Grundy Reporter

Village of Diamond Village Board of Commission met Dec. 12.

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

Proceedings, transactions, and resolutions made and order of said record of said Board in the Village of Diamond, IL on the 12th day of December 2023.

The scheduled meeting of the Diamond Village Board was held on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. with Mayor Teresa “Terry” Kernc presiding. Upon roll call Commissioners present were Mark Adair, Dean Johnson, and Jeff Kasher. Absent: Dave Warner.

Approval of 11-28-2023 Minutes

MOTION was made by Commissioner Kasher, SECOND by Commissioner Adair to approve the 11/28/2023 regular meeting minutes and place on file. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Approval of December 12, 2023, Bill List

Commissioner Kasher inquired about the payment to Layne for the Well #4 pump. Public Works Supervisor Jim Dunning discussed the issue. Mayor Kernc stated this will be submitted to the insurance for a claim on equipment. The pump failed after 1 ½ years which was out of the 1 year warranty. MOTION was made by Commissioner Johnson, SECOND by Commissioner Kasher to approve the December 12, 2023, bill list and place it on file. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Approval of the November 2023 Treasurer’s Report

MOTION was made by Commissioner Johnson, SECOND by Commissioner Adair to approve the November 2023 Treasurer's Report. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Public Comment

None

New Business

CMAP Pavement Management Program Presentation

Mayor Kernc welcomed Joe Stepanski from ARA working in conjunction with CMAP along with Joe Rodriguez from CMAP, Bridgette and Christy from ARA. Stepanski presented the Paver Management Program which assists communities to know the quality of their roads and rate them according to their conditions. This assists communities to be proactive on their roads for maintenance purposes and budget according to the need and quality of the road. This system uses real data from the roads to analyze the conditions and what is required for repairing the road.

Approve Ordinance #2023-09, Abatement of Certain Taxes Levied in connection with the Issue of $3,550,000.00 General Obligation Refunding Bonds-Series 2020A MOTION was made by Commissioner Kasher, SECOND was made by Commissioner Adair to Approve Ordinance #2023-09, Abatement of Certain Taxes Levied in connection with the Issue of $3,550,000.00 General Obligation Refunding Bonds-Series 2020A. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Approve Ordinance #2023-10, Abatement of Certain Taxes Levied in connection with the Issue of $1,115,000.00 General Obligation Refunding Bonds-Series 2020B MOTION was made by Commissioner Adair, SECOND was made by Commissioner Johnson to Approve Ordinance #2023-10, Abatement of Certain Taxes Levied in connection with the Issue of $1, 115,000.00 General Obligation Refunding Bonds-Series 2020B. All Ayes: Motion Carried. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Approve Ordinance #2023-11, Levying and Assessing of Taxes for the Village of Diamond in Couties of Grundy and Will and State of Illinois for the Fiscal year Ending April 30, 2024 MOTION was made by Commissioner Kasher, SECOND by Commissioner Adair to Approve Ordinance #2023-11, Levying and Assessing of Taxes for the Village of Diamond in Couties of Grundy and Will and State of Illinois for the Fiscal year Ending April 30, 2024. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Approve Ordinance #2023-12, Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act

MOTION was made by Commissioner Kasher, SECOND by Commissioner Johnson to Approve Ordinance #2023-12, Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Approve TIF Expenditure-IL Route 113 Turn Lane

Mayor Kernc stated IDOT wanted to remove the right in/out for the Jewel access. IDOT did allow the right in/right out turn however, Jewel wants a turn lane into the property. Kernc asked Chamlin and Associates what the cost would be for this turn lane and the cost estimate is $85,000.00 - $90,000.00. Kernc stated the funds would be used from the TIF account to pay for the turn lane, not to exceed $95,000.00. Commissioner Kasher stated he agrees it is needed. He would not want to jeopardize the construction in any way. Commissioner Adair stated IDOT knew the intention of use of the property and was inquiring what made them change their stance. Village Engineer stated, at the time, there was not a user. They could not correctly analyze the use without a user and without a traffic count, they would not know how heavy it would be used. However, with the traffic Jewel will produce as well as the other development, it is needed. MOTION was made by Commissioner Johnson, SECOND by Commissioner Adair to Approve the TIF Expenditure-IL Route 113 Turn Lane. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Old Business

Grundy and Will County Sheriff’s Monthly Update

Mayor Kernc stated there was nothing out of the ordinary to report. The Will County Sheriff Report was excellent.

Mayor Kernc added additional items to Old Business.

A consensus was given to pay the change order for the water meter replacement which will appear on the next bill list.

Northside Stormwater

Mayor Kernc was given approval to apply for a FEMA grant.(BRIC Grant). It is a 2.4-million-dollar grant. The village applied for it the first time, and FEMA is now requiring multiple applications for this grant of which, they do not have the funding for currently. North Central has now taken over the grant application for the village. The village made it through the next phase. Now, the village must have a letter signed that states the village will make the local match, which is 25%. Kernc stated, the village will not be successful with the BRIC grant, because it is a national grant, which the village is competing nationally for. The reason the village is still moving forward pursuing it is, Kernc stated

IEMA said the village will fail on this grant however, if there is a disaster in Illinois where the state receives 10% of the mitigation funding, what FEMA does is go through those municipalities which have applied for the BRIC grant and failed, the village could possibly get funding that way. So Kernc would like to continue moving forward with the application. Nothing will happen any time soon, however, at least the village could have a chance with the funding. Kernc stated this grant is for a 5- acre detention and would also allow storm water lines conveyance to be installed. After further discussion, Commissioner Kasher stated he has reservations. He is not for the detention pond. He feels Claypool needs to complete dredging which would free up the flow of the water. Mayor Kernc stated she received a consensus from Commissioner Warner prior to the meeting since he could not attend, Commissioner Adair stated yes for Kernc to move forward, however Commissioners Johnson and Kasher stated No. Therefore, 3 Ayes-2 Nays. Kernc will move forward with the grant application process.

Change Order/Jewel Box Culvert Railing

Mayor Kernc stated this was previously discussed at the prior board meeting and additional information was needed. Information was presented for the change order in the amount of $17,000.00. This is for the galvanized fencing, gate, railing installation by Corsetti Structural Steel, Inc. for the box culvert on Will Road. Numerous options were presented. Kernc likes the bicycle railing because it will keep pets, children, etc. out of the culvert. Johnson confirmed the fence would be positioned between the bike path and the culvert. Kasher inquired if a guard rail would still be installed in front of the fence and Kernc stated yes. Adair inquired if this was for safety reasons, and it is. This would match what Jewel will be installing so all with be identical. Adair is concerned with erosion control. To install the fence, he is concerned the dirt of which it would be installed will erode. After discussion, there are concerns however, consensus was given to move forward. Perry stated he will discuss the concern with Farrell and look at options with costs.

Legal Counsel

No Report

Engineer Updates

No Report

Public Works Department Updates

Public Works Supervisor Jim Dunning reported the additional water meters were delivered and installation will continue after the new year. There is a storm tile issue on the north side of past Hugh St. Public Works jetted our 600 feet however, it is still draining very slow. There is a concern of a broken-field tile. Kasher stated the farmer stated there is an issue with a tile and he was to reach out to Dunning. Determination of the responsibility to fix must be first determined if/where it is a broken tile. It could be the responsibility of the Claypool Drainage. Kasher explained the difference between the tiles where they are located and who would be responsible for fixing them. Kernc will reach out to Bob Koerner of Claypool to discuss the issue. Dunning stated an air quality test will be done at the WTP/WWTP due to the issues with the computers at the plant. Adair stated he discussed this with Dunning and Adair will be providing a consultant who Adair has worked with in the past. Kernc stated she must have this test not only for the computer issues but for the health and safety of the employees.

Clerk Updates

No Report

Commissioner Comments

Commissioner Adair

No Report however, he inquired about the mud/rocks on the road from the construction trucks from the Jewel Development. He wanted to know if there was something in the contract with regards to keeping the roads clean. Mayor Kernc stated that is the responsibility of D Construction. Village Engineer Mike Perry has noted this issue and has notified D Construction.

Commissioner Johnson

No Report

Commissioner Kasher

No Report

Commissioner Warner

Absent

Mayor Kernc

No Report

Adjournment to Closed Session: 2(c) (1) Compensation; Employee Issue. Tabled

Adjournment

MOTION was made to adjourn at 7:18 p.m. by Commissioner Kasher, SECOND by Commissioner Adair. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

https://www.villageofdiamond.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/12-12-23-1.pdf