ROCHELLE — At its meeting Monday, the Rochelle City Council unanimously approved three ordinances for Rochelle Municipal Utilities electric work. 

The largest expenditure was an approval of a $1.695 million bid from Tri-City Electric Co. for the undergrounding of electric lines on Westview Drive. That bid was the lowest of two. The engineer's estimate for the project was $666,000 in 2023 but the high bids were due to market pricing and volatility in material and installation pricing. The undergrounding is being done to improve reliability. 

The council also unanimously approved a $1.31 million bid from JF Electric for power plant feeder exit upgrades. That bid was the lowest of two. The engineer's estimate for the work was $955,000 in 2023, but did not include the addition of a single-phase primary run back across the railroad tracks. The work is being done to correct a potential weak link in the city's electric system. 

The council also approved a $42,587 expenditure to pay for emergency repairs to one of its peaker engines at its power plant. That work was done in early July. The power plant is used during peak power usage times to shave off load and power purchase costs. 

Kaltenbach

The council and Rochelle Police Department Chief Pete Pavia honored RPD Detective Sgt. John Kaltenbach upon his recent retirement from the department. Kaltenbach joined RPD in 2004 and worked most of his career in investigations.

"I appreciate the opportunity to work for the city and I hope I represented you all well," Kaltenbach said. "It's bittersweet. I wasn't sure I was ready to leave. It's been a good career. I've been given an opportunity to travel with my family and I can't turn it down."

Water award

City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh recognized the RMU Wastewater Department for its receipt of a National Association of Clean Water Agencies award for compliance with EPA permit requirements. Since 2022, RMU has achieved perfect compliance with the Illinois EPA. 

"These folks work really hard and do an amazing job and I'd put them up against any other utility in the state," Fiegenschuh said.