DeKalb Sanitary District Board Meeting Minutes
DeKalb Sanitary District
June 21, 2006
Minutes
Approved July 19, 2006
The June meeting of the DeKalb Sanitary District Board of Trustees was held at the office of the District at noon on June 21, 2006. In attendance were Trustees Dennis Collins, Tim Struthers and Carol Zar and Attorney for the District Keith Foster and District Treasurer Richard Stokke. Michael Zima, District Manager; Janice Tripp, Assistant Manager Administration; Steve Olsen, Plant Foreman; and Betty Jones, Secretary were present. Scott Trotter, P.E. and Mark Eddington, P.E. of Trotter & Associates attended. Paul Rasmussen of City of DeKalb Community Development Department, Steve Milner of Milner & Associates and John Castle, and Attorney Jeffrey Lewis representing Tom Gleichman attended for portions of the meeting. Citizens Tom Engstrom, Joan Mosher and Stephanie Rowe attended, as did Jim Schneider and Herb Rubin.
President of the Board Collins called the meeting to order.
Trustee Struthers moved and Trustee Collins seconded approval of the June agenda. Motion carried.
Trustee Collins moved approval of the May minutes. Trustee Struthers seconded. Motion carried.
Trustee Collins moved to approve the transfer of:
- $190,000.00 from the Revenue Fund to the O & M Fund
- $1,000.00 from the Dedicated Tax Public Benefit Fund to the O & M Fund
- $10,465.00 from the Dedicated Tax Fund Audit to the O & M Fund (for Fiscal Year 2004-2005)
Trustee Zar seconded. Motion carried.
Trustee Struthers moved to pay bills as presented. Trustee Collins seconded. Motion carried.
During Public Input, Herb Rubin encouraged the Board to consider meeting with the DeKalb City Council in order to solicit feedback on the Facilities Plan Update from elected officials. Jim Schneider asked about the sources of capital financing for Facilities Plan Update projects. President of the Board Collins told him that the Facilities Plan Update is, at this point, only a theoretical framework of how the District might respond to future challenges and decisions about financing will be made as individual projects come under consideration.
There were no requests for annexation or pre-annexation.
Trustee Collins moved and Trustee Struthers seconded Ordinance No. 498 directing the District’s compliance with Illinois Department of Labor prevailing wage rates. Motion carried.
The Engineer’s Report was submitted in writing and discussion was deferred until the individual items later in the agenda.
Trustee Stokke gave the Treasurer’s Report and discussed investments made this past month.
In Plan Review, Mike Zima discussed service along Barber Greene Road. David Castle has presented a concept plan for the extension of sewer service for some property there and raised the question of District participation or recapture agreements. After discussion, Trustee Collins said that before such things could be considered, the property in question would have to become part of the District by annexing to the District and Mr. Milner and Mr. Castle agreed to do that and return at a later date..
Mike Zima discussed the proposed Parkside Oaks development and pointed out its probable impact on public sewers.
Mike Zima updated the Board on the extending of a sanitary sewer on the west NIU campus in connection with their extension of a road there.
The public hearing on the District proposed 2006-2007 Fiscal Year Budget was held at 1 p.m. Jim Schneider questioned the source of funding for possible land acquisition. Janice Tripp, Assistant Manager Administration said there had been a clerical error and that the money for land (if any is purchased) would be funded from the Capital Fund. She said she would have the error corrected. This correction will not change the proposed appropriation. There was no further public input. Trustee Collins moved to close the public hearing. Trustee Zar seconded. Motion carried. Trustee Collins thanked Janice Tripp for her work on the budget and praised her responsiveness to the Board’s concerns.
Trustee Struthers moved and Trustee Collins seconded approval of Ordinance # 499, "AN ORDINANCE MAKING APPROPRIATION FOR CORPORATE PURPOSES OF THE DEKALB SANITARY DISTRICT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR OF SAID DISTRICT, FROM MAY 1, 2006 TO APRIL 30, 2007 INCLUSIVE." Motion carried.
Paul Rasmussen gave a brief presentation about tax abatements as incentives to bring employers to the community. He urged the District to participate in an Intergovernmental Tax Abatement Agreement that calls for a five-year decreasing percentage tax abatement for businesses and industries that qualify. It is an open-ended agreement, but there is an opt-out provision. After discussion, Trustee Collins moved to participate in the Intergovernmental Tax Abatement Agreement and Trustee Zar seconded. Motion carried and the agreement was signed.
There was a discussion of the Facilities Plan Update presentation and public input session planned for this evening. The Board directed Mike Zima, District Manager to solicit a “second opinion” of the Facilities Plan Update from CTE Engineering, who had been the runner-up candidate in the District’s Engineer selection process.
Mark Eddington reported that Pipe Vision has begun the 2006 Lining Project and plans to complete it by the end of July. Trustee Collins moved and Trustee Struthers seconded Change Order #1 for a $6,048.00 reduction in contract costs. The change order includes a size adjustment for two sewers and the removal from the contract of some storm sewer lining that the City of DeKalb will be paying for directly. Motion carried.
Scott Trotter reported that meetings with the Park District and the City of DeKalb to choose a better site for the Lion’s Park Lift Station are continuing, but that the choice is complicated by floodway issues.
Mike Zima spoke with the Illinois E.P.A. yesterday and was told that the request for a change in the District’s Facilities Planning Area is under review but that no problems are expected.
The refund meter replacement program has been completed.
Attorney Foster reported on the continuing attempts to resolve the Greenwood Acres Drive sewer backup issue.
With a motion made by Trustee Collins and seconded by Trustee Struthers and carried, the Board directed Michael Zima, District Manager to submit NPDES fees in the amount of $33,000 along with a letter of protest because they are in excess of IEPA purposes and because the fee structure is unfair for smaller communities relative to metropolitan areas. Attorney Foster will prepare the letters.
Trustee Zar moved and Trustee Collins seconded a donation of $1,000 to be taken from the Public Benefit Fund for donation to the DeKalb Economic Development Corporation in response to their request. Trustee Collins noted his and Trustee Struthers conflicts of interest as members of the Board of that organization. Motion carried.
In response to a letter from the City of DeKalb stating the amounts it expects to receive annually for its billing services on behalf of the District, the Trustees instructed Janice Tripp to secure quotes from invoicing services and Mike Zima to get estimates from other sanitary districts of their costs per bill. They will plan to arrange a meeting between Board and City representatives for August. In the meantime, they instructed Janice to pay $8,333.33 monthly based on the approved budget.
After discussion, Trustee Collins moved and Trustee Struthers seconded a motion to purchase TV equipment replacements from Cues, Inc. because of the excessive repair costs the District and City have been experiencing with the Aries equipment. The District will purchase the equipment at the quoted cost of $26,850, and will invoice the City of DeKalb for their half in the City’s next budget cycle. Motion carried.
Steve Olsen, Plant Foreman requested and received permission to solicit bids for blacktop repairs on the plant site and the 1109 Sycamore Road property.
There had been no requests for catastrophic water loss relief.
There was no new business.
Trustee Collins moved to continue the meeting until 7 p.m. this evening for the purpose of a public presentation of the Facilities Plan Update and the receipt of public feedback. Trustee Struthers seconded. Motion carried.
DeKalb Sanitary District
June 21, 2006
Minutes
The continued June meeting of the DeKalb Sanitary District Board of Trustees reconvened at 7 p.m. on June 21, 2006 at in the Terrace Room at Hopkins Park Community Center for the purpose of a public presentation of the Facilities Plan Update to interested community members. Trustees Collins, Struthers and Zar, Mike Zima, Janice Tripp and Steve Olsen from the District and Scott Trotter and Mark Eddington from Trotter & Associates presented a summary of the proposed Facilities Plan Update. A question and answer period followed.
Trustee Collins moved and Trustee Struthers seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried. Trustee Collins adjourned the meeting.
Dennis J. Collins, President