June 8, City Council Recap: A New Police Chief, a Railroad Street Debate and a Gas Contract

The Marengo City Council met Monday, June 8 at City Hall. The headline: Marengo has a new police chief.

Six of the council's seven sitting aldermen were present, along with Mayor Michael Proffitt. One Ward 3 seat remains vacant following an April resignation (more on that below).

A new police chief

The council appointed Andrew Kjellgren chief of police, making it official after his run leading the department as interim chief. The appointment was discussed in closed session, as is standard for personnel matters, but the vote itself happened in open session as required, and every alderman in attendance voted in favor. A swearing-in ceremony is planned for July.

Summer road work and a debate over Railroad Street

The council approved a work order with McMahon Engineering for this year's pavement maintenance program: $47,200 for civil design, $3,900 for bid engineering, and $43,000 for construction engineering, about $94,100 in all. This is the engineering side of the program; the actual paving work gets bid out separately.

The discussion was livelier than the final vote suggests. Several aldermen pushed back on including Railroad Street in the program, arguing the money would be better spent on streets that serve more taxpayers rather than commercial traffic. Mayor Proffitt noted the program may need to be scaled back for cost reasons anyway, meaning Railroad Street might not make the final list. Aldermen also asked for core samples of Railroad Street to determine what the road is made of before any work is committed there. In the end, the work order passed with no votes against.

A two-year natural gas contract

The council authorized the city administrator to sign a two-year natural gas contract with Rock River Energy, the lowest of the quotes received. This covers city municipal buildings only; it has no effect on residential gas bills. The two-year term was the supplier's recommendation: long enough to lock in current prices, short enough that the city isn't stuck overpaying if costs drop. Approved by all aldermen in attendance.

Four candidates for the open Ward 3 seat

In his report, Mayor Proffitt said four candidates have come forward for the Ward 3 council seat that has sat vacant since April. The mayor and aldermen will interview all four at the next meeting. The interviews will be held in executive session, closed to the public, for the candidates' privacy.

The routine business

The council approved $241,962.79 in bills and signed off on minutes from the May 26 meeting.

The next regular city council meeting is Monday, June 22 at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 132 E. Prairie St. Meetings are open to the public.