Village of Channahon Committee of the Whole met Jan. 19.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
VP Moorman Schumacher called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. with Trustees Host, Greco, McMillin, Perinar, Scaggs and Slocum present.
Also present were Village Administrator Thomas Durkin, Assistant Village Administrator Mike Petrick, Finance Director Heather Wagonblott, Director of Community Development Scott McMaster, Director of Public Works Ed Dolezal, Chief of Police Adam Bogart, Village Attorney David Silverman and Village Clerk Kristin Hall.
VP Moorman Schumacher informed everyone present that anyone who speaks at the meeting shall be deemed to have given his/her consent to the recording of their likeness and speech. This meeting is being recorded.
VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR
Discussion – Approval of Landscaping Maintenance Agreement Between the Village of Channahon and Edgebrook Outdoors for Landscape Mowing Services Durkin stated on March 17, 2025, the Village Board approved a one-year landscape maintenance agreement with the option to renew for two additional years with Edgebrook Outdoors for landscape mowing services at the Village Hall property, Village ID signs, the area around the interchange of US Route 6 and 1-55, the Town Center property, Dove Drive and US Route 6, Rt. 6 and McDonald Drive, the I&M Gateway parcel and optional services for the Bluff Road interchange. As a reminder, expenses for landscape maintenance were included in the FY 2025/2026 budget and are proposed in the upcoming FY 2026/2027 budget. Edgebrook Outdoors has provided exceptional performance throughout the 2025 mowing season. Staff is recommending the Village continue the relationship with Edgebrook Outdoors for landscape mowing services and recommends the Village Board exercise the option to renew for the upcoming mowing season in the amount of$35,458.25 per the previously executed contract in 2025.
Discussion – Approval of Landscaping Maintenance Agreement Between the Village of Channahon and DMK for Landscape Maintenance Services
Durkin stated on March 17, 2025, the Village Board approved a one-year landscape maintenance agreement with the option to renew for two additional years with DMK of Channahon, Inc. for landscape maintenance services at the Village Hall property, Village ID signs, the area around the interchange of US Route 6 and 1-55, the Town Center property existing landscape beds and the I&M Gateway parcel. As a reminder, expenses for landscape maintenance were included in the FY 2025/2026 budget and are proposed in the upcoming FY 2026/2027 budget. DMK of Channahon, Inc. has provided exceptional performance throughout the 2025 landscape maintenance season. Staff is recommending the Village continue the relationship with DMK of Channahon, Inc. for landscape maintenance services and recommends the Village Board exercise the option to renew for the upcoming landscape maintenance season in the amount of$15,202 per the previously executed contract in 2025.
Trustee McMillin stated just so everybody knows, he is going to abstain from the vote on the second item.
VP Moorman Schumacher stated we’ll take them separately.
Trustee McMillin stated Slocum and I have talked about it in the past but all the bases of the lamp posts down here have dents in them. I went and took one off, but they’re aluminum so I thought I could hammer them out. I think all we need to do is just unscrew the set screws, turn the dents so that they are to the back, but if they ding them up again, they’re responsible to replace them. It’s just little things like that. I tried fix one and they’re aluminum; I can’t do it. It just seems very simple to be able to run a lawnmower around something round like that. Just a thought, maybe mention it to them.
Durkin stated I can talk to him about edging around the poles because they do edging also as part of the contract.
Trustee Slocum asked if can we look at getting some new caps on the bottom of the poles. Dolezal stated they’re more expensive than you think but we will look into them.
Durkin stated CN discussions have resumed, staff met up with them last Thursday. We’re going to start getting together on a regular basis and finally get the annexation and development agreement worked out. We do intend on moving forward with the approvals over the next coming months. Last Wednesday, the Arts and Culture Commission met. He passed out to the board some information about the America 250 relay, which is a celebration that is occurring. It’s coming right through the Village of Channahon on the I&M Canal Trail, which is also known as the Discovery Trail. The event will be sometime in October. That’s a project the Arts and Culture Project Commission wants to get involved with as well as looking at another event around the 250th anniversary of the United States. They are suggesting starting to look at the possibility of an art contest with that as the theme for the contest. That was the idea they came up with at their last meeting. I saw two members of the commission here today, as a matter of fact, meeting together to talk about the Sip, Sights and Sounds event. That’s coming up in September this year, late September. They’re already getting hard at work on events for 2026.
VP Moorman Schumacher stated this is more of a question for public works. When the weather breaks a little bit the library has requested the use of our Route 66 sign because this is their 50th anniversary this year. Can move that over to the library when it is a little warmer.
Dolezal stated they know we’ll have to drill holes in the sidewalk.
VP Moorman Schumacher stated yes, thank you. She asked Durkin to talk about regional partners meeting we had that last Wednesday.
Durkin stated the consultant is finalizing the project list of the 80 projects that they’ve identified and ranking those. They are starting to look at some potential legislation to bring forward to the state regarding how this collaboration can look from a funding standpoint, but also what might be done in conjunction with laws passed by the state to allow us to access funding for various types of projects. That grant is coming to an end probably sometime in the next four to six months, and that plan should be finalized moving forward.
VP Moorman Schumacher stated the only thing I would say about that is that 80 sounds like an enormous amount. There’s a lot of infrastructure to be done on some of those. What we talked about at this meeting was what they did was for the study was look at comprehensive plans and county travel plans, and picked up all of the plans that were in there. Some of them, we talked about at least moving them down to the bottom of the list because they are outside of the project area that we’ve defined. You just have to cut it off somewhere. You can talk about Shorewood, and Shorewood has things that we defined our northern boundary as Route 52. There are things that are quite a bit far further north up there that may be in Shorewood or same thing south with Wilmington. That was my only real comment on those, was that we needed to set the boundary somewhere. Otherwise you can just keep going out and do the entirety of the state for that matter. There’s some discussion on moving some of those things around and getting those done and moving those down further on the list of priorities and making sure that the top priority projects are agreed to by everybody. As far as the regional partners, that next meeting is going to be on March 11th, so ifthere is a trustee available, please let Durkin know. It’s at 8:30 a.m. here in this room. If somebody is available and would like to attend that meeting, that would be great.
Durkin stated the other exciting piece of information that came out, was later that day, IDOT was selecting the consultant for phase one and phase two engineering for Route 6 from Mission Parkway to 1-55.
VP Moonnan Schumacher stated I did not hear who the engineer was that they were selecting it that day.
Trustee McMillin wondered if the Illiana Expressway still a topic.
VP Moorman Schumacher stated it’s been a while since I heard something about it, but, there’s mumbling about it and another east west corridor would be lovely. Joliet Arsenal Development Authority has expanded their board to include some of the surrounding municipalities, us being one of them. They asked me to appoint myself to that board. That maybe a better question down there as far as that whole area.
Trustee McMillin recalls it was a hot topic for a long time and then it just died off.
ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT
Petrick stated he had no formal items for discussion.
VP Moorman Schumacher stated so we want to talk the meeting we had with Chief Bogart and Mr. Dillner about administrative adjudication.
Petrick stated we talked about the adjudication process and how that’s going to work. The fourth Wednesday of the month at 5 o’clock will be when the monthly adjudication hearings are held. We also brought code enforcement into that discussion so that there’s a simple procedure between the administration side and the police side as far as how all the information gets gathered and put before the adjudicator for those hearings. February is the tentative startup time.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Discussion – An Ordinance Amending the Village of Channahon Zoning Ordinance with Respect to Commercial Vehicles and Semi-Truck Trailer Parking Limitations – 1st Read McMaster stated this amendment comes as kind of a follow up to the Ordinance 2192 that established a temporary moratorium on truck uses. It also helps us to define some things that need to be updated in our Zoning Ordinance, as well. He provided highlights of that ordinance regarding the proposed changes Among the proposed amendments are the following:
• Commercial vehicles shall mean a vehicle or trailer with a permitted Gross Weight of 16,000 pounds or more and also include semi-truck trailers. Semi-truck trailer is a trailer designed to be pulled by a semi-truck tractor.
• In no event shall any use allowed in the industrial district have more than one commercial vehicle parking space per 2,000 square feet of building spaces must be illustrated on an approved site plan. Commercial vehicle spaces are excluded from this calculation.
Off street parking for commercial vehicles shall be designated in accordance with the following:
• Each commercial vehicle parking space, including semi-truck and search semi-truck trailers shall be a minimum of 12ft in width and 25ft in length.
• Each semi-truck trailer parldng space shall be a minimum of 12ft in width and 55ft in length.
• Each space designed for semi-truck trailer tractor and semi-truck trailer shall be a minimum of 12ft in width and 55ft in length.
• Parking spaces shall be designed to accommodate a single semi-truck with a trailer or one semi-truck trailer.
• Tandem parking unattended vehicles is prohibited.
• The turning radius will be adequate to accommodate the intended vehicle trailer. As a demonstrated with a vehicle path and turning study, all parking areas must be asphalt or concrete and constructed in accordance with village design standards.
• In the event of any conflict with any other provision of the village code, the provision which allows the least number of parking spaces shall apply to increase the amount of commercial vehicles parking permitted.
• Related developments shall be constructed with either asphalt or concrete. • Parking lots are not permitted as a principal use in any zoning district.
The PZC recommended approval in a 4-0 vote. Staff is recommending approval by the board this evening.
VP Moorman Schumacher stated this is on the agenda as a first read, but she also knows see that our previous moratorium expired two days ago.
McMaster stated correct.
Trustee McMillin stated he does a lot of traveling, those guys who park trucks also sometimes change oil. Is there a way to put laoguage in there that they’re not allowed to do that and that if they have truck service, that it’s done properly. Not draining oil in the parking lot aod dumping antifreeze.
Durkin confirmed he is referring to outdoor activity such as changing oil outside.
Trustee McMillin responded yes .. Usually what happens is they just pull the plug, let all the motor oil come out, put the plug back in, fill it up again, and off is goes. He was just wondering if there was a way to say those things be prohibited.
Village Attorney Silverman stated there are likely EPA regulations to regulate this He is not aware of our local ordinance, if any. We could look at that for a future ordinance.
Durkin stated with our current Zoning Ordinance, everything that we have related to that is basically spelled out to be performed inside a building. We are probably covered.
McMaster stated we also write citations for residential vehicles, too, that are leaking oil underneath cars so that would apply. He went through a list of things that are happening around town just to keep everybody updated.
Q Bar Channahon is looking to be at the start of the finish. They have sprayed the ceiling out and have a lot of equipment and furniture stored inside. They don’t have an estimated opening date but they are on a full sprint to get open. They’re a lot further behind thao we would like them to be, but it looks like they’re getting things done there. So good news, too, is that they’ve leased out another unit in that building to Sista Seafood, which is taking old Quiznos space in that strip mall there. They’re working on other leases, as well.
Professional Salon Concepts, who occupies the old Martin Whalen building, s underway with their renovations and build out, but they’re still a while off from opening
Premier Trailers decided to move forward with putting a sprinkler system in the building so they can occupy the building soon. We’re working with them to try to get that all finalized.
QuikTrip has finished worldng with IDOT and they’re finalizing engineering. They’re hoping to start working on the property this spring.
In regard to the Dove Drive property off of Route 6, the owner continues work on some exterior items still. They’re working with the building department and trying to make progress as quickly as they can. We’re fining them daily. The owner keeps paying the fine and will continue until the list of outstanding items is complete.
Great Americao Bagel has interior framing and electrical almost finished aod they’re going to start putting up walls soon. They had inquired about opening before the drive thru is put in which would be allowed. They’re looking to be open late Febrnary, early March and then continue on with the exterior of the building and the drive through.
Lennar will be headed to the Febrnary Planning and Zoning meeting and to the Village Board meeting next month to amend the Southern Crossings PUD along with a preliminary plat approval. They were hoping to have shovels in the ground early spring as well to start working on that development.
JCD Residential finalized their financing and is looking to begin moving forward on their 240- unit apartment complex off of Saxony and Bluegrass.
Working with a couple other people within the village, we found out that 24 new businesses came into Channahon in 2025 and occupied approximately 53,000 square feet of commercial space and 36,000 square feet of industrial space.
FINANCE DEPARTMENT
Wagonblott stated that she had no formal items for discussion, but did pass out two items. The five-year Capital Plan draft is in paper form. You can also receive an email if you want to look at the document electronically. She wanted to get that to the board prior to the next meeting. We will have the five- year Capital Plan on the February 2nd Board Agenda for first read along with a presentation. All the departments and staff have worked together since last November putting the capital information together. Look forward to that at the next meeting for the presentation. If you have any questions prior to February 2nd, feel free to reach out and she can either answer or get the answer for you.
VP Moorman Schumacher asked for a comparison of what changed. For example, what 2027 looked like in the last five-year Capital Plan compared to what 2027 looks like now.
Wagonblott stated yes, I can certainly do that. The other items passed out are in regard to the Arts and Culture Commission. She is looking for board direction on whether to establish a special revenue fund where the village is transferring money to the Arts and Culture Commission for use in a fiscal year, the meaning of that would be the way we budget for it and the way we account for it would be different than how we have handled it the past two fiscal years. In fiscal 2025 and in 2026, there were budgeted expenses for the Arts and culture commission. In 2025, they spent $2,275. In fiscal 2026, we budgeted for the Arts and Culture commission to spend $20,000. So far they’ve spent $11,249. If the village does not intend for that full $20,000 to be utilized by the Arts and Culture Commission past fiscal 2026, it’s not going to be available for the Arts and Culture Commission in the subsequent fiscal year.
VP Moorman Schumacher stated essentially what she’s saying is $20,000 in an account that they have the whole $20,000 going forward or are we budgeting the $20,000 and then only keeping like the $11,000 or whatever that they spend before the end of fiscal.
Wagonblott stated in fiscal 2027, should the board choose to budget for expenses year after year, the Arts and Culture Commission would then need to spend those funds the in order to utilize all of the funds. I think the thought from the Arts and Culture Commission is that the full $20,000 was allocated to the Arts and Culture Commission to be used in not only this fiscal year, but future fiscal years.
VP Moorman Schumacher stated so right now they have about $8,800 left in this fiscal year. Do they get to keep the $8,800 going forward and save it for something coming up?
Durkin stated they talked about doing things like an art piece item at the gateway, which they certainly intend on fundraising for the majority of those dollars with regard to that.
VP Moorman Schumacher stated so if they were saving up for a bigger piece, they would be able to save from year to year.
Wagonblott stated correct, in addition to any fundraising that the commission would do, those revenues then are building as well. Right now, the way it is set up, this is all in the village’s general fund. All it is, is a revenue line item for arts and culture and an expense. At the end of the fiscal year, those revenues and expenses are all piled up, then at the end of the day into the general fund balance. Then the next fiscal year, you’re starting new again. The only way to very accurately track the Arts and Culture Commission, if you want it to compound year after year after year, is to make it a special revenue fund.
VP Moorman Schumacher stated what about their fundraising?
Wagonblott stated right now the fundraising went into the general fund in the amount of$9,400. They spent more than that.
VP Moorman Schumacher stated if there were a year where they raised $50,000 and we only paid out $10,000, we would have essentially taken their money into the general fund. It would have become Village revenue, not necessarily set aside donations.
Wagonblott stated correct. We could definitely track it on the side should the board wish to do that. It’s just leaves us open for errors.
Wagonblott stated in the next budget cycle, which we’re coming up to in the next, you know, month or so, there would be included in that draft budget an amount that the Arts and Culture Commission is requesting from the Village Board. It will be up to the Village Board to set that amount at which time she would do the transfer. Then they have to be functioning within that.
VP Moorman Schumacher stated are you just looking for direction on this? Wagonblott stated yes, Mayor.
Board Direction was to move forward with making the Arts and Culture Commission a special revenue fund.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Bogart stated nothing formal tonight, however, he would like to speak to a matter of some recent public concern that the police department is aware of with regard to an individual who wanders about the area of Route 6 and Yell ow Pine. The police department has had multiple contacts with that individual. Last week, he was arrested and provided a notice to appear for trespassing. He was arrested and provided a notice to appear for obstructing by the Minooka Police Department.
He was cited once again by Cha1111ahon police for pedestrian in the roadway. He suffers from a mental health issue and has refused all services. We’ve tried to coordinate with his family we’ve known him for quite some time. He doesn’t think it’s fair to the officers for the amount of time that they’ve spent in trying to deal with him and get him help that people post that that the police aren’t out there doing anything. They are out there regularly. Some officers have bought meals for him and given him rides to and from. They’ve done a lot for him and we will continue to do that. Our officers are well versed and do what they can to help him out. The mental health court is what they’re working towards with some of these charges and he has instructed officers to go that way with it. We do have voluntary committal powers. He doesn’t think that this has risen to that just yet. There’s just not a lot of places to go get help. When the individual themselves doesn’t want to go get help, it makes it even more difficult.
VP Moorman Schumacher stated and then you might get 72 hours.
Bogart stated there’s also some concerns out there with people reporting he has attempted to enter cars in the area. We have not received one phone call at the police department stating that allegation. That just seems to be an online thing for people to drum it up fear but you can imagine what that might do for public safety in somebody’s mindset.
Trustee Perinar asked if there is a concern with these incidents so close to a school. Could that be some kind of parameter?
Bogart stated he largely leaves the students alone.
Trustee Greco stated he’s in the middle of Route 6 by Yellow Pine. When the cars get the red light, he’ll bang on their window. You know something’s wrong with the kid.
There was an incident on Thursday evening where he was wearing a dark hoodie in the middle of the roadway. He was cited for being in the roadway and was told to go back on home.
Trustee Greco asked if he ever goes into any of the businesses.
Bogart stated he’s barred for most of them.
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
Discussion – Entering into a Intergovernmental Agreement with the Village of Minooka for Mutual Work Across Municipal Boundary Lines
Dolezal stated the Village of Channahon has requested a third water delivery point for Lake Michigan water from the Grand Prairie Water Commission (GPWC). The location is on property owned by the CN Railroad property near McLinden Road and Twin Rail Drive on the Village of Minooka’s side of our shared boundary line. The addition of our third delivery point requires a unanimous vote of the GPWC Technical Advisory Committee and the GPWC Board of Commissioners. Prior to approving our request, Minooka wanted to discuss a project of their own that would occur on our side of the shared boundary line. Minooka’ s project is an effluent line from a future wastewater treatment plant. As a result of staff agreeing that these projects are of no detriment to each other and that cooperation is in the interest of both Villages, the attached Intergovernmental Agreement was prepared.
Trustee Host stated was that originally contemplated in our system improvement plan?
Dolezal stated no, that’s what started this whole thing is that it’s not in the original basis of design. That’s why this is going back to the GPWC technical advisory committee and to back to the board of commissioners too. What this will do initially if it does end up getting built is it just puts in a “T” on the transmission line and a valve. It’s probably about a couple hundred thousand dollars of extra work for us. That’s at that point if down the road we feel the need to try to create a water loop. This would be up near McLinden and Twin Rails Drive. At the end of Twin Rails Drive basically which would be a delivery point that could move all the way out west towards Brisbin Rd. and back down to the water main that he CN will be installing down Route 6 from Ridge Road.
Trustee Host asked if the costs associated with it would be able to be recaptured from the building out that goes on down there, since that wasn’t originally contemplated.
Dolezal stated we could look at setting up a recapture. That hasn’t been discussed as part of the CN agreement to date.
Discussion – Villas of Keating Pointe Phase 5 – Improvement Completion Guarantee Reduction
Dolezal stated all guarantees associated with each step are held with a single Improvement Completion Bond (#SUR2005605). In accordance with Subdivision and Development Regulations, the developer has requested a reduction to the Improvement Completion Guarantee (ICG). Ordinance allows a reduction to 20% of the original value in any individual step when 95% of the work in that step is complete. In this case, the developer has demonstrated that 95% of the work associated with Step 1, Step 2, is complete and, therefore, a reduction is warranted. At this time a reduction to Step 3 and Step 4 is not eligible.
Discussion – Whispering Oaks Unit 4 – Improvement Completion Guarantee Reduction Dolezal stated all guarantees associated with each step are held with a single Improvement Completion Bond (#SUR2005622). In accordance with Subdivision and Development Regulations, the developer has requested a reduction to the Improvement Completion Guarantee (ICG). Ordinance allows a reduction to 20% of the original value in any individual step when 95% of the work in that step is complete. In this case, the developer has demonstrated that 95% of the work associated with Step 1, Step 2, is complete and, therefore, a reduction is warranted. At this time a reduction to Step 3 and Step 4 is not eligible.
Discussion – Release of Maintenance Guarantee for Venture One Crossroads 55 Trailer Lot Dolezal stated Venture One has completed their two-year maintenance guarantee associated with the Crossroads 55 Trailer Lot. A maintenance guarantee was held in the amount of $1,405,710.60
through bond No. 800086204. The two-year term has expired and Village staff has final inspected the project and found no deficiencies.
Discussion – A Resolution to Accept Planning Technical Assistance Services delivered by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Dolezal stated we applied to CMAP while a little while back for some help, a grant, to create a self-assessment and transition plan. Those are both things that are required by law for ADA compliance. We’re actually a little behind schedule to get done. While this isn’t like a cash grant to us, it’s maybe even a little better because it’s providing what we’ve been lacking and that’s manpower and services from CMAP with their staff and some of their consultants to get this thing done. So in front of you is a resolution that if approved, has us entering into a memo of understanding with a CMAP to then to help us get our transition plan and self-assessment for ADA compliance in order.
VP Moorman Schumacher how long does it take them to complete.
Fricke stated they’re looking at 12 to 24 months.
COMMUNICATIONS
PUBLIC COMMENT
EXECUTIVE SESSION
• Appointment, Employment, Dismissal, Compensation, Discipline and Performance of an Employee of the Village of Channahon
The Committee of the Whole was adjourned at 6:44 p.m.
https://www.channahon.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_01192026-734
