Belvidere council approves sewer rehabilitation agreement, $2.5 million in expenditures and a $1.88 million wastewater engineering contract; hears library and a

The Belvidere City Council on Sept. 15 voted to authorize a sanitary sewer rehabilitation intergovernmental agreement with 4 Rivers Sanitation Authority, approved $2,495,232.79 in general fund expenditures and $568,540.88 in water and sewer fund payments, and approved a $1,882,982 engineering work order for wastewater treatment plant preliminary design.

Mayor Clinton Morris opened the meeting and read a proclamation designating Sept. 17–23 as Constitution Week. During public comment, resident Dan Snow asked the council to add a sidewalk between Greenview Estates and Clines Ford on Newberg and to clean and repair the walking path on Beloit Road near Casey’s and the schools. "I'd always had the desire that there should be a sidewalk between Greenview Estates and Clines Ford down Newberg in front of the Gallano Farm," Snow said.

John Wolf, a former chairman of Growth Dimensions and a retired local car dealer, told the council he was "disappointed" the city stopped directly funding Growth Dimensions and urged restoring support in next year’s budget. Wolf said a local dealer had proposed a $16 million expansion that he said did not receive city backing and argued the city risks losing economic opportunities without a funded economic-development effort: "When I started in the car business, there were 6 families in Belvedere that were actively involved... Today, there are 2," he said.

Ida Public Library Director Mindy Long updated…