Will County Gazette

City of Braidwood City Council met June 10.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

Call to Order: The Regular Meeting of the Braidwood City Council on June 10, 2025 was called to order at 7:00 p.m., by Mayor Lyons in the Council Chambers of the Braidwood City Hall.

Pledge of Allegiance: Mayor Lyons requested all rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Roll Call: Upon Roll Call by the Clerk, the following members of the corporate authorities answered "Here" or "Present";

Elected Officials:

Present: Commissioner Dixon, Commissioner Wietting, Commissioner Walsh, Commissioner Mikel, and Mayor Lyons

Absent: None.

Appointed Officials:

Present: City Consultant Manager Gulden, City Clerk Weaver, and City Attorney Wellner

Absent: City Engineer Sean Kelly

Quorum: There being sufficient members of the corporate authorities in attendance to constitute a quorum, the meeting was declared in order.

Public Comment: Danita Morgan; 465 E. Reed St., BAHCC: Thank you all who volunteered for Planting Day on May 17. There were a total of 13 volunteers throughout the day, but we do need additional volunteers for the regular upkeep of the garden. We will be hosting a fundraiser and raffle during the all-town garage sales in the parking lot behind CVS. The Reed-Custer Prevention Operations youth group will be onsite with lemonade and bake sale.

There was a response letter addressing a statement in the Sound-Off about what the coalition does and how it helps the community. Our mission is to work with our community to help ensure our youth have knowledge and alternative activities to make healthy decisions. Proceeds from fundraisers help support out substance use prevention and recovery programs. Through youth prevention efforts, our work has been recognized nationally as a recipient of CADCA's prestigious Blue Ribbon Award. To accept this award, the coalition sent our Program Director, President, and Youth Group Leader to the White House. If you would like to know more, please contact the coalition.

There was also a statement read from Tori Loomis who is a youth group leader for BAHCC. I am proud to have served as the Youth Group Leader for the BAHCC and have been involved for eight years. The coalition is more than a group of adults telling kids what to do. It is a space where young people have a voice and learn to support one another. We're more than just a group, we are the next generation of advocates, educators, and leaders.

Mayor Lyons asked if they have done surveys over the years to see the progression.

Yes, each year they have an Illinois Youth Survey.

William Bose: Why don't you or do you fix buffalo boxes that can't be shut off? Rich Bolatto said my buffalo box would not shut all the way off, now it won't turn at all. I would like mine fixed.

Tony Altiery: Addressing concerns about the budget. There are some discrepancies between the figures provided and the reality of the financial situation. There are several line items that have been misrepresented or omitted, which leads to a distorted view of the financial position. This raises concerns of accountability and trust. There were comments that the city was $2.6 million in debt, but our revenues exceeded our expenses, which means we were under budget by $1.5 mil. The money from the water fund is to replace two generators and two well pumps. The MFT budget is not done and needs to be done to get approval from the state. The part-time consultant cost will exceed a full-time administrator because what was done in-house will need to be reviewed by the attorney and engineer.

Would like to formally express concerns regarding an incident that happened involving the Commissioner of Finance calling my fiancé names. Such language and behavior is inappropriate, but also undermines the integrity and dignity expected from this office. Take steps to ensure that all future interactions are conducted with professionalism.

Liz Walsh: There has been vandalism at my home. Our truck was keyed, flags ripped off the deck, banging on the side of the house when my husband was out of town. And the way the beautification was treated on Wednesday and then to call somebody a name like that is ridiculous. The group is volunteers for the city, not you. All of us deserve an apology and I would like the list so I can call those ladies and apologize because I don't think it's going to come from either of you.

Chris Earling: We had an administration that ran the finances as they saw fit, and the numbers were in the positive. Now, we have a new council and you want to change it, go ahead and run it your way, we shouldn't have a problem with that. Everybody has a new opinion. But you've been here a month, so let's not pretend you know what the budget is 100% and start bringing out numbers at how the last administration was. The CPA was here and gave a review of how the city was good; he would not put his name or business in jeopardy if it wasn't. But if you want to run this like past administrations, fine. One admitted to leaving $700k in debt and another was $1.9 mil in debt. I put a lot of money into that one. We are still looking for $40k that is missing. I have paid out $16k of my own money for that one. So, let's just move on.

Jay Dixon: That is my wife. Tony, your wife threatened my wife.

Address the council.

She threatened my wife that she would not get into the food pantry. Was she right? no. Was she mad? yes. They pushed her to no end. They came into the meeting for the flowers and harassed her from the beginning. They wanted to record her, and every time Liz went to speak, Karen interrupted her. They don't put that into the paper.

Mayor Lyons: Something that needs to be addressed. There have been a lot of issues and hard feelings in this community. I think everybody is here for the best interest of Braidwood and we have to start acting like it. And what you need to ask yourself is, how is this helping Braidwood? Karen and I both ran because we care about our community and we have a vision of what we want to do for our town. We can disagree but why don't we have some compassion and do it the right way. I go on social media and I see nothing but hate. How about we get a fresh start?

Tony Altiery: I would have to disagree and I stand up and I always speak for what I believe in. The reason you ran was to fire me and if it wasn't and if it was to move Braidwood forward, you would have replaced

me with a new administrator, no problem. But you didn't have to change the rules in retaliation to take away the power of these two men just to get to me. It starts with you and now you have to deal with it. You did it.

Mayor Lyons: I believe you believe that. When I ran, I was being transparent. The biggest thing that they want in this community is transparency. When I decided to run, I made it clear that I was going in a different direction with the city administrator.

Tony Altiery: You have that right but you did not have the right to change the laws. I guess you did have the right but it fits under the retaliation that you two decided to take the power away from these two to take someone out. We went from $67k to 9.6 mil in the account when we left. Don't tell me we didn't do something good. You were let go because you weren't doing your job as chief. I didn't do that, that was the Mayor.

Kim Earling: You ask for everyone to get along, but at the last meeting, Ms. Dixon kicked me out of the room, and all I wanted to do was talk to the city reporter. I got kicked out. That's not asking a community to come together when our council cannot treat our citizens with respect.

Danita Morgan: I think the point the mayor was trying to make is that from this point forward to respect and be kind to one another. Two weeks ago, doesn't matter or a month ago. If we are going to grow and succeed as a community, everyone needs to put the negativity aside and let it go.

William Bose: I walked down the sidewalk, and there was a worker who got the sidewalk clean.

Approval of Minutes: Commissioner Wietting made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Mikel, to approve meeting minutes from the May 27, 2025 Regular Council Meeting. Motion carried with 5 ayes: 0 nays; 0 Abstain (Wietting, Mikel, Dixon, Walsh and Lyons)

Mayor's Report: Requested a motion to approve raises for non-bargaining employees. Commissioner Dixon made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Walsh to approve raises for the following non- bargaining employees: Administrative Coordinator 3% and Code Enforcement 3%. Motion carried with 5 ayes: 0 nayes. (Dixon, Walsh, Wietting, Mikel, and Lyons)

To update everybody on the future Chief of Police, we contacted the Will County Chiefs Association and asked them to complete an assessment. We interviewed nine chiefs over a two-day period. They submitted a list of names and we will go off that. We will talk about this in the executive session on how involved the council wants to get. Do we want a special meeting for an executive session so everyone has a chance to meet the three candidates and interview them?

Comm. Wietting: I already have an opinion on that matter and will address it in a little bit.

Comm. Dixon: I would like to see them.

Mayor Lyons: It was three chiefs from the Will County Chiefs Association, so they came in with no knowledge of the candidates and did their interviews. They provided four names out of the nine.

I ordered the entrance street signs when you come into town for our state champs. I'd like to give a shout- out to Pink Heals, their vice president is a member of our community. It's a non-profit movement that focuses on supporting individuals, particularly women and their families, who are battling cancer and other serious illnesses. Their mission is to support people and not the cause.

The City Engineer is not here, I do have an email on some updates. There was an update for funding on two projects earlier this month from IDOT. As part of the $4 mil funding opportunity. We should know something in Augst, but the grants were $1.2 mil each. They were to address several miles of street repairs, the first and most severe and the second to the roads in poor condition. Then he talked about our 2025 street improvement design is underway with the anticipation of a bid next month. We have three streets: Third Street from Center to Mitchell, Stacey Court and Vita Lane. Stacy and Vita are concrete and are required for some drainage improvements as well. Providing the contractor with a longer window to construct may be in mid-November.

City Management Consultant Report: Steve Gulden: Would like to report that in the seven days I have been here how you have a passionate and dedicated staff. There are twelve project updates that give a visual status of the project and where it is in the process. It's my plan every two weeks to give you an update on these. One of the projects, they began a parking lot construction without a permit, so we put a stop-work order on that project. We have talked to them and they will be doing full engineering drawings to make sure they meet our codes. One of my goals is to revamp our building permit and application process. We need to streamline it and make it more efficient in how we process our permits, especially with inspections.

The mayor mentioned the interviews for our police chief and I was impressed with the assessment board. It was a tough choice to narrow it down to three candidates.

Sarah and I are working on the garbage contract, which expires at the end of the year. We will be putting out bids and will come before the board.

It is your decision but I am used to workshop meetings, where projects and items are discussed to be voted on or passed at the next meeting. It's a good way of transparency on how we had an idea and how this ordinance affects the residents. It's a great opportunity for the commissioners and staff to communicate on a specific ordinance. It is a public meeting with public comments.

Josh Bolatto is in charge of our IT committee, which includes Sarah and Gary, our IT consultant. We are looking at our current software and see what is underutilized and what is not. We are trying to streamline our purchase order processes. We do not have this feature but I believe it's something that should be implemented pending cost and financial obligations.

We are updating our building codes, which were last updated in 2006 or 2009. It is mandated, so we need to get updated to 2018. We need to look into this so we are not implementing codes we don't want.

The mayor and I will meet with a landscaping firm on ideas for a town center and gathering spot for the town. We are in the early stages and don't know the cost or impact it's going to have on the budget, but we need to start somewhere.

Lastly, we have been working on a drainage committee. There have been lots of complaints because there haven't been any civil inspections after the fact. So, we need to figure out the problem. We're putting together a committee, the engineer, public works personnel, and myself.

Mayor Lyons introduced Steve Gulden as the new City Consultant Manager.

City Clerk Report: Weaver: Commissioner Wietting formally disclosed that he holds an interest within the boundaries of the Tax Increment Financing District III (TIF III). In accordance with ethical guidelines and to avoid any appearance of impropriety, Commissioner Wietting will recuse himself from all votes, deliberations, and discussions pertaining to planning or other matters directly involving properties located within TIF III. This conflict-of-interest disclosure is hereby entered into the official record.

Engineer Report: Absent.

City Attorney Report: No report.

Accounts & Finance Report: Commissioner Dixon made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Walsh, to approve the Payment of Bills, in the amount of $244,173.92 as identified in the Accounts Payable General Ledger dated June 10, 2025. Which included $1,600.00 for Claypool Drainage Taxes, $24,000 for Robinson Engineering for projects and street repairs, but a portion of this will be paid back to the city from the projects. Legal was $3,900. Water had $20,500 for a valve, $5,000 for water tower 1, and $12,000 for a blower. The loan for the car dealership paid at $13,179 and garbage was $51,133. Motion carried with 5 ayes: 0 nays. (Dixon, Walsh, Wietting, Mikel, and Lyons)

Commissioner Dixon then made a Motion, seconded by Commissioner Wietting, to Approve Payroll Expenses, in the amount of $82,523.89 as identified in the Payroll General Ledger dated June 6, 2025. Motion carried with 5 ayes; 0 nays. (Dixon, Wietting, Walsh, Mikel, and Lyons).

Due to the influx of new projects in the city, we will be looking for a Zoning Clerk soon. This will be a part-time position-24 hours a week. Once the job description is finalized, the position will be posted for the public to apply.

I have had some concerns voiced to me about the ramp at the food pantry and the roof. Since this is a vital service for our community, we will need to be looking into making these repairs. Right now, there is nothing in the budget for those repairs, but we will need to figure it out. The ramp is more important right now than the roof.

On January 28, Ordinance 24-4 was amended to read: In addition to the building permit fees set forth above, the City shall be reimbursed by the permittee and/or property owner for all costs related to the permit, including but not limited to the cost of inspection(s) and any related administrative costs. Since this time, it has not been enforced. Beginning June 16, this ordinance will go into effect and the applicable fees will be collected.

The copier in City Hall is not working all the time. The maintenance agreement has expired. I am looking at the price of a new copier. At this time, I have two quotes and will be discussing with the clerks which copier is the best fit for the office.

The audit is moving along as planned. Sarah, the accountant, and myself are working on items that they need as they come up.

Streets & Public Improvement Report: Walsh: The resolution about the Rock Salt is so we can purchase salt for the winter. A group of cities get together and it's a discount as we buy in bulk for a shared price. We do this every year.

Commissioner Walsh requested a motion. Commissioner Mikel made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Wietting, to approve Resolution 25-6 Authorizing and Approving a certain purchase of Rock Salt from the State of Illinois for the City of Braidwood. Motion carried with 5 ayes: 0 nays. (Mikel, Wietting, Dixon, Walsh, and Lyons).

We are going to fix the guardrail on North Center Street going out toward Coal City Road that was damaged and hopefully by the end of the month, that will be fixed.

As for the storm pick-up, we are finished with that. People will need to dispose of the trees on their own or burn them. It's been over three weeks and our guys did a great job.

Public Property Report: Wietting: A quick list of operations that happened in the last couple of weeks are 8 meter repairs, 106 locates, 8 emergency water shut offs, helped streets with mowing, 4 water back on after off for non-payment, helped streets with storm debris, helped streets with black top patches, 90 b- box's and sewers plotted, 1 new meter install, and 5 final reads. When I was in city hall, there was a large amount of water bills not been collected. There was a large stack of letters that went out in the mail; unfortunately, a lot of these were large amounts. If they are not paid, we're going to have to shut off their services. If you don't pay for it, you can't have it.

I believe we have the valve in and I will talk to the guys about what else is needed to finish up the tower behind City Hall. By the next meeting, I will have more input.

There is another item I want to discuss and I feel it's necessary to talk about. I have an email that came through the city from our police department. It is requesting to hire a full-time officer to replace an officer who has resigned. Hiring at least one additional officer is not only feasible within the existing FY26 budget but is essential to protect our community. There has been an increase in the workload analysis, which is within our budget capacity, and will help officer safety and shift coverage. This is number two. It's almost like Deja vu for me because this situation is similar to what happened two years ago. This letter states, thank you for meeting with us today, as we discussed, the police department is in a state of frustration currently. Our current leadership is failing to address a critical need for manpower. We are stretched thin and are in need of some relief, and soon. This is from the police department and I feel honored that they would reach out to me when they have nowhere else to turn. This is my turn to be a voice for these officers who make sure our daily lives are safe and secure. This last one is from the Police Benevolent Labor Committee. We wholeheartedly recommend Sergeant Altiery for promotion to the esteemed position of Chief of Police. This recommendation is not merely a suggestion, but a unified declaration from the entire patrol union. Sergeant Altiery possesses a clear and compelling vision for our community. The entire Patrol Union stands united behind him. We need to help our officers. They are working overtime, and it is cutting into their budget severely.

Public Health & Safety Report: Mikel: I would like to address that a little bit. We have two in the military and two in field training now. When they come back, we are going to be okay. As of right now, hiring a guy is not going to do anything for another eight months. But we have five part-timers who have not been called to work at all. That's the question we need. why are they not being called if these guys are overworked?

Mayor: I called part-timers today. They have uniforms, are trained, work in the school during the year, and they are able and could help out. If we do hire somebody, the problem is that somebody didn't like the answer they got. The answer was that when I hire a chief of police, we will address this. How about we hire a chief of police who has some experience and some leadership?

Mikel: Braidwood Police Department Press Release for May 27, 2025 to June 9, 2025: total number of calls for service 330, case reports 46, case reports 46, total subjects arrested 6, total arrest charges 8, total number of traffic stops 93, citations 33, written warnings 49, semi-truck violations 2, and total number of P-tickets 17.

Planning & Zoning Report: No report.

Old Business: None.

New Business: None.

Executive Session: Commissioner Dixon made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Mikel, to go into executive session at 8:14 pm to discuss (i) the appointment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employee. Motion carried with 5 ayes: 0 nays. (Dixon, Mikel, Wietting, Walsh, and Lyons)

Commissioner Wietting made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Walsh, to end executive session at 8:46 pm. Motion carried with 5 ayes: 0 nays. (Wietting, Walsh, Dixon, Mikel, and Lyons)

Adjournment: Commissioner Mikel made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Walsh, to adjourn the June 10, 2025 regular meeting of the Braidwood City Council. Motion carried with 5 ayes: 0 nays. (Mikel, Walsh, Dixon, Wietting, and Lyons)

The next regular meeting of the Council will be held Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at 7:00 pm

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