Worries that city looking to unite police with sheriff’s department

By Margaret Downing

REPORTER

South Beloit resident Ilah Tinder brought up a topic to commissioners at the Aug. 15 council meeting concerning rumors around town that there is a possibility that commissioners, in their work on a new annual budget, may decide to go with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department for police work. South Beloit officers would then be taken into that group.

Mayor Pro-Tem Linda Chambers explained that anything along those lines would be decided after public hearings are held and noted that this is not something that has been decided upon at all.

“Commissioners are making sure that the city’s money is well spent,” she said. “Rumors at this point are the result of preliminary budgeting and we have to look at all aspects. There is no definite decision at this point. We will be working on the preliminary budget shortly and would be remiss if we did not check out all aspects” of an issue.

In giving the bi-weekly police activity report, as reported by Police Chief Dean Stiegemeier, Commissioner Tom Fitzgerald noted an incident that the police department responded to on Aug. 7.

He said, “At approximately 0230 hours (2:30 a.m.), members from the South Beloit Police Department were dispatched to 16049 Willowbrook Road (the Flying J Travel Plaza) for a report of shots fired.

“Members from the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department and the Rockton Police Department also responded. It was confirmed that a shooting took place in the parking lot of the Flying J. However, there was no victim on the scene. The Winnebago County Crime Scene Unit assisted in the collection of evidence.

“A short time later South Beloit officers were called to Beloit Memorial Hospital for a victim with two gunshot wounds to his right leg. The relationship between the victim at the hospital and the shooting in South Beloit is still under investigation.”

Fitzgerald also gave the fire/rescue report covering the time period from July 29 to Aug. 12. The fire department made 52 runs: engine runs were 16 and ambulance runs were 36. One vehicle fire, one grass fire, one illegal burn, one hazardous material, and five automatic alarms were responded to. There were 36 medical responses, two auto accident and two water rescue responses, one “technical” rescue, two public service calls, and two “assist other agencies.” Two fire department mutual aid responses – two each to Beloit and to Rockton, one mutual aid response each to Winnebago and to the Town of Turtle were noted.

Training topics included live burn training, policies and procedures, and there was one cookout held at the Robert Johnson Apartments.

In other business, the council approved payment of $537,631.14 in bills covering July 30-Aug. 12.

A resolution that had been laid over from the Aug. 1 council meeting was once again laid over, this time to the Sept. 2 meeting. It deals with the city entering “a ground lease Agreement with USCOC of Central Illinois” for its U.S. Cellular tower at 400 Winnebago Ave.

The cell phone company wants to do a physical check and survey of the property before agreeing to the agreement, which includes a $30,000 one-time “inducement” payment to the city and also in reference to a two-year window option clause that would allow the cell phone company to back out. A site survey should be completed shortly.

A request by petitioner Cyrus Lucchesi, who wants to open a meat market on Prairie Hill Road and was asking for a reduction from $10,400 to $1,500 for sewer hook-up fees, was discussed.

The end result was that Lucchesi would pay a $2,000 hook-up fee. As Commissioner Fitzgerald noted, and who was backed up by other commissioners, “We want to help out new small business owners, not discourage them.”

A request for a block party with live music on Oakland Ave. between Shaw St. and Hayes Ave. for Sat. Sept. 10 between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. was approved.

Commissioners approved a “Professional Service Agreement” with Fehr Graham regarding a parcel at 420 Blackhawk Blvd. that is in the proposed Beloit 2020 and City of South Beloit Confluence Plan.

For $7,900, Fehr Graham will interpret findings made by the Illinois EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) concerning possible environmental issues with the former gas station property.

Before the city takes over ownership of the land, officials want to make sure it won’t be inheriting a “money pit.”

Initial testing, done at no charge by the IEPA shows there are some contaminants in the property. The next step will be for the IEPA, at no charge to the city, to take core samples and the city engineer must put together a plan showing where on the property drilling should be done.

If all is a go, 2020 will purchase the land and deed it to the city where it will then be leased back to the 2020 group for use in its Confluence Plan site. The City of South Beloit has previously committed $200,000 to the confluence project.