Batavia Illinois – The 5th Ward

Consent Agenda

Routine administrative and financial matters required blanket approval to maintain standard city operations and finalize previously discussed maintenance agreements.

• The council approved an Accounts Payable total of over $3.2 million and a payroll total of $1,215,783.08.
• Approvals included a $63,085 preventative maintenance testing agreement with Quad Plus Testing for the Paramont Substation.
• The council authorized a license agreement with the Batavia Artists Association dba Water Street Studios for a mural installation.
• The consent agenda passed unanimously without debate.

Chamber of Commerce Update

The presentation was given to update the council on local business activities, recent legislative tours, and the everyday regulatory or economic concerns facing local entrepreneurs.

• The Chamber of Commerce Executive Director welcomed Worth a Shot Photography and Film, Alma Cafe inside Cinco de Mayo, New York Life Insurance Company, Gatsby Glass of DuPage County, Barco Products, The Gaming Spot, and Spring Bluff Nursery as new members.
• State representatives toured Ignite Medical Resort, Urban Apothecary, Bogey Bikes, Red Hive Market, Sturdy Shelter Brewing, and Windmill Grill to hear directly about workforce shortages, conflicting hemp regulations, and general economic uncertainty.
• The Chamber of Commerce Executive Director highlighted ongoing efforts to connect the IARC at Fermilab with the community for regional economic development opportunities.

End-of-Life Doula Presentation

A new local business owner introduced her end-of-life doula services to explain the emotional and practical support she provides to aging, grieving, or terminally ill residents.

• The doula assists clients with legacy work, writing letters, sorting items of emotional value, and navigating the end-of-life process.
• While she has served clients as young as 29 with terminal diagnoses, her typical clients are aged 60 and above.
• An Alderperson praised her choice of business location above Haley’s Bakery and noted the high relevance of her services given the city’s large senior living population.

Proclamation Honoring Lifeguards

The council issued a formal proclamation to publicly recognize the heroic actions of two local college students employed as municipal lifeguards who saved a choking child.

• A 7-year-old girl choked on a bottle cap at Hall Quarry Beach.
• The two lifeguards, Noah Johnson and Aiden Rydell, swiftly and successfully utilized the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the cap and restore her breathing.
• The Fire Chief and a Park District Executive Director praised their calm demeanor, teamwork, and readiness.
• The council unanimously passed the proclamation, presenting the award in front of the lifeguards’ families and local first responders.

Ordinance Authorizing Sale of Excess Land

This ordinance was required to formally offload a small, previously declared surplus city property to an adjacent neighbor who expressed interest.

• The land is located east of an existing residential trail at 706 Chabonaw Trail.
• The city received a single bid from the neighboring property owners for the minimum amount of $10.
• The ordinance passed unanimously.

Ordinance Amending Chimney Demolition

An active demolition contractor discovered an unexpected structural breach while tearing down a historic chimney, prompting a request to cap the structure at 20 feet rather than the previously mandated 11.5 feet to prevent further damage.

• The Demolition Contractor from American Demolition testified that tearing the chimney down to the originally approved height would expose structural breaches and create a more dangerous situation for the public and property owner.
• Several Alderpersons expressed frustration over changing expert advice and debated whether to mandate a new structural engineer’s report before allowing the permanent cap to be installed so businesses like Pal Joey’s or the apartment above wouldn’t face occupancy issues later.
• Legal counsel and city staff advised that liability for the chimney’s safety would fall on the property owner and the contractor, not the city.
• The council decided a final structural review could be enforced later during the certificate of occupancy phase and passed the ordinance to allow the higher cap with an 8-3 vote.

Resolution for Underground Circuit Improvements

The council reviewed a contract to move 15KV overhead electric lines underground in a local neighborhood to modernize infrastructure and drastically improve power reliability.

• The city entered into a contract with Meade, Inc. for the underground circuit improvements.
• The project is heavily supported by a $1.17 million state and federal grant from the Department of Energy, covering over 25% of the total cost.
• Moving the lines underground is projected to reduce both the frequency and duration of local power outages in Woodland Hills by roughly half.
• The resolution passed unanimously.

Administrator and Mayor’s Reports

Routine reports were given to provide general operational updates, share community feedback, and announce upcoming city events to the council and the public.

• The City Administrator highlighted upcoming community police events, ongoing historic district architecture inspections by consultants JLK Architecture, and brickwork progress at a local plaza.
• The Mayor shared anecdotes from returning former residents who highly praised the city’s downtown development and riverfront improvements.
• The Mayor announced that a new children’s book about a historical local fire dog will be unveiled at the fire station in October.
• The Mayor noted that he received text messages indicating the television broadcast of the meeting was experiencing poor audio quality.
• The council concluded the public meeting by voting to enter an executive session.

Author: Jim Fahrenbach