McLean County Times

City of Le Roy City Council met Dec. 2.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Steven Dean at 7:00 PM at Le Roy City Hall, 207 S East Street, Le Roy. Council members present were Matt Steffen, Ron Legner, Patti Welander, Justin Morfey, Kelly Lay, Kyle Merkle, and Dawn Hanafin. Sarah Welte was absent.

Staff members present were Jason Williamson, Dave Jenkins, and Anita Corso.

There were no public comments.

Included on the consent agenda were Approval of Regular Meeting Minutes from 11/18/2024, approval of Invoices from 12/2/2024 totaling $ 34,872.29, and payroll for the period of 11/29/24 in the amount of $ 53,237.38. The items of the consent agenda were voted on separately.

Motion was made by Patti and seconded by Matt for approval of the Meeting Minutes. Roll call: Justin Morfey abstain, Kelly Lay-abstain, Matt Steffen-yes, Ron Legner-yes, Patti Welander-yes, Kyle Merkle- yes, and Dawn Hanafin-yes. Motion carried 5 yeas, 0 nays, 2 abstain.

Motion was made by Patti and seconded by Kyle for approval of the invoices and payroll. Roll call: Justin Morfey yes, Kelly Lay-yes, Matt Steffen-yes, Ron Legner-abstain, Patti Welander-yes, Kyle Merkle- yes, and Dawn Hanafin yes. Motion carried 6 yeas, 0 nays, 1 abstain.

In Staff Reports, Dan reported Christmas lights are all in place and the squirrels seem to be leaving them alone for now.

Jason reported there’s a tree up in the PD lobby and a flower box arrived outside.

Anita reported petitions have been submitted for the April 1 election. Also, the city has received notice that the current utility billing and accounting software will be retired in 2026. The search has begun for a new package.

Dave had a message from Scott that a plant kickoff meeting will be held at Donohue & Assoc. office on Tues 12/10/24 from 1-3pm in Champaign.

Mayor Dean reported on the success of Small Business Saturday.

ORD No. 24-12-01-10 ORDINANCE abating the taxes heretofore levied for the year 2024 to pay debt service on $2,865,000 General Obligation Refunding Bonds (Alternate Revenue Source), Series 2016A, $2,510,000 General Obligation Bonds (Alternate Revenue Source), Series 2016B, $1,095,000 General Obligation Bonds (Alternate Revenue Source), Series 2020, and $3,440,000 General Obligation Bonds (Alternate Revenue Source), Series 2021, of the City of Le Roy, McLean County, Illinois. Motion to approve by Patti was seconded by Kelly. Roll call: Justin Morfey-yes, Kelly Lay-yes, Matt Steffen-yes, Ron Legner-yes, Patti Welander-yes, Kyle Merkle- yes, and Dawn Hanafin-yes. Motion carried 7 yeas, 0 nays.

ORD No. 24-12-02-10 AN ORDINANCE LEVYING TAXES FOR CORPORATE PURPOSES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING ON THE FIRST DAY OF MAY, 2025 AND ENDING ON THE THIRTIETH DAY OF APRIL, 2026 FOR THE CITY OF LE ROY, MCLEAN COUNTY, ILLINOIS. Motion to approve by Patti was seconded by Kyle. Roll call: Justin Morfey-yes, Kelly Lay-yes, Matt Steffen-yes, Ron Legner-yes, Patti Welander-yes, Kyle Merkle- yes, and Dawn Hanafin-yes. Motion carried 7 yeas, 0 nays.

Motion by Justin was seconded by Kelly for approval of the Umstattd Drainage Project construction bid totaling $181,257.70 from Stark Excavating, Inc and approval of the Notice of Award to Stark Excavating, Inc. for the Umstattd Drainage Project totaling $181,257.70. Roll call: Justin Morfey-yes, Kelly Lay-yes, Matt Steffen-yes, Ron Legner-yes, Patti Welander-yes, Kyle Merkle- yes, and Dawn Hanafin-yes. Motion carried 7 yeas, 0 nays.

Mayor Dean opened discussion about 200 & 202 E Center by giving a background on the owner in relation to downtown Le Roy. Dave explained the severe structural issues of the buildings.

Motion by Dawn was seconded by Matt for approval of the City of Le Roy Business District Application from Sylvia Clouser totaling $193,303.00 for building renovations at 200 E. Center Street and approval of the City of Le Roy Business District Application totaling $ 191,993.00 for building renovations at 202 E. Center Street. Further discussion included current out of pocket amount already incurred by owner, amount would only cover structural repairs, opinion of Community & Economic Development Committee, the importance of preserving the downtown area, and the amount requested as percentage of the project. Roll call: Justin Morfey-abstain, Kelly Lay-yes, Matt Steffen-yes, Ron Legner-no, Patti Welander-yes, Kyle Merkle- no, and Dawn Hanafin-yes. Motion carried 4 yeas, 2 nays, 1 abstain.

In old and new business, Kelly asked if there would be any interest in having a community cannery in Le Roy. Discussion included possible locations, space requirements, and background information. The consensus is that a cannery would be welcome if anyone were interested.

Ron gave a brief update on the Well #10 progress. The contractor is still waiting for parts. Project planning has begun to initiate an EPA loan for lead line replacement. It can take up to 6 months to get a response.

The executive session not being necessary, the mayor called for a motion to adjourn.

Motion to adjourn by Kyle was seconded by Matt. Roll call: Matt Steffen-yes, Justin Morfey-yes, Kelly Lay-yes, Ron Legner-yes, Patti Welander-yes, Kyle Merkle- yes, and Dawn Hanafin-yes. Motion carried 7 yeas, 0 nays.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 PM.

https://www.leroy.org/file/2774/2024%20reg%20mtg%20Dec%202.pdf