On Monday, February 27, 2017, Mayor Everett Pannier called to order the City of Morrison Council Meeting at 7:00 p.m., in the Whiteside County Board Room, 400 N. Cherry Street, Morrison, IL. In attendance were City Clerk Melanie Schroeder, City Administrator Barry Dykhuizen; Treasurer Evan Haag, Public Works Director Gary Tresenriter, Chief of Police Brian Melton; Aldermen Curt Bender, Arlyn Deets, Dave Helms, Kenneth Mahaffey, Vernon Tervelt, Mick Welding, and Harvey Zuidema. Adjournment was 9:29.
City Clerk Schroeder has volunteered on Thursdays to teach 3rd graders about Junior Achievement, specifically about zoning. Sessions run for five weeks.
CA Dykhuizen clarified a newspaper article that overstated City plans to build a Splash Pad. “The City has no plans to build a Splash Pad. We are making no request for dollars. This idea was bouncing around by the [Parks &] Rec Board[, who is] putting together a list [of possible projects], in case donations come in.”
Terry Jones, a member of Morrison American Legion, presented an update on six new veterans tablets, which are in as of Monday, February 27. Ordered in July 2016, the stones cost $19,000. The Legion has paid $10,000. Moore Monument will engrave the names soon. He stated Donald S. Mulnix discovered a Morrison Civil War regiment [of over 50 men] who had not been included on earlier tablets. Editor’s note: Mulnix stated on Thursday, March 2, that the final group of WWII veterans and all noncombatant veterans will be listed; there will remain room for future names. On the back of the six stones, about 500 names of Morrison National Guard members will be memorialized. Nicknamed “The Rifles,” Company I, 6th Illinois battalion out of Springfield, IL, originated in Rock Island, IL, on September 11, in the late 1870’s.
Consent Agenda items were approved without discussion.
1. February 13, 2017, Regular Session Minutes
2. Bills Payable of $64,847.07
3. Request for Street Closure, Emmanuel Reformed Church Car Show
During Items for Consideration and Possible Action, Denny Pate thanked the City for continuing its contract with Moring Disposal. Over the next five years, Moring’s fee to the City for refuse pick-up will increase $0.30 each year. He cited continual expense increase in the business: equipment, employee pay, dumping fees at the landfill.
Other Items for Consideration, Discussion, and Information
1. City Code Chapter 26, Morrison Historic Preservation Commission–CA Dykhuizen stated “We will need to change the Ordinance before the next Fiscal Year.”
2. Summer Extravaganza is set for Saturday, July 29, 2017
3. FY18 Budget Work Session
a. Police Department Budget–Brian Melton discussed his funding request with a PowerPoint presentation. “As your Chief of Police, my responsibility is to seek sufficient funding for Morrison Police Department,” the introduction stated. He concluded, “What level of service do you want from your Police Department? What are the expectations of our Community?” Of the nine goals, the top priority is to allocate funding for an additional Police Officer. The last one was hired in 2008; a Sergeant resigned April 2010. This was “an arbitrary decision with no Council action; the need and impact was not considered. [Comparing eight like-communities in 2015,] Morrison is tied for last place in the number of officers and has the highest population” to protect. The Department answered 3334 calls for service in 2016, which increased 7% over 2015. All calls which require immediate action from officers, however, consume hours of time away from patrol. Time off-task is a major concern. Chief Melton made a plea for hiring a support staff member.
b. Preliminary Overview, Other Departments–CA Dykhuizen presented a price list of vehicles and a tractor/mower for consideration. Tresenriter commented on the condition of the 1998 International 4900 dump truck 466E, which has 37,093 miles on the engine and 3926 hours of usage. “The dump truck bed has holes” that have been patched repeatedly, and the crew “has spent nearly $1000” to mend it. “The box is rusting out terribly.” Even so, he recommends keeping the truck as an extra plow or for use in the Water Department. A new 2017 International 7400 dump truck was proposed for purchase at 169,857.78. A 2005 Ford F250 Superduty 4×4 could be transferred to the Recreation Department, with disposal of their current 1997 Ford. A 2017 Chevrolet 4×4 is recommended for purchase from Water Department monies; the cost is $49,353. The current Street Sweeper could be replaced with a Tymco 600 used demo model, “which is newer than ours,” Tresenriter said. The newer model has a boom to clean catch basins. Costs range from 220,000 to $244,000, but the trade-in would credit $18,000. Editor’s note: On Thursday, March 2, Tresenriter stated the company quoted a final price of $210,000. The cost of a new Police Squad, fitted with special equipment, is estimated at $42,000. A used Tractor/Mower for the Waste Water Treatment Plant is estimted at $40,000. Tresenriter said it “includes a bucket to load sludge and salt in the winter. You could get a nice used one. It needs a mower deck,” too, to maintain the grass.
c. Next Budget Workshop Dates/Times–These will be determined in March.
The Council entered Executive Session to discuss 5 ILCS 120/2 (c)(2) Collective Negotiating Matters Between Public Employers and Their Employees or Representatives. No action was taken.