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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Oswego Village Board Regular Meeting – August 4, 2025

Village Board & Commissions — Monday, August 4, 2025

BodyOswego, Illinois

SessionVillage Board & Commissions

DateMonday, August 4, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 45:06

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Chief Baston is going to be leading us in tonight's Pledge of Allegiance.

0:03

So if you'd all please rise and join him for the pledge.

0:10

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the Republic for which stands one nation, God, invisible liberty, and justice for all.

0:27

Roll call, please.

0:30

President Kaufman.

0:31

Here.

0:32

Trustee Hughes?

0:33

Here.

0:33

Trusty Koenig.

0:34

Here.

0:35

Trustee McCarthy Lang.

0:37

Here.

0:37

Trustee Torres?

0:39

Here.

0:40

Trustee Cooper Absent and Trustee Novi Absent.

0:49

Before we begin this evening, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the unimaginable tragedy that happened in Oswego last week.

1:01

Thirteen people were injured, and a two-year-old boy lost their life in a heartbreaking incident at Portillos.

1:10

As a father, I can't even begin to comprehend the pain.

1:23

It's the kind of loss that leaves you breathless.

1:27

If words could heal, I would say them all.

1:32

On behalf of the entire village board and the community, I want to extend our deepest condolences to the family and to all those injured or affected.

1:43

I also want to thank police, fire, and bystanders for their quick reaction.

1:51

Oswego is a strong and compassionate community.

1:54

And in times of grief, we come together.

1:58

I have no doubt that we will continue to support this family and one another in the difficult days ahead.

2:05

We will rise as one community.

2:49

First up this evening, we have some recognitions and appointments.

3:49

Much more lighthearted.

3:51

I'd like to extend our congratulations to Imagination Print Design for being featured as the Economic Development Commission's business of the month for July.

4:01

Each month, the economic development commissioners nominate and vote on a business to feature, which has demonstrated significant involvement in the Oswego community.

4:11

This month features Imagination Print Design, which is owned and operated by the amazing Kelly Rice.

4:18

Imagination has been around since 2005 when Kelly founded the business as a freelance designer.

4:24

Kelly eventually went on to make it her full-time job in July 2010, which makes this month's Imagination's 15th anniversary of being in business.

4:33

Kelly originally started the business out of her home, but mur moved into her first brick and mortar space in 2015 over on Route 34, near where the hair professionals career college is currently located.

4:45

She then purchased the building at 68 Main Street in 2019 and moved Imagination's entire operation there, where they currently employ nine people.

4:55

In conjunction with founding and steadily growing her business, Kelly is considerably involved in the Oswego community.

5:02

And that is an understatement.

5:05

Kelly has been on the chamber board, the Downtown Association Board, and currently serves as a board member for the Oswego Foundation for Educational Excellence, and the fundraising chair for the Oswego Junior Women's Club.

5:18

Kelly has also helped raise over $100,000 for local schools and nonprofit organizations through Imagination's online store.

5:27

And as if this weren't enough, Kelly opted to go in with a business partner to open a second business in downtown Oswego called The Scoop, which sells high quality ice cream candy and various dairy treats.

5:42

And takes all of my money because my kids want to go there nonstop.

5:46

The scoop also sells books and helps promote local authors.

5:49

So I ask you to please join me once again in congratulation, congratulating Imagination Print Design for being the July 2025 business of the month and thanking them for all the contributions they have made and continue to make for our community.

6:24

I really just love being a part of it.

6:48

What another round of applause.

9:10

So first come first serve.

9:20

Seeing nobody, we will close the public forum and move on to staff reports.

9:24

Dan.

9:25

Yeah, just one report for me this evening.

9:27

Uh Mr.

9:27

Mayor wanted to echo your sentiments from earlier.

9:30

Um the community really has come together over this tragedy, and I want to give my condolences to the family of the boy who passed.

9:41

And I also want to take the opportunity to acknowledge our brave police officers who ran to the tragedy, and within two minutes uh were on the scene to assist people.

9:53

Uh, in addition to our police, uh also the fire district, uh our public works department, and many other agencies that uh came to help the village of Oswego in a difficult time.

10:04

And so just wanted to thank those folks.

10:06

I know that uh incidents like this take a toll, and it's important that we're all watching out for each other uh in the days, weeks uh in the future ahead.

10:15

So just wanted to say thank you to those uh who are able to be on site and assist.

10:21

And that completes our report for today.

10:23

Thank you, Dan.

10:23

Well said.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Safety██████████████████████████████████34%

Personnel Matters████████████████████20%

Procedural██████████████14%

Public Engagement███████████11%

Business Awards█████████9%

Cannabis Regulation███████7%

Water And Wastewater Management█████5%

Summary of Proceedings

Oswego Village Board Regular Meeting – August 4, 2025

The August 4, 2025 regular meeting of the Oswego Village Board opened with a moment of acknowledgment for a tragic incident at Portillo's that occurred the previous week, leaving 13 people injured and a two-year-old child deceased. President Kaufman and Administrator Dan extended condolences to the family and gratitude to first responders. The board then recognized Imagination Print & Design as the July Business of the Month, celebrated the business's 15th anniversary and community involvement, and moved through routine business and a series of new business items.

Consent Calendar

G.1 – Approved July 15, 2025 Committee of the Whole minutes.
G.2 – Approved July 15, 2025 Regular Village Board minutes.
G.3 – Approved July 15, 2025 Closed Session minutes (not released).
G.4 – Approved ordinances creating a new Class E-2 liquor classification and granting a Class E-2 liquor license to Barkville Buddies LLC at 174 S. Harrison Street.
G.5 – Approved an ordinance repealing Ordinance 24-69 for the 3.175-acre property at 1038 Harvey Road.
G.6 – Approved a resolution for Task Order No.1 with Layne Christensen Company for Well 4 maintenance ($102,000).
G.7 – Approved a resolution with Water Remediation Technology (WRT) for radium removal system operation and eventual decommissioning ($633,600 annually).
G.8 – Approved a resolution for a professional engineering services agreement with HR Green for the Harrison Streetscape Improvement Project ($205,086.25).
G.9 – Approved a resolution reducing the surety bond for Reserve at Hudson Crossing Building No.1 to $5,000, effective August 5, 2025.
G.10 – Approved a resolution reimbursing Oswego Township for Minkler Road paving (not to exceed $60,000).
G.11 – Approved the First Amendment to the Economic Incentive Agreement and the First Amendment to the Utility Agreement for 19 Jackson Street LLC (19 E. Jackson Street).
G.12 – Approved the First Amendment to the Economic Incentive Agreement for Premier Investments, LLC (76-78 Main Street).

Bill List

Approved the bill list dated August 4, 2025 in the amount of $3,735,162.38.

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public spoke during Public Forum.

Discussion Items

J.1 – Taco Dale Cantina Liquor & Gaming License: Tina (Village Clerk) presented an application for a Class A-2 liquor license and a Class A-2 video gaming license for TDCantina Corporation d.b.a. Taco Dale Cantina at 123 W. Washington Street. The liquor license permits on-premise consumption with no food revenue requirement. The gaming license will become active six months after the business opens. Trustees asked clarifying questions about the activation timeline for gaming terminals. No public comment was offered.
J.2 – Hiring of Full-Time Police Training Coordinator: Police Chief Baston requested approval to hire a full-time training coordinator in the CY25 budget. He explained that a shared services agreement with Yorkville (20 hours per week per agency) proved insufficient; the department logged approximately 9,000 training hours last year and needs dedicated oversight for state, federal, and CLIA mandates, as well as in-house instructor certification and scenario‑based training (e.g., de‑escalation with paid actors). Yorkville has terminated the shared agreement and hired the current coordinator, who will leave in January 2026. The requested hire in November would allow a two‑month overlap for knowledge transfer. Cost for November and December 2025 is approximately $19,500. Going forward, the village will lose 50% reimbursement from Yorkville but gain a full‑time position. Trustees asked about the role's scope (not a former officer, manages training logistics, not actual instruction) and potential benefits for village-wide training. Chief Baston noted that a full-time coordinator could also improve officer performance metrics—citing a 0.04% use-of-force rate on over 26,000 calls in 2024 as evidence of effective training.
J.3 – Special Use Permit for Ogden Falls Receiving Station: Rod (Village Engineer) presented a request for a special use permit for a utility use to construct a water receiving station at the Ogden Falls Water Tower, part of the Lake Michigan Water Project. The improvements include a ground‑level storage tank, a pumping station, and a monitoring meter station. The buildings will feature brick accents and metal roofs. The site is set back behind Kickers Club, with landscaping and fencing planned as buffers. A public hearing was held; no one spoke against the proposal. Trustees discussed the aesthetics compared to a similar facility at Wolf and Fifth and confirmed landscaping plans. The Plan Commission had already recommended approval.

Key Outcomes

J.1 – Taco Dale Cantina Liquor License: Motion to approve the ordinance increasing the Class A-2 liquor license passed unanimously on a roll call vote (4-0, with two trustees absent).
J.1 – Taco Dale Cantina Gaming License: Motion to approve the ordinance increasing the Class A-2 video gaming license passed 4-1 (Trustee Torres voted no; President Kaufman voted yes; two trustees absent).
J.2 – Full-Time Police Training Coordinator: Motion to approve the hiring of a full-time police training coordinator in the CY25 budget passed unanimously (4-0, with two trustees absent).
J.3 – Special Use Permit for Ogden Falls Receiving Station: Motion to approve the ordinance granting a special use permit passed unanimously (4-0, with two trustees absent).
All Consent Agenda items and the Bill List were approved unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

Chief Baston is going to be leading us in tonight's Pledge of Allegiance. So if you'd all please rise and join him for the pledge. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the Republic for which stands one nation, God, invisible liberty, and justice for all. Roll call, please. President Kaufman. Here. Trustee Hughes? Here. Trusty Koenig. Here. Trustee McCarthy Lang. Here. Trustee Torres? Here. Trustee Cooper Absent and Trustee Novi Absent. Before we begin this evening, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the unimaginable tragedy that happened in Oswego last week. Thirteen people were injured, and a two-year-old boy lost their life in a heartbreaking incident at Portillos. As a father, I can't even begin to comprehend the pain. It's the kind of loss that leaves you breathless. If words could heal, I would say them all. On behalf of the entire village board and the community, I want to extend our deepest condolences to the family and to all those injured or affected. I also want to thank police, fire, and bystanders for their quick reaction. Oswego is a strong and compassionate community. And in times of grief, we come together. I have no doubt that we will continue to support this family and one another in the difficult days ahead. We will rise as one community. First up this evening, we have some recognitions and appointments. Much more lighthearted. I'd like to extend our congratulations to Imagination Print Design for being featured as the Economic Development Commission's business of the month for July. Each month, the economic development commissioners nominate and vote on a business to feature, which has demonstrated significant involvement in the Oswego community. This month features Imagination Print Design, which is owned and operated by the amazing Kelly Rice. Imagination has been around since 2005 when Kelly founded the business as a freelance designer. Kelly eventually went on to make it her full-time job in July 2010, which makes this month's Imagination's 15th anniversary of being in business. Kelly originally started the business out of her home, but mur moved into her first brick and mortar space in 2015 over on Route 34, near where the hair professionals career college is currently located. She then purchased the building at 68 Main Street in 2019 and moved Imagination's entire operation there, where they currently employ nine people. In conjunction with founding and steadily growing her business, Kelly is considerably involved in the Oswego community. And that is an understatement. Kelly has been on the chamber board, the Downtown Association Board, and currently serves as a board member for the Oswego Foundation for Educational Excellence, and the fundraising chair for the Oswego Junior Women's Club. Kelly has also helped raise over $100,000 for local schools and nonprofit organizations through Imagination's online store. And as if this weren't enough, Kelly opted to go in with a business partner to open a second business in downtown Oswego called The Scoop, which sells high quality ice cream candy and various dairy treats. And takes all of my money because my kids want to go there nonstop. The scoop also sells books and helps promote local authors. So I ask you to please join me once again in congratulation, congratulating Imagination Print Design for being the July 2025 business of the month and thanking them for all the contributions they have made and continue to make for our community. I really just love being a part of it. What another round of applause. So first come first serve. Seeing nobody, we will close the public forum and move on to staff reports. Dan. Yeah, just one report for me this evening. Uh Mr.

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