RMU utility bills to increase

Lori Hammelman
Posted 2/25/18

Local residents should expect to see a increase in their electric and gas bills following an ordinance amendment of the Municipal Electricity Tax and Municipal Gas Tax Monday evening by Rochelle City Council members.

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RMU utility bills to increase

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ROCHELLE — Local residents should expect to see a slight increase in their electric and gas bills following an ordinance amendment of the Municipal Electricity Tax and Municipal Gas Tax Monday evening by Rochelle City Council members.

The average residential increase on the electricity will be about $4.18 for residential customers, yearly, but is completely based on usage. The increase amount for natural gas is 3.5 percent, within the 5 percent allowable by state statutes.

City manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said the original utility tax funding mechanism had been approved over 20 years ago and amended in 2012. The current ordinance would have terminated this May.

‘The available utility tax funds are allocated for various projects including sidewalk repair and replacement, street improvements in areas lacking curb and gutter and sidewalks, accessibility ramps and other professional and engineering services related to those projects,” Fiegenschuh said.

Much of the funds have been used to repair or replace existing sidewalks and pedestrian paths and upgrade accessibility ramps throughout the community for the past 15 years. The funding has also helped with gaps or missing sections of sidewalks, and with the construction of curbs and gutters in the residential areas.

“Since 1997 over 800,000 square feet of sidewalks, accessibility ramps and pedestrian paths have been constructed or replaced throughout the city,” Fiegenschuh added.

Fiegenschuh reiterated the increase in electricity of $4.18 yearly is solely based on the residential customers’ usage. He also noted most of the surrounding cities’ municipal gas tax were at 5 percent, higher than the 3.5 percent approved by council Monday.

Radium study

The increase in radium levels has prompted city officials to partner with Illinois State University to conduct a radium investigation. Council approved the research agreement with the university for the two-year project.

“Rochelle has recently experienced increased levels of radium in the water supply and staff feels it is prudent to better understand the geochemical and geological nature of this issue,” Fiegenschuh said. “The agreement will provide services for graduate level research on this issue to help us answer where the radium comes from and why concentrations increase when pumping rates increase.”

Fiegenshuh also said the knowledge gained can be used in making planning and development decisions in the future. The Evaluation of Radium Concentration in Groundwater in Ogle County, Ill., was approved for $20,000.

Other business

Council approved the hiring of professional services to assist Rochelle Municipal Utilities with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at a cost of $22,500.

Power System Engineering (PSE) will help prepare a request for proposal, along with evaluating the proposals for an Outage Management System.

Council approved an amended ordinance to add specific project sites in Dixon and Rochelle into the Lee Ogle Enterprise Zone. This includes Manor Court of Rochelle, a specialized healthcare facility, along with Annchor Road Storage in Dixon.

A public hearing was held at the last council meeting on Feb. 12 to discuss the areas specifically, addressed by Andy Shaw, Lee Ogle Enterprise Zone Administrator.

Council approved a one-year temporary agreement with Nippon Sharyo to utilize the rail manufacturer’s rail yard to store rail cars.

Jason Anderson, Economic Director for Rochelle said due to the rail yard not currently being utilized, the agreement would allow for the storage at no cost to the city of Rochelle. The agreement would allow for additional storage of about 60 to 65 cars. Fees generated for the storage would be given to Nippon Sharyo.

A service expansion feasibility study was discussed regarding the city’s fiber optic network. Sikich provided a proposal for $12,500 that would determine the feasibility of expanding the fiber optic service citywide.

Good news awards

Rochelle city manager Jeff Fiegenschuh acknowledged Rochelle Police Officer Jim Jakymiw for his actions after being dispatched to an apartment fire on Lincoln Highway earlier this month, immediately alerting other residents and helping to evacuate the premises. Rochelle Fire Chief Dave Sawlsville said Jakymiw’s quick response in the initial minutes helped the fire crews attack the fire before it had a chance to spread.

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Fiegenschuh also acknowledged Rochelle Police Officers Ryan Beery, Joe Sester, and Chet Smith, along with emergency dispatchers Trevor Owen and Cassie Rogers for their work regarding a fire on Sunnymeade Drive recently. Officers Sester and Beery were first to arrive on scene and evacuate tenants from the building through the dense smoke. Dispatcher Rogers took control while calling for additional help, with Owen providing the necessary backup during the situation. Fiegenschuh commended the group, showing appreciation for their “quick response and actions that ensured a positive outcome that could have ended in tragedy.”

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