Grundy Reporter

Village of Diamond Village Board Met Feb. 9.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

The scheduled meeting of the Diamond Village Board was held at 6:00 p.m. with Mayor Teresa “Terry” Kernc presiding. Mayor Kernc and Village Clerk Lori Holmes were present at the Village Hall. Commissioners Adair, Brown, Kasher and Warner; Village Attorney John Gallo, Village Engineer Mike Perry and acting Public Works Supervisor Jim Dunning were in attendance remotely via teleconference. Upon roll call Commissioners present remotely were Mark Adair, Denise Brown, Jeff Kasher and Dave Warner. The Village Hall was open for citizens to enter and attend the meeting. Face masks along with social distancing was required.

Under the new amendment to the Open Meeting Act, Mayor Kernc read the following: “I, as Mayor have determined that pursuant to Public Act 101-640 that it is not practicable or prudent to require all members of the Village Board of Commissioners and Village staff members to attend this meeting physically because of public health concerns.”

Approval of 01-26-2021 Minutes

MOTION was made by Commissioner Kasher, SECOND by Commissioner Warner to approve the 01/26/2021 regular meeting minutes and place on file. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Approval of February 9, 2021 Bill List

MOTION was made by Commissioner Brown, SECOND by Commissioner Adair to accept the bill list and place on file. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Approval of the January 2021 Treasurer’s Report

MOTION was made by Commissioner Brown, SECOND by Commissioner Kasher to accept theJanuary 2021 Treasurer’s Report and place it on file. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Public Comment

None

New Business

Ordinance #2021-02; Amending an Ordinance Establishing and Designating an Enterprise Zone within the Village of Diamond (Additional Territory) MOTION was made by Commissioner Warner, SECOND by Commissioner Kasher to approve Ordinance #2021-02, Amending an Ordinance Establishing and Designating an Enterprise Zone with the Village of Diamond (Additional Territory). All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Resolution #2021-01; A Resolution Authorizing Execution of An Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement Between the Village of Diamond and The County of Grundy MOTION was made by Commissioner Adair, SECOND by Commissioner Brown to approve Resolution #2021-01, A Resolution Authorizing Execution of An Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement Between the Village of Diamond and The County of Grundy. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Resolution #2021-02; A Resolution Authorizing Execution of An Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement Between the Village of Diamond and The County of Will

MOTION was made by Commissioner Kasher, SECOND by Commissioner Warner to approve Resolution #2021-02, A Resolution Authorizing Execution of An Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement Between the Village of Diamond and The County of Will. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Discuss and Approve Grundy County Sheriff’s Agreement

Mayor Kernc stated they are not increasing the yearly rate for 2021. Once the census is complete, they will revisit the matter in 2022 and move forward with a new contract based off the census number for our village. MOTION was made by Commissioner Adair, SECOND by Commissioner Brown to approve the Grundy County Sheriff’s Agreement in the amount of $84,695.00. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Discuss and Approve STP3 Shared Will County Road Reconstruction Application

Mayor Kernc stated she reached out to each Commissioner regarding the change in the application process. Kernc stated the village was ranked as a cohort 4 and now are a cohort 3 which means there is a 20% match required if the village is awarded the grant of the $8,314,018 (less $70,000 which was already paid). The cost to the village would be approximately $1.7mil which a partial portion of the funds would come from motor fuel tax. There is approximately $375,000 which is coming from rebuild Illinois and money from private funds. Kernc stated, yes, it is a lot of money however, the village will be obtaining a lot of road/improvements from this. Kernc stated we are trying to develop in the Will County corridor, and she is currently working with a company interested in developing a very large portion in that area. She cannot guarantee it is 100%, but they are doing their due diligence and spending money for preliminary work. This would be a company which would utilize the TIF and Enterprise Zone and put in place all the infrastructure required including an interior road within the development. If this development does build, it would remove truck traffic off Will Road so the residential portion will not be impacted with truck traffic. Kernc stated there is only a 6-inch shoulder along some areas of Will Road and is continuing to erode along the road. She is concerned for the safety of drivers. This grant would be a golden opportunity to improve the infrastructure on Will Road. These improvements could assist in attracting new development in the commercial corridor as well as future residential development. Commissioner Kasher stated when this grant was first presented, the village was a cohort 4 which meant the portion the village would be liable for was approximately $200,000.00. Since then the village is a cohort 3, which means we would be on the hook for approximately $1.7 million dollars. He stated we know there is potential for development in that area, however, we have pitched to potential developers in the past, and none have come to fruition.He doesn’t want the village to throw money at this grant thinking we are going to get something out of it. He stated he would like to let the MFT funds increase and utilize for street repaving projects. Commissioner Kasher stated he is opposed to the grant application; we have better ways of spending $1.7 than on this project. Commissioner Brown stated if we don’t improve the road, we won’t get development to come because of the condition of the road. She believes it will be an added benefit to attract commercial and residential development in that area. Commissioner Warner stated he can understand what Commissioner Kasher is speaking of however, he believes the village does need to do the road improvement to Will Road. Even though it is a lot of money, it is affordable for the village to be able to get something this large of a scale completed. If we don’t take advantage of the grant in this way, he believes most likely will never be done. Commissioner Adair stated he understands concerns of each Commissioner and the Mayor, however, he feels the village might not have another opportunity to complete this scale of improvements without even spending more money in the future. He does hope these efforts will pay off for the village and enable the village to secure development opportunities. After further discussion, MOTION was made by Commissioner Adair, SECOND by Commissioner Brown to Approve STP3 Shared Will County Road Reconstruction Application. Ayes: Adair, Brown, Kernc Warner; Nay: Kasher. Motion Carried.

Discuss and Approve Resolution #2021-03 for STP3 Shared Will County Road Reconstruction MOTION was made by Commissioner Adair, SECOND by Commissioner Warner to Approve Resolution #2021-03; STP3 Shared Will County Road Reconstruction. Ayes: Adair, Brown, Kernc, Warner. Nay: Kasher. Motion Carried.

Discuss and Approve Salting Services Agreement for Burt Estates

Mayor Kernc stated approximately 1 week ago, Burt Estates salt truck broke down and they asked the village if we could salt their property. As a good will gesture, we did however, Kernc thought it would be a good idea to have an agreement in place if they need our assistance in the future. After brief discussion, it was decided not to execute an agreement for salting services for Burt Estates and allow them to repair their truck or bring in a salt truck from one of their other properties.

Old Business

Discuss and Approve Vendor for Preventative Maintenance on GeneratorsItem was passed and will be placed on the February 23, 2021 agenda.

Grundy and Will County Sheriff’s Monthly Update

Mayor Kernc presented the Will County report. Kernc stated there was more activity then she would like to see however it was a good report overall.

Legal Counsel

No Report

Engineer Updates

Village Engineer Mike Perry stated he spoke with Heidi Allen of the EPA who is handling the lead meter replacement grant application. Allen said that they have never had an application like this which replaces the meters for lead components, but she was going to pass the application along with recommendation to fund. Perry stated we must wait for the final review stages; however, this is a positive note expressed to him to get the project funded. The grand is a 100% funded with no match required.

Public Works Department Updates

Acting Public Works Supervisor Jim Dunning stated they received 3 additional loads of road salt. Dunning added they are still looking for a skid steer to purchase. The telescopic valves are not working in the lagoon and they are currently using a sump pump to pump down the sludge. Mayor Kernc stated Jim is doing an outstanding job in his role. She received a compliment from a resident after an initial complaint which was received from the resident regarding snow plowing by the department. Kernc stated many complaints have been received regarding snow plowing however, Jim has handled them promptly. Dunning added there is an ongoing issue when residents shovel their snow and throw it into the street after the roads have been plowed. Residents should not shovel it into the road but should shovel it onto their own property.

Clerk Updates

Village Clerk Lori Holmes stated the Public Works Department and several office staff completed an overview training of the Neptune 360 program. Holmes is scheduled for training on the exporting/importing processing utility billing on February 18 and February 19 will be training for the public works on meter reading utilizing the application on their cell phones.

Commissioner Comments Commissioner Kasher

No Report

Commissioner Brown

No Report

Commissioner Adair

No Report

Commissioner Warner

No Report

Mayor Kernc

Mayor Kernc stated it has been requested for in-person meetings to resume. Therefore, the next board meeting will be held in person at the village hall.

Adjournment

MOTION was made to adjourn at 6:53 p.m. by Commissioner Brown, SECOND by Commissioner Warner. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

https://www.villageofdiamond.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/02-09-21-1.pdf