Roscoe committee backs sending engineering RFP, solar variance and trailer surplus to board; agrees preliminary 2025 levy figure

The Village of Roscoe Committee of the Whole on Oct. 15, 2024, voted to forward a set of recommendations to the village board including declaring a 2003 Forest River trailer used by the police department surplus, approving a Zoning Board of Appeals recommendation for a variance for a ground‑mounted solar array at 11380 Main Street, and issuing a request for proposals for outside engineering services. The committee also reviewed 2025 budget timelines and agreed on a preliminary tax-levy number to use for budget preparation.

The surplus trailer recommendation was presented as a public‑safety equipment disposal. Village staff said the trailer — received as a FEMA unit after Hurricane Katrina and previously used as a police command center — has exceeded its useful life, with a soft, repaired floor and a leaking, partially collapsed roof. Staff reported that Ericsson’s (251 Prairie Hill) had offered to crush and dispose of the trailer at no charge if the village delivered it. The committee voted to forward the recommendation to the village board for final action.

The committee next considered a variance recommended by the Zoning Board of Appeals to waive a fence requirement for a private ground‑mounted solar array at 11380 Main Street. The variance would allow an array roughly 12–13 feet tall in a heavily wooded portion of a multi‑acre lot. ZBA findings included that topography and vegetation on the lot made strict application of the fence requirement unduly burdensome; trees and vegetation protect neighboring views and would be disturbed to meet the fence requirement. The property owner told the committee he had attempted a roof‑mounted system but could not because of shade and roof size; he said the proposed ground system is the only viable location on his parcel and would have roughly 28 panels. The committee voted to forward the ZBA recommendation to the village board.

A longer discussion focused on outsourcing and professional‑services procurement for municipal engineering. Staff said Roscoe has not re‑solicited engineering services in roughly 15–20 years and that current arrangements (including an engineer who works roughly three days weekly and is shared with a neighboring municipality) have worked but may not meet upcoming design and construction needs. Committee members and staff discussed issuing a qualification‑based request for proposals (RFP) that would ask firms how they would provide day‑to‑day engineering support and how they would price larger design projects (roads, Main Street reconstruction, park projects). Staff proposed issuing the RFP in early November with the intention of returning ranked proposals to the board in December; the committee approved forwarding the RFP process to the board and asked staff to return recommended finalists and proposed evaluation criteria.

On the 2025 budget, staff reviewed statutory timelines for the tax levy and other deadlines, and presented revenue estimates used for preliminary budget work. Staff noted several revenue lines under review, including gaming and cannabis receipts, local use and sales tax projections (the packet used a sales tax estimate near $2.2 million), and reduced corporate replacement tax projections. Staff also identified significant new construction in the village — about $4.45 million in new assessed value in the packet — that affects levy calculations. A committee member asked whether the levy amount plugged into the preliminary revenue stream — $1,760,064 — was acceptable as a starting point; trustees agreed to use that figure to prepare the draft 2025 budget.

The committee also discussed the long‑standing Porter Park / Stateline Baseball arrangement. Several trustees asked that the village require the contracted operator to provide annual financial and activity reporting as a condition of any future contract or renewal, citing concerns about transparency (sponsorship banners, entry fees and other revenues) and the village’s cost to maintain the facility. Staff said they will draft language for future contracts to require reporting and consider specifying maintenance‑cost offsets for village services. No final contract action was taken at the committee level.

Other items: staff reported the annual audit is underway and nearing a draft; trustees expressed interest in a possible field trip to the Main Street conference in Batavia; and the committee discussed prioritizing fencing work at the police department and the Public Works storage lot to improve site access and security. The meeting adjourned after routine roll calls and no public‑comment speakers.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Approve minutes from Oct. 1, 2024. Outcome: approved by roll call. (Mover/second recorded in meeting.)

- Motion: Forward recommendation to declare 2003 Forest River police command trailer surplus and dispose of it (crush/dispose). Outcome: forwarded to village board for approval (vote recorded by roll call).

- Motion: Forward ZBA recommendation to grant a variance to waive the fence requirement for a ground‑mounted solar array at 11380 Main Street (allowing ~12–13 ft array). Outcome: forwarded to village board for approval (vote recorded by roll call).

- Motion: Issue a request for proposals (RFP) for general engineering services and qualified firms for design projects; staff to return ranked proposals and recommendations. Outcome: approved by roll call.

- Budget direction: Trustees agreed to use $1,760,064 as the preliminary tax‑levy amount for budgeting purposes; formal levy adoption remains subject to statute and later board action.

What happens next

Each forwarded item will appear on a future village board agenda for final action: the surplus declaration and disposal process for the trailer, the ZBA variance for the solar array, and authorization to issue or finalize an engineering RFP and selection process. Staff will prepare draft RFP materials, contract language for covered park agreements (including reporting requirements), and the first set of budget worksheets using the levy figure discussed.

Sources: meeting transcript of the Village of Roscoe Committee of the Whole, Oct. 15, 2024. All direct quotes and attributions in this article come from speakers recorded in that transcript.