up there for an air conditioner or it's actually a supporting beam column. Um

the next thing is Rich's sound level. Do you use your microphone or do you just talk softly when it's your time to talk to the I I don't want to interrupt you, but if if so a lot of these things that you might be talking about are kind of the open comment section. I mean, if you want to talk about the close session, that is an item on there. If you're going to talk about how again,

real quick, I'm done. All right. The sound levels same. I was wondering whether you had a microphone and the counselor had a microphone. Same thing. I It's hard to hear. I sit at my laptop usually with one of these bringing it up to my ear back and then somebody loud talks into the mic and then um I'm in the process of assembling a a a spreadsheet of all the files that kind of because of the stuff going on in close session drop into the cloud very sporadically. it's hard to keep notice when they actually show up. So, I'm trying to create a spreadsheet to keep track of um if I have them or not to bring into my and then the we pay the mayor twice the salary of of U4. and um the the pettiness of this and you know the the the different form of government that we went through um at the last full full-on election. Um I'm I'm kind of disappointed in this strong council and weak mayor form of government. It that's that's all I got to say.

Okay. So just for future reference again, please try to separate comments for the ones that are agenda items versus not agenda. Okay. All right. Thanks, Greg. Thanks. Appreciate it, Greg. All right. Number seven, uh, approve minutes from March 16th, 2026 regular meeting and April 1 special meeting. If there's no additions, corrections, or modifications, can I get a motion to approve the minutes? I'll make a motion. I'll second that motion. Roll call, please. Baldridge. I Colin I McDermott I Moy I Curran I

number eight approve minutes from the March 3rd and February 17th 2026 special sessions if there's no additions corrections or modifications can I get a motion to approve the minutes that should say executive session I'm sorry about that was my mine are these the ones we reviewed last time believe so it's been so long I know I'll make a motion to approve them I'll second it roll call Baldrich I Colinin I McDermott I Moy I Curran

I number nine approved bills presented for payment in the amount of $993,82860 for Viserin Construction and $643,694.70 for regular monthly bills for a total of 1,6737,523. If there's no additions, corrections, or modifications to the bills, can I get a motion to approve? Um, I'll make a motion to approve the bills. I'll second. Roll call, please. Aldrich, I. Colin, hi. McDermott, I. Moy, I. Curran, I. Number 10. Approve payroll for March 27th, 2026 in the amount of $64,898.94. If there's no additions, corrections, or modifications. Can I get a motion to approve the payroll?

I'll make a motion. We approve payroll for March 27th, 2026 in the amount of $64,898.94. I'll second. Roll call, please. Baldridge. Hi Colin. Hi McDermott. Hi Moy. Hi Curran. Hi. Number 11. Old business. A discussion on possible action on purchase of equipment tractor. Mcder. Okay. The uh tractor still at Martin implement. Um I've had people reach out to me about a mini. Um it's really the city really needs the tractor. But um anybody have any comments? This has been beat multiple times.

U go around the room. Rich, not yet. Um I'm tempted to just put this dog to bed and and bite the bullet and just get the tractor. I think it's going to have to happen. Yeah. Well, you also need one. So Anything else? No. Hillary, I feel like my head's spinning because originally we said the first tractor was so unsafe. It's unfixable. The equipment's the don't make the parts anymore. Now it's getting fixed. We have two already in the city. Now we want to get a third. Like I want to join the backho gang. Can I get in there? Sure. We'll just have to get you CDOS's and we need you both. Um yeah,

I'm not I don't think we need three in the city. If we're going to maintain three, that's excessive. Um, I originally brought up the mini backhoe idea and I liked the idea of it because it would offer more flexibility, especially since the backhoe goes straight, whereas the mini backhoe you have a whole 360 turn there. So, that would be nice. There is advantages to the mini. Yes, I give that. But, and it's cheaper, but it's a lot Well, the it is, but you got to look at the function of the back hole. Um, the city really needs back home.

Okay, so um a couple things we tal for those that probably did not tune in to this uh special session. Um I had to be remote on that one though, but we did talk about this at length for a little while. Um a couple things with it. I think the determination is we the city needs a backhoe. We need something of that size and caliber to do some of the heavy duty work. I I'm not doubting that. Uh right now we have two of them. They're extremely costly to maintain. Uh maintenance is very difficult, um challenging, um and everything with it. So, one of the question things that Hillary, I think you brought up earlier is the the mini uh the mini back coat type idea because I know a lot of cities are are utilizing this. I'm not sure if it's for supplemental we talked about and I made a mention of that and I think at the time you mentioned that it's still like a hundred grand. Well, oddly enough, the reason I wasn't here, I was at a convention and one of the things that happened to be there was miniature back hose. So, I took a couple pictures of a couple that were there and I asked the vendors there what their value was. Now, granite that was not for like a water sewer infrastructure type of thing, but they were for uh comm community city use. Uh, and they did go down 120 in. There was one on the left, one on the right, one was slightly bigger than the other. They that was uh I don't have the pictures to put up here. should uh um one was mid to low 40,000 and the other was uh uh mid to low 50,000s. So it's not quite 100 grand for them. Um I don't know if those things have all the attachments that we need to solve all of our things. But what I really think we should look into is since these things are so costly, I think that maybe because of a city of our size, we have one well-maintained good working backhoe that can be our for our heavy stuff. And then we have a secondary uh that is one of these many ones that we can have on a flatbed, you know, stored stored in whether it's at the electric department or the street department, wherever they have room for,

and it's just it's on there. It's ready to go in a moment's notice. Hopefully that can be the new workhorse for most of the projects that we need. So that way they're easier on maintenance, they're easy on so so instead of maintaining two very extremely p expensive pieces of gear, we have one expensive piece of gear that's that needs to be maintained. Uh well, and then we have our other one that can be our workhost for a lot of the more easier things. And I'm telling you, these other ones that are smaller, just like Hillary says, they're they're way they're did you say that they're easier to versatile? Yeah, they're versatile. They go through.

I even got to get in it. And if an idiot like me, a sailor can use it, anybody can use this thing. I mean, granted, it took me four minutes to move the pin over and drop it in the hole compared to the pros that do it every like do it in 25 seconds. But it it's the idea that it's it's relatively easy to use. They even had rubber tracks because they're meant for to be on uh city streets as an opt as an opportunity. So, I think that's what we should look into. Um, if we were able to to rent this one another month or two or whatever, uh, and then we would put into our appropriations, you could buy whether whether you needed the new the backhoe to get as new, which sounds like that's what we do need. Uh, and then the next year or whatever, you could buy um you could buy the miniature version of everything and then that way you have two pieces of equipment to maintain on different equipment cycles. That's my two cents.

Well, I would admit I'd like to have many because they're versatile. to go 360 all the way around, but it's not feasible for the city to just have that. Not the back hole is your is your backbone other than the trucks. Um I know we've been beating this beating beating it to death. Um as far as the minis you were looking at, a lot of it you get what you pay for. Um the uh John Deere and the cats for their minis, you can't beat them. They're they're more sturdy. They're structural. But if this council feels that way, I'll go ahead and table it and do with what I need to do.

I think at the last meeting, Hillary said something that I agreed with. It sounds like we you have something in place right now. It's not super cost effective because we're renting one uh monthtomonth, but at least it's not an emergency. nobody's in an unsafe situation. Uh which is the first thing that we have to answer. We we got to make sure our workers are safe uh from everything. I would that's I mean it's up to the council, but that'd be my recommendation is get one solid state backhoe that we need to maintain for our heavy stuff and then try to make the workhorse the one that's more easier to use and cost effective. So that way in the long run we're not maintaining two extremely p expensive pieces of equipment. We got one and then a cheap one. That'd be my two cents and everything else.

I was uh shown an email where um unfortunately I wasn't able to get the uh mechanic to take a look at that. He couldn't find it, I guess, for the holidays and everything. Um, upon looking at his list of the maintenance and fixes that they were going to do, he claims to me and there was an email sent out that we're unaware of that says that most of that is due to non-maintaining the machine. um enough uh Mr. Moy her construction experience apparently has come up with another idea that uh we could possibly hire that guy on a more uh a better basis than what we do uh like monthly or three months or something to where he comes in and takes check changes the oil change checks for spark plugs uh puts antifreeze in them and checks all those things to possibly keep what we already have going better and the new things. But I I don't in his opinion, just looking at the uh things that were wrong with that one, he claimed that the bushing had gone out and the pin and that that does need to have professional maintenance to fix that. But his opinion was that after that was fixed, but proper maintenance, he believes that he said he would guarantee 10 years or better. He has no problem with saying that that piece of equipment would last a good 10 years with proper maintenance. So, are you suggesting that we hire a city mechanic?

I don't know how you would do it. I think it just needs to be more on a on a more frequent basis. Um, it's frequent. Everything should be looked at. I mean, they should be after winters. I know you're looking into a hot seat before. They should be sprayed down. Get all that salt and everything off the entire piece of equipment and all the stuff that's used outside right after, you know, first thing in spring. that's done with I mean that's everybody that's everybody every so well that guy shut down too though what I'm hearing is uh a more detailed equipment maintenance log

or his other suggestion was if we're dead set on getting a new back uh as as he said when I said the last time just got rid of one that was only like what six years that you're noticing

we could probably pick a decent one like that up for $70,000 roughly. I'd be curious to know if Modota does that what the uh what the depreciation rate is for what you buy five years and then what what you said nobody's ever lost money,000 just tell you

that is a big thing. That government discount is huge. The final price. Oh gosh. 169. Yeah. But I also got the uh and I also got the maintenance one at a time. I also got the maintenance on it too. Well, that's $7,000, right? Okay.

I I think regarding the current backhoe, I mean, the people that work with it every day, I think maybe I'm not hope I'm not putting words in your mouth, but I mean what I more or less gather is I mean, the people that work with it every day, I mean, one person can say one thing, but the people that work with it every day seem to think it's a piece of junk. Um, and ultimately, I mean, at the end of the day, I feel like we can kick the can down the road and, you know, try and get something cheaper and maybe that Mandota one would be a good uh thing, but I mean, you're getting a 707,000 rebate off of the purchase of a new one. And, uh, you know, you're you're getting somewhat of a warranty. I know that we'll use it more than 600 hours or whatever, but I mean, ultimately, again, too, like Lance said, I I doubt with the uh rising costs of everything that we're going to lose money on it in the long run. We'll probably be able to we'll probably make out honestly on the residual for $55,000. They'll probably probably be worth uh you know even if it's worth like Modas right now is worth $75,000. I mean if that's the same backhoe they you know they basically uh that's like a they could have got if they could have bought it for a $20,000 discount basically. Uh so I don't know. I I just think we need to get the backho situation squared away. I'm supportive of just purchasing a new one and putting it into the appropriations for the uh forthcoming fiscal year.

Well, I I don't know about us, especially if we decide to adopt the idea to where you're going to have one primary one and then and then a smaller one. I don't like the idea of having used ones. Uh maybe again, I don't know the exact finance numbers on it. But I mean, if Mandota is buying $160,000, let's say it's $150,000 and after five years they're they're offloading it for $75,000. That means you know 7 what is 75,000 divided by five? What is that? 15,000 a year. So sorry 250,000 250,000 I'm sorry the 70,000 came off of that. So that's what you're paying but the back okay I'm just trying to look at how much the depreciation amount is.

Well I I I don't have any numbers right because I don't have any in front of me. So all of them are wrong. I'll acknowledge that. But what I'm saying is whatever that number is minus the the amount that you offloaded for that's your depreciation over five years. If that is the only depreciation part we then that's what goes into our appropriations budget for what we maintain for this. So I would recommend if if we absolutely need it and we don't want to do this rental thing is just not going to work uh even to cover us for whatever then then we could buy the the one that we need now if it's such a great deal or whatever. And then you start looking into a transition plan, getting rid of our our junk ones to replace with with a secondary smaller one that can be the workhorse.

Put them in a rotation in well in a rotation, you know, and my understanding is their maintenance as long as their maintenance cycles aren't the exact same with replacement times and the other one's significantly cheaper. We are doing the city a service with uh with its, you know, fiscal funds. That'd be my two cents. So, you know, I would also add I think the number I gave the last time after I recalculated everything was we spent about since 2024 in less than two years, we spent $37,000 on on repairs for it. And I mean, if you take uh if you take that and you times it by five years, I mean, I I just rounded it up, it's like 18 something, but if you round it up to $19,000 times five years, it's $95,000. So, I'm saying you're almost buying your

You're almost at your depreciation amount that you would lose on having a new one. take into consideration the value of maintaining the equipment properly. Well, yeah, I think we need to maintain the equipment properly and I'm supportive of what you said. I mean, of I mean, if we don't I I I can't speak to what our maintenance schedule is on that stuff, but I absolutely I've for two years I've yet to receive a maintenance schedule.

Well, I I don't know what other departments do in terms of maintenance, but I agree there need some sort of maintenance schedule for it. So, you know, we're not in these predicaments, but I I just think we're kind of really just kicking the can down the I I get I get the intent behind it, of course. I mean, I I want to save, you know, every penny, nickel, and dime as well. Um but I I just think, you know, we're making, you know, we're just going to end up making things harder than they have to be. I I I would just bite the bullet and buy the backho and be done.

I do think that needs to be one of our goals as a council for all. I know I think the police have a pretty good maintenance schedule for their vehicles and stuff because they they they send them in to get service and everything. Um I know the last council we had a big focus on making sure that all of our equipment wasn't coming because we noticed a lot of our trucks were coming due at the same time. So we fixed kind of all the pickup trucks throughout the city uh where the and we fixed I believe the dump trucks with the exception of the one that that you had to purchase for the bad one. Uh that they're all five years off of each other offset. So that way you you've you've you've structured the replacement thing to be more linear with everything. Um but I think maybe that should be the next goal is making sure that everybody has a structured maintenance uh plan for all their equipment. We we owe it to the taxpayers for that.

Okay. Any other comments on this topic? I owe it to the taxpayers to find to look at this a lot more than we already have. We got we got a bid for a lease. We got a bid for a new one and we were told that the other one's junk. $1,000 for repair and it'll still be junk. We're going to keep it anyway because apparently then it won't be junk, but yet have to get a new one. I'm just I think there needs to be more behind this. And as a taxpayer spending 2006 169,000 or something, I think we should look into it. I don't think we should just jump into something because uh you know, we feel like we have to hurry up and do it. Okay, we're not we're not in any hurt right now about safety because you have the random threey old one there. We have one in the room.

It's also $4,500 a month. Yeah, it is. Yeah. So, I mean, if you look at that, $4,500 a month means you're depreciating at that long term, you're depreciating more than $50,000 a year on top of that if you continue doing that. So, so that's not a good long-term strategy. No, it's not. So, if you if you need to be able to cover yourself because safety wise for another month or two to get your answers, I think that's acceptable. But Rich, so what I'm hearing is you you want more what information do you think we need to places that sell these things. I mean, is this the one or I think we had one from cat. Did we get We had more than one. There's more than one quote, right? Was for a sale and one was for a lease, right? I think all of them have been for leases, haven't they?

Right. And at the end, you get to decide whether you want to keep it or trade it in. Keep keep the $55,000 if it stayed under the $600 per year. I don't some Oh, yeah. Yeah. It doesn't look value.

You're at whatever your extra value, you get that extra. You're not losing money or if we were going to keep it. Then you just finish paying off.

But then if it's $55,000 and the thing's worth $75,000, I mean, we're still here. Well, I mean, we're not in the sales business, but I I mean, I still think that's something to consider is the the value of the equipment. So,

I know this feels like this drones on a little bit, but I just want to say I do appreciate this this kind of discussion. this this is healthy discussion. It really is because we're trying to look for the best way to make sure the taxpayer dollar is stretched to the best of our abilities and making sure our people are safe at the same time. So, it is a good thing. Um the question is what other information do we need to have? Do we have enough to make a decision? Do we not? Um, I think I am willing to support the idea of having a new um the idea of having a a new always ready well-maintained uh backhoe on on on staff or I don't know whatever what you know as a piece of equipment to have and then the miniature one as a backup that can be the workhorse for all the lighter loads that we have. I think that's what I'd be willing to support right now if that's what people want to do or if they feel like we need more information or more time or whatever. I would recommend if everything is safe at least right now I would love to see if we could at least stretch this to another two months to appropriations so that way we're not we're not I mean if it's an emergency it's emergency. I think Pat said we we had more than enough wiggle room that we can do stuff but I like to try to maintain things as best we can within our appropriations budget. Then you have less than a month, Jason.

Less than a month. It's less than a month. Starts May 1st. So yeah, I just want looked into it. So we have a threeman street department essentially and we have two back hoes now that are going to be working. We've sent one for repair and we have another one in the electric department. We're proposing getting a third. So we'll have three back hoes. I'd like to get I I'm I'm proposing my my recommendation is that we when we get the new one, we transition out the other two that are absolute junk. Yeah. Now, if that takes time,

I I don't know. I'm not saying it's got to be done immediately, but then we replace those two crap ones with a a good miniature version of stuff that can be our our workhorse for the non-heavy jobs. That's my two cents because that way overall we're paying less maintenance overall in the long run. My department said that he's fine. He's happy with the old they have the old one down there. You don't want to go to have one of the many excavator options? I don't think that it would be valuable for them. So you think that So you So you're saying he's happy with what he has and I don't think that I'm even going to waste any time looking into spending money that nobody's asking for. So you're saying you do want us to maintain two back holes then? Well, the one

one for the electric, one for the electric company. We're not involved in the old one that was so bad that we had to get rid of it. You guys were going to keep it and use it down there and then drive this new one up and down the I guess I don't it has nothing to do with my department. I I think it does because that's the reason we have that second back though is we have another one in the city if something were to go wrong with the other one. Um so I think it does relate because it's it's about sharing resources for what we have. That's that's my two cents. And just so you know, we were going to take the old one and use it for filling up the truck so you ain't running back and forth on the street or nothing and miss, you know,

that changes. So that means that I'm hearing that we want to maintain multiple backho then I mean well that's what we were talking about doing. Okay. I don't know if that's a great idea because they're so expensive and apparently the other one uh maybe maybe it serves the needs of the electric department right now. But my understanding is it's so bad it can't even be used. Uh one's fine. They've never had a problem. You just told me I my understanding was that it it cannot it cannot function well enough to do the needs of of the water and street department. Is that accurate or no? My personal opinion is there's a difference between it.

Well, you have the mini one. I mean, do you I mean, do you have a need for the heaviest duty version and and multip once? Maybe. Right. But a mini can't. So, what I'm unfamiliar with the process here. What exactly are we paying uh this back truck that we were looking to get last year? What are we what what's what's their part of this process? And uh can you walk us through like what what does the backho do? What does the back truck do and who's doing what? I've never seen them. So,

so back it will take the street out. It will take the concrete. It will take majority of the dirt and everything back. It's got a high pressure around a lot of water

basically so you don't touch any electric. reason I ask is one day I I noticed that they had also brought on a trailer Mini X and uh were utilizing that. I was kind of concerned as we're rushing into this if there's a possibility that perhaps this uh back company could also continue to use their min and alleviate us from having the safety issues and anything associated with it at all. Possibly sub that job to them so that we're out of the equation totally and therefore that piece of equip have to leave or run back and forth that often. I don't know what uh that was looked into at all to ask them what if they're capable of doing that. I think that should be looked into.

Well, they're capable of doing it and we get charged every time they come out. Um everything is a price tag. That's that's it right now.

My understanding we're paying around $150,000 right now for the back truck. I don't know what I was asking for numbers in prior meeting to see what exactly it would cost to just have him do the whole job as opposed to the portion that he's doing if it would be cost effective for the city. If you're paying him already, why would you not look and see, okay, what would it take you to complete the job? I think it's foolish not to not to ask him like how much more would it how much more would it cost us? It's costing us $10 and you could do the rest of it for 15. Maybe it's something we look at and say, you know, you're already you have your equipment here, maybe you should do it for 15.

But you also got to look at it too, Rich. If they're coming in at midnight or 2 in the morning, that guy's on overtime and it's going to cost us more. I don't know. Like, we don't pay you for you sell. So, we sign a contract and that's their thing. We're paying people twice. Then we have a street department that could be doing that work and we paying somebody else to do it. I mean right now

we recently just had your reasoning Austin then why we're still paying that that fee for and we tried to get a back truck and we were met with resistance at that as well that there was no possible way for us to do that. I'm just trying to look at cost effective ways to try to possibly save the city some money.

Well, I don't think anybody up here is trying to lose the city money, but I just think at the end of the day, I mean, we're paying somebody to come out. We're paying to repair the the backhoe. We're we're paying for a rental backhoe. I mean, that stuff all adds up. And I I know a lump sum of $170,000 or whatever for a backhoe is is a big pill to swallow. Um but I mean at the end of the day, I mean I I we're just going to continue to I feel like this is going to be this this has been the case since we've discussed this up here. We've talked about it, talked about it, talked about it, and I feel we're going to continue to talk about it, talk about it, talk about it, and just do peacemail stuff that's ultimately going to end up costing us more money. So I just think we'd be done with it. wash our hands, buy the back hoe, make sure they have the equipment that they need, uh, and just stop even debating this. I mean, if we come out on, you know, ultimately, if we come out on the wrong side of it, Rich, um, and it would have been cheaper to pay other and we we pay, it would have been cheaper to fix the backo we have, pay somebody to come out, pay this, pay that. I I can only imagine that it would be a few thousand dollars difference at that. And and honestly, I doubt it would even be that. I think we'll be money ahead. So,

but we're already fixing the back hole. I know we're already fixing the backhoe, but we spent continue to fix it because we're keeping it. Yeah, I understand. Uh, but uh I also think it's going to be doing different work though than what it's been doing. I mean, it's not going to be, you know, doing what the street departments are doing right now. It's going to it I can't imagine that the maintenance we'll be putting into it will be as substantial as it currently is. So, um so I don't know. I I just I think we got to bite the bullet on this. Well, when our taxes go up over it, I'll be here to Well, your taxes went down this year. So, sure did. Well, rate went down. Tax rate. Yes. Your your appraised value went up, but your tax rate went down. So, taxes never go down.

I understand goes down. I understand. Yes. Okay. Um All right. So, all right. We've had a lot of talk. We've had a lot of discussion. It's all good discussion. I know sometimes it feels that it's circular, but it's still positive. So, at the end of the day, what is it we want to do? Do you have enough uh do do we not have enough information to to go ahead? I think there is enough information to go ahead just the route of how we want to take I heard different things that we don't want to we want to separate the electric department from the the street department. I don't know if I like that idea for maintaining two pieces of equipment uh that are extremely expensive this whole time. I know. And it's apparently extremely not cost effective.

I I do you have numbers from the electric department? I don't believe that there's anything other than maintenance that's been done to it. I how it's not cost effective. There's been no complaints. My understanding is we have another backhoe in the city that can't be used for as a backup for the other work. That's my understanding. If if I have that wrong, then then let me know. Do I have that? Am I do I have that wrong or is that accurate? You don't want to answer. That's okay. All right. All right. Well, it's your department. I'm here to support you on on how you can get it done. You have a couple different options in front of you. Um, do you have a recommendation?

I'll make a recommendation that we purchase the tractor. I'll look into everything everybody wants and I'll make the final decision. So, you want to purchase the the backhoe for a new one. Then, what is your plan going forward with the rest of the equipment that we have? We'll take a look into the mini and trading off the tractor that the street department has for that. I will definitely look at because right now the street department maintains one backhoe. So what you're saying is you'd like to get a new backhoe and then investigate

and investigate having a secondary one, but yet we're still going to have the other one instead because that that's a little different than what my recommendation, but which but which is fine to have that recommendation, but that's so that what we're saying is you want to get a new one and then maintain another piece of equipment on top of it. Well, we'll look into getting a mini instead, but it's we got to get we got to get I have a question. So, kind of as to what I said before, I mean, if if we buy a new backhoe, we move the other we have the other two do whatever. I mean, really I mean, how much maintenance are we going to have to do on the other two as opposed to the main backho? I'm not sure. Yeah.

I No, you don't. We can look at a mini if that's what everybody wants to do. Okay. So, we're getting the mini kind of back up. I don't want that. Well, I think we're talking about I think we're talking about phasing equipment out and having a regular uh equipment replacement schedule similar to what Mandota does. Um I would assume because that one's what, five years old? Three.

Three years old. Yeah. So, they're replacing them every three years. And I'm sure they have what 3,000 more people than us. I mean um I mean this isn't rocket science to them. So, um, I'd be curious to know if that mini can do the You're saying they do different functions. I'd be curious to know if that mini can do what the electric department has its needs for because then my and that's and that's all they need it for is like post hole digger stuff like that or things like that. Yeah. No, I'm saying the one for the electric department.

Well, that's what I'm saying though. It's got an auger in the back.

Unless you Yeah. I'm just looking for a way to to to make our costs be better all overall. That was my thought process that you have maybe, again, I'm not saying which department needs what, but you get the main back for the street department. That's what they have. The electric department has maybe a mini or whoever has it and it's it's on a trailer ready to go and whoever needs to use it can use it. They got a hole. As long as as long as the piece both pieces of equipment can function for both parts of the city, we've now saved how we we do maintenance pending. That was my general thoughts. That may not work out in in theory. If it can't solve all the the same situations, though.

Well, you still have two back hoes because the money is being put into the one the streets department currently has. So, I mean, you still have two back hose at the end of the day if we get rid of the other one. I I just I mean, well, then to me, the one piece of information I would like to know is is there a mini configuration that could solve all of the electric department's needs? Because if that's the case, then then that should be the answer. I don't think I don't think that needs to be addressed right now, though. So, that's one piece of information I don't have. Again, with really no information, and we're all traveling and honestly, there's not a person here that knows exactly what the hell they're talking about. So I don't know why which is we don't find the information which is exactly why I think we should be taking the advice of the people who work with the equipment every day as to what they need. So

so they know where the information what he's talking about the information for mechanical things behind it but many I I think we just discussed at the last meeting that we spent $37,000 on repairs the last two years on it. Some of that was a battery. A battery goes out. I have to replace the battery in my car even with good maintenance. Well, uh, regardless, I I mean, at the end of the day, I I don't know. I Well, maybe we don't have enough information. I I mean, I'd like that answer about that. At this rate, I don't think we're ever going to have enough information. Oh, eventually you get a critical you hit critical mass because you get so

Okay, I'll tell you I'll tell you what I can do one at a time. I will feel comfortable purchasing a new backhoe if we have a a maintenance program in place that we know is working and that we will continue to maintain our new stuff and our stuff that we aren't not just the backhoe but all of it. I agree with you 100% Hillary. All of it. That's where I think that's perfect. Totally agree. Agree. That's already in an ordinance or it's in the policy somewhere. We're getting to that next. Follow it. You can say it all day long but At the end of the day, it wasn't done. But maybe it needs to be a council level discussion that we have at a future meeting. I think Mac was trying to say something. Go ahead, Mac.

Okay. Um, I agree there should be. That's why I've got the warranty and the maintenance with it. I'll go ahead and I'll table this one more time and I'll get the mini and we'll figure out a path of how we're going to do this. whether we're going to keep both track keep both tractors or should I say three uh trade one in for a mini or what we're going to do. Okay. Is there any other pieces? Is there any other pieces of information that that's the only thing I can think of that I don't know. I'm going to ask this. What information does everybody want? How often is it greased? How many hours is on it? How often? Okay. You want the maintenance? Yes. Yeah. Well, I think we got we already have maintenance invoices. I I think

no, those are I think I think Well, so yes, but that's what was received when people asked for maintenance records was invoices because you asked uh accounts payable for that. So the city the city clerk's office isn't going to have how often it's been greased, especially since records aren't even kept here. Uh departmental records aren't kept here. So I mean, um to be fair, I don't think maintenance records. Well, no, but I'm I'm just saying no records are kept in city hall. So uh you know, I don't think we're going to have those records. So, I think you're going to have to refer to the streets department or for those records because I mean we've provided the records that we need to provide to to be fair. I think what Rich was talking about was establishing something like paying something in for maintenance every the yearly maintenance thing.

Can't do it. I'm not cutting anybody down. Let's get somebody that can.

And I think that's we need to find out what parts can we can have we just done let's be honest. Have we done a bad job with that in the past? Have we done a bad job with tracking our own maintenance on our own equipment? And if that's the answer, okay, buck up. Can we can we solve that in in house by by having a a more detailed, robust maintenance vehicle program for all equipment or whatever? And if the answer is not, then we take a look at what the cost is like what Rich was saying. Is it a $7,000 a year thing to maintain a piece of equipment? If you're having something that's depreciating at greater than 20 25 grand a year because it's so bad, uh then $7,000 in maintenance for a plan is is not a good is not a bad plan. All right. So, I think those are that's a good question to ask. Look at what we can do. What what can we reasonably do for maintenance in house?

Well, I did get that maintenance attached to this. Yeah, but that was attached with some weird warranty thing. If it's basically a warranty like that's not going to be daily maintenance. That's not going to be cleaning it. That's not going to be greasing it. That's not going to be you after you use it taking care of it. It's going to be air filters, oil change. The other question I would ask though about this is do we up here don't even know what maintenance a backhoe needs though either. So we're going to we're going to sit up here and we're going to have a discussion about a maintenance schedule for it and we're going to say, "Oh, well, maybe we should grease it every this every this many months as opposed to every we we have no clue what we're talking up here. I think we're talking pretty high level here. I've researched it."

Okay. Well, if if you guys if you guys know the maintenance schedule for a backhoe, I will leave it to you because I sure don't. I I I recognize that. But I think what we're saying is to to find out is that something that can be maintained in house. If it is, great. We need to start doing it then. If the answer is no, then how much would a literal cost be of something like that like Rich said? So, I think those questions we can definitely get. I'd like to know what the capabilities of mini uh mini excavator type type things are. Um, can that solve our our issues between especially for the electric department if we're going to go down to one primary and then a secondary is the is the cheaper, more easily maintained item? I'd like to know that cuz I don't know.

Okay, I'll tell you what. I'll get a hold of the Martin implement. I'll ask them to come here to the next meeting. We'll get everything. We'll get the mini. We'll get the warranty everything to be discussed because different equipment takes different amount of preparation and greasing and oil changes and everything else. Okay. Um and I do know that because I was born and raised on a farm. Okay. It's not rocket science. You do it. Um, I'll get get the man here. I don't claim to know everything. And if anybody does, you're lying. Okay. But I'll get the guy here that knows, get the answers, and we got to make a decision on it. One way or the other, we'll have to make a decision.

Okay. Okay. So, we're going to get So, what I'm hearing is we're going to see if we can get those answers. That'll work for everybody. So, we're going to get the answers to those questions and we're going to see if we can get someone here maybe as a as an SME to answer those questions. An expert. Okay. Anybody else have any other questions on this topic at all? No, you really you really can't, sir. Have to wait to public comment. Br. You You certainly can. Yeah, public comment. You can talk about anything. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank you, sir. Um Okay. Uh if there's nothing else, we get a motion to table then. I'll make a motion to table it and put it on the uh next meeting and I'll get a hold of everybody. Get a hold of professionals. Second. Roll call, please. Baldrich. Hi Cullinin.

Hi McDermott. Hi Moy. Hi Curran. Hi. Sorry I for I know that's a long topic. We took a lot of time with that but I I do appreciate that those things are I'd rather do those at working sessions but there is value in that. All right. B review current and new event budgeting. Current. So um I had the ladies uh put together something. Um, I shouldn't say the ladies, our our event assistant event coordinators and and assistants that we have in the office here. Um, I think hopefully everybody got up on the board if you didn't in the drive.

So, I wanted to kind of get an idea. We talked a little bit about I know in the past we we looked at a really long schedule of different events and I think the answer was that we didn't want to add other events because the cost of everything like that. So, we've reduced some of the events that we have in the city right now. So, I wanted to ask them, can you put together a budget of what it actually costs us to do these events? Um, one, I'd like to actually put it in the appropri So, this is twofold twofold. One, to put it in the uh appropriation or it's coming up with actual line items because Rich had brought up some topics about how much we spend on on certain ones. Who's approving that? So, kind kind of a fair point. I like the idea that we approve approve an appropriations ordinance and it will have the line items in there like what each event would cost, right? So that way we have an idea of what we're approving. And then the second thing was to take a look at what it is that we we have here because since we've dropped a few events, um again, I'd like to get to the point to where we are having more events. So uh Bark in the Park, I think they're estimating um well, they really dialed it down to the dollar amount here. Uh only $2,142. Summer Funfest. I have a hard time believing that. But there's but they're saying between all the balances of everything between the beverage sales, sponsorships, carnival costs, and everything like that, we're looking at spending only 3,961. I thought it was a little bit more than that. Um I guess in the past we did technically bring money in. So that is a it's a it's a $4,000 loss. Um I'm actually surprised that uh Boots Boos and Barbecue is 6,150. That one's a little heavier than I expected. and Harvest Fest is uh 4750. I don't see the the we don't have the the winter wonderland anymore because we Oglesby does it, but we do pay for some of the features for that and I want to say it was like 1,500 or something like that.

Yeah. So, what we did was we got we um decorate the tree that they use for lighting and we also donate the carriage to we are uh and pay for that for we are OG's event. So, so we've reduced one of the one of the items that we no longer have here anymore is we used to do the uh summer car craze or I think it was called eats in the streets at one point. Uh so we've lost a July event we don't have anymore. And then uh so so my thoughts are I'd like to take a look at those costs. If you look at just those four events that we have, it's only a cost of seven and that's even overtime and stuff like that. We're looking at $17,000 is is all it really is. I to me I'd like to go with their recommendation by adding a few of the smaller events that we can expand. I'd like to have a more consistent time throughout the year. I think their recommendations their email what did it say? Um they're thinking about a back to school or end of year aloha party a Christmas tree scroll in Senica Square. I mean this is their recommend I don't know. I think we already have enough of the Christmas stuff but that's fine. uh where businesses would sponsor and decorate a tree, a taste of oglesby for restaurants to show their food and martyra. Uh these are a few that were discussed. Uh they're into brainstorming and getting some more ideas as well. Um I'm fine with the back to school or end of school parties. I think those are great. Um we obviously have our big June event. We don't have anything in July right now. I'd really like to bring something into that. Um Marty Gro would bring things a little bit earlier because I think right now our our major first event that we have is the bark in the park. So doing a Marty Gro would bring everything significantly earlier than that. Um but thought we'd go around the room say every what they thought about how much we think about the the budget numbers that we have and if anybody just has any recommendations. Awesome.

Um the only thing I'll say I mean I actually thought Summer Funfest, if I remember the financials Becky sent out last year, I thought it actually made somewhat uh I thought it made a few thousand dollars or something like that. I know but just for reference for context. Um, the other thing is, I mean, I was talking I was at a um event the other day and I just talking to a totally random lady uh who lives in Peru. Uh, and she was talking about something like Ottawa every Sunday in the summer or something has music in the park or something of that nature attracts people downtown, whatever. I'd really like to see some sort of summer programming and I think we're probably, you know, short notice on that. I mean, I know and I also know that we have a downtown full of businesses who also have music and stuff and maybe it doesn't need to be that, but I would I mean, the money was put into Sonica Square um to do to to make some sort of an event space, some sort of a shared space out of it. And it's I've said this before, it's really criminally underutilized. It just kind of sits there and it's something that people will occasionally walk through. You know, uh people will put bubbles in the fountain. Um Jason will make a Facebook video about it. Um you know and and that's really all it is. I I mean there's there's really not much of a purpose uh to it. Um there's kind of just as little of purpose to it as there was before. And so I'd really like to see at least in the summer some sort of regular programming there. I don't know exactly what it would be. You know, I'm not the person to ask about that type of stuff. But um just something you know for people to know you know summers and ogles on this date they do something. I I'd really like to see that. But like I said as far as creativity not the person to ask for that but those are my thoughts. So

Hillary instead of saying what I disagree with I'll tell you what will make me want to have more events in Oakuckles be and be on board with that is I have said it before we have to have a purpose of having events. I don't think we should just have events to have a party. The purpose is to support our local downtown businesses, bring people in to use them. I think one of the the biggest business venues we have downtown are bars. So, I feel like us selling liquor in Senica Square is counterintuitive to letting the bars take advantage of that. So, I'm not for I'll just say this. I'm not for creating a new any new events unless they are non-licker related and it's going to directly impact the businesses. I don't really think our existing one should

I can I can answer that later when we come back around. Yeah, we're limited on how many liquor events we can have anyway. So, we're kind of maxed out. So, that's okay. Good feedback. Uh Mac, glad to hear you say that. I actually agree. We We are a bar community and we need to utilize the bars, the bar owners, the businesses. Um, I'd like to see more events guided toward that to the businesses in town. I mean, what else? What else would you have? That'd be the best thing. Go ahead, Rich. You got anything?

As opposed to parties, I guess my head's still wrapping around the things that we need in the city. So, okay. Um, so, okay.

So, um, Austin, you brought up other events. So, my ultimate goal was I would love to have something happening inside the city every single week, late spring, all the way through summer, all the way through fall. I think that'd be great. I've talked about this in the past. The city can't we can't do that. The city can't put that on. One of the things though that we have seen that we've stimulated is when other organizations put on other types of events. I mean, don't get me wrong, the two biggest ones I can point out is we are Oglesby. They took over the the summer car show one and the the winter event that we have. I think that's we need to be going that more direction. If we can stimulate to more events, go that way. The the turkey, huge event in Oglesby. It's not put on by the city of Oglesby. Now, don't get me wrong, we support it. There is technically there is some money that's spent on that kind of stuff because we have, you know, cops to put some stuff up, barricades. There is there is some cost with those kinds of things, but for the most part, we're not having to run that. And um jump down to the to bar events. Some of our different bar owners, I think there is a Oglesby bar association and they will have certain things like zombie crawls and things like that that they do. Um so, so there has been things that's happening. I think we need to help create to simulate that. As far as the Boots, Brews, and Barbecue, it has changed a little bit over time. We keep doing that. One of the things that we did is we open up the street for uh for public access during the daytime because Boots, Brews, and Barbecue does not sell alcohol until the evening time happens. So, what that does, it allows the bar owners that they can sell their alcohol and they can go in the open street. That's that's been authorized to do. So, it does help stimulate that, but then once the street shuts down, that alcohol can't come across anymore. So then there's a there's a barrier between there but it's still it still brings the the activity uh into the city into the city. What you were saying about liquor events, the good news is we can't create any more. There is some there is some

cheatear arounds like for example it's based on your event. So it's not necessarily a day. That's how we kind of get around that that rule when it comes to um our funfest. Our funfest is listed as one of it's one single event even though it's across four days. So that's how we get away with that. Our our second event that we do is foods, brews, and barbecue. Now, could we cheat on that more and create more events to say Senica Square summer time frame and give a long time frame that we have alcohol? We probably could, but I think that's starting to be a little that's trying to stretch that. So, I do agree that I don't think we need to create more alcohol events. Our other ones that we had uh like so like for example, when the city even had the car show, I don't think we didn't sell our own alcohol. We opened up the park that allowed that. Boots, Brews, and Barbecue was the only one that we've ever sold the alcohol for. Um, but our things like Harvest Fest, um, you know, Bark in the Park, those aren't alcohol necessarily related. Bark in the Park doesn't necessarily help the downtown district. I do like the idea of trying to find more fun ways to get people into the downtown area because I do think the purpose for that is it stimulates the bars and other nonprofits to want to create more events. I was just talking with Starve Rock Community Foundation uh and they are looking to create um another uh what the heck was it called? I think you're in the meeting. What was that?

Um the trivia night. They wanted to do a trivia night thing. And I told them about how um SOS no longer does trivia night in February and the Elks was such a great location for it because that place is like a bunker. You can't cheat at trivia. It's one of the best places in the region to do trivia. So, I know when SOS used to do trivia that night, the the downtown was packed because we used to have over 400 people go to that type of event. So, anytime you can stimulate other other nonprofits or businesses or organizations uh to create more events, I think that's a win. And I think for us to do that is creating more events that's bringing activity into the downtown area. So, that's my two cents on that of what we'd like to do. Um any thought, here's what I was thinking. Any thoughts about the current number of what they have there when they say 17,000? I I do feel like that's a little light, but to answer your question about Summer Funfest, yes, in the past we used to make about 10 10 or 12 grand on FunFest. Uh and then that would cover our other events that we've had through the year. I think over time that has gone. We're looking at a cost now of about 3,900, but that's because, you know, fireworks went up by like 30% and all all these things. These costs have gone up with the revenues not necessarily matching that. We could increase beer sales the cost, but our beer is relatively uh it's it's a it's a big seller to get people to come there because it's not too crazy on price. But I was curious to see what the council maybe thought about what they thought about the 17,000 if they thought there was room in the budget to create because again we only have four official events that we do right now. Any thoughts on that?

Well, like I said, I mean, if we could create something some sort of regular programming, I would love it. Like I I I did mention when Hillary was talking, I I I know you said we're we're kind of maxed out on on liquor, but I I really, you know, frankly, for the idea of Boots and Brews, I mean, I know that we're making 1,200 or so dollars off of it, but I I really don't even I mean, I'd rather eat the $1,200 and give those sales to the bars and uh you know, let people drink that way. I mean, we're getting that money back anyway in the form of sales tax. Maybe not all of it back in the form of sales tax, but you know, helping out the local businesses with that. I really don't think we should be in the business of selling alcohol at all except for at Summer Funfest where there's not a a local business um down there to sell it. But um I I would like to see some regular programming and you know if that's I I don't know what it would be but I mean we do have two people um you know working in city hall who could who could brainstorm that. Um, and I and I do think it's a, you know, obviously I think it's important uh for bringing business downtown, but I mean, even if it's not necessarily a money maker, and even if we lose a few thousand dollars on it, um, I still think you can't put a price on uh, amenities and experience, I think that stuff really does make people a strong sense of community. Um, festivity really does make people want to live in a town as well. So, um, I think some some things are hard to quantify is what I'll say. So,

uh, with with your comment about I see what you're saying about that. We could actually go back to what we did for the the summer um, so when we had the summer, um, car show, we did not provide our own alcohol. We opened up the park and the street and maintained it open the entire time so no traffic would come through and then we the bar traffic could bring that over. We we could do that. I mean, it kind of defeats the purpose of Boots, Bruce, and Barbecue where there's just Boots and Barbecue. But, but there's Bruce.

There's Bruce, but it has to come from someplace else. And then there's only like one bar that's really centrally located to that. Um, the other thing to think about is there is it's only 1150 income that comes in from that. So, that would raise that up more than $1,000 for boots, brews, and barbecue. But, I mean, that is something we could do or we could transition it to a different event that we hold that'd be alcohol, not for that thing. Um, all everything's everything's on the table.

I think we had like a, you know, like a there's was it a whiskey tasting or a craft beer tasting there or something there. I remember like I think that's fine. Obviously, that's more novel, right? But I just don't I kind of agree. I don't know why we would be selling, you know, carbless or Bush Light with, you know, a bar with there's at least two bars, you know, in immediate proximity to there. Um, so I don't know why we compete. So, what people might not be aware of the way the liquor license works, this is this is where I would love a nonprofit to come in to do like a beer tasting or a special thing in Senica Square because they can do that. If you have one of the bars do it, here's the here's the problem with that. A bar can absolutely do that. They can they can take their license and operate under I believe they I think they can there's some kind of rule, but my understanding is they have to shut down their establishment. I thought that's not the I remember Becky and I talked about this in the past.

I don't remember that. I don't they have to shut down their establishment while they operate say at another location. I don't I don't believe so. No, there usually is a way where they can get a license to operate at a different location.

Yeah. You just have to ask ask for and Rich could probably help me out with this too. I believe you just ask for an extension on your liquor license to cover wherever and then you have to talk to your um insurance and things like that. But you can do both of them. Well, if there's a way that we can do that, I I would I would love a bar to want to host more type of events like that down at like Senica Square or something like that. So, we're getting people down there for a reason. If we if we can if we can find a way to do that, um even even better. But I would love more non the whole idea is that the city doesn't have to be in the business of constantly making new events. The goal is to stimulate the economy so people are wanting to come here and like for example another event that I mean some of the bars they they get together for their events like Zombie Crawls but then you al also have like Calinos he's putting on like music nearly every weekend through the summer months right there. So that's generating activity in our downtown that we're not having to do anything for to make sure that happens. So, um, I all I'm saying is 17,000 is what I'm seeing on this piece of paper of what we're spending for our our events that we have. I think there's room in there to continue to bring more people in town. And I don't know if you want my thoughts are at least I'd like to take the recommendation from our our ladies that that are putting stuff together to create at least three smaller events. And you're talking about non-alcohol ones because if you have the uh back to school or end of school year parties and stuff like that, those are two right there that obviously there's not alcohol. Um so those are something that we can do. I'd like to find something for the month of July so we can constantly have something throughout the the entire season. That's that's kind of my two cents. Uh at a very minimum, I do want this to go on. I'm going to recommend that we put this on for appropriations so that way it alleviates Rich's concern that the council's actually approving something with these. It's probably a little too exact to do for appropriations.

Well, no. I would say like that number would come up to be whatever. Bark in the park 21 plus 10%. So, you'd say like 2400 or whatever it is and then Summer Funfest 5,000. Yeah. Whatever. And that's that's supposed to be our our cap of what we're authorized to spend and stuff like that. I just think that number is a little too. No, I I get it. This is just to show us here. So, that's what I'd like to do. Uh but I'd also like to expand that a little bit just because I think we have some wiggle room in the money. I'm supportive of that.

My question is, okay, so summer funfest, there's a lot of things that offset how much those expenses are. Like I'm looking at it with the carnival, the beverage sales. When you're budgeting for something like that, can you budget with the expectation of an offset or do you have if that goes out the door? It I I think Funfest is going to be very hard to dial in because I mean, we've gone to the past where it's been 10 to 15,000 and this year we're expecting that we're going to be 10 to 15,000 that we've made, right? And this year we're expecting that we are are going the way some of these numbers are. I I have a hard I mean when you're looking at a $100,000 event you're trying to boil it down to get exact within four or 5,000. I think that's a little difficult to do because rain affects us so hard,

right? And like just the sound alone is cost more than the money you're going to make on it. $7,200 there. So when you write that check and it exceeds what's budgeted, is that going to be a concern? Um, well, again, I don't that's my for appropriations. I guess maybe that's my Pat question, but do you understand what I'm trying to say? No. Okay. So, if we budget $4,000 for Summer Funfest, right there, just the sound alone is $7,200. Yeah. Oh, I see.

Is that going to cause big red flags because now we're spending more than what's budgeted? Granted, in the grand scheme of things for the entire event, we make it back with beverage sales, carnival sales. Why don't you just appropriate separately individually for funfest as opposed to appropriating each line item? Yeah, I mean, we write out 36 I mean, we're expecting to write out $36,000 in checks to bands at the end of the two. So, we're hoping we're selling that much beer. I think honestly the discussion would be just to appropriate that much money period and not even I mean, you could break it down by event, but I certainly wouldn't line item each event. I think that would be too excessive. Well, you can break it down further. I know. I just don't think it'd be advisable. I well I mean I'm

Funfest is a tough one because it's going to be very hard to to zero in. But my point is we don't have anything written down via appropriation. Rich made a good point. Who who's technically approving that, right? Because we we really didn't we all think Funfest is great but nobody's sitting here saying this is what we at least this right here this is what we're saying we're attempting. If we're if we make 4,000 more or we lose 4,000 more then but but then you have that discussion and who's approving that? Well, I mean, if you'd have to break it down then by every line item because then who's approving $18,000 for fireworks, right? You you would Well, the council would Oh, because you're saying put in there as a line.

Yeah. So, you'd have to put everything in there as a line item, which I think is excessive. I think it's fine to appropriate for these events. And maybe you can appropriate by events, but I just I I think to break everything down line item, I mean, we saw fireworks went up, you know, pretty substantially this year. I I think we have to bake in that flexibility. But um for context, I did pull up the Summer Funfest financials that Becky had sent out last year following the event. And um last year for 2025, we made 14 grand. The previous year we made 1,400. The previous year uh 23 we made 17 grand. The year before that 22 grand. The year before that 20 or 30 grand. So

So I'm I'm well familiar with those. What's not including is the hotel. That's also having the inject money of the hotel motel tax. Can you send those to me, Austin, please? Yeah, I'll forward them to you. Right. So, I I remember seeing those when Tommy would do them, too. And I It's a true cost when you're when you're funding. So, like sometimes you say, "Oh, we made we made $12,000." And then you look that we we we pulled out 13,000 from uh from our our motor, you know, not tax, hotel motel tax. So, I'm like, so really it technically lost a thousand that year or something like that. I mean, 25 we pulled out 17 grand. So then it would have lost about four grand.

So that's that's what I'm saying. That's the numbers are tough to look at. It's it's a very it's a complicated there's so many moving parts. But again, what did it bring in? What did it bring in sales tax though too? I mean that's something to consider as well. So there there I mean there is a secondary effect of all the people that go like on on Saturday, Friday night and Saturday night when it closes there there are people in the downtown that go. There's more people coming through town. Uh in fact I think with the kids in the park we've done it sometimes to where it's not even down there. We do it so it's in the middle of town so people can benefit from it. But but that's funfest. So two two parts of the discussion here. One is getting something on the appropriations because we've never had an element before. I don't think there's anybody that's against that. Is there is there somebody I'm hearing that's against that?

I'm fine with it if we appropriate by event instead of breaking stuff down light item. That's what I think you should do. U and I think you should appropriate a number that has all of the receipts taken off. So your suggestion is to put $120,000 out and if somebody and not saying that they will but if say five years from now somebody comes in and says I'm going to spend $70,000 for a band then what because because Rich is saying Rich is saying it's under the appropriation amount they're authorized to do so. I guess it goes back to I don't think that it just because it's in the appropriations that you can circumvent council approval for big ticket items. Well yeah I don't I don't think that we have

Well, here's what here's what I recommend to solve that. We we put the big number in there for your appropriations, but then we have a worksheet that's at least council says, "Yep, that's a good plan, right?" So, you have a you have a guideline that you're basing something off of, but it's still And keep in mind, I know that doesn't sound very scientific, but if you look at, first of all, Fund has been very successful the last 25 years. There's been no guideline. So, we're creating something at least that's a blueprint.

Yeah. I I mean I I think if people were spending almost double what we have for entertainment um you know we're not bringing in a whole lot more. I would say that's just kind of um administrative buffoonery at that point. And I mean you I don't really uh I mean I don't really know what you do uh really what you really do at that point other than reassign whoever is spending that money uh or uh whatever because I mean that would be completely ridiculous. Okay. Um, any other comments on the portion about talking about uh making sure it gets onto the appropriations? Fine with that. Just break it down by event. Okay, good. Yep. Okay, good.

All right, next thing. What do we think about trying to add a few minor events based on uh the suggestions from some of the ladies? Thoughts on that? Budgeting X certain amount, 2,000, 5,000, two event, one event, three event. What What are people thinking? Well, I mean, if we are breaking stuff down by event, I mean, then you kind of have to have an idea as to what the event's going to be. Um, so I mean, that would be a larger discussion. Um, but I, like I said, I'm fine with appropriating more for it. I I I would really like to see some sort of regular programming in town. Um, I just don't know what it is and I'm, you know. Okay. Yeah. I I agree with Austin. We need to know what the events are before we can appropriate Okay. appropriate it. Mac.

Yeah. We need to know what it is and it needs to be council approval. Okay, Rich. Absolutely. Well, here's what I'll do then. I'll I'll ask the ladies to see if uh because I'm looking at Bark in the Park, you know, that's a relatively small one. 2142. We have different vendors and car whatever kind of stuff like that. My thoughts are I'd like to do what they recommended for the end of school and start of school. We used to have something like that. I think SOS used to have an ice cream social, but they now they don't do that anymore. So, having something like that, maybe I can make a recommendation that 2,000 for one, 2,000 for the other. and then creating some kind of July event, whatever that is, maybe four or 5 thousand. Let me get with them on that. See if they can come with a recommendation and then we can uh um maybe we'll have something at the next meeting then. Does that sound good to everybody? Sounds good to me.

Yep. That'll work. You could always appropriate for all these specific events you know about and then appropriate a sum of money, $5,000 for miscellaneous events throughout the year. Uh and then decide on those Okay. All right. That might we'll look at that. Just a suggestion. Anybody have anything else? Nope. All right. I think we discussed it. Good. Uh number 12, new business discussion on policy. Manuel Cullen. Who is Manuel?

Uh yeah. So, um I uh speaking of community events, I had talked about kind of our our new capabilities that we have um uh with Office 365 and and it would be I think Yeah, I know you hate it, but uh we'll get you there. Um we talk about this at least.

Well, okay. Yes, but this is a separate issue. So, we had we had talked about whatever the capabilities. One of the things is the calendar. And I had talked before about how I would I think it would be really nice to have one concise community calendar that shows everything that's going on in town within reason. Um you know uh throughout uh throughout the week, right? And so that would be city events like city council meetings, board meetings, um things of that nature. I mean BB gun club, whatever. Okay. City city sponsored stuff, nonprofit things. if we are Oglespie is doing something or you know whoever else is doing something schoolboard meeting even you know great throw that on there um but also you know I I don't necessarily think um and and I don't know this is um I guess part of the discussion but I didn't necessarily think it would be a bad idea too I mean you know even if somebody uh you know if there's a a local business that is um you know having a special or if there's somebody that's having a yard sale or something like that as long as it's appropriate, you know, I didn't necessarily think there'd be something wrong with, you know, people being able to submit requests to this community calendar and us approve them and throw them on there just so people can go to one spot. It's a one spot shop where everybody can see every single thing that's happening in Ogulby on a given date or a given week or a given month. Um, but then I thought about it and I was like, well, I know we have a social media policy and I was like, well, I wonder what So, that's the first thing. So put that in your heads. The but I was wondering though like I know we have a social media policy and if our social media policy would even allow for that and you know looking here it says any groups or individuals desiring to access city of Oglesby social media site which you know I don't know if this community calendar would constitute that. I would think it's close enough to constitute it. To promote any event must be an oglesby non forprofit organization. Well okay so um you know that's uh you know that that's an issue. Okay. Um but then

it led to a bigger issue which is when I went to search for this policy, we have um in our office um we have um a lot of things stored locally on our what we call our F drive. Uh and so this is like um storage that is only available if you're within like the city's organization. It's not cloud storage. It's it's just located here. So all the computers in the office have access to it. Um, but I but I noticed that we have kind of a lot of loose policies that have been created at different times and they're just kind of floating out there. There's no actual policy manual. And uh I it kind of made me confused as to, you know, what actual policies do we even actually have on file? I I really don't even know to be entirely honest with you. Uh because just for an example where I teach at my school, I mean they have a whole schoolboard manual and I'm sure um you know our school board probably has something similar uh where they break down the you know the the organization of the school district, the school board, um general school administration, operational services, so forth and so on. And I mean you can go to any of these sections and all the policies are located in one concise specific place. And so I had tried to piece together kind of something very rudimentary and I I think Pat if you saw it you're probably horrified. Um but I had tried to piece something very rudimentary together um to kind of you know maybe put all of this stuff in one place but like I said I don't even know what's current policy to be entirely honest with you looking at that. I mean you probably have to go back and dig through minutes upon minutes. And so, um,

and a lot of it may be in your ordinances. Yeah. Quite honestly. Yeah. Uh, and so with that being said, I I guess what I wanted to, uh, approach the council about, I guess, would be maybe those issues. I mean, do you think there's any Well, the biggest issue here is the policy manual. I think that's something that I mean if we do have policies that are not written in our ordinance I think they have to be someplace because we can't expect people to adhere to or policies that they don't even know exist or that they exist somewhere in some you know file uh digital file folder somewhere you know in the abyss probably

um yeah like um so I I think people I think we need to have a concise policy manual similar to this um but I think we have to identify what all those policies are that we have uh we need to organize them, categorize them, and then codify them into something coherent. Um, and so that would include, if we wanted to with the community calendar, because that's what started all this, probably having to revisit the social media policy and allowing for, you know, businesses to, you know, mention, you know, maybe obviously setting limits on it, uh, as to what they could do, but, you know, um, allowing for that. I think the concern when that was discussed Austin was it it would seem like you were

um condoning or favoring business for a certain So this is this is the thing. So what I have is I have a um I have a a Microsoft form where people can submit requests and then they come automatically to they would come automatically to the clerk's office and as long as it met the guidelines you know nothing explicit nothing you know whatever I mean we could set morality and taste guidelines of course but if it met those guidelines then it would just be approved and added to the calendar um would be that we wouldn't It's completely up to you guys.

Yeah. So, there's a few different things there. Um, but I I think the most pressing issue is the policy manual. If you would like to tell me what you think of the other things, that would be great, but I I think we need to find some way to get this codified. I don't know what we used, but I mean, I I definitely think it's kind of um a mess from what I can see. I I I did not identify I was not able to find any policy manual anywhere. So, I find merit in what you're saying. I think maybe we need to take a step back because there's a lot of people already upset about the Microsoft and just give it some time to sit in let them get working of course. Yeah. The shared spreadsheets and stuff people with broken link including including my city my uh city hall employees.

Yeah. So let's let's pump the brakes on the calendar. I think it has great merit. I do. Second of all the policy manual. I like the idea of it all being in one spot. Is this the policy stuff that work was worked on for two years with the rest of the council and lots of discuss and lots of discussions? There's no revision to what you put together. You just put them in one spot.

Well, so the issue is I mean if you go what I was able to find so there's a social media policy, right? Passed by ordinance. Uh there's a sewer credit policy. Some of the stuff was passed by ordinance and some of it I don't think was um some of it was executive. Uh there's a personnel policy. which don't know when that was done. There's an HR policy which is or no, I think that's the same thing. It's just titled differently. Net metering policy,

but this is stuff you didn't change anything on these current exactly that was my question. Interconnection policy, HR condolences policy. They're all separate documents. They're all different folders in the F drive. They're not one concise location. I mean, you just have to do I don't know. I I think it's very difficult to actually know what policies we actually have as a city because yeah, they're they're not compiled in a in an actual policy manual. So um and uh I mean even like we found uh I think we there's something about uh appropriate use for uh and technologies and the personnel policy but we also you know I dug up a cell phone policy that's sitting in there that's from like I don't know and it talks about the clerk's office will be responsible for reviewing all cell phone bills of the employees for proper reimbursement of personal calls beyond policy limits. reimbursement will be at the rate of 25 cents per minute for each like that's you know how old you know it's like yeah I I I don't know what we actually have on file and so administratively it's it's it's really difficult I mean we talked about wanting to get all the policies in one place well they're

they're they're kind of a convoluted mess I think and so I think they actually need to be compiled into into one definitive document that maybe we review on a regular basis to be entirely honest with you. Um I think that's probably a practice of school boards. I think our school board reviews the policy manual um right relatively regularly every two years. Yeah. So I think my suggestion is continue compiling them. Not trying to direct you on what to do, but I think that's great. Let's pump the brakes on too many changes. Okay. Sure. Sure. Sure. That's my compile them together. Make a manual and get them straightened out. bring them to us and let us see them and Rich motion.

Yeah, I agree totally. Go ahead. Get it. Um, couple things. So, big difference between codifying something and codifying and then gather and organize. I I do agree. So, a lot of our first of all, policy is kind of a loose term. Some things like net metering policy. It has the term policy in it, but in reality, it's it's an ordinance. Ordinance.

It's an ordinance. They just use that term because of net metering and stuff like that. That was a state thing. So, it's not truly a policy. Some of those things were simply they just have that title. Um, now what you're talking about there is there's a few that were from like uh I don't I didn't I don't remember seeing a single policy signed before Finley. Uh but Finley had some uh during the last administration. Uh we we put some like COVID pol we had some stuff like that. We wrote some stuff like that. This one we obviously created our our behavioral we actually created a lot of policies. our behavior policy, our HR policy, our personnel policy, because they weren't they were all kind of separated, right? You had like how people could treat a cell phone, you know, all that kind of stuff. The only one that that I have signed as a policy that didn't really come in front of the public was the condolences policy, and that was based on me finding out that uh certain city employees did not have the same thing handled to them when they had a level one pass or something like that. So, I put something together that made it we have a standardized thing about how we recognize when when these things happen and stuff like that. But I do agree with the idea of organizing them perhaps in a binder. Uh so that way I don't know about codifying them just yet, but at least getting them organized so we know what exists.

The other big thing is I guess I need to know what policies we have too because that's all I was able to dig up on the F drive. And I mean, if you have, you know, if there's policies that you're aware of that I'm not aware of, like, uh, I I need obviously those to compile because I'm not sure what we all have, honestly. It's all kind of just

there probably is some policies that nobody like, for example, when co when CO was going on, we had some crazy stuff going on. We had to come up with a COVID policy about how we're handling if somebody were to say, I test, you know, somebody in my house tested, how we how we had to come up with a policy for that. I don't think that thing's been looked at and probably four years at least. Um, so I would recommend gathering them all together, saying, "This is what we got. What else do we know?" The clerk's office will probably know a lot of them. Some of them are only in paper. Like I know Finley's ones that were they were only ever in paper. Um, so couple things. The monthly So you talk about uh newsletter. We actually have a monthly newsletter. Now, you could talk about trying to expand upon our monthly newsletter to maybe because right now we just have stuff like that summarizes council meetings, holidays, special super events that we do. We could expand that a little bit more.

Who are you watching the game? Who's is that? All right. I know it's running long. I apologize. So we we we definitely we definitely have that. So the monthly newsletter, right? I would think if you want to put some stuff on that, we could find ways to expand upon that. Maybe have a little more detail in there. Um event page. Um I'm a little nervous about that because you know about the issues that we've had where somebody even comes and they they have a request for the uh the our billboard outside,

right? I I have concerns if somebody wants to put something up of a of a personal nature or for their business. Right. In typical I and I think we have a policy that says I think our I think we have policy. This is why we need the policy pile.

Well, I think our social media policy has it to where it says that we will not um advertise for a business unless it's their grand opening. I think it says that right other than that we don't advertise for business. But we kind of circumvent that because if it's a business that has a nonprofit thing going on, then it's a different story. See, I just I I guess I wouldn't consider this necessarily to be advertising. I consider it more to be like a community board of a sort because people we're not putting anything on there. We're not doing any of the leg work. People are putting something on there. And so, uh I I I think it would be inappropriate, frankly, uh you know, for the city Facebook page or for any city affiliated accounts to be sharing, uh you know, posts for a particular business and saying, "Hey, go here." you know, they have uh they have this special on this on this given day. I I think that's inappropriate. But I think if you had something which was community which was basically totally based off of community submissions and there were taste and moral guidelines attached to it. Um and and maybe other guidelines as well. I I don't see an issue with that because we're not actively advertising anything. If anything, we're just passively we're providing a a space for that, I guess. Well, I absolutely agree with one of the things you said there with we should probably be reviewing them, right? Because what made sense for social media 10 years ago does not hold water today, right? So maybe every couple years you need to be updating that and looking at that. I will say that we're going to make Pat's job a living hell. Uh because the whole reason the social media policy came around and this was before Pat's time uh there was some issues where we had people that could make comments on Facebook and and we had to park our park our clerk's office had to monitor every single thing because people put live stuff that

well this nobody can I'll just say this specific thing nobody can add anything to it without literally the approval of who I know but then what you're doing is now you're making something else that that the clerk's office has to add into that and that and that's under your perview. So, I don't think there's anything wrong with us looking at that if we want to update something like that. But I just think that you're let's do this. Let's focus on like finalizing some sort of uh a comprehensive policy manual first and when we review that policy manual, we can talk about that. I think that's the I think the way to go about that is organizing a big binder together that has we got 25 policies in there, right? And then we can look at, okay, is this all the policies we have? All right. Now, let's make sure it's digitized.

So, only having been here a year, if you're aware of any policies that are not located in this policy fi folder under administrative documents policies, please alert me or please upload them yourselves so I can put something together because like I said, I think you need to be able. Okay, that's all I got. All right. Anything else? Did anybody else Everybody had an opportunity to talk about discussion policy man on policy manuel. Sounds good. All right. If there's nothing else, we'll move on. Number 13, public comment on any topic. Did you jump over Hillary's? You did. Yeah. You might have a Sorry. Did I have an old agenda? It's not even What do I do? I don't know if there's no action on Malta. There's no action. I'm just going to choose the commission. I don't got that.

It's possible you don't. It was probably one of the older I don't know if I need to get council approval on this. We've talked about the travel policy 15 times, but what is it? So Maltus and Jess Core, Chief Maltus, they're going they are requesting to go to a fire department instructor's conference in Indianapolis between 4:23 and 4:24. It would be one night of overnight travel. Um it's something that a lot of the local area fire departments are already doing. It's for Maltus a total of 95656. And for Jess, he's at the bottom, but they're car pooling. So, it's only $150 for Jess. So, do I don't know if any consult

safe travels. Thank you. Safe travel around. Go ahead. So, what I one I didn't know. It's not on my list. So, sorry. I apologize. Um my two cents on it is if it's within the limits of what's on the thing, you don't have to put it on there for your for your employees, right? You can do whatever. I mean, I think it's great. We there are some other ones that I think we do need to put on there. Like for example, I think the IMEA conference is coming up shortly. I don't know if we've talked about that if council members want to go to that. They usually like to see multiple council members. And the one for September, it's probably too early for that though, but it is out. We can get that on there as well. Um but usually if it's for your own personnel, as long as it's underneath that that now

I say that because like DC or other places you go to, you might not be able to get that room rate at whatever. So technically that would be advanced you know get that approved then but if it's under the numbers you don't need anything and that was me putting it on there just to make sure we had already talked about it even how' they not get online I I don't know I'm working off of two different agendas because of the it's the Microsoft 365 somebody upgraded the drag again I'll take all right moving on 13 public comment on any topic Didn't we have Oh, come on up.

One night. Hi, my name is Brian Kainish uh for Jennifer. That's C A M I S. Sorry about that. No, it's it's difficult. I've used K one time. I said I was sorry.

It's all right. It's been slaughtered through the years. No worries. Usually at the end with the S or the C. Um, I'm here because I thought we were on the agenda. I don't know if we are or not. Uh, anyways, regardless, um, my wife and I built the house in 2018. Um, we, uh, the contractor owned the lot next to us, own the lot that we built our house on. We followed every ordinance. Our markers were marked. Um, we put our sidewalk in, we put our trees in, we followed everything we could. Um, and 2019, our neighbor built the house off the same markers. No issues, no complaints, no nothing. Um, our neighbor didn't put a sidewalk in, uh, which the city had some discussion with. He also put up a fence which is in violation of city ordinance clearly. Um, I think it's 25 foot from the city line. Plus, it's supposed to be 4 foot on a corner. Hey, we weren't worried about it. the city had discussions with them. Um, we put up a fence shortly thereafter, 18 inches off the line, which was the mark line that we built our house on, and also that he built his house and put his fence up on. We also put a shed that was 18 inches off the line. The reason we put it 18 inches off the line because we received permission from the city. We approached the city multiple times on emails to obtain a variance to be able to put our shed 18 inches off the line. Um, we have those emails. Eventually, told by the city engineer that we didn't need to put it 5 foot off that we could put it 18 inches off even after we tried several times to see what we need to do the variance to ask to put it 18 in off regardless our shed our fence were 18 in off the property line we always intended to um finish our fence we have a a dog we have kids we have a pool we intended

to but obviously fences aren't cheap uh we have to take our time at it Um, in the meantime, the city had some issues with our neighbor to the south about the fence, which is clearly put up in violation of city ordinance, and our former building inspector apparently approved. Why? I have no idea. That's not my deal. But in the meantime, their family uh got in a spat with the city and apparently uh the city had it uh surveyed. At least the markers on the city side, they also had it surveyed and um with no fault of mine, the marker in the front of our house was I think approximately 10 or 12 inches off even though it there was in the ground. There was no back marker that we ever found. Neither did the person that surveyed it originally for our contractor. Um either way, our fence uh in the front is several inches off in the front. Uh as it runs at an angle, our shed is right on the property line. Uh so our fence and our shed are still on our property. They're not on the city's property. They're not on my neighbor's property. Um so In the spring of 2025, my neighbor Dave Foster, who's here, approached me, he's my neighbor to the west, approached me about building a fence. Then he asked me, "Hey, do you mind if we put it on the line?" And there's, you know, ways to do that in the city of Oglesby. And I said, "Absolutely, no problem. I don't care. You know, let's put it I mean, why do we have the 18 inches of wasted space?" Well, Dave got the cost and he had some other things going on. So, he didn't have the funds to do the fence. um and said he wasn't going to put it up in 2025. Well, in the meantime, we decided in the spring or the fall of

2025 into the uh winter of 2026 that we wanted to complete our fence. Dave and Dina to the west of us wanted to put it on the line. No problem. So, we did the paperwork. Um uh Daryl and Gina Baker to the north, uh talked to them, put it on the line. We don't care. It's fine. No problems. So, we have everything on the line due to the issues that we've had in the past with the neighbors to the south of us and their entire family. I I'm not really sure uh which one actually owns it, but we um paid to have a survey done because we were told that our shed was 8 in on their property, which is incorrect. Um so, we paid to have a survey done. Um we paid the uh the fee to apply for a variance We did everything the right way. We didn't try to like trick anyone. We didn't just slap it up there. We tried to do everything the right way. So, recently went to a variance hearing and the variance board uh declined us under the fact that there was no hardship on us. So, two things. One, they want me to put it 18 in off my shed to the back. And then on the back, it's going to be on the line. If my neighbor completes the fence, I have zero access to that 18 in. It's a vinyl fence. There's no maintenance to it. My shed's not moving. Neither is the other part of the fence that's there. It's not going anywhere. So, there's no The only hardship is on me aesthetically that it's not going to look right. And then to I'm not going to have access to that 18 in as well. Uh I think merely the only way it's contested is just to be a pain in the butt. I mean, everybody in the neighborhood is fine with it. Um I I I just don't understand. They're saying there's no hardship. The only hardship is on my wife and I. And then if we want to look back through variances that have been granted in the city of Oglesby, I'm sure we could dig

into some that weren't just granted because of hardship. They were granted because of convenience. Um so all I'm asking is for the city council to take a hard look at this and see what they want to do with it. I I implore you to overturn the variance uh board's uh decision. I don't believe it's correct and I'm just asking for the council to take a look at it and do what spare is fair. Any questions? Do you guys have knowledge of what what he's requesting? So this is his shed. This is his existing fence essentially on the property line. Right, Brian?

The front of it is Well, it's not with So the front of it several inches off and as it goes back to the corner of the shed, the corner of the shed is right on the property line. Correct. So, this is essentially on the property line and he wants to extend it back here. Um, he has reached agreement with these two neighbors to allow him to put it on the property line and you have an ordinance that says it has to be reduced to writing, notorized, and recorded. And when we were here for the meeting, that wasn't quite done yet, but I'm sure your neighbors will cooperate in doing that.

So, we submitted the completed paperwork not being notorized because we haven't submitted the paperwork to the county clerk. We were just submitting it with our application for our variance to show that our neighbors on the other two sides were okay with it being on uh the line. In fact, my neighbor to the west, it was his idea originally to put it on the line, not mine. Although I have no problem with it. Uh we're talking about 25 ft, which is less from this wall to that wall at 18 in here to here is what we're talking.

It's 25 uh feet and approximately 25 feet 6 in at 18 in wide. So, we're not talking about a, you know, a huge space. And I also, we're not setting precedents either because I'm not asking that my back neighbor I have 80 feet across the back and I'm asking he doesn't want me to have it there. He you know what I'm saying? This is just a small section. It's not me saying, "Oh, my neighbor says no, so I'm not going to put it, you know, or I want to ask for a variance." This is a small section that lines up with everything else that you have an approved permit on. Correct.

That I had an approved permit for. Correct. In documentation that when we asked originally for a variance on our shed that we were told in multiple emails, we basically begged the city to let us have a variance and we were told we didn't need it.

Any thoughts? So, in short, I think it's pretty simple. So, well, unfortunately, Brian, it's not on the agenda and I take some responsibility for that because Jen sent me the agenda and I didn't notice that it wasn't on there, but this was all taken up by the zoning board last week and one person abstained that used to be a neighbor, Brian. Yes, he was a neighbor and he also did the roughly he did abstain. I mean, I understand that. Voted unanimously against it. Um, I think largely because the Sienzas were here and and voice a lot of concerns about it. What were their concerns? Well, I I'll let them tell you because to start that discussion would be difficult and Brian would have to counteract some of it. But I think um

well, you know, they they complain that the shed, the overhang of the shed is really on their property. They complain that the gravel from the shed because it's raised up higher than their property keeps sliding down onto their property. Things like that. Um Pat, I actually think they insinuated that my shed, which is 10 by 16 by 8 with a four-wheeler and a golf cart and a lot of other equipment inside of it was moving was moving. No, they they did they did suggest not to their property and they were concerned about and then they were concerned about some electrical line that apparently uh they wouldn't be able if the power went off there would be no access to it which if you can go through uh the entire city of Ogles being our neighborhood there's power lanes

inside fences everywhere all over the place

that would create a 4 foot quarter between your fence and their so that was another concern that they apparently wouldn't have uh room to take care of their property, which as all of us know in between fences is pretty much like a no man's land. Um, he has almost 4 foot by his own emittance to take care of the property. I don't understand. Originally, when we put the when I put my fence up in my shed, I put 18 in of CA6 in with a border to prevent the gravel from going into anybody else's yard. um when they found out that they owned more land, he took out pieces of the border, which eventually made they take the border out and then he started putting soil on top of it. And when it rains, if you know what CA6 is, it packs like concrete. The water pushes the dirt off of it. So therefore, that's where they're getting that it's washing away. Well, you can't just throw dirt on top of CA6 and think it's going to stay there. Um and I was just trying to make it easy because there's no way that you're going to take a lawnmower 18. I don't have a longer that's 18 in wide. To make it easy, why not just put a nice gravel enclosed and be done with it and not have to worry about it. That was my my whole intention all along was when I finished the fence is go all the way down with 18 in.

So, we don't have this on the agenda tonight for for an action item, which I thought it was originally and that's why I had some neighbors that were like, is it on the agenda? There was some

the date was incorrect. There were some issues. We'll get it on there. So, a couple things since I don't have a number 15 anymore because I I really don't want to create a front and back and forth here, but um I will comment on on the parts I know. Um and so I haven't had a chance to Okay, so Brian and I talked about a week ago about this stuff. We talked for a good hour. We we chatted about some stuff and I I gave him the same line. I I tell everybody here that when our boards make a recommendation, I I take that very seriously. I don't like to go against a board recommendation. I think so far we've ever done it twice out of like 50 plus probably a hundred plus recommendations over the last seven years. I think there's only been twice that we've gone against that. So I to me they should be really extraordinary circumstances. Uh we talked a little bit about that. Um after we got off the phone I had talked to uh Dan Fitzgerald which is our zoning chairperson and boy oh boy I love Dan because he knows how to look at something analytically. Um, I asked him his thoughts and and his thoughts were because let's look at the black and white of the and and I respect that. I really do. Um, and by the way, I just want to say how much I really appreciate you trying to go about this the best way you have by trying to get it approved because we have a major history in the city of people just doing things and then asking for forgiveness later. So, I I mean that sincerely.

Put up. I I mean that sincerely

and it would have saved us a lot of money. As I said, this is why I don't want to back and forth, but I I mean that sincerely. Um, and so because of that, I I want to pay special attention to this. So, talking to Dan, he believes that it's independent of anything else that's going on. You should look at the situation that's that's there. And so, he's right. If you look at that, it should be denied, right? Um, and then one of the things that I talked to them about because I because you and I talked about this, the stuff with the Sienza stuff in the past did not come up how they are not the code as you can see, right? If I can get into that too a little bit. If Dom was here, he'd be up he'd be up screaming on at the at the podium uh as well. Dan's thought was that doesn't matter. I think it does have some bearing because what happened was when they built their stuff um it there there's there's an argument whether they agreed to what was on the building permit. Um but obviously it is not the the way the building permit was worded there. You can see even though if if Jim Kleiner was here he'd tell you that these yellow lines are cartoon lines and you can't trust them but they

approximate they give a good indication of what's going onvious. Their fence is obviously too close to the roadway. It's inside the rightway. So, it was supposed to be back so far from the right ofway, which they did not do. Because of that, their length of their fence is correct on their building permit, but it started at the wrong thing. I'm a believer that that's what caused some of the problems that you you're having because when you put your stuff in, you were basing it based on that approved building permit. Now, when I mentioned this to Dan Fitzgerald, he is again, he's a black and white guy. He says absolutely. However, that's independent. The homeowner is still responsible for what they build to make sure it's decode, whether they have the right pins or whatever. So, he's correct. I I agree with that. And you and I have gone back and forth about talking about how, hey, how can they be not to code and I have to be

Can I interject, too? I know you don't want me to, but I'm going to. Uh, their offense is on the city's property. my fences on my property. Sir, I just so we can clarify that. That's not all on their property. Thank you, sir. You're welcome.

So, so with that being said, um I talked to Dan because I don't want to go against and he makes it he makes a solid recommendation. I don't want to go and he said, "I recognize the position you're in because the board is in a political position about you're trying to make the best compromise for all citizens involved there." So, and what's not fair is I haven't even talked to the council about this yet. The reason I didn't is because it just been inundated with a thousand other things and it wasn't on the agenda. So, when it wasn't on the agenda Friday, I'm like, you know what? I'll deal with it another time. I think Hillary and I talked about it briefly on the phone today, she was kind of on board with it. I made a mention to Austin, but I don't even think we've gone into the details. I don't think it's appropriate for me to go into those details right now. I have two council members that have not even heard it yet. Um, but I have a recommendation to where how something could be approved, but I do think I'd like to respect the board and deny the request, but there's there's a roundabout way to get to where and we've talked about it down in the office right before. I know we only had five minutes to to talk about it, but I would like to look at this a little bit detail because I'm telling you, I respect that you are trying to do it the right way and I wish more residents would go that route

and I respect that you want to take it to the board. So, I think the board should look at it. It should be on the agenda and then they should make a vote on it. Um, and you guys can talk about it. Um, I respect that. We'd like to get the ball rolling a little bit sooner than later. Um, but if we got to wait, we got to wait. I mean, we are trying to I know we were kind of pushing the city along to get to a variance hearing because we were hoping to get this up and done by summertime. Clearly, we have a a swimming pool. Um, and you know, we would really like to have our yard fence fix it. Sir, I I get it. We've talked about I just want to bring that up that this is been in the works since 2019. This is 2026. And you and I have talked about this a lot.

I'm not trying to get I just want to point that out. Everything, you know, there is a there is there was a plan in place because we we did the safe route this because you're talk I'm gonna get there.

Yeah, I know you're talking about the sidewalk and I recognize that. So, what we did as a city um we went back and we did the safe route to school program. This started halfway through the last uh council, right, to where we focused on the areas that did. So, okay, there's about 30 properties inside the city that were supposed to have uh sidewalks and things like that according to when they were built. It was never enforced. Well, there's there's two sections of the city. One was in the 80s, another was in the 90s that started and people simply did not do that. Matter of fact, the only person that's come in after the fact was Jim Kleiner. So great great props to him.

So the question is how do we fix this? So the safe route to school program, that's why it looks so dis conjointed. It's because it's to take care of the areas that there never was a way to enforce those homes to build. Those are those are the houses that didn't have a means to to be required ahead of time. That's what that was supposed to be. And then the goal was the council is going to look at how are we going to tackle the ones that we're supposed to. Are we going to go after and and attack every single resident? We really want to do that. You know, that's not a very popular decision. Or do we bite the bullet and say the city's going to pay out of taxpayer dollars for these 30 homes to cover that? That conversation has not come up yet because we never got the safe route to school thing finalized yet. So there is a plan in place. I am sorry that it's not at the speed that everybody enjoys, but speed of government is ridiculously slow.

I'm aware of that. All right. Is that a quick summary of the city of Oglesby enforce their ordinance in 2019? There would be a sidewalk there. This isn't 1980. It wasn't 1993. It was 2019. So, I will tell you they refused to enforce the ordinance and they gave an occupancy. There is probably I have no idea. I know you were on the council at the time.

There is probably video of I don't know if we had our video thing up when when Mayor Revar was here. one of the times that he lost his mind. I should say that. That's a terrible way to say that. He got very, very angry, rightfully so, because what's important about that piece of property is all those other ones that I mentioned, those 30 other ones, the council didn't do anything about that at the time. This one in particular, we did and and it and it didn't get resolved. That's what resulted in Tommy Agabbrite coming up with that plan now to where we get a uh oh, what's the word? I can't remember the word. escrow. Um, there was an escrow in 2019, I had to pay it in 2018 again. So, again, that was already So, he started that process. Then when Tony started, it was already in effect.

Uh, no, I had to pay an escrow and when I was done with making sure that my sidewalk was in and I passed all my building permits, then the escrow amount was paid back to me. Well, that was the same. It didn't change from 2018 to 2019. In 10, instead, we just rolled off on said, "Here you go. Who cares about the I promise you Tommy Augerbrite is the one that started an escrow at least for the He was already in office by that point though too. So I mean

Oh yeah, maybe. Oh, I think he did it when we were but it was specifically for sidewalks, right? That's what it was supposed to be for. And then when Stephanelli got in, he recognized that the wording still wasn't strong enough for all situations to be handled. So then he updated it. So what that did is it fixed the problem going forward. Don't get me wrong, we still got those 30 properties plus plus this one here. I get that. Well, at least we're trying to fix it. Was pretty clearcut on what the ordinance was. But regardless, just as we to so we don't keep anybody here longer than we already have. We've been here for over two hours and I think frankly everybody wants to get home. My only thing is on the sidewalk is uh originally when we moved in, I have two small children, which I don't like to announce in public

for certain reasons, but we have 20some kids that live on that street. Originally the the bus stop was at Mary Sarver. Uh, since then it has moved to the corner of Caitlyn and Sunset. As anybody that's been through Caitlyn and Sunset, with no offense to our police department, they can't believe be everywhere at once. It's a highly disregarded stop sign and people fly down there like it's the back uh of Tel Tall Talga. Sorry, like my gum caught up on me there. But uh anyways, it's not a very safe intersection. And my kids when it snows and it's bad weather, they can't there's no they have to walk out in the street and they have to stand in the middle of sunset to wait for the bus. So, as I talked to you earlier, which I don't think I need to do, but I offered to pay for the sidewalk myself. I pay over $7,000 in taxes and I said I will pay for the sidewalk to be put in because I want my kids to be safe and and and all the kids in the neighborhood there, like I said, there's 20ome kids, 20 plus that live on Caitlyn Court. So, if the city doesn't want to do it and doesn't apparently have the funds for it, I'm just saying that I I would be willing to pay for it. I just want that on record.

I I appreciate that. That's my concern about the sidewalk. And I will tell you the city hasn't forgotten about it. It's just that the process that we came up with has not had the opportunity to unfold in the way it was going to. So, can can the council readress that? I mean, we do have I think we have two new people on the council since we came up with that process. So, we we could talk about it again and address it. I do appreciate it. Again, I thank you for wanting to talk about it. To be fair to the other the other two, well, really three because I don't think Austin, we need to talk about the details of it of of the um I have a recommendation that might be a potential compromise. Yes. Yes, I appreciate that. Okay, get it on the agenda for next meeting. That sounds like a plan. Thank you. Let's put it up.

You bet. And I'll contact you all three about a potential plan and see if you guys think if it's useful. Well, or Hillary, we've talked about it briefly. You can talk with Hillary as well. So, all right. Are there any other public comments on any topic? Seeing none, we'll move on. Number 14, Commissioner reports. Commissioner Cullen. Uh, going to keep it short tonight. Nothing tonight. Oh my god. Really? Commissioner Moy. Okay.

So, for the month of March, I have some statistics. The police department had 78 traffic stops, three vehicle accidents, 616 extra patrol/ business checks, 25 incident reports, 32 EMS assists. The ambulance had six transfers, two ALS intercepts, 40 911 calls, and eight out of the 40 911 calls were in district. For fire, they had 30 calls total. 11 were mutual aid, four accidents, three activated alarms, two lift assists, two brush fires, two storm standby, one chemical leak, one wired down, one PR event, one rescue, one structure fire, and one gas leak. 14 were in city limits, five were in the district, uh 11 were out of district. Last month, I mentioned that on April 9th, they were going to do a water rescue drill. It's been postpone to May 7th. Part of the reason for the change is Mabbis wanted to make sure it was a larger exercise. On this day, they'd like to shut down the canoe landing for the day to accommodate all the equipment they have coming in for this training. The scenario they are planning is a large-scale deployment for a flooding event in the Illinois Valley. With that said, most of this exercise will take place in the Vermilion River with some objectives being on the Illinois River. I feel like it would be best for safety reasons to limit the access to that area during the exercise. The current plan is we are going to start the drill with Oglesby personnel as the authority having jurisdiction. Then we will request resources from Mayabis Division 25 which is Lasell County. We will then request resources from Mayabis divisions 14 and 15. After that we will also get resources from Illinois swiftwater 1 which is the Cook County Water Rescue and Illinois Task Force One which is the state deployable team. So, if you're wondering what's going on on May 7th, that's what's happening.

All on the same day. Yes. Even better though, May 7th, we also have the fire safety tutorial at the Dickinson House with instructors Chief Maltis and Jess Core. And it'll be from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Excellent. Thank you, Commissioner McDermott.

Okay, I got uh wastewater treatment plan is on schedule and still doing good. April 27th to March 1st is branch shipping. Put your branches out on the curbs and uh they'll come by and pick it up. Now, the dry bridge is due to be completed sometime this month. However, I have not gotten a specific date yet. Hopefully, I'll get it before they just start on it. But basically, they're wanting to close the bridge off entirely for one or two days. And we can't we can't do that. I'm not going to do that because of the safety of the community and everything else. We won't do that. Thank you for that. No, seriously.

I'm Yeah. standing firm on that. That was never part of the part of the plan. No. Yeah. When you get dates, can you make sure to let fire and ambulance know, too? I certainly will. Thank you. I'll let everybody know. Well, fire um I know the fire and ambulance, they have access to They do to go around. I don't know. Does the police have that same access? I hope they do. Do you guys would it benefit you guys to use Hall Road? Do you guys have that access to those codes to get to get through for the other access point? I'm sure they they all do, but Okay. Sometimes it's Well, I know workers do and fire and ambulance does, but I wasn't sure if police did. So, okay. All right. Thank you, Commissioner Baldridge. Nothing.

Okay. Um uh number 16 uh executive session for collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees for the representatives or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees 5 LCS 122 C two uh to discuss the purchase of lease of real estate 5 LCS120C5 the employment compensation discipline performance or dismissal of specific employees 5 LCS120C1 discussion of minutes of meetings lawfully closed 5 LCS120 Sorry, C21. Can I get a motion to go into executive session?

Can I make a comment? I don't have anything to talk about in close session. I don't know if anybody else does. If somebody else does, I will willingly go. But if we have nothing to talk about, could you made that mention before I don't have anything either? Um I don't know unless we need to discuss minutes, but I we can always probably push off discussion of minutes. You can just once every six months you need a motion to uh Did we have anything on the on the Hold on. Do we have anything for the lease of the the real estate or anything like that on that one? No. No one. No. Okay. Well, in that case, make a motion to table. Motion. I got a motion. Can I second? I'll second his. Really just want to call that motion. Anyways. All right. Roll call, please. So, this is to adjurnn, right?

This is to adjurnn. Yes, please. Baldridge. Hi. Cullinin. Hi. McDermott. Hi. Moy. Hi. Currin. I. We are adjourned. I saved you guys from being trapped in the room. Good job. Well, I didn't know if you had an update on that or something like what they said maybe. Okay. Good practice because like I said, I just wrote it on every agenda, you know, so we can be safe. Must have. Yes. Now, if you guys want to do differ changes to the agenda, you you can let me know before the meeting starts. You know, you can let me know before the meeting starts, right? So, we can I would take that off, Jim. take the whole thing. It's a recurring item. Okay. I just have it in a band in case somebody wants to put something.

All right. I can for sure do that so it won't be confusing to people. Can do. And that was my I completely forgot about Well, we just we just left it on there. I think after going through that Yeah. Yeah. I was just glad to have Y me too. Just there it went. I should have remembered. I should have two. That was my You have a second request before the