DRAFT

HIGHWAY COMMITTEE

February 10, 2011

A meeting of the Highway Committee of the DeKalb County Board was held on Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 6:00pm in the Conference Room of the DeKalb County Highway Department, DeKalb, Illinois.  

Chairman Gudmunson called the meeting to order at 6:00pm.  Committee members present were Vice-Chair Augsburger, Mr. Foster and Mr. Todd.   Other Board members present were County Board Chairman Larry Anderson, County Vice-Chairperson Ruth Anne Tobias, Mr. Ken Andersen, Mr. Paul Stoddard, and Ms. Anita Turner.  Mr. David Peek, Executive Director, Sycamore Park District and Mr. Greg Millburg of DeKalb Farm Bureau were also present along with Mr. William Lorence, County Engineer, James Quinn, Operations Manager and Wayne Davey, Support Services Manager from the Highway Department. The Committee welcomed the two final candidates for the County Engineer’s position, Mr. David Preissig from Naperville, Illinois and Mr. Nathan Schwartz from Rochelle, Illinois.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Motion made by Vice-Chair Augsburger and seconded by Mr. Foster to approve the minutes of the regular January 6, 2011 meeting.  The motion to approve the minutes as presented carried unanimously. 

APPROVAL OF AGENDA:

Motion made by Mr. Todd and seconded by Mr. Foster to approve the agenda as presented.   Discussion followed to amend the agenda to include an additional item 4a, MFT Resolution for 2011 Hot-Mix Projects.  The motion to approve the agenda as amended carried unanimously. 

PUBLIC COMMENT:   Mr. Ken Andersen requested to reserve his public comments until the appropriate subject is under discussion by the Committee.    

Mr. Lorence informed those in attendance he would like to provide a short briefing on how the Highway Department operates and is funded prior to the Committee acting on items before the Committee.  The tour of the Highway facility could be moved to the end of the agenda if so desired.  Committee Chairman Gudmunson concurred with the briefing and stated the tour would be moved to the end of the agenda for anyone that was interested.

Mr. Lorence stated the Highway Department operated out of five Budgets that are run through the County Board and two that do not.  The Highway Budget is used to pay for the cost of some salaries and all operating costs for the Department.  The current levy is set at 8.67 percent of the County’s current equalized assessed value (EAV) totaling $1,847,000.00 and this is a property tax supported budget.  Our Engineering Budget

 covers the cost of salaries for our engineering staff and these salaries are off-set by engineering fees charged to the Road Districts and the County for all projects initiated and supervised by the engineering staff.  This budget is supplemented through the Highway Budget as needed.  The County Bridge Tax is levied at 4.46% of our EAV and will produce an estimated $950,000.00 in tax revenue for 2011 County Bridge Budget.  This is a property tax supported budget.  The revenue received will pay for the salary of one bridge technician as well as all bridges constructed in the County.  Road Districts also have access to these funds and have priority over the County projects when properly requested. 

The Highway Matching Tax is levied at 3.57% of the EAV and brings in an estimated $760,000.00 to the Highway Department.  This is also a property tax supported budget.  Matching Tax funds are used to match Federal and State funds when they are being utilized to pay for a highway project, whether it is a road or a bridge.  The Highway Department currently uses Matching funds to split the cost of our construction projects such as hot-mix resurfacing, seal coat, crack fill and road striping.

The County receives Motor Fuel Tax funds in the approximate amount of $1,500,000.00 per year.  These funds originate from the tax on the purchase of fuel.  Illinois has a fixed rate of $0.19 per gallon regardless of the price of a gallon of fuel.   Approximately ten percent of the tax is distributed to the 101 downstate counties bases on vehicles registered within the county.  These funds are used for the salaries of highway maintainers when performing operations on the road, such as snow removal, grading, ditch work, mowing vegetation, shoulder work, installation of cross road pipes and culvert.  Winter maintenance materials are purchased from this budget and road and bridge projects are also funded from this budget.

In addition to these budgets two additional budgets are managed by the Highway Department – Township Motor Fuel Tax and Township Bridge Funds.  These budgets are funded by revenue from the State and pay for Road District projects.  The Highway Department is responsible for the administration of these budgets and funds can not be expended without the prior approved of the Road District Commissioner and in most cases the award of projects by the full County Board.

Additional funding comes to the County through several funding streams from the Federal and State authorities.  Surface Transportation Program Rural (STR) will provide the County with approximately $388,000.00 per year for general road upgrades.  The Highway Bridge Program (HBP) currently has an annual allocation of approximately $235,000.00 toward new bridge construction.  Other funding streams consist of Major Bridge Funding, Truck Access Route Program (TARP) funds, Safety Funds, Railroad crossing funds and Surface Transportation Program Urban (STU).  These funding streams are dependant upon county application and selection by IDOT for funds to be allocated.  

Mr. Lorence stated DeKalb County currently operates under an Agreement of Understanding with the Illinois Department of Transportation.  What this means is the County is staffed at an appropriate level and IDOT is confident with the County

Engineer to initiate and supervise projects in compliance with IDOT polices and procedures.  Mr. Foster inquired as to what affect Mr. Lorence’s retirement will have on this Agreement.  Mr. Lorence stated the current agreement will terminate when he is no longer the County Engineer.  All of the 2011 projects will have been prepared and let prior to June of 2011 and the new County Engineer should have enough time to get a new agreement in place prior to the 2012 Construction season if that person chooses to do so.  All Counties in our District operate under some sort of agreement as IDOT continues to shed more and more personnel who would normally oversee such matters. 

Mr. Stoddard inquired how the equipment was funded in the Highway Budget.  Mr. Lorence explained the County currently rents its own equipment while this equipment is being used on the road.  This is an accepted practice and it allows for the County to legally transfer funds from the Motor Fuel Tax Budget to the Highway Budget.  This is called equipment rental.  The funds obtained through equipment rental are then used to offset the cost of purchasing new equipment to ensure the highway fleet is maintained at an acceptable level of readiness. 

County Board Vice Chairperson introduced Mr. David Preissig and Mr. Nathan Schwartz to the Committee.  These individuals are the final two candidates for the County Engineer position. 

Mr. Preissig introduced himself by saying that he graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering.  He is currently the Deputy Director of Infrastructure for the Village of Elk Grove, Department of Public Works.  He has dealt with very complex construction projects and has over 13 years of professional experience.  He is experienced in traffic engineering and traffic control design and maintenance.

Mr. Schwartz stated he has been with Ogle County Highway Department for the past 14 years, ever since he graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.  Ogle County is very similar to DeKalb County and he is very familiar with DeKalb County.  He has been involved with all aspects of the day-to-day operation of a County Highway Department and feels very comfortable in its management.

Mr. Foster inquired of the candidates why they felt they would be the best candidate for this position and how would they see the transition as having to take place.

Mr. Schwartz stated as he had mentioned earlier, Ogle and DeKalb County are very similar.  DeKalb County is a bit more urban than Ogle County however, Ogle County has rural subdivisions whereas DeKalb county requires subdivision to be contiguous to an established City/Town/Village.  The County Engineer for Ogle County has been grooming Mr. Schwartz to one day replace him when that time comes.  He has made decisions on his own that deal with the operation of the Ogle County Highway Department.  A period of transition would be a great benefit to allow a smooth transition.  He sees no need in turning things upside down if operations are running

 smoothly.  There is always room for improvement and things will change.  Even if Mr. Lorence were to stay, things would change as our world changes everyday and we have to adapt.  He does not foresee any drastic changes that would need to be made in the near future.  Mr. Schwartz currently works with 24 Road District Commissioners in Ogle County and he looks forward to the challenge of getting acquainted with the Road Commissioners of DeKalb County.

Mr. Preissig stated it is his diverse background that will allow him to serve the citizens of DeKalb County in a highly professional manner.  He is familiar with funding sources and procedures required to obtain such funding.  Elk Grove Village has similar lane miles and budget requirements as DeKalb County.  He has been through a reorganization necessitated by lay-offs and was able to provide the same level of service with fewer resources.   He has worked with Bill in the past on projects and he sees a smooth transition.  Mr. Preissig stated that if it is not broke there is no need to fix it.  Mr. Preissig stated he would continue to work closely with the Townships as Mr. Lorence has done and looks forward to building a rewarding professional relationship with each of them.

Both candidates expressed they will have little to no problem in dealing with the press and being in the public spot light.  Both see that as an opportunity to educate the public on certain situations or projects underway at the Highway Department.  Engineers have a tendency to over explain a situation and this should be viewed as a good thing.

Both candidates stated that if selected they would feel obligated to reside in DeKalb County and be in touch with the residents they serve and the problems that need addressing. 

Committee Chair Gudmunson thanked the candidates for taking the time out of their busy schedules to attend tonight’s meeting and allowing the Committee to get to know each of them a little bit better.

AWARD RESOLUTION #R2011-06 2011 COUNTY-WIDE SEAL COAT PROJECT:

Mr. Lorence explained that bids were taken for the 2011 Seal Coat project.  This project is for all Road Districts in DeKalb County wanting to participate and for DeKalb County. The County is having 18.20 miles of road seal coated this year and 13 Road Districts have a combined total of 40.53 miles.  Two bids were received for this project and the low bid meeting specifications was submitted by Road Oil Service of Granville, Illinois in the amount of One Million Twenty-One Thousand Three Hundred Ten Dollars and Twenty-Six Cents ($1,021,310.26).  The County’s cost of this project is estimated at Two Hundred Ninety-One Thousand Five Hundred Eighty-Two and Fifty Cents ($291,582.50).  Two bids were received for this project and both were competitive with only a difference of $2,269.  Road Oil has done work for DeKalb County in the past and their work has been satisfactory to the County.  Mr. Lorence recommended this resolution be forwarded to the full County Board recommending approval.   Mr. Foster inquired if this was something the County could or should be doing with our own manpower.  Mr. Lorence explained the County opted out of the seal coating business several years ago.  Our equipment used for seal coating is outdated and would require

extensive repairs to bring the equipment to a point where it could be used again.  Mr. Lorence stated that since the County combined all the Road Districts projects with the County’s project there has been a savings realization of over 25%.  Mr. Lorence still feels contracting out the seal coat projects remains economically feasible.  A motion was made by Vice-Chair Augsburger and seconded by Mr. Todd to forward this resolution to the full County Board recommending award.  The motion carried unanimously. 

AWARD RESOLUTION #R2011-07 COUNTY CRACK FILL PROJECT:

Mr. Lorence explained the County received seven bids for the 2011 Crack Fill project.  There was a wide range of bids submitted with the low bid meeting specifications submitted by New Coat Sealing, LLC from Arnold, Missouri in the amount of Eighty-Nine Thousand One Hundred and Fifty Dollars and Sixty Cents ($89,150.60).  This is a County only contract and it is for the crack filling and routing of 72 miles of roads in DeKalb County.  This project is being protested by Labor and will not be available for award until the protest is settled.  Mr. Foster inquired why the County could not do this project themselves.  Mr. Lorence indicated that due to other work taking priority in the County the last couple of years, the County has fallen behind on crack filling.  This contract will allow the County to catch back up.  After this year the County should be in a position to once again complete its own crack fill projects.   A motion was made by Mr. Foster and seconded by Vice-Chair Augsburger to forward this resolution to the full County Board recommending award.  The motion carried unanimously. 

AWARD RESOLUTION #R2011-08 FOG SEAL PROJECT:

DeKalb County is always looking for ways to economically extend the life of our roadway system.   Fog Seal is a proprietary product that is applied to a road surface and after it is applied and dries will protect the road from water intrusion.  It is hoped this product will extend the life of Peace Road from Pleasant to Barber Greene for a couple of more years.  This will allow attempts to be made to secure funding through the MPO process to resurface this portion of roadway.  Traffic control will be accomplished by utilizing County forces for this project to help reduce the cost.   One sole bid was received for this project from American Road Maintenance in the amount of Ninety-Four Thousand Eight Hundred Thirty-Seven Dollars and Fifty-Six Cents ($94,837.56) for fog sealing 6.65 miles.  Two Road Districts (Genoa and Squaw Grove) are also included within this proposal.  A motion was made by Vice-Chair Augsburger and seconded by Mr. Todd to forward this resolution to the full County Board recommending award.  The motion carried unanimously. 

MFT RESOLUTION #R2011-14 2011 HOT-MIX PROJECTS:

Mr. Lorence explained the County will be receiving bids for the 2011 hot-mix resurfacing projects.  Prior to IDOT authorizing publication in the contractors bulletin for these projects, the County must submit Motor Fuel Tax Resolution requesting authorization of

funding if MFT funds are to be expended.  This resolution satisfies this requirement.  Mr. Lorence recommended this resolution be forwarded to the full County Board recommending approval.  A motion was made by Mr. Todd and seconded by Vice-Chair Augsburger to forward this resolution to the full County Board recommending approval.  The motion carried unanimously. 

RESOLUTION #R2011-09 INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH SYCAMORE PARK DISTRICT (DOG PARK):  

Vice-Chair Augsburger moved to remove this item from the table placed there on December 2, 2010 and Chairman Gudmunson seconded this motion.  The motion carried unanimously and this item was removed from the table.

Mr. David Peek, Executive Director, Sycamore Park District explained to the Committee that all land owners within a mile of this proposed location have been contacted and had the park explained to them.  No one had voiced any disapproval of this project.  All concerns voiced at the December 2, 2010 Highway Committee meeting have been addressed as documented in the site plan submitted by Mr. Peek.  These included the construction of a parking area for off road parking, a fence surrounding the property and appropriate signage. A parking area for 11 regular spaces and one handicapped parking space is planned.  This project will be completed with 100% private funds and no tax dollars will be involved.  If this project is to be constructed private funds will have to be raised.  The Park District is responsible for 100% of the liability for any activity conducted at the park and they will provide the County with a Certificate of Liability.  Mr. Andersen stated he was approached with concerns from citizens close to the proposed park because at first no one knew what was going on.  Mr. Andersen stated he is satisfied and no one has come back to him with any complaints.  He still has concerns as to why this issue went before the Highway Committee and not Planning and Zoning. A motion was made by Vice-Chair Augsburger and seconded by Mr. Todd to forward this resolution to the full County Board recommending approval.  The motion carried unanimously.

CHAIR’S COMMENTS:      Chair Gudmunson noted the Highway Department did a good job in getting the County Roads opened after the February 1-2, 2011 snow storm.

 COUNTY ENGINEER’S COMMENTS: 

The Transportation Improvement Progress Report for January was provided to the Committee for their review.  The highlighted projects on the report were discussed.  The East County Line Road project as well as the East County Line Road Bridge project will continue to move forward together.  Waterman Road is currently the worst road in the County and some progress is being made to acquire additional right-of-way needed for improvements.  All bridge projects continue to move forward making satisfactory progress.  Old State Road Bridge is scheduled for a May 2011 letting.  Perry Road and Glidden Road hot-mix resurface projects will be let on March 1, 2011. 

Since the informational meeting held on January 6, 2011 to discuss the intersection of Peace Road and Freed Road, some enhancements have been made to the signage in that area.  Amber flashers have been placed on top of the crossroad signs for both north and south bound traffic.  These flashers will flash continuously and hopefully draw attention to the upcoming intersection.  Also included under the cross road sign was a suggested 45mph speed limit warning sign.  The front length of the sign posts were outfitted with an amber reflective stripe to help draw attention to the sign itself.  These enhancements were placed at the intersections of Peace and Freed Roads and Peace and Brickville Roads.  Hopefully, these will have an impact and help drivers to remember to use caution when approaching these intersections.  Mr. Lorence has recommended to MPO that traffic counts be conducted at these intersections this year. As we receive more and more information there might be additional steps the County can take at these locations.  Mr. Andersen requested the County occasionally put the speed sign out there that will record your speed limit and remind drivers of the correct posted speed limit.   Mr. Andersen also thanked the Committee for trying to do something out there and hopefully these things will help.  Mr. Andersen also passed on the thanks of 2^nd Ward Alderman Pete Paulsen who stated he was appreciative of actions taken. 

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:   

 Mr. Andersen expressed his gratitude for the fine job County employees accomplished on Plank Road during and after the storm.  He stated it was in the best shape he has seen it in a long time.

ADJOURNMENT:

Chair Gudmunson inquired if there was anything else that needed to be brought before the Committee and hearing none asked for a motion to adjourn.  A motion was made by Vice Chair Augsberger to adjourn and Mr. Foster seconded this motion. The motion passed unanimously and the February 10, 2011 meeting was adjourned at 7:46pm for a tour of the Highway facility.

Respectfully Submitted,

John Gudmunson

Chairperson