ROCHELLE — Rochelle City Council members amended an ordinance that will permit certain licensed establishments in the Hub City to sell mixed drinks for delivery and carryout. Council members approved the amended ordinance with a 6-1 vote during their meeting on Monday.
The amended ordinance allows for the sale of a cocktail or mixed drink in a sealed container, with a secure, tamper-evident lid, by a retail licensee if the following requirements are met: The cocktail is transferred within the licensed premises, by a curbside pickup or by delivery by an employee of the licensee who has been trained in accordance with the provisions of Section 6-27.1 of the Illinois Liquor Control Act, is at least 21 years of age and upon delivery, verifies the age of the person to whom the cocktail is being delivered.
If the employee delivering the cocktail is not able to verify the person’s age or level of intoxication, the employee shall cancel the sale of alcohol and return the product to the retail licenses. The sealed container must be placed in the trunk of the vehicle or, if there is no trunk, in the vehicle’s rear compartment that is not readily accessible to the passenger area.
The sealed container must be affixed with a label or tag that contains the following information: The cocktail or mixed drink ingredients, type and name of alcohol, the name, license number and address of the retail licensee that filled the original container and sold the product and the date sold, the volume of cocktail or mixed drink in the seal container and the sealed container was filled less than seven days before the date of sale.
If there is an executive order in effect, the employee delivering the mixed drink or cocktail must comply with any requirements of that order, including but not limited to, wearing gloves and a mask and maintaining distancing requirements.
7th Avenue Bridge

Council members approved preliminary engineering and construction engineering services agreements with Wendler Engineering Services during Monday’s meeting. The two approved agreements deal with the replacement of the nearly 55-year-old Seventh Avenue bridge. The project will be funded with the sales tax and utility tax funds and will cost around $1.4 million.
Wendler Engineering Services has conducted routine bridge inspections and reports for the city over the past several years. Previous and current reports identified spalling of concrete, exposed reinforcement, wingwall tipping, deterioration of the deck slab, substructure and the pedestrian walkway. The project has been identified as a multi-year capital improvement project and the engineering and construction is funded in the current fiscal year 2021 budget.
Construction on the Seventh Avenue bridge project is expected to be completed by the end of 2021. The new structure will be a traditional bridge with updated pedestrian crossings along the north and south sides that will connect into adjacent sidewalk systems. The new bridge will help increase the effective opening and improve conveyance through the area.
“We expect to begin construction in late May or early June and the bridge will be closed for the duration of the project,” City Engineer Sam Tesreau said. “That should be around 3-to-4 months assuming we don’t have any wet weather conditions or other issues during the summer.”
COVID Vaccine Policy
Council members approved a City of Rochelle COVID-19 Vaccination Policy during Monday’s meeting. The policy includes a provision that all full-time employees who receive the required COVID-19 vaccine doses will be eligible for a $100 wellness incentive. The policy also states the vaccine is not mandatory and city employees will not be required to be vaccinated. The city will work with the Ogle County Health Department to offer vaccines to all city employees.
Other items
Council members approved the purchase of cobra head street lights from Wesco Distribution for $71,280 during Monday’s meeting. Council members also approved an ordinance granting variation of signage to allow the Flagg-Rochelle Community Park District to construct an electronic sign in front of the new recreation center at 802 Jones Road in Rochelle. The Planning & Zoning Commission voted 6-0 to approve the variance during its meeting on Dec. 7, 2020.