Do you take the role on that? Please don't do that. Please. Shadle? Aye. Sanders? He's over there. The motion to reconvene. Yay or nay? Sellers? Aye. Klemm? Aye.
Monroe is absent. Simmons? Aye. Parker? Aye. And Stacy? Aye. Will that suffice as a roll call for who's present as well or do you want me to take roll after a roll call vote? Okay. Now this is officially roll whether you are here or not. Klemm? Aye. Monroe is absent. Simmons? Here. Parker? Here. Stacy? Aye.
here Shadle here Sanders and Sellers yeah and we have a quorum okay we're gonna
resume where we left off actually it's a West Avenue TIF Kurt 227
and John.
Yeah, I got different pages.
Yeah, it's about
three quarters to the rear.
Fun number 227.
Okay.
Okay, and we're starting off here with the West Avenue TIF.
Nothing's really been changed with that.
Got no change there.
Okay, Burchard Hills TIF, that is Fund 228,
also no changes there.
Meadows TIF, 229, no changes there.
The Drug Forfeiture Fund.
No changes on the drug forfeiture fund
Why is there no changes?
Because when we first presented it it did not change from the first time we presented it
But is there something that you have a question on? No, I just wonder
Tourism fund no changes
Thomas.
Why shouldn't that have gone up since, let Greater Freeport Partnership tell it that it's
been so greater this year?
Well, Michelle, do you want to answer that?
As far as revenue or as far as expenses?
Both.
When Rob said no changes, it just, so the last time we presented it in September or October, we have not changed the budget amount.
It did go up. The budget from 2024 was $240,000 for revenue in the hotel motel tax, and we're budgeting $280,000 for the new year.
Miller, 280,000. We just haven't made any changes since we initially presented it a few
months ago. The highlighted items, so we went through anything that was changed since the
first time that we presented the budget. This is quite the process. I mean, we've been working
on this since the beginning of August. And so tweaks do happen. Things do change. I recalculate.
I get memos from the state saying certain revenues are up that kind of thing so anything highlighted was something that we changed in
In this one there in the hotel motel fund tourism fund. We didn't make any changes
Okay, if there are no other questions, we'll go to 318 Street Improvement Fund
This is where we're gonna have the this is where the funds for the 1%
Tax will reside and these funds have been budgeted for road reconstructions next
year. There have been no changes since we presented it in the capital improvement
plan. Capital Equipment Fund, we have had a few changes and some moving around. The
The transfer in, we had a little change on that from $726,000 to $196,000.
We had initially budgeted for, let's see here, some other vehicles that we are no longer
going to purchase.
Some of those vehicles are for the street department.
So we are going to be purchasing an F550 truck next year instead of several bits of equipment
that we had already put in there.
And then also the enterprise leases
are paid out of this, as well as police vehicles.
So we're purchasing three police vehicles.
Any questions on capital equipment fund?
Fire improvement fund, a few minor bookkeeping things,
a fund reserve transfer.
We put that in.
we have a better idea now of what that should be and so that's been added and
then that's essentially the only change that we've seen there. Moving on to Debt
Service Fund, no changes there. Police Pension Fund, no changes there. Fire
Fire Pension Fund. No changes. And Foreign Fire Fund. No changes there. Moving the landfill
closure fee during the budgetary process. So we got gigged on the last auditor. Basically
the landfill closure fund is essentially we're building that up at the request of the auditors
to get that squared away. So we're budgeting $362,155 to add to the road closure or the landfill closure fund. And then under contracted infrastructure repair and maintenance, we reduce that from 150 to 300. That had to do with inflow or had to do with pumps and all the pumps right now are working pretty well. So we reduce that to 30,000. So if anything was to pop up, we have some money on hand. But right now there's really nothing that needs to be done out there.
Yes, I have a question on the landfill closure. Yes. Where are there other, are there any
other places that people can take their waste besides paying that fee that they would have
to pay to Gills, whoever the people are? So our landfill is closed completely. The only
thing that's there is Gills runs the transfer station. So if you're talking about normal
Ruffalo, Garbage, and that type of stuff. That it goes there. If you're talking about yard waste, that's a different thing. Are you? Which one are you thinking of?
Yeah, I'm doing the yard waste. I had calls on what do they do with their yard waste? Why? Why isn't there somewhere for them?
There is. I mean, the woody yard waste either goes down to the city yards. There's an impound there or out to the wood lot on Walnut Road. So it's right next door to landfill for.
now grass clippings we don't take although we are working on a composting permit so we can kind of generate our own topsoil and in that case we might we might start accepting grass clippings there because it'll allow us the nitrogen you need to mix in with the decomposing leaves to create the proper balance there to create potting soil so they can take their leaves and debris to the to the woodland to the okay yeah okay right there across on walnut we're at the city yeah okay thank you now the leaves don't go
They go to the, the city yards. They go to the, they go to the wood lot. The brush. Yes, the brush. The yards. If you have brush, you can take it to the city yards or, or the wood lot, but leaves specifically go to the wood lot. Wood lot. Yes. It's only open 8 to noon. Yep. Okay. For any other special garbage or waste that requires not your normal, your, your normal
Woods, you know, typical household garbage. Where, how does that become stored or disposed
of if the landfill is only going to take specifics, what happens to anything else that's not garbage
from your household?
Well, you would take it to the transfer station and there'd be a tipping fee or some nominal fee per day.
Well, you can take it out to the landfill.
You can take it to the transfer station, yes.
Transfer station.
Yeah, that's right there where the landfill is.
And so if I wanted to take a chair, per se, and just...
Yes, you can take that out. They'll have to charge you for it, but you can take it there.
They'll charge you.
Yes.
Okay.
And just in the interest of time, I'm happy to talk about those in much more detail.
however like to kind of keep on going with the budget. Any questions on the
landfill closure fund? Okay. Health and Environmental
Health and Environmental Fund, nothing changed there.
Water Fund, we had a few changes. Revenue, we included some of the grant revenue that increased that from $5 million to $9 million.
In addition, we were expected to see some of the settlement law, the porflornia compound lawsuits this year, so we included that.
We basically were estimating about $800,000 total. We put $400,000 in water and $400,000 in sewer.
That's item 4661, Other Revenue.
Then under interest income, after reviewing everything, it looks like we will end up receiving more interest income than we had initially thought.
Under expenses, we just cleaned up all the payroll and all the withholdings and made everything as close as we possibly could get there.
Under contracted equipment, repair and maintenance, we went from 120 down to 50 and that's basically going to pay for our pressure tank over at Burchard Hill this year when we paint the Burchard tank.
Contracted Infrastructure Repair and Maintenance, you'll see there, it was at 3.4 million, it's 1.9, that's the Lead Services Program, I believe that's 3, so that is budgeted for the Lead Service Line Program.
Alderman Boyer, or Manager Boyer, I'm sorry. Yep.
Could we bump back up to Water Fund?
Sure.
You've got highlighted the...
400,000.
0-0-0.
Yes.
Yeah, the $400,000 that's.
So we're putting in as a placeholder
what we think we're going to get for in 25 for the forever
chemicals settlement.
OK, the lawsuit.
We're just trying to account for it a little bit.
We think we'll get something this year, or in 25.
Thank you.
Any other questions?
OK.
If you will, skip down to 6315.
We took engineering from $500,000 to $383,000, and then we also adjusted fee in lieu of property tax from, I'm sorry, equipment building and plant outside from $35,000 to $30,000.
We've got supplies, mains, and manholes. We had a real look at this. Generally speaking, supplies, mains, and manholes are going to be materials that we purchase that would go into the water system.
Valve Boxes, Valves, that type of thing. So we had a look at that. We made some changes there. So we took means and manholes down from 135 to 85. And then meter equipment, we took from 60 to 50. So moving down plant maintenance, we took that down about 5000. And then vehicles, we took 2000 off of that. We made a necessary adjustments where we needed to software, we were reviewing some of the software
that we needed and we were able to make some changes there. So we went from 112 to 56,000.
And the land and property acquisition you've got 100,000 but we moved that from the water budget
over to the mixed assets category. So that's that's not actually zero that just got moved
to another place in the budget. Any questions on water?
Okay. With that, let's move on to the wastewater. So again, just scooting down here, not a whole
lot changed here, but we've got 4661 on the revenue. Again, you'll see another 400,000
there as we're anticipating about 800,000 coming in from the forever chemical settlement.
Again, also, the payroll was adjusted appropriately and withholdings were adjusted appropriately.
Fowler.
Skipping down to 6170, contracted infrastructure, repair and
maintenance. This is our sewer lining, and this was reduced.
I believe we're pursuing some sewer lining grants through the
EPA. Is that correct? And it's moved to capital instead of being
in the expense items. So it's a way of looking at it. So it's
Fischer, the life of the lining is 20, 30 years, so it really doesn't belong in the
expense side, and it belongs in the asset side.
Let's see here, depreciation expense, we made an adjustment there, and, you know, lab testing
vendors, we're going to do what we can to take a little, reduce that somewhat.
We're hoping that we'll get to a point with the lead services that our lead service line testing will have be getting less expensive over time because we've replaced so many of them and we'll be on the home stretch probably at the end of next year. So we're excited about that.
Miller. A few other adjustments, construction and equipment supplies, lift station supplies,
mains manhole supplies, and then plant maintenance supplies. So the idea there is we should have
a pretty significantly new plant pretty soon, hoping. So hoping we spend a little less on
and others that we've been working on our plant maintenance with and because we'll have a new plant and computer software again reflected a similar change to what you saw on the water side and that's it for wastewater. Any questions on wastewater? The changes are very similar to the water side so
I saw the new water plant structure, utility area, chemical area. Is that what we're upgrading? Some similar with new machines and things like that to work with our waste treatment water?
Right, so we're installing a chemically enhanced primary treatment to handle the inflow and infiltration problem.
We're installing new headworks with new pumps, screens, grid screens, and handling equipment there for placing the lab and the UV treatment.
We're getting rid of the chlorine disinfection and putting in UV treatment at the wastewater treatment plant.
That lagoon, that's not in there anymore is it? We're not utilizing that. I'm sorry, I don't know what lagoon you're talking about.
I may be saying it wrong.
Aeration tank?
No, the, I call it the lagoon. I don't know why I'm calling it that.
Let's talk after the meeting. Let's finish this last bit and then I'll stay over.
Okay, with that being said, we'll just finish up here with stormwater.
Again, you see the same changes in the payroll and the withholdings
as you did the other two.
Depreciation expense, and I'll have to leave that to Michelle
to give me a little bit of background on that one.
So on the 60-215, could you add on that?
I think it was incorrect. If you noticed the year before, it was probably a key punch error, so we fixed it.
And then engineering, we originally had $150,000 in there for stormwater, and we took that to $50,000.
So that completes the 2025 budget.
and I was hoping to have you guys out of here by 730. I am available now or after
the meeting or any time this week. Please feel free to call me if you have any
questions on it or whatever, but thank you for your patience. It can get a
little dry, but we've been able to provide you with a balanced budget. Thank
you.
Thank you. Is there any other discussion on revisions? Nothing about the budget, it's just a comment to make. To Monday I was able to make it to two veterans programs, one at Carl Sandburg School, one at the high school, and they put on an excellent program and made the veterans feel real proud. So I just wanted to make the comment that it was Monday at the schools.
Item 11 is public comments, agenda, or non-agenda. Wendy?
Good evening.
I just want to basically make a comment in regards to issues that are at hand, in regards to one's ability to speak.
As an elected official, your job is to the citizens of Freeport. It is to ask questions
and it is to get answers. Limiting the ability to speak doesn't get anything done when people
allow their feelings to play a part in the decisions regarding the well-being of this
and many more.
My understanding is this is being based on an ordinance that is as old as dirt and has never been used before.
We have too many of those ordinates still sitting on the books and they need to be wiped off,
including the one if you spit on the ground you get a fine that's still sitting on the books.
I don't believe that anybody here is in a position where they can make every determination for what goes on in our lives.
You're not living our lives and most of you don't have a conversation with us to even know what's going on in this community with individuals
because you don't walk the streets, you don't knock on doors, you don't talk to people and you expect them to come to you.
your job is to come to us and and I'm really sick of this you know I've been
in City Council's meetings that have lasted longer than three hours you took
oath of office to serve us no matter how long it takes for that to come about and
we want that to happen I'm probably as calm as I've ever been standing at this
microphone but I'm gonna let you guys know that this doesn't work it's not
and others.
We need to stop looking for something that's not there based around somebody saying that
something was there 20 years ago.
We haven't found that information from Open Bible as of yet.
We need to start looking at the people in this community.
Each and every last one of you Aldermen need to start reaching out to your constituents
and finding out what they think about what is happening in here because they're not coming
in here.
They're sick of you guys.
We got an election coming up next year, and I would say to each and every last one of you, if you want to serve as a City Council Alderperson, if you want to serve as the person that is Alderman at large, then take the responsibility to go and talk to the people that have voted you in, because that's the only way you're going to find out what our needs are and how your decisions are affecting us physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. That's what your job is.
and I shouldn't have to remind anybody of that.
Some of you have sat here for years.
I ask that you work with the new city council members
to help them to understand what the process is
without them having to go back and forth all the time
with somebody who doesn't agree with what they don't understand.
Their understanding will bring about an understanding to the community.
You guys fighting and not helping them isn't helping us
to become a better city, citizen, city.
when we have things that are more important that are pertinent in this community, including what happened on Halloween,
where we have racism open to everybody, for our kids to see, for people in nursing homes to see, for people going to the park to see.
Two schools, a nursing home, and a park that is very well known.
That should never be there, even though we know that we can't stop them from putting things on their personal property.
But we can put enough pressure on them so that it doesn't happen and it never happens again.
and I would submit that you guys pull together and put an audience out that talks about discriminatory
practices on lawns and any place else in this city that is offensive to the people of this
city and it didn't just offend my culture of people, it offended a lot of people.
And if you want to know the truth, there were 7,000 hits on that live stream, which doesn't
make us look real good in Freeport, 7,000 people looked at that and were disgusted.
Thank you for your time.
Thank you. Item 12 is adjournment.
We've got nothing further.
We have a motion by Sellers.
Second by Parker. All in favor?
Aye.
Opposed?