Rockford Sun

Village of Machesney Park Village Board met June 1.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Mayor Steve Johnson. He indicated that pursuant to Executive Order No. 2020- 07 (COVID-19 Executive Order No. 5), Governor Pritzker has suspended certain rules of the Open Meetings Act. Specifically, that members of a public body must be physically present, therefore, the Village Board has chosen to conduct its upcoming meetings remotely.

Trustee Aaron Wilson gave the Invocation, which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Trustee Jake Schmidt.

Present: Mayor Steve Johnson, Trustees Joe Seipts, Jake Schmidt, Aaron Wilson, Terri Bailey, and Erick Beck

Absent: Trustee James Kidd

Present: 

Village Clerk Lori Mitchell

Village Treasurer Deborah Alms

Village Attorney Tom Green

Village Administrator Tim Savage

Acting Village Administrator/Comm. Dev. Dir. James Richter II

Finance and Human Resources Manager Michelle Johannsen

Public Works Superintendent Chad Hunter

The Journal of Proceedings for the Regular Board Meeting from May 18, 2020 were approved per typewritten copy submitted by the Clerk on a motion by Trustee Bailey and seconded by Trustee Wilson. Motion carried by voice vote.

Village Treasurer Deborah Alms presented the Treasurer’s Report as of May 26, 2020, which reflected a total of all funds to be $14,221,015.49. A motion was made by Trustee Beck and seconded by Trustee Seipts to accept the Treasurer’s Report. Motion carried by voice vote.

Clerk Mitchell reported that the Village Yards of Distinction Program is in full swing and residents are encouraged to nominate beautiful lawns in their neighborhoods or throughout the Village. The June winners will be announced at the June 15 Board Meeting and the recognized residents will receive a sign for display in their winning yards.

Clerk Mitchell reported that last week-end she was excited to present the Student Liaison Recognition Award to Hannah Herrera. Hanna has professionally served as Student Liaison for the last two years and the Village wanted to present her with an award that she can use at Liberty University while studying in its Nursing Program. She thanked Hanna for a job well done.

Clerk Mitchell indicated that there were no public comments submitted prior to the Board Meeting that relate to Agenda Items. Viewers were provided an opportunity to call in at this time with comments related to Board Agenda Items. There were no calls or comments received.

Clerk Mitchell reported that on behalf of the Village of Machesney Park Staff and Elected Officials, Mayor Johnson has issued a Proclamation recognizing our Village of Machesney Park Public Works Department and the great job they do for the residents of the Village. Trustee Jake Schmidt read the Proclamation.

Trustee Wilson presented the warrant in the amount of $400,086.07 and moved for its passage; seconded by Trustee Schmidt. Motion approved. On roll call: 5 ayes (Trustees Seipts, Schmidt, Wilson, Bailey and Beck), 0 nays, 1 absent (Tr. Kidd)

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS

Mayor Steve Johnson assured all those individuals who live, work, or pass through the Village of Machesney Park that every citizen will be presented with respect regardless of their race, religion, or ethnicity. Public Safety is extremely important to the Village and we will do everything in our power to protect our residents and businesses while maintaining a professional and ethical response to each situation. He said he believes that treating all people equal is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Further, he noted that as we now enter the Governor’s Phase Three of the Restore Illinois Program, he is excited to see other businesses, bars, and restaurants slowly begin to reopen. He thanked staff and Acting Village Administrator James Richter for quickly expediting the permitting process for the outdoor dining for the Village restaurants and bars. He said he was looking forward to dining outside at our local restaurants. He encouraged everyone to support our local businesses during these unusual times.

Attorney Tom Green had no report this evening.

Village Administrator Tim Savage had no report this evening.

Finance and HR Manager Michelle Johannsen reported that Friday afternoon the Village received a call from our IEMA representative confirming that the flood buyout grants have been reviewed for eligibility by FEMA. You’ll recall the Village submitted two applications in October 2019 seeking funding under these very competitive grant cycles. The PDM application was one of 665 applications submitted for funding totaling $539M. Unfortunately, based on the limited amount of funding available (only $244M) and FEMA’s priorities, the Village’s application was not selected for further review. We are awaiting the technical review feedback from FEMA and will look to reapply in future rounds. The FMA application was one of 234 applications submitted for funding. We are excited to report that the Village’s FMA application has been selected for further review! While this does not guarantee we will be provided funding, it is definitely good news and a step in the right direction. Further, the State only submitted three applications for FMA and the Village’s was the only application selected! The FMA grant has strict requirements that only properties insured under the NFIP are eligible so that will limit the number of eligible properties on the waiting list, however, we have plenty of properties eligible; additionally, we had applied for just under $5.6M of funding, but they have only identified $1.9M available. So, while it is less than we want, it could still purchase around 15 or so homes which is great news. We will keep you updated as we learn additional information and start to understand the timelines over the coming months.

Acting Village Administrator Director James Richter II reported the Village has issued the Certificate of Occupancy for Ritchie’s Smokin’ BBQ. The Ribbon Cutting has been moved back from this coming Wednesday to Friday, June 5 at 10:00 a.m.

Public Works Superintendent Chad Hunter reported that the Pine Al Storm Sewer Project is progressing nicely. The contractor has about 50% of the storm sewer in the ground, so that project is coming along well.

Village Engineer Chris Dopkins left no report in his absence this evening.

Harlem High School Student Liaison Hannah Herrera’s was having difficulty with her Zoom connection and submitted the following report:

“For my last meeting I want to report that as many of you know Harlem Students ended their school year online due to Covid-19. Students did most of their schoolwork online via Google Classroom. Harlem seniors were able to pick up their graduation materials via a drive by pick up. At this pick up many teachers were present allowing seniors to say some last goodbyes. That was a very meaningful opportunity that the Harlem Admin provided seniors. Lastly, on May 23, 2020, the Harlem Senior Class of 2020 became the first Harlem Class to graduate virtually! I would just like to wish my classmates the best of luck in their future endeavors!

To the Village Board I just wanted to say thank you. You all made my time giving reports nothing but wonderful because of your kindness. It has been my honor and pleasure to serve as the student liaison. Thank you for the opportunity to learn so much about my community and it’s leadership. You all taught me so much about what it takes to have good character and be a true leader. I will never forget that and will always be thankful!

Public Safety Supervisor, Lt. Tammie Stanley left no report this evening.

COMMITTEE AND TRUSTEE REPORTS

District #1 Trustee Seipts, Public Improvements and Safety Chair had no report this evening.

District #2 Trustee Schmidt, Administration and Finance Vice-Chair had no report this evening. District #3 Trustee Kidd, Public Improvements and Safety Vice-Chair left no report this evening. District #4 Trustee Wilson, Administration and Finance Chair, had no report this evening.

District #5 Trustee Bailey, Planning and Economic Development Chair, reported the committee met this evening and have two Ordinances that will go to the June 15 Board Meeting with positive recommendations and one Resolution that will be on tonight’s agenda with a positive recommendation.

District #6 Trustee Beck, Planning and Economic Development Vice-Chair, had no report this evening.

CONSENT AGENDA - Mayor Johnson noted that the next item is the Consent Agenda. He asked Staff to introduce all items to be considered under the Consent Agenda.

Acting Village Administrator James Richter II, presented the items on tonight’s Consent Agenda as follows:

A. Ordinance 21-20, Text Amendment to Amend Means of Appeal in Chapter 100, First Reading

Ord 21-20/1st/Pass

B. Ordinance 09-20, Text Amendment to Parking Regulations, Chapter 12 Motor Vehicles and Zoning Code Including the Most Recent Timeframe Amendments to the Code, Final Reading

Ord 09-20/Fin/Pass

C. Ordinance 14-20, Special Use Permit for Open Sales Lot, 1023 Harlem Road, Final Reading

Ord 14-20/ Fin /Pass

D. Ordinance 15-20, Zoning Map Amendment from R1 to IL, 18xxx N. Second Street, Final Reading

Ord 15-20/ Fin /Pass

E. Ordinance 16-20, Special Use Permit for Outdoor Storage, 18xxx N. Second Street, Final Reading

Ord 16-20/ Fin /Pass

F. Ordinance 17-20, Variance from Screening Requirements for Outdoor Storage, 18xxx N. Second Street, Final Reading

Ord 17-20/ Fin /Pass

G. Resolution 31-R-20, Creating a Formal Permitting Process for Temporary Outdoor Dining for Restaurants

Res 31-R-20/Pass

H. Resolution 32-R-20, Creating Permitting and Administrative Approval Process for Temporary Outdoor Seating for Liquor License Holders

Res 32-R-20/Pass

Mayor Johnson asked if there were any items to be removed from the Consent Agenda to be considered separately. There were none.

Mayor Johnson called for a motion to approve the remaining items under the Consent Agenda. The motion was made by Trustee Beck and seconded by Trustee Wilson. The motion was approved by roll call vote: 6 ayes (Trustees Seipts, Schmidt, Wilson, Bailey, Beck and Mayor Johnson), 0 nays, 1 absent (Trustee Kidd)

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

NEW BUSINESS: None

PUBLIC COMMENT: There were no written public comments received prior to the meeting and the public was given the opportunity to call-in during the meeting. There were no call-ins for public comment.

Trustee Bailey moved to adjourn; seconded by Trustee Seipts. Motion approved by voice vote. Meeting adjourned at 6:19 p.m.

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