Renovation and Demolition on the Mount Carroll Council Agenda

By Mike Nester For The Prairie Advocate News

MOUNT CARROLL – The Mount Carroll City Council approved closing off the sidewalk and two parking spaces at 124 W. Market Street following an engineering report at the June 12 city council meeting.

Steve Haring of MSA Professional Services of Galena provided the council an overview of the inspection as well as a detailed report. MSA was hired at the May 22 meeting to inspect the building following concerns by the city regarding the condition of the building.

Haring reported there had been movement of the exterior wall and the interior brick wall had also moved since their last inspection around three years ago. MSA determined the wall was dangerous and was in an unsafe condition.

Mayor Carl Bates then recommended closing the sidewalk and two parking spots in case the wall fell down. Haring said he couldn’t predict when or if the wall would fall, but said the possibility did exist.

Bates said he wanted to work with the building’s owner and solve the problem in a timely manner with letters of progression and hoped the renovation could be completed by October.

Joe Haas, the owner of the building, attended the meeting and said he had contacted a company to come and look at the building, as recommended by his insurance company. He added he was willing to work with the city to solve the issue.

113 North Mill St.

The city council approved allowing city attorney Ron Coplan to begin the process that could lead to the eventual demolition of property at 113 N. Mill St. Coplan said the city had several options on how to handle the property but the first step was to perform a title search and prepare the necessary documents.

Alderman Bob Sisler said he had been in the house and it didn’t have any floors. The owner will have the option of bringing the property up to code or it could be demolished after a court order is obtained. City Clerk Julie Chuckler said attempts to contact the property owners have been unsuccessful.

Police-West Carroll agreement

The city council was split on whether or not to approve an intergovernmental agreement between the West Carroll School District and the City of Mount Carroll.

Under the agreement, the school district and police department would have a reciprocal reporting system regarding criminal offenses committed by students enrolled at West Carroll. Some council members felt it was an infringement on students rights and should not be implemented.

City Attorney Coplan explained it was a standard ordinance that had been approved in numerous communities throughout the state and formalizes the relationship between the police and the school district. He said school officials were required by law to report any violations they experienced.

Bob Sisler, Doris Bork and Doug Bergren voted against the agreement while Jim Rose, Tom Charles and Mike Risko voted in favor. Carl Bates broke the tie and the agreement was approved. It had been brought to the council by Police Chief Fred Cass.

Survey Update

The council received an update on the progress of the Community-Wide Income Survey being conducted by Sharon Pepin of Community Funding and Planning Services. She said they had received 348 income surveys of the 650 mailed out, a 53 percent response, but short of the 75 percent needed.

The next step is to create a list of households that have not yet returned their survey and then begin the door-to-door process and follow-up. She said before council members go door-to-door she will provide tips on how to conduct the survey and set a deadline date for when the follow-up should be completed.

The survey is being completed so the City of Mount Carroll can qualify for Department of Commerce and and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) grants.

In other business the council:

-Approved hiring WIPFLi, LLP of Sterling as the city auditors for 2012 at a cost of $17,500, which will include TIF work.

-Approved a $5,000 donation to the Mount Carroll Lions Club for new park equipment for Point Rock Park.

-Voted 5-1, with Doug Bergren voting no, to hire Cynthia Wiersema for the position of city treasurer/deputy city clerk. She was hired from a pool of 55 applicants.

-Approved a raffle license for the Mount Carroll Fire Department.

-Received another donation from the sales of bumper stickers for Scout, the City’s K-9 unit, bringing the total raised to $1,190.

-Tabled the Mayor’s annual appointments until a complete list is presented.

-Received a report from Moring Disposal showing the total weight for May recycling was 36,480 pounds.