McHenry Times

City of Harvard City Council met June 27

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

Mayor Kelly called the Regular City Council Meeting to order and led the pledge to the flag at 7:00 pm. City Clerk Moller called roll to establish a quorum. Aldermen present: Haderlein, Lavallee, Carncross, Gorman, Lancaster and Luna. Aldermen Schulz and Perkins were absent. Also present: City Administrator Leone, Treasurer/Finance Director Bejot, Chief Bauman, Deputy Chief Sacco, Community Development Director Day, Supt. Parks & Rec Knop, Supt. Public Works Lamz, Supt. Utilities Grant, City Attorney Clifton and members of the audience.

PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA 

None

ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - APPROVED 

A motion was made by Alderwoman Haderlein, seconded by Alderman Carncross to approve the Administration Committee Meeting Minutes of June 22, 2023, as presented. Roll call vote: Haderlein, aye; Carncross, aye and Gorman, aye. Motion approved three to zero.

CONSENT AGENDA - APPROVED 

The items under the Consent Agenda are acted upon in a single motion. There is no separate discussion of these items prior to the Council vote unless a Council Member requests that an item be removed from the Consent Agenda for separate action.

a. Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of May 23, 2023

b. Administration Committee Meeting Minutes of June 22, 2023

c. Administrators Report

d. Building & Grounds Report

e. Community Development Department Report

f. Harvard Diggins Library Directors Report

g. Parks & Recreation Report

h. Police Department Report

i. Public Works Department Report

j. Utilities Department Report

A motion was made by Alderwoman Haderlein, seconded by Alderman Carncross to approve the Consent Agenda, Items #5a-j as presented. Roll call vote: Lavallee, aye; Carncross, aye; Gorman, aye; Lancaster, aye; Luna, aye and Haderlein, aye. Motion approved six to zero.

INDIVIDUAL ACTION CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS 

None

PAYMENT OF BILLS - APPROVED 

A motion was made by Alderwoman Haderlein, seconded by Alderman Gorman to approve payment of the bills in the amount of $1,136,771.73. Roll call vote: Carncross, aye; Gorman, aye; Lancaster, aye; Luna, aye; Haderlein, aye and Lavallee, aye. Motion approved six to zero.

OATH OF OFFICE 

Mayor Kelly related that City Administrator Lou Leone, Finance Director Deb Bejot and Parks & Rec Supt. Knop had never been sworn in. Said staff members were then sworn in by City Clerk Moller.

PETITION FOR DRIVEWAY VARIATION 

Scott and Sherry Kurth Variation from Section 19.15.B3, Driveways and Private Parking Lot, 708 Deerpath Rd. Ordinance 2023-115 Approved

Scott Kurth, 708 Deerpath Rd., was in attendance relative to his petition requesting relief from Section 19.15B3, Driveways and Parking Lots, in order to widen the driveway at their residence to accommodate additional parking for a recreational boat. Said extension will be 10’ x 25’ with a 10’x 10’ triangular approach on one end. Subject property is located at 708 Deerpath Rd. The requisite notice was sent to adjoining property owners and no objections have been received. Mayor Kelly opened the floor to comments/objections. Alderman Gorman commented that the proposed addition would require a retaining wall on one side. The petitioner responded that the extension will be concrete with piers poured to ground level and filled in with what’s excavated. The extension will be level with the existing driveway at the edge. A motion was made by Alderman Lavallee, seconded by Alderman Carncross to approve the petition as presented. Roll call vote: Gorman, aye; Lancaster; aye; Luna, aye; Haderlein, aye; Lavallee, aye and Carncross, aye. Ordinance 2023-115 approved six to zero.

PARK BOARD RECOMMENDATION REGARDING PETDINE PARK SHELTER RESERVATION - APPROVED 

PetDine has submitted a Park Shelter Reservation for August 19, 2023, for a company picnic to be held at the Milky Way Park East Shelter from 2 - 4:30 pm with up to 400 attendees. The Park Board recommends that the event be approved with a waiver of the police officer requirement. Mayor Kelly commented the police officer requirement was intended more for public events whereas the proposed request is for a private company picnic for employees and their families. A motion was made by Alderman Carncross, seconded by Alderwoman Luna to approve the Park Board’s recommendation as presented. At Alderwoman Haderlein’s inquiry, Mayor Kelly responded that a Certificate of Insurance would only be required if they had a liquor license. Roll call vote: Lancaster, aye; Luna, aye; Haderlein, aye; Lavallee, aye; Carncross, aye and Gorman, aye. Motion approved six to zero.

SPECIAL EVENT LIQUOR LICENSE APPLICATION - APPROVED 

Carl Opper submitted a Special Event Liquor License Application for Saturday, August 26, 2023, at the Boy’s League Shelter. The fees have been paid. A motion was made by Alderman Carncross, seconded by Alderwoman Haderlein to approve the license pending submission of dram shop insurance. Roll call vote: Luna, aye; Haderlein, aye; Lavallee, aye; Carncross, aye; Gorman, aye and Lancaster, aye. Motion approved six to zero.

FEE WAIVER REQUEST – APPROVED 

Mark Schuring, Healing Hearts with Hooves and Hounds, is hosting a Suicide Awareness Walk on September 10, 2023, with registration at the Milky Way Park West Shelter. The actual walk will use the McHenry Co. Conservation District Stone Mill Trail. Healing Hearts is a 501(c)(3) NFP corporation. They are requesting a waiver of the park shelter rental fees. A motion was made by Alderman Carncross, seconded by Alderwoman Lancaster to approve the request. Roll call vote: Luna, aye; Haderlein, aye; Lavallee, aye; Carncross, aye; Gorman, aye and Lancaster, aye. Motion approved six to zero.

IDOT RESOLUTION 2023 MFT ROAD PROGRAM – APPROVED 

Mayor Kelly noted a corrected Estimate of Maintenance Costs to replace the estimate in the agenda packet in to reflect $250,000 instead of $300,000. A motion was made by Alderman Carncross, seconded by Alderman Gorman to approve the proposed Resolution for Maintenance for the 2023 MFT Road Program in the amount of $250,000. Roll call vote: Haderlein, aye; Lavallee, aye; Carncross, aye; Gorman, aye; Lancaster, aye and Luna, aye. Motion approved six to zero.

PROPOSED ORDINANCE AMENDING UDO TABLE 8-1 USE MATRIX - ORD. 2023-116 APPROVED A motion was made by Alderwoman Haderlein, seconded by Alderman Gorman to approve the Administration Committee’s recommendation to amend Table 8-1, Use Matrix, of the UDO with “School-Trade or Vocational, Dormitory” as a conditional Use and “Parking Designated Area Multi Tenant” as a permitted use in the T-C District. Roll call vote: Lavallee, aye; Carncross, aye; Gorman, aye; Lancaster, aye; Luna, aye and Haderlein, aye. Ordinance 2023-116 approved six to zero.

PROPOSED ORDINANCE REGARDING TREE CITY USA - ORD. 2023-117 APPROVED A motion was made by Alderwoman Haderlein, seconded by Alderman Carncross to approve the Committee’s recommendation to approve an ordinance amending Chapter 5 of the Municipal Code, Regulating the Planting, Maintenance and Removal of Trees, Shrubs, and Other Plants; and Creating a Tree Board of the City of Harvard, Illinois. Roll call vote: Lavallee, aye; Carncross, aye; Gorman, aye; Lancaster, aye; Luna, aye and Haderlein, aye. Ordinance 2023-117 approved six to zero.

DEPT. HEADS REPORT 

Written reports as submitted.

Utilities Supt. Grant

• The plant is fully operational and the lab is seeing historical low parameters. Site work to be completed over the next 6 weeks with paving and landscaping with a completion date of August 10th. 

• Well #9 went down a couple weeks ago. In the process of pulling the motor for inspection, some of the pipe threads broke and the well pump/motor dropped 1,000’ down into the well. They were able to get it out on the first try. There wasn’t any physical damage but when the motor was pulled apart, it was in very bad shape and not rebuildable. Total cost will be just under $250,000 for a new motor and to rework all the pipe and threads. The budget allocated $250,000 to repaint the water tower on Harvard Hills Road but the contractor is unable to do the work this year due to heart surgery so the funds can be taken from that line item for the well repair.

Community Development Director Day

• Donovan was on the Harvard radio station with the Mayor.

• There was an article in the Northwest Herald regarding Harvard and development around the county. 

• There have been two meetings with McHenry County Community Development and Planning to discuss the different grants that are available to bring workforce housing to Harvard. 

• There will be Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting July 11th with three petitions on the agenda: Chancelight Inc. and Trinity Lutheran Church Conditional Use Alternative School; Karolczak Rezoning on Airport Rd and Text Amendments to the UDO regarding the HOA amendments and to add cannabis type businesses as a permitted use and firearm sales and indoor/outdoor shooting areas as a conditional use in certain zoning districts. The Commission’s recommendation will go before the Community Development Committee and then to the full City Council. Mayor Kelly commented that there is a marked increase and interest in Harvard from developers, both residential and commercial.

Public Works Supt. Lamz

• Staff is doing maintenance on gravel patches, sink holes, etc.

• All projects are ongoing with the road and sidewalk program. Mayor Kelly related there are some design issues with IDOT on the Division Street sidewalks which adds a lot of work and engineering costs to the project. City Administrator Leone noted there was discussion earlier today as to whether it was worthwhile to continue. City Engineer, Gary Rozwadowski, will take a lot of this on to keep the cost controlled and does not intend to charge the City for the additional work to prepare the design exception & MEP reports.

• The Ayer St. Streetscape project from Park to Washington will start mid-July to be completed by the end of August. There will be intermittent times that the road will be shut down; appropriate notification has been made to the police, fire and Durham school bus service. Affected businesses will be notified. Updates will be posted on the City website and Public Works Facebook page.

Supt. Parks & Rec Knop 

• One of the transfer motors at the pool quit working. Ryan pulled the motor and impeller and was able to source a new motor in Lisle. He drove down and picked up the new motor and installed it; the pool was back up running within 23 hours. City Administrator Leone thanked Ryan who worked late on Monday to find a replacement and get the old motor removed so the replacement could be installed to get the pool up and operational.

• There is an issue with the boiler not firing. If Ryan diagnosed the issue correctly, it should only cost around $200 if the City does the work. Hartwig is coming in tomorrow.

Police Chief Bauman

• Officer Vialpando is in his 7th week of training with graduation on August 25th. He should complete field training and be on his own the second week of November.

• The long-lost squad car has showed up; it’s decaled and should be on the street in a week or two. 

• Milk Days was a very eventful weekend. Tyson can’t go into much detail other than they are waiting on the States Attorney’s official determination on the case, but he doesn’t see any issues with it.

TREASURER’S REPORT 

Report as submitted.

COMMITTEE REPORTS 

ALDERMAN CARNCROSS 

Alderman Carncross noted his appreciation for everyone who works for the City and all their extra time and hours which shows their dedication and how much they want to serve the community. Supt. Knop has done an exceptional amount of work at the pool on his own time.

Alderman Carncross also commended the Police Dept. for their response and handling of the incident on Milk Day weekend. He further expressed sympathy to all those who responded to the situation.

ALDERMAN LAVALLEE 

Alderman Lavallee commented that he was coming up Diggins the other day and noticed that the gazebo had been moved in front of City Hall which is a perfect location. Alderman Gorman commented that the gazebo could use something else. Finance Director Bejot responded that the project isn’t finished yet and will be more decorative. Wrought iron railings have been ordered and will be fabricated to fit. She noted that Darrell Perkins coordinated the move on a Saturday and was able to move it in one piece.

ALDERWOMAN HADERLEIN 

Alderwoman Haderlein encouraged the City Council to help recruit individuals that might have an interest in trees to serve on the Tree Board.

There will not be an Administration Committee Meeting in July.

ALDERWOMAN LUNA 

Alderwoman Luna thanked all the departments for the work they do and commented that Harvard is a great place to live compared to other communities.

ALDERMAN GORMAN 

Alderman Gorman didn’t think he needed to call a Transportation Committee for July as most of the activity his committee works with will be later this fall.

Alderman Gorman brought up a resident’s concern about children crossing Diggins St. on the way to school that he thought should be reviewed either by the Administration or Transportation Committee. There is no controlled area or any kind of crossing guards from Ayer St. east. The resident requested a stop sign on Route 173; Alderman Gorman would like to take a look at it and discuss other possibilities, i.e. signage, striping, etc. The Mayor recommended it’s really transportation related and should be on the next Transportation Committee Meeting Agenda, with Rob to so some leg work in the interim.

ALDERWOMAN LANCASTER 

Alderwoman Lancaster related that a lot of kids in Park Pointe Subdivision cross Rte 173 which is pretty much chaos. She also thanked the Police Department for their response to the incident on Milk Day weekend which the department dealt with in a very calm and safe manner as well as keeping the community notified.

ALDERMAN CARNCROSS 

Alderman Carncross called a Community and Economic Development Committee for July 12th at 6:30 pm to discuss economic updates. Also on the agenda will be the Planning & Zoning Commission’s recommendations from the July 11th meeting.

NO REPORT 

City Attorney Clifton had no additional report.

ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT 

• Administrator Leone noted the City has received quite a few FOIA requests and is responding as rapidly as possible.

• The City has been experiencing some vandalism in Milky Way Park which requires city tax dollars to replace damaged items. City Administrator Leone asked citizens to report vandalism if they see it and for those who are vandalizing to stop doing so.

• Each of the aldermen were given iPads that are assigned to the elected official’s office not the individual. Agenda packet information can be downloaded plus any new changes prior to the meeting. Aldermen wishing to hook up their email should contact Chief Bauman.

• There will be some changes to policies and manuals; the employee manual should be ready for Administration Committee review in August.

CLERK’S REPORT – UPCOMING MEETING DATES 

July 11 Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting, 7 pm

July 12 Community & Economic Development Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm 

July 17 Park Board Meeting, 6 pm

July 25 City Council Meeting, 7 pm

MAYOR’S REPORT 

Mayor Kelly updated the City Council on the School Resource Officer (SRO) contract negotiation. The school board has reviewed the SRO and sent it back. Their proposal is closely aligned with the Mayor’s last proposal to them. One of the issues was that the school had not budgeted for an additional increase. The Mayor recommended that a year prior to the conclusion of the next contract, the City should be more proactive in trying to align whatever the pricing is going to be for the next contract. The SRO should be on the August City Council agenda.

In follow up to the Open Forum regarding indoor recreational space, the City is reaching out to possible venues within the community to see what activities might be done in existing spaces where the City can partner with an existing business to provide programming. This would provide activities more immediately than if the City had to start from scratch. The Park Board will be issuing a new survey regarding recreational activities going forward focused towards our need for indoor spaces.

Mayor Kelly commented that he is very excited about a lot of things taking place in the City. There is a lot of interest in our community both for commercial and residential. He is very pleased with how the new staff has come together. One of the things the City Administrator has instituted is formalized department head meetings which is beneficial for the group to keep everyone aware of what’s happening. Overall, this should help the City improve our efficiency in providing City services to our constituents. He thanked the City Council for being aligned on trying to grow our community and put in the foundations needed to enable that growth to happen.

A motion was made by Alderman Carncross, seconded by Alderwoman Lancaster to adjourn the meeting. Aldermen voting aye: Haderlein, Lavallee, Carncross, Gorman, Lancaster and Luna. All ayes. Motion carried.

Meeting adjourned at 7:55 pm.

https://www.cityofharvard.org/sites/default/files/fileattachments/city_council/meeting/14694/ccminutes2023-06-27.pdf