March 27, 2023 Minutes
EAST DUBUQUE CITY COUNCIL
261 Sinsinawa Avenue
East Dubuque, IL 61025
Monday
March 27, 2023
6:00 p.m.
Please Stand for the Pledge of Allegiance
1. 23-0320 Call to Order – Mayor
Start Time: 6:00 p.m.
Alderman Belken, Alderman Burgmeier, Alderman Fluhr, Alderman Hoffman, Alderman Walsh and Attorney Kurt
2. 23-0321 Staff Reports
i. Water Tower Design
Design option 1 is what went with because of visibility and size of emblem. Bowl on bottom to be colored which gets back to a mold issue. Soon as weather allows, they will start.
ii. County Housing Update from Diane Gallagher
Any questions will pass on to Diane.
iii. State Representative Tony McCombie’s Office Visit
Will visit on April 6th from 11 am to 12 pm
iv. Scouting for Food
Scouts will be collecting food on April 15th. Collecting non-perishable food donations that will go to the East Dubuque Food Pantry. Have sitting on your doorstep for them to pick up.
b. Mayor Report
Upset about signs being taken.
Might have the properties in the flats taken care of. There is someone interested in the properties in the flats.
c. Alderman Report
i. Belken
Flats property has an agreement with local person to purchase. Mayor Degenhardt has put in a lot of hours and want to thank Mayor Degenhardt.
ii. Burgmeier
iii. Fluhr
iv. Hoffmann
George Murphy wondering if there was any update on property. Will need to get together with Attorney Kurt to try and resolve this. Not sure if George was anticipating the 10 ft or the whole 20 ft. Will need to talk with him to find out.
Alderman Hoffmann – Thinks he just want to be able to access his property. Will tell him to talk with City Manager Herrig.
v. Walsh
d. City Attorney, Terry Kurt
e. Police Chief, Luke Kovacic
i. Flock Camera System
City of Dubuque and Dubuque Police Department are putting in traffic cameras approximately 150 installed. One will be facing into East Dubuque. These are for surveillance and plate recognition. Looking to do 6 camera’s they would be located coming in Hwy 20, leaving Hwy 20, Library, under bridge, by The Dispensary and heading out on Rt 35. These are real time so if there is an amber alert they just need to log into the system. Will read plates and if they are suspended, wanted or revoked basically the Class A traffic misdemeanors violation. Starting to crunch numbers if can get locked in by end of March cause April 1st price goes up. Looking to see if can find some grant funding. For a two-year contract it is $34,000. Which we will be responsible for purchasing the cameras, but they will maintain them. They are solar powered and run off cellular service. Hundreds of departments are using these and able to follow from start to finish. These are real time information.
These are not speeding cameras.
Would be able to write more tickets through DACRA.
City Manager Herrig – What are the general thoughts?
Alderman Hoffmann – Are they selling the information to anyone.
Chief Kovacic – Does not think so. They keep the information for only so long. What’s nice about this system is if need to find someone they can just plug in the license plate to see where they are at.
Alderman Walsh – Amber Alert aspect it is worth it.
Chief Kovacic – Camera’s on the bridge are for surveillance only and do not belong to us. We do not have access to the Dubuque cameras.
Going through Flock they will manage the system for us where Dubuque manages their own system.
Alderman Burgmeier – What is the financial?
Chief Kovacic – Contract would be $34,500 which breaks down to one time professional service, $750 per camera to put on the DOT right away each individual camera is $2,500 but will go up to $3,000 the beginning of April. Does understand it is a lot of money.
City Manager Herrig – Not presenting tonight for approval wanting to cooperate into the budget. This is not budgeted right now. Want to see what the reaction was if you thought it was a worth wild project to pursue or if don’t think it is then won’t spend any more time on it. Seems to be a positive on pursuing more information on this.
Jo Daviess County Sheriffs office is planning to transition to Star Com radios. Star Com is low band high frequency were right now we use high band. We have always had problems with our communication in Jo Daviess County because of the terrain. Going to Digital radio. We would need 7 portable and 4 mobiles with 1 base radio in the tune of $105,000 with monthly service fee on each device and that would be $2,400 a year.
Every town in Jo Daviess is being forced to change.
Waiting on official if can use money from the 911 Board. Waiting on an official decision.
May 15th to see if receipt of grant money for communications.
We need to make sure guys have communications system for officers.
Firefighters will stay on civil defense and will have to communicate through dispatch.
ii. Update on Drug Arrests
Odin has been worth his weight in gold. Jake has been utilizing him on a regular basis.
March 11th Caleb and Jake made a stop that Odin did an air test and signaled there was drugs. They recovered 28 lbs. of cannabis, $7,000 in cash with $75,000 of street value.
They have been getting a lot of the drugs off the streets. Has a K-9 demonstration on
May 19th at Frentress Lake. Jake and Odin are used at least 4 times a week and not just here. He has gone to Galena, Dubuque and Wisconsin.
f. Public Works Director, Mark Fluhr
g. Fire Chief, Joe Heim
3. 23-0322 Speakers from the Floor
Don Slaats – Asking questions. Wondering why the Fire Department Referendum letter did not go out to the business. Not sure about that cause City Hall had nothing to do with letters. Within the letter there was two different numbers. What is the correct number. Just depends on what they figured for the length of time they are taking. What is the formula to figure amount. How long to pay off. $119 was a 20 year pay back. What will the cost be for the trucks. With taxes it will end when the loan is paid off. Are looking at grants have an application in for $300,000 grant through the state and looking at any grant we can get. What is the most amount to charge cannabis. We charge $25,000 for dispensaries and then get 3% from there tax. The firefighters are not not looking for money.
4. 23-0323 Consent Agenda (City Council Minutes 03/06/23, 03/16/23, Public Safety Report(s), Warrants, Zoning Minutes and Correspondence)
Motion by Alderman Walsh to Approve Consent Agenda (City Council Minutes 03/06/23, 03/16/23, Public Safety Report(s), Warrants, Zoning Minutes and Correspondence) second by Alderman Burgmeier ROLL CALL: Ayes – Alderman Belken, Alderman Burgmeier, Alderman Fluhr, Alderman Hoffmann, Alderman Walsh and Mayor Degenhardt Motion carried
NEW BUSINESS:
5. 23-0324 Presentation and Discussion of Greater Dubuque Development in the City of East Dubuque, Jo Daviess County, Illinois / Mayor Degenhardt, City Manager Herrig
Rick Dickinson – Five-year capital campaign that started last year. 1984 founded with Dubuque region was in the tank. Recruit business and people left because there was not work. Business retention number one is the owner, and they recruit. Workforce to get people here. Classes take them aground. Creation part is spending amount of money for education to NICC to help people. Strategic broadband to bring more companies here. Renewable energy methane is being sold back. Childcare expansion with a facility in the west end. With infant care, flex care and shift care. Work for a board of 36. Happy that we invested and would like us to invest again with the next budget.
No action needed.
6. 23-0325 Discussion and Possible Action to Approve Oxford Street Reconstruction Contract Amendment No. 1 in the City of East Dubuque, Jo Daviess County, Illinois / Mayor Degenhardt, City Manager Herrig
Marc Ruden – Continuation with design. This is so we are ale to work with IEPA. Asking to approve to continue big street project. We get funding for street. Will be working with Fehr Graham. Fehr Graham is working on five lift stations. Construction for Oxford St. will be in 2024. These projects can take between two to three years from start to finish. Trying to work with the worst streets first.
Motion by Alderman Walsh to Approve Oxford Street Reconstruction Contract Amendment
No. 1 second by Alderman Belken ROLL CALL: Ayes – Alderman Belken, Alderman Burgmeier, Alderman Fluhr, Alderman Hoffmann, Alderman Walsh and Mayor Degenhardt Motion carried
7. 23-0326 Discussion and Possible Action to Approve Lead Service Line Replacement Agreement in the City of East Dubuque, Jo Daviess County, Illinois / Mayor Degenhardt, City Manager Herrig
100% Grant through the state. Thirty-four lead service lines will be changed out at no cost to the citizen. Design through construction. Can include bills for engineering.
Motion by Alderman Belken to Approve Lead Service Line Replacement Agreement second by Alderman Walsh ROLL CALL: Ayes – Alderman Belken, Alderman Burgmeier, Alderman Fluhr, Alderman Hoffmann, Alderman Walsh and Mayor Degenhardt Motion carried
8. 23-0327 Discussion and Possible Action to Approve An Amendment to Ordinance Pertaining to the Regulation of Video Gaming in the City of East Dubuque, Jo Daviess County, Illinois / Mayor Degenhardt, City Manager Herrig
Asked to give a waiver for 231 at last meeting. Attorney Kurt informed us that we need to update the ordinance so that we can do that.
Motion by Alderman Walsh to Approve An Amendment to Ordinance Pertaining to the Regulation of Video Gaming second by Alderman Fluhr ROLL CALL: Ayes – Alderman Belken, Alderman Burgmeier, Alderman Fluhr, Alderman Hoffmann, Alderman Walsh and Mayor Degenhardt Motion carried
9. 23-0328 Discussion and Possible Action to Approve Video Gaming License for 231 in the City of East Dubuque, Jo Daviess County, Illinois / Mayor Degenhardt, City Manager Herrig
Passed at last meeting but needed to amend the ordinance so that 231 would be able to receive their license. So ask that we pass this again since amended ordinance was passed.
Motion by Alderman Burgmeier to Approve Video Gaming License for 231 second by Mayor Degenhardt ROLL CALL: Ayes – Alderman Belken, Alderman Burgmeier, Alderman Fluhr, Alderman Hoffmann, Alderman Walsh and Mayor Degenhardt Motion carried
10. 23-0329 Adjourn
End Time: 7:02 p.m.
Motion by Alderman Walsh to Adjourn second by Alderman Belken ROLL CALL:
Ayes – Alderman Belken, Alderman Burgmeier, Alderman Fluhr, Alderman Hoffmann, Alderman Walsh and Mayor Degenhardt Motion carried
Pam McCarthy
City Clerk, East Dubuque
