Grundy Reporter

Coal City Village Board of Trustees met Sept. 24.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Call Meeting to Order

The Coal City Village Board meeting was called to order by Village Clerk, Kayla Melvin, at 7:15 PM with Trustee Dave Togliatti, Trustee Dan Greggain, Trustee Pam Noffsinger, Trustee Ross Bradley, Trustee Bill Mincey and Trustee CJ Lauterbur present. Mayor David Spesia absent. Also in attendance were Attorney Mark Heinle, Ryan Hansen from Chamlin Engineering, Chief Mike Imhof and Matt Fritz, Village Administrator.

Pledge of Allegiance

All present recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

A motion was made by Village Clerk, Kayla Melvin to appoint Trustee Greggain as Mayor pro tem for the meeting in the Mayor's absence.

Motion to appoint Trustee Greggain as Mayor pro tem was made by Trustee Togliatti, seconded by Trustee Lauterbur. Motion carried with all trustees voting yes.

Approval of Minutes

Trustee Greggain asked if there were any questions regarding the meeting minutes from September 10th, 2025. There were no questions or comments.

Motion to approve the minutes of September 10, 2025 was made by Trustee Mincey, seconded by Trustee Bradley. Motion carried with all Trustees voting yes.

Approval of Warrant List

Trustee Bradley questioned a propane purchase, asking if it was a yearly cost. The specific item was not identified in the response.

Motion to approve the warrant list was made by Trustee Lauterbur, seconded by Trustee Mincey. Motion carried with all Trustees voting yes.

Public Comment

A resident from 175 Des Plaines Street expressed concerns about his water pressure, stating he's been complaining for over ten years about sharing a water line with a neighbor. The resident stated that after the 2019 tornado, he was required to bring his house up to code immediately, but the village hasn't addressed his water line issue despite it being out of code as well.

Village Attorney Mark Heinle explained that traditionally, service lines from the main to the house are the homeowner's responsibility, not the Village's. Village Administrator Matt Fritz acknowledged the situation and mentioned that while there is a lead service replacement program coming, the resident's house is outside of the phase 1 remediation area. He stated that if contractors are available, they would try to assist, but reiterated that it is a homeowner issue.

The resident disputed this, stating that the village had replaced other similar lines in the area, and insisted that the village address the issue since it's not up to code. He indicated he would continue coming to meetings or get an attorney if necessary.

Ordinance 25-21: Denial of Petition for 685 East Division

Village Administrator Matt Fritz explained that this petition went before the Planning and Zoning Board with limited information provided. The petitioner wanted to add multi-family units to a single- family detached home on a commercial property. The Planning and Zoning Board unanimously denied the request due to numerous issues, including having two principal structures on the same property and attempting to put residential units in a commercial area without retail in front. Neighbors also appeared at the hearing to oppose the petition.

Village Attorney Mark Heinle added that variances are typically designed for relief from bulk and dimensional issues, not for changes in use. The appropriate relief would have been to request rezoning of the property.

Motion to adopt Ordinance 25-21 denying the request for the petitioner to allow a variance for the addition of multifamily residential dwelling units at 685 East Division was made by Trustee Lauterbur, seconded by Trustee Mincey. Motion carried with all Trustees voting yes.

Accept Parks 2025 Comprehensive Plan

Matt Fritz explained that the comprehensive plan examined all village park properties and assessed equipment conditions and needs. The Parks & Recreation Committee identified many needs throughout town, and the plan helps prioritize projects with the limited parks funding available. The plan includes the dream of connecting to the I&M Canal via bike trail and outlines priorities for different parks.

After completing the Hunter's Run OSLAD grant project, the village plans to use fund balance to complete improvements at North Park next year, and potentially seek another OSLAD grant for Lions Park thereafter.

Motion to accept the Parks 2025 Comprehensive Plan as drawn up was made by Trustee Bradley, seconded by Trustee Mincey. Motion carried with all Trustees voting yes.

Resolution 25-14: Support for the OSLAD Grant

Trustee Lauterbur and Matt worked to adjust the budget for the Hunter's Run project to a more reasonable amount after gathering public input on September 4th. The village will help with asphalt costs for the parking lot, and the developer of the senior subdivision will put in the path mentioned earlier. While a challenge course scored well in public input, it will likely be placed at North Park instead of Hunter's Run.

Maria from Upland Design noted that submitting for the first time gives the village points in the scoring system. If the grant is denied, the village can submit again next year. She clarified that the IDNR requires projects to be completed within two years of receiving the grant.

Motion to approve Resolution 25-14 support for the OSLAD grant was made by Trustee Lauterbur, seconded by Trustee Bradley. Motion carried with all Trustees voting yes.

Approval of Backhoe Replacement

Village Administrator Matt Fritz explained that the backhoe replacement was previously scheduled within the capital improvement plan and would be split between the purchase of accounts 01-41 and 51-00. The price was higher than initially budgeted in the capital improvement plan. After discussion about warranty options, the final price was reduced to $194,610 (down from $197,560).

Motion to authorize the acquisition of a backhoe from Altorfer Cat in the amount of $194,610 was made by Trustee Lauterbur, seconded by Trustee Mincey. Motion carried with all Trustees voting yes.

Authorizing Mayor Spesia to Enter Agreement for Goose Lake Township Solar 1

Matt Fritz explained this was a 5-megawatt solar project in unincorporated Grundy County within Coal City's planning area, to be located on the west side of Erickson Road. Following the pattern established with previous solar projects, the village had calculated a 10-year net present contribution representing what the EAV would be for a 5-megawatt project. The payment would be $31,593.53, to be paid in a lump sum.

Motion to authorize Mayor Spesia to enter an agreement for Goose Lake Township Solar 1 was made by Trustee Bradley, seconded by Trustee Mincey. Motion carried with all Trustees voting yes.

Report of the Mayor

No report.

Report of Trustees

Trustee Lauterbur thanked everyone for their support of the parks master plan and OSLAD grant resolution. He mentioned attending the resident tour of Dresden Nuclear Power Plant with Matt, where they learned Dresden is on schedule for their renewal, which would extend operation until 2051.

Trustee Mincey thanked everyone for their work on Fall Fest, particularly Bob's Advanced Auto for food and drinks, the police department, and public works. He noted the drone show was excellent and mentioned attending the IML (Illinois Municipal League) conference with Matt, Pam, and the Chief, where he took 11 classes.

Trustee Bradley asked Ryan Hansen about water plant connections, which Ryan confirmed were ongoing systematically.

Trustee Noffsinger mentioned attending the IML conference, finding it informative and valuable for networking.

Trustee Greggain (acting as Mayor pro tem) thanked everyone for their efforts with Fall Fest, noting they had a record 130 cars in the car show despite competing with Morris's car show.

Trustee Togliatti mentioned having houseguests who were impressed with the village's Fall Fest for a town of its size.

Report of Village Clerk

Nothing to report.

Report of Village Attorney

The Village Attorney had nothing to report.

Report of Village Engineer

Ryan mentioned that at the next meeting, they would have pay estimates for the street maintenance program.

Report of Chief of Police

The Police Chief noted that Halloween hours would be from 4 to 6 PM, the same as last year. He reported that Fall Fest went smoothly and mentioned that officers provided security at a Hoffman employee appreciation event that weekend. He also reminded everyone about the homecoming parade scheduled for Friday at 2:30 PM.

Report of Village Administrator

Matt Fritz thanked everyone for the Fall Fest compliments and noted that next year's event would be held later due to the Labor Day calendar (September 7, 2025). He mentioned having materials for the next meeting, including a public hearing for an annexation.

Adjourn

Motion to adjourn was made by Trustee Lauterbur, seconded by Trustee Bradley. Motion carried with Trustees Togliatti, Greggain, Noffsinger, Bradley, Mincey and Lauterbur voting yes.

https://coalcity-il.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/VB-Meeting-Minutes-09-24-2025-Web.pdf