Rockford Sun

Village of Rockton Board of Trustees met Sept. 5.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Mayor Peterson called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.

Present: Mayor Peterson, Mr. Baumgartner, Mr. Danielson, Mrs. Honkamp, Ms. May, Mr. Winters, Mr. York and Atty. Roxanne Sosnowski

Staff present: Dan Barber, Tricia Diduch, Dennis Hildebrandt and Chief Hollinger

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Motion by Mr. Winters, second by Mr. York, to waive the reading of the August 15, 2023 Village Board meeting minutes. All ayes. Motion approved 6-0.

Motion by Mr. Winters, second by Mrs. Honkamp, to approve the August 15, 2023 Village Board meeting minutes. All ayes. Motion approved 6-0.

AMENDMENTS TO THE AGENDA

None.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Katie Littlefield addressed the Village Board in reference to the total cost/expenditures for the “Drag Queen Q & A” event hosted by the Talcott Free Library. Ms. Littlefield stated that this info is helpful because it’s the taxpayers’ money being spent on this. Ms. Littlefield said that the total cost was $14,140.73 and that she was able to determine this by submitting FOIA requests to several agencies. Ms. Littlefield added that the Rockton Police Department paid $7,672 for security for Old Settlers Days and $3,142 for the Rockton Christmas Walk just to compare what is paid for events of different sizes in the Village. Ms. Littlefield also provided a handout with all of the expenses broken down by each agency/municipality. Ms. Littlefield advised the Village Board that the ultimate goal is for the library to think about this when planning a controversial event.

Joe Chiarelli, Winnebago County Chairman, spoke to the Village Board about some things that the county is working on (blighted areas, water system, solid waste management, identifying sources for infrastructure). Mr. Chiarelli stated that he started as Winnebago County Chairman in 2020 and thanked the trustees and Village staff for what they do for their community. Mr. Chiarelli said that he would like to maintain a good relationship with the Village and stated that there have been a lot of changes in Winnebago County as well. Mr. Chiarelli also spoke about providing grant writers through lobbyists and inquired about the Village’s needs and how the county can help. The Village Board thanked Mr. Chiarelli for his time.

MAYOR PETERSON

None.

VILLAGE ATTORNEY

None.

ZONING

None.

PUBLIC SAFETY AND LEGAL & BUDGET – MR. WINTERS

Mr. Winters shared the Rockton Police Department activity summary from August 16th – 31st with the Village Board.

Motion by Mr. Winters to ratify the consensus to purchase liability insurance for the Goldie Floberg building at a cost not to exceed $1,500, second by Mr. Baumgartner. Roll call. All ayes. Motion approved 6-0.

ADMINISTRATION – MR. YORK

None.

WATER, SEWER, AND GARBAGE – MS. MAY

Motion by Ms. May to approve the purchase requisition for Rock Valley Fence to install fencing around Well #10 in the amount of $13,847, second by Mr. Baumgartner. Roll call. All ayes. Motion approved 6-0.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – MR. DANIELSON

Motion by Mr. Danielson to approve the purchase requisition for Dekra-Lite for a 20 foot Christmas tree with decorations and shipping at a cost of $27,694.10, second by Ms. May. Roll call. All ayes. Motion approved 6-0.

BUILDINGS AND PARKS – MRS. HONKAMP

Mrs. Honkamp shared the activity summary for the Parks/Rec Department for the last 2 weeks with the Village Board.

STREETS AND WALKS – MR. BAUMGARTNER

Motion by Mr. Baumgartner to approve the low bid from Northern Illinois Service Company for W. Franklin Street and Village improvements in the amount of $681,787, second by Ms. May. Roll call. All ayes. Motion approved 6-0.

Motion by Mr. Baumgartner to approve Resolution 2023-109: MFT (Safe Route to School) in the amount of $40,000 for engineering costs, second by Ms. May. Roll call. All ayes. Motion approved 6-0.

Motion by Mr. Baumgartner to approve Resolution 2023-110: MFT in the amount of $340,000, second by Mr. Danielson. Mr. Baumgartner stated that the Village passes a MFT resolution every year and this is based on the engineer’s estimate. Roll call. All ayes. Motion approved 6-0.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

None.

ACTION ON ITEMS ARISING OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION

None.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

None.

NEW BUSINESS

None.

PAYMENT OF BILLS

Motion by Mr. Winters, second by Mrs. Honkamp, to pay bills in the amount of $401,785.32. Roll call. All ayes. Motion approved 6-0.

ADJOURN

Hearing no further business, motion by Mr. Winters, second by Mrs. Honkamp, to adjourn at 7:31 pm. All ayes. Motion approved 6-0.

https://www.rocktonvillage.com/vertical/sites/%7B5EFC50B8-A3D6-48DC-ACA0-E05F307CFA0B%7D/uploads/9-5-23_Village_Board_Meeting_Minutes.pdf