On Monday, December 14, 2015, Mayor Everett Pannier called the City of Morrison Council Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m., in the Whiteside County Board Room, 400 N. Cherry Street, Morrison, IL. In attendance were City Administrator Barry Dykhuizen; Treasurer Evan Haag; Director of Public Works Gary Tresenriter; Chief of Police Brian Melton; Aldermen Curt Bender, Michael Blean, Arlyn Deets, Dale Eizenga, Dave Helms, Vernon Tervelt, and Mick Welding.
Board and Commission Reports were appropved without discussion.
- Park and Recreation Advisory Board
- Morrison Historic Preservation Commission
Report of City Officers/Department Heads–Engineering Report was approved without discussion.
- Regarding the Wastewater Treatment Plant, Tresenriter noted a Thursday, December 3, “pre-construction meeting with all the players” and the Thursday, December 10, groundbreaking. He added the Illinois Department of Transportation is ready to create the site entrance from IL Route 78, for which he is “happy. They will set up temporary power, cut roads, and do some dirt work. It’s finally going to happen.”
- The Mayor attended a quarterly meeting of City officials at AUSP Thomson. He attended Chamber ribbon cuttings, at M and M Bed & Breakfast and FS Fast Stop, and the groundbreaking.
- CA Dykhuizen and Kim Ewoldsen toured the WalMart Distribution Center, which celebrates its tenth year in operation and 800 employees. It is the second-largest distribution center in the United States, behind Texas, and contains $40 million in inventory. He surprised everyone by announcing receipt of State money for five months of gaming revenue and two months of Motor Fuel Taxes. Bids will be let in March 2016, totaling $4.8 million. The City will launch an online bill pay program in about six weeks, for citizens to pay taxes. He has received good comments about the Christmas Walk and thanked the Chamber of Commerce for that.
The Consent Agenda was approved without discussion.
- November 23, 2015, Regular Session Minutes
- Bills Payable of $324,623.81
- October 2015 Treasurer’s Report
- Cancel December 28, 2015, Council Meeting
Items for Consideration and Possible Action passed.
- Ordinance #15-18, Annual Tax Levy–CA Dykhuizen reported having no citizen comments since the November publication of the 2016 Tax Levy; the amount in the Ordinance is unchanged at $566,400.
- Request for Street Closure–On Saturday, January 16, 2016, Johnick Petry, will film “Snowflakes and Diamonds,” from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Dates might change due to snowfall to sometime between January 18 and 23. CA Dykhuizen suggested Petry connect with Chief of Police Melton the week before filming.
- Ordinance #15-20, Disposal of Surplus Property–Tresenriter said the Public Works Department has used a 1992 Case Super Backhoe, loading salt into trucks, “until it finally died.” He recommended we “come up with a minimum and sell” it. He has an interested party. He also wants to replace a 1970 Ford 1-ton for Grove Hill Cemetery. “It’s falling apart,” he concluded.
Other Items for Consideration, Discussion, and Information
- A possible 2016 street project at the intersection of Wall and Grape Streets was discussed. CA Dykhuizen noted Fehr Graham engineers submitted an estimate in the spring. If approved, “Shawn [Ortgiesen] could get started.” The repairs could go east or west from the intersection, too, if possible. Three Aldermen agreed this was a “bad” spot; they do not “go that way” anymore, as Eizenga remarked. CA Dykhuizen stated, “East of Hall Street is the worst…, and the City could do EPA ramps at that intersection.” The priority would probably be to go east to Orange Street; Tresenriter agreed. Recent receipt of State Motor Fuel Tax and Sales Tax money–which could be put together for the repairs–initiated the topic. It might be possible to do an additional project in 2016.
- The City’s Standard & Poor’s Rating was raised “two notches,” stated CA Dykhuizen, on a Debt Certificate and General Obligation Bond issues,” relating to “the Morrison Sports Complex.” The former was raised from a BBB score to an A-. The latter was raised from a BBB- to a B+. The Mayor added, “Standard & Poor’s will look more friendly on us, when we pay off our line of credit.”
- Mayor Pannier acknowledged Shane Adams’s Boy Scouts, who are working on their Communication Merit Badge: Austin Adams, Michael Blasdell, and John Taylor. Scout Zach Usterbowski attended, but he is not working on the badge.