Rockford Sun

City of Carlyle City Council met Jan. 27.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

The Carlyle City Council was called to order by Mayor Judy Smith, at 7:00 p.m. at the Case Halstead Library, 550 6th Street, Carlyle, IL.

The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Aldermen present were Tammy Peters, Jim McClaren, Jeremy Weh, John Hodapp, Jeff Taylor, Mike Jansen, and Bruce Hilmes. Alderman Scott Diekemper was absent.

City employees present were City Administrator Brad Myers, Chief of Police Mark Pingsterhaus, City Treasurer Chad Holthaus, Ryan Meyer (he left at 7:08 p.m.), Kevin Rolfingsmeyer, Connor Toennies, and City Clerk Rita Jurgensmeyer.

Others present were Matt Wilson, Rob Dorman, Alexis Hamilton, Ricky Hamilton, Jennifer Hamilton, Gwyneth Hamilton, Heather Klasing, Kyle Klasing, Koen Klasing, Tina Todd, Susan Howard, and Beckett Howard.

Alderman Jeff Taylor made a motion to approve the minutes from January 13, 2025, regular meeting. Alderman Jeremy Weh seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved by roll call vote. Aye: Tammy Peters, Jim McClaren, Jeremy Weh, John Hodapp, Jeff Taylor, Mike Jansen, and Bruce Hilmes. Nay: none.

Alderman Jeremy Weh made a motion to pay the claims against the city. The motion was seconded by Alderman John Hodapp it was unanimously approved by roll call vote. Aye: Jim McClaren, Jeremy Weh, John Hodapp, Jeff Taylor, Mike Jansen, Bruce Hilmes, and Tammy Peters. Nay: none.

Alderman Jeremy Weh made a motion to approve the transfers from Fund 1 General Fund to Fund 3 Street and Alley for $45,000.00, Fund 4 Police for $80,000.00, Fund 17 Parks for $20,000.00, Fund 20 Library for $15,000.00, for a total of $160,000.00. Alderman Jeff Taylor seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved by roll call vote. Aye: Jeremy Weh, John Hodapp, Jeff Taylor, Mike Jansen, Bruce Hilmes, Tammy Peters, and Jim McClaren. Nay: none.

City Clerk Rita Jurgensmeyer informed the council that next month it will be time to review and approve the executive session minutes and if anyone would like to review them to contact her and she will make arrangements to make them available.

Mayor Judy Smith announced the names of the Penguin in the Park winners and gave a report about the visitors in the park during the Christmas season. The three winners are Beckett Howard, Koen Klasing, and Gwyneth Hamilton. Mayor Smith announced that there were 8,190 cars that went through the park, they received $20,469.25 in donations, and 239 kids entered the Penguin the Penguin contest with 1,163 entries. The winners were then awarded their prizes.

Mayor Judy Smith thanked all the departments that participated in the snow episode.

City Administrator Brad Myers reported that they are asking everyone to stay out of the park. He said they had a late start trying to get the lights down because of all the snow and now it is wet and they can’t get the trucks out there.

City Administrator Brad Myers also reported that the city’s insurance carrier, ICRMT, did a safety inspection of all the city facilities and the city did very well on it. He said that they did not have one hard safety hit that has to be taken care of right away. The comments from the inspector as she was leaving were about the improvements and the cleanliness of all the facilities, especially, the power plant was amazing. He thanked all the departments for the clean-up and preparation for the inspection.

City Administrator Brad Myers said that he had a resident, Duane Nordike, wanting the city to check into getting a new TIF or extend the TIF where his development is, Old State Commons. Brad Myers said they had a meeting last week and Duane Nordike made a formal request to see about getting TIF 3 extended. They had a representative from Moran Development present at the meeting. He said it would be almost impossible to create a new TIF and Duane Nordike’s agreement would be null and void and they would need to make a new agreement and he would have no claims because it is already done. The current TIF expires in 2029. It will take a couple of years to extend it. They asked him to write up a proposal for all the extension paperwork and if the council agreed he would get money back for all future purchases for $12,250.00. This will be extended for about 17 years from now.

City Administrator Brad Myers said he would have this on the agenda for the next meeting.

City Administrator Brad Myers explained the one percent Grocery Sales Tax Ordinance. He said he doesn’t have the ordinance and he will have it at the next meeting. He said that Governor Pritzker decided he would do away with the one percent grocery sales tax. City Administrator Brad Myers said that it will cost the city about $170,000.00 a year in sales tax. He said that when they passed the resolution to remove the one percent sales tax, they gave cities the authorization to create their own one percent sales tax to make up for the loss.

City Administrator Brad Myers said the Finance Committee forwarded to the city council reinstating the rooftop program. He explained that this is a program that the city used to have. With discussion of the extension of TIF 3 it was also requested to reinstate the rooftop program. The city will give up to $3,000.00 for a year for utilities at a newly constructed home. There is also a fee waiver for the water and sewer taps. If someone wants to build a home in Carlyle, they can save $4,000.00 - $5,000.00 on utilities and tap fees. Things need to be worked out yet. This is for homeowners only. The area they are targeting is also zoned for duplexes and they will only receive this if homeowner lives on one side of the duplex. The person renting the other will not receive it. Alderman Jim McClaren asked if the building trades house would qualify. Mayor Smith said that the person purchasing the home would receive it.

Alderman Jeff Taylor made a motion to reinstate the rooftop program. Alderman Jeremy Weh seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved by roll call vote. Aye: John Hodapp, Jeff Taylor, Mike Jansen, Bruce Hilmes, Tammy Peters, Jim McClaren, and Jeremy Weh. Nay: None.

City Administrator Brad Myers said that the city owns three lots on Fairfax Street across from the courthouse that can be declared as surplus property. He said it was appraised in 2019. Before the lots can be sold, they have to be declared surplus property. An ordinance has been prepared for lots at 829, 831, and 833 Fairfax Street declaring them as surplus property and an appraisal has been done and that authorizes the sale of surplus property.

Alderman Jeff Taylor made a motion to approve the ordinance declaring 829, 831, and 833 Fairfax Street surplus property. Alderman John Hodapp seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved by roll call vote. Aye: Jeff Taylor, Mike Jansen, Bruce Hilmes, Tammy Peters, Jim McClaren, Jeremy Weh, and John Hodapp. Nay: none.

Mayor Judy Smith read a letter addressed to Kevin Rolfingsmeyer, the electric superintendent, from the American Public Power Association. She said it was concerning mutual aid. The mutual aid accommodation was established in 2018 to recognize public power utilities that have answered the call for assistance and aided a community in restoring power to its customers. Mayor Smith then presented two awards. One went to Kevin Rolfingsmeyer and the other to Connor Toennies. Mayor Smith said that Connor Toennies went to Florida to assist restoring power to the residents. Connor Toennies said he went to the city of Lakeland Florida for ten days. He said that it was a great experience and the people there appreciated everything done for them. He added that he would do it over again. He said it was a great learning experience.

City Administrator Brad Myers said that during a Water and Sewer committee meeting they requested the authorization to go out for bid to replace the water main on 5th Street from Fairfax to Clinton Street. They have had several water leaks in this location and the water foreman requested going out for bids to replace the line. The reason they are going out for bids is because the Water Department is going to be replacing the Ridge Street main. The one on 5th Street is harder to do and they cannot do two at one time.

Alderman John Hodapp made a motion to authorize the Water Department to go out for bid to replace the water main on 5th Street from Fairfax to Clinton Streets. Alderman Jim McClaren seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved by roll call vote. Aye: Mike Jansen, Bruce Hilmes, Tammy Peters, Jim McClaren, Jeremy Weh, John Hodapp, and Jeff Taylor. Nay: none.

Mayor Judy Smith asked for a motion to continue agenda item 10.3 Water and Sewer Rate Increases.

Alderman Jeff Taylor made a motion to continue water and sewer rate increases. Alderman Mike Jansen seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved by roll call vote. Aye: Bruce Hilmes, Tammy Peters, Jim McClaren, Jeremy Weh, John Hodapp, Jeff Taylor, and Mike Jansen. Nay: none.

City Administrator Brad Myers said that while they are renewing the contract with Waste Management everything will stay the same for the customers. The only thing that will change is the billing. The billing will now be through Waste Management and not the city. The ordinance says that the city takes payments for billing of garbage and recycling. He will be rewriting the ordinance along with City Attorney Joe Heiligenstein.

Mayor Judy Smith asked City Administrator Brad Myers to give a brief explanation of why the citizens cannot go out and contract through another garbage company. City Administrator Brad Myers said the ordinance says that if you have water and sewer you have to have garbage pick-up. He added that the city went out for bids for garbage pick-up and the companies base their cost on the number of accounts they will have. The more they have the lower the rates will be. The city has contracted with Waste Management to provide the cheapest service they can possibly get and they will not get a cheaper price. Mayor Smith added that she has spoken with some residents and they thought they could get it cheaper with other companies. She added that some of the companies that bid the garbage pick-up would not pick up in alleys and the need to pick up in alleys is due to the topography of some of areas. Waste Management also supplies dumpsters to all the city buildings as well as the extra dumpster at the Street and Alley Department. They also supply dumpsters at any events the city sponsors.

Chief of Police Mark Pingsterhaus said it was discussed at the Police Committee meeting to solicit bids to add on to the Police Department and they forwarded it to the Finance Committee and the Finance Committee forwarded it to the city council. He said they are looking at a 30 x 50 addition to the south side of the current building. It will be used as a sallyport. He said they also have a $20,000.00 reimbursement grant through the State of Illinois.

Alderman Jeff Taylor made a motion to go out for bids to add on to the police department. Alderman Tammy Peters seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved by roll call vote. Aye: Tammy Peters, Jim McClaren, Jeremy Weh, John Hodapp, Jeff Taylor, Mike Jansen, and Bruce Hilmes. Nay: none.

At 7:31 p.m. Alderman Jim McClaren made a motion to go into executive session to discuss 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1) The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of the public body or against legal counsel for the public body to determine its validity, 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5) The purchase or lease of real property for the use of the public body, including meetings held for the purpose of discussing whether a particular parcel should be acquired. Alderman Jeremy Weh seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved by roll call vote. Aye: Jim McClaren, Jeremy Weh, John Hodapp, Jeff Taylor, Bruce Hilmes, and Tammy Peters. Nay: none.

Before going into executive Kevin Rolfingsmeyer said that Engine 8 was back in service.

At 7:47 p.m. the council returned to regular session.

At 7:47 p.m. a motion to adjourn was made by Alderman Jeff Taylor. Alderman Mike Jansen seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved by roll call vote. Aye: John Hodapp, Jeff Taylor, Mike Jansen, Bruce Hilmes, Tammy Peters, Jim McClaren, and Jeremy Weh. Nay: none.

 https://go.boarddocs.com/il/carlyle/Board.nsf/Public#