04-15-2024 City Council Highlights

Fire Department Accepts $25,000 Grant; Council Approves New Rental Software

FREEPORT, IL — Highlights from the April 15, 2024 Freeport City Council meeting include a $25,000 grant to replace outdated fire department equipment and new rental property registration software for the City.

Grant to Replace Fire Department’s Air Compressor Fill Station

On Monday night, Freeport Fire Chief Scott Miller accepted a $25,000 grant from the office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal Small Equipment Grant Program to go towards replacing a 24-year-old air compressor fill station. The compressor aids in filling the department’s self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). The total cost for the anticipated replacement is $60,000-$70,000.

Miller stated, “The need for a replacement fill station arose after returning from a residential structure fire in December of last year. The current compressor couldn’t keep up with the fill demands of our higher pressure bottles.”

New Software for Rental Property Registration

Tolemi Software was approved to be used for the City in order to help with rental property registration and landlord management. This software directly aids in fostering safe communities and responsive, effective government. It offers tools useful to landlords in speeding up the property registration process while protecting citizens who rent from said landlords.

In the past, a full-time staff member was required to run the rental registration and notification systems. Tolemi software saves those workers precious hours and provides a clearer system for all involved. In addition, the City plans to implement a late fee of $100 per unit for applications not submitted to the City by June 1.

More information about these topics and more can be found in the City Council meeting packet, viewable here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BRUSHNBmXobBcGhSgfDAcTBAmvP4ZoCu/view