The Consent Agenda was first approved as presented, including the August 11th meeting minutes, accounts payable, and the Treasurer’s Report for August 2026. It was noted that the recently ordered trench box arrived and the seal coating of the driveway at Village Hall was completed.
Whiteside County Sheriff John Booker reported “nothing out of the ordinary” since last month’s report, with deputies regularly on patrol around town. Trustee Sam Wancket reported an attempted break-in at his storage unit business, but the Sheriff’s Department responded promptly.
Lead Service Line Updates
Jill Pepin of Community Funding & Planning Services (CFPS) provided the board an update to “see where we are and see what we have to do” to comply with the Illinois Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act, which requires all community water supplies in the state to completely identify, inventory, and fully replace every lead service line connected to the drinking water supply.
The project started in Lyndon in 2023 with surveys sent out to all households for self-reporting, or Public Works offering inspections at the main line entrance to determine whether the lines were lead, copper, galvanized, plastic, or other materials. Despite their past efforts, the village still has 252 unknown water lines for the mandated report to the State, and their goal is to have zero.
The village has been awarded an additional $30,000 grant for a contractor to inventory water lines, which is the next part of the second round of grant funding. Since the village didn’t get enough data to satisfy the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency during the initial phase, the second phase will utilize a new grant and contractor to identify all the lead lines. Pepin said they currently have about $25,000 to spend on the exploratory project to determine the material of unknown service lines since grant-writing services from CFPS, which are included in the grant, cost $5,000.
Pepin said the board needs to approve a third-party contractor to accomplish as much inventory as possible with this funding. If it’s completed within the month, they can go for another grant before funding runs out, saying the state used to offer 100% but the current funding cycle is now at 50%, so the sooner they get an application in, the better their chance at more funding.
Step two also consists of the Environmental Review project plan, which CFPS will complete, and having an engineering company put together a design for lead service line replacements. Pepin hopes to start the application process in October so they can apply for more funds, with up to 50% now forgivable, or try and secure a 40-year loan with 0% interest available. The goal is to get the inventory and project plan done before March 31, 2027, so the village can apply to the IEPA for additional loans or grants next fiscal year to help replace the known lead lines. Pepin will have an update on exact numbers at the next board meeting.
Pepin asked the board to approve the $15,000 request to start the process and presented two quotes for the inventory project: Martin & Co. of Oregon, IL, bid a $2,900 daily fee to “get as much as done as they can” while hydro-excavating to see the materials. Badger of Melrose Park bid $2,400 for an 8-hour workday plus travel, which could cost an extra $700 daily. Once the work is completed, the village can request the rest of the grant funds.
Pepin also clarified that the funding won’t get all the lines identified, with Mayor Tyler Scott saying he hopes to get 75-100 completed with the available funding. A partnership with Public Works could help speed it up if they have locations marked and a system in place to keep the process going, since the grant funding will only cover up to two weeks’ worth of work.
Scott said the village can also do some sampling based on the age perspective of the oldest homes to draw some correlation from the years when lead was a common installation material. Village staff will continue to investigate available records that would “give good cause to believe that these houses didn’t have lead when built.” Some of the lines are buried deep, though, and they have yet to locate old maps or files with older records. Public Works Supervisor Mike Fisk said houses built in the mid-1800s or early 1900s will be the hot spots, so the village may only have a handful of lead lines.
After discussions on travel, dumping of materials, and hearing that Tampico was happy with Martin & Co., Scott recommended the board go with their quote with the “understanding that we won’t get them all identified and may have to go for second grant.” Pepin also reiterated that the project plan is the next phase of the process and will require additional funding.
Attorney Matt Cole said any lead line replacements would be from the water main to the meter, which will be a sizable operation, so he recommended getting the inventory done while the funds are available. The state law has been in place for several years, but many municipalities have delayed implementation. As the deadline approaches, the money is drying out.
“You have to do it as it’s only going to get worse the longer you wait,” he told the board, reminding them that the urgency to complete the project stems from the water crisis in Flint, MI. The Illinois state law requires any municipality with a public water system to conduct inventory and replace any lead lines, and the totality of the project depends on the village’s records, identifying newer service lines, and whittling down the older lines to get a list so they can have a plan in place by April 2027. If they don’t fix it up, the village will be fined by the IEPA. “We’re in a corner right now,” said Trustee Tim Hunter.
Cole said if they’re showing progress and a replacement plan to the IEPA, they’ll be complying even if they only replace 7-10% of lead lines each year. If they can’t identify any lead lines in the village, there will be no major costs.
Items for Discussion and Possible Action
After discussions last month regarding a building permit, F/S Goldstar expressed interest in annexing into the Village of Lyndon in order to construct their new storage and shop building. The board discussed its willingness to annex the property should the petition be submitted.
Trustee Sharon Kelley expressed support but questioned if the village would be liable if the new buildings don’t meet the county code. Attorney Cole stated the village would not assume liability, as it only approves buildings based on the village’s building code. Trustee Hunter was supportive of annexation, while Wancket said he won’t support it unless the company can respectfully state their case to the board and mayor. Annexation petitions must be submitted 30 days prior to a voting meeting and since the company hasn’t submitted a petition yet, no action was taken.
The board tabled the purchase of a Public Works truck dump box since new quotes weren’t procured in time for the meeting. They approved purchasing a new commercial trash can for the bridge park for $900, as the old one has completely rusted out.
The board next discussed possible alternative funding ideas for the Richmond Park project such as a 50/50 raffle or crowdfunding. Attorney Cole stated that the village would need a non-profit to organize and host either of these events and then donate the total funds raised to the village.
The board discussed and approved signing the Sales Tax Reciprocal Agreement, which grants them access to data that will allow village leadership to better understand the sales tax income for the Village of Lyndon. They also approved a fence permit for 705 W. Commercial Street.
Department Head Reports
Supervisor Fisk said the water at Hauck Homes was reported to have an odor so they tested it and it came back normal; they instructed Hauck Homes to flush their hydrants to get the water moving through the system. Cameras were installed at the shop and well #1 and #2 for safety. A citizen requested a review of two trees near her property, and the board agreed that the trees appear to be on her or her neighbor’s property, not the village’s property.
Village Clerk Maureen Johnson noted that election petitions are available for five 2- and 4-year trustee terms in the April 6, 2027 Consolidated Election, with the petitions to be filed the week of Nov. 16-23. The Village LED sign was repaired this week, and MSA requested materials regarding a citizen survey to support the ITEP grant application. The survey will be available for the public to review soon, and a special meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, September 24th at 6 p.m. to finalize documents for the ITEP grant application, with the Finance meeting to follow.
Trustee Reports
Kelley asked what will be done about the large tree that fell after an August storm and still needs removal. She also asked if the Public Works team can repair the sidewalk underneath the tree as it was destroyed. Hunter contacted Roger Williams regarding new welcome signs, which have been ordered. Hunter, Kelley, and Mayor Scott presented the Richmond Park project proposal to the Moore Foundation on September 2nd.
Public Comments
Mike Kuehl asked if the village would be willing to pay a portion of removal costs for a tree that fell on his home following the summer storm in August. He noted that half of the tree initially fell into the road, so Public Works pushed it to the right of way in front of his home to clear the roadway. The next evening, the remaining half of the tree fell on the home in another storm. The board stated that the homeowner is responsible but can review the bill and see how much insurance will cover before discussing it further at the September 24th Finance meeting.
The board adjourned after a two-hour meeting, with the next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees scheduled for Tuesday, October 13th at 6 p.m. at Village Hall.
