Plan Commission

Minutes for the City of Sterling Municipal Band Commission April 21, 2026 Commissioners:​ ​ ​ ​ Staff: Gonzalo S. Reyes - Chair ​ ​ ​ Annette Hackbarth - Director Allen Lee - Treasurer​ ​ ​ ​ Vanessa Leavitt - Band Manager ​ ​ Tony Crisp - Vice Treasurer​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Not Present: Kevin O’Keefe - Vice Chair​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Amy Boze - Secretary​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 1.​ CALL TO ORDER A regular meeting of the Sterling Municipal Band Commission was held on 4/21/26 at 6:18 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 212 Third Ave, Sterling, IL, 61081. The meeting was postponed from 4/14/26 due to severe weather. Commissioner Reyes called the meeting to order, and attendance was taken showing three Commissioners were present. 2.​ CONSENT ITEMS Commissioner Lee made a motion to approve the following consent items: March 2026 Regular Meeting Minutes April 2026 Band Director Report April 2026 Band Manager Report Commissioner Crisp seconded the motion which passed unanimously. 3.​ FINANCIAL REPORT a.​ The Financial Report was presented by Commissioner Lee showing: Budget​​ ​ ​ Actual Personnel:​ ​ ​ $76,200.00​ ​ ​ $66,176.85 Materials and Services:​ $38,293.00​ ​ ​ $32,039.78 Capital Expenses:​ ​ $3,750.00​ ​ ​ $33,943.35* Revenue:​ ​ ​ $118,650.00​ ​ ​ $153,251.00 Operating Balance to date:​ ​ ​ ​ ​ $21,091.02 *GCC brick and mortar repairs Commissioner Lee presented the financial report.  Commissioner Crisp made a motion to receive the financial report. It was seconded by Commissioner Reyes and carried unanimously. b.​ 2026-2027 Budget was approved at the City Council meeting the previous night 4.​ COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC There was no public present. 5.​ OLD BUSINESS a.​ Spring Concert April 24, 2026 i.​ Rehearsal Wednesday and Thursday. Looking for a couple more setup crew members. Cookies, programs, Uhaul, Uhaul driver, and details with the church are all being handled. ii.​ Open doors about 6:40 after a 6:10 rehearsal b.​ MUtS i.​ Utility flier sent to printer, black/white ii.​ Commissioner Reyes will order more yard signs to hand out at May rehearsals iii.​ Sauk Valley newspaper ad is set up (Sterling and Dixon) for the weekend before our first concert​ c.​ Pre-Concert i.​ Robbie LeBlanc, June 17 ii.​ Pre-concert Contract Proposed Changes 1.​ Notify between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. 2.​ Preconcert groups are responsible for their own equipment, including sound, if we move inside. 3.​ Preconcert groups forfeit their money if we move inside and they don’t perform. 4.​ If we cancel the concert, preconcert groups get half the original pay. d.​ Terms of Cancellation of Event Versus Rain Venue i.​ In the case of severe weather, we would cancel. In the case of heavy rain, we will most likely move inside. ii.​ We would need to line up and pay for extra setup crew if we move inside because it is too much work for the director/band manager/regular setup crew to do themselves. iii.​ Yard signs at Grandon, emails (will create a better list), Facebook to notify the public if we cancel or move inside. e.​ Fiesta Parade - Saturday, September 19, 2026 f.​ Yellow 2026 Statement of Economic Interest - Due May 1st g.​ Centennial Score Commission for 2028 i.​ Robert Sheldon, who has been a guest conductor for us in the past, is “honored to accept” for $1000 per grade level, plus $500 deposit - Grade 3.5 would be $4000; Grade 4 would be $4500 - He will send a contract soon.  h.​ Inter-City Agreement i.​ Motion to accept the changes by Commissioner Reyes, seconded by Commissioner Lee, motion carries unanimously. 6.​ NEW BUSINESS a.​ How to get Venue Change Info Out - see above b.​ Request Email Address/No Solicitation i.​ Explain Venue Change/Cancellation is our purpose for gathering ii.​ Vanessa will put together a paper signup, and QR Code to a Google Form to be put out at the Spring Concert and/or summer concerts. c.​ Centennial Celebration i.​ Budget/Begin Date/Type of Activities 1.​ Above and beyond our standard budget, potentially up to $25,000, so will come out of the reserves and additional fundraising 2.​ Some ideas include the piece commission, shirts, yard signs, historical book printed, commemorative items (stone etching), plaque, plant a tree, etc. Commissioner Reyes will digitally share the ideas list he has started so we can all view and add to it. 3.​ Will also look into Proclamations, inviting special guests, etc. 7.​ MISCELLANEOUS a.​ Fundraiser/Sponsorship/Donor Letters to be worked on in the next month by Commissioner Lee b.​ Annette is looking to add a couple of soloists to this summer lineup. c.​ Auditions are on May 16th and have been advertised to area schools. Some have RSVPd already. d.​ Format with agendas and minutes for the City is changing so Vanessa and Allen will be trained on that soon. 8.​ ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Crisp made a motion to adjourn. It was seconded by Commissioner Lee and passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m. Minutes were taken by Band Manager Vanessa Leavitt to submit to the Clerk of the City of Sterling. The next regular meeting of the Sterling Municipal Band Commission will be Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers located on the first floor of City Hall, 212 Third Ave, Sterling, IL. 61081.

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 Sterling Municipal Band Meeting at 6:00 PM STERLING MUNICIPAL BAND MEETING AGENDA City Council Chambers - City Hall 212 Third Avenue Sterling, Illinois 1. Meeting Opening A. Call to Order 2. Consent Agenda A. Approval of Minutes B. Band Director's Report C. Band Manager's Report 3. Financial Report A. March Financials B. 2026/2027 Budget 4. Communication from Visitors A. Public Comment 5. Old Business A. Spring Concert 2026 B. MUtS Utility Flyer one-sided: B&W $286.06 Yard Signs C. Pre Concert Robbie LeBlanc - June 17  Preconcert Contract Proposed Changes D. Terms of Cancellation of Event Versus Rain Venue E. Fiesta Parade F. Statement of Economic Interest G. Centennial Score Commission 6. New Business Items A. How to get Venue Change Information Out Request Email Address/No Solicitation/Explain Venue Chance/Cancellation Centennial Celebration — Budget/Begin Date/Type of Activites 7. Adjourn A. Next Regularly Scheduled Meeting Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 6:00 PM City Council Chambers The City of Sterling in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, requests that persons with disabilities who require certain accommodations to allow them to observe and/or participate in this meeting or have questions about the accessibility of this meeting or facilities, contact the ADA Coordinator at (815) 632-6630 to allow the City of Sterling to make reasonable accommodations for these persons.