A short Finance Committee meeting was held before the regular Fairbury City Council meeting this week.
An auditor from MCK CPAs & Advisors reviewed the results of the latest annual audit of the City of Fairbury's finances and reported no significant issues. At the regular City Council meeting, the group voted to approve the audit report.
Lonnie Rhoads, the Streets Superintendent, reported that the concrete for the two new basketball courts in Marsh Park was poured. The next step is to install the new basketball hoops on the courts.
Brett Ashburn, City Superintendent, reported that the new sidewalks on Locust Street at Second Street were completed. Work is now in progress to replace the sidewalks at the Third and Fourth Street intersections, with an estimated completion date of six weeks. The contractor performing the work is also relocating and adding some storm drains. The Fairbury City Crew will add new handrails once the concrete work is completed.
In the Public Comment portion of the meeting, Deb Moran announced that the City of Fairbury's disaster plan is undergoing an annual update. A disaster planning meeting will be held on November 4 at 6:30 PM at the Edelman Building on the west side of Fairbury.
The fire station building needs electrical work, including new exterior lights, new interior occupancy sensors, and the installation of an exterior outlet. RTJ Electric provided one quote for the job, but at the last City Council meeting, the Council requested that additional quotes be received before they could approve the work. Popejoy Plumbing provided an additional quote, and the Council voted to award the contract to RTJ Electric, the low bidder.
The City Council voted to approve Crazy Crain's request to allow alcohol to be sold on the street for a special event.
The City of Fairbury has a website and a software App, but both are becoming outdated, and citizens report they are not user-friendly. The Prairie Central school district has been using an App and website provided by Apptegy for over four years and has been happy with the service. This same company has made websites and Apps for several towns the size of Fairbury, and those customers are very happy with the products. The City Council voted to hire Apptegy to provide a new website and App for Fairbury. The contract will be for three years, and the annual cost will be about $7,700.
The tasers used by the Fairbury Police Department, purchased in 2011, are starting to become obsolete. Replacement batteries for the units are difficult to purchase and may not be available in the next few years. The City Council voted to approve the purchase of five new taser units. A grant will cover the purchase price of $3,400 per unit. The City will pay the annual maintenance and training cost of $3,600. The Police Chief will investigate and determine if the old units can be sold to another Police Department.
The City Council also approved a quote for tree removal, a renewal for City insurance with the Illinois Municipal League Risk firm, and to approve the purchase of chlorine equipment maintenance work at the water treatment plant.
