Welcome to the New Resident Information Updated January 2015
Greetings From the Village President Dear New Resident: Welcome to the Village of Montgomery! I know that, as a new resident, you will enjoy exploring all that Montgomery has to offer. The Village is located along the banks of the Fox River in Kane and Kendall counties. Montgomery boasts many acres of parkland and open spaces alongside well-tended subdivisions and vibrant, comfortable living areas. Growth has been a major advantage for Montgomery over the past decade. 18,000 residents live contently in a community that provides a beautiful natural environment alongside modern conveniences. The Village is home to a variety of businesses that accommodate the dynamic needs of residents and visitors. Montgomery maintains a hometown feel while providing the conveniences of a close proximity to Aurora and Chicago. A variety of employment opportunities and the service of five school districts make the Village of Montgomery a perfect place to establish roots. This informational packet will provide you with an introduction to our dynamic community, but you will want to continue to explore Montgomery as you get better acquainted. To ask questions or learn more about the Village, don t hesitate to call Village Hall at 630-896-8080. We are here to serve you! Also, please take some time to visit the Village s website at www.ci.montgomery.il.us. Thanks for choosing the Village of Montgomery as your new home. Matt Brolley Village President 2
Information Schools Libraries Local services Public safety Property regulations Pets and other animals Water Public works Waste and recycling Village government Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 3
Schools The Village of Montgomery is served by five K-12 school districts. For more information on boundaries or enrollment, contact the appropriate district. West Aurora School District #129 (630) 844-4400 or at www.sd129.org. East Aurora School District #131 (630) 844-5550 or at www.d131.org. Oswego Community Unit School District #308 (630) 554-3447 or at www.oswego308.org. Yorkville Community School District #115 (630) 553-4382 or at www.y115.org. Kaneland Community Unit School District #302 (630) 365-5100 or at www.kaneland.org. Montgomery is located a short distance away from Waubonsee Community College, a two-year institution that offers Associate of Arts degrees in 34 majors. Nearby four-year colleges include Aurora University and Rasmussen College. 4
Libraries The Oswego Public Library has two locations and serves residents of the Villages of Montgomery and Oswego, Oswego Township including Boulder Hill, and areas of Bristol and Wheatland Townships. Every library district resident is entitled to receive a library card at no cost, while persons outside the district are charged an annual fee. Information about library hours, circulation services, and library programs may be found on the library's website, www.oswego.lib.il.us. Oswego Public Library - Montgomery Campus 1111 Reading Drive Montgomery, IL 60538 Circulation: (630) 978-1205 Adult Services: (630) 978-1024 Youth Services: (630) 978-1272 Oswego Public Library - Oswego Campus 32 West Jefferson Street Oswego, IL 60543 Circulation: (630) 978-1205 Adult Services: (630) 978-1024 Youth Services: (630) 978-1272 The Sugar Grove Public Library is located in nearby Sugar Grove and serves residents of Sugar Grove as well as residents of Montgomery who are located within the boundaries of Sugar Grove Township. Montgomery residents in the Foxmoor and Fairfield Way subdivisions are in the Sugar Grove Library District. Sugar Grove Public Library 125 South Municipal Drive Sugar Grove, IL 60554 Circulation: (630) 466-4686 5
Local Services New residents can get acquainted with the Village and become familiar with the information and services available in the Montgomery area. Greater Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce The GMACC was established in 1999 as a network of businesses in Montgomery and the surrounding area. A wide range of businesses are members of the GMACC and a directory can be found at the chamber s website. chamberofmontgomeryil.org - (630) 897-8137 U.S. Postal Service locations 1899 Village Center Parkway, Montgomery - (630) 844-1655 525 N. Broadway, Aurora - (630) 844-8810 26 S. Madison Street, Oswego - (630) 554-8410 News Outlets Oswego Ledger-Sentinel - Weekly newspaper serving Oswego, Montgomery and Boulder Hill ledgersentinel.com - (630) 554-8565 The Beacon-News - Daily newspaper in Aurora serving the city and surrounding areas beaconnews.chicagotribune.com - (630) 978-8880 Montgomery Patch - Online-only local news outlet serving the Village montgomery.patch.com WSPY - FM radio station broadcasting to Sandwich, Plano, Yorkville and surrounding areas Utilities Republic Services (garbage removal) - (630) 892-9294 **Commonwealth Edison (electric service) - (800) 334-7661 Fox Metro (sewer) - (630) 301-6881 Nicor (gas service) - (888) 642-6748 **As of June 2014, Montgomery residents can take advantage of potentially lower electricity prices by using Verde Energy as their electrical supplier. New residents will need to sign up by contacting Verde Energy at 800-241-0295. 6
Public Safety Village of Montgomery Police Department 10 Civic Center Avenue, Montgomery, IL 60538 - (630) 897-8707 Chief of Police: Daniel C. Meyers - police@ci.montgomery.il.us The Montgomery Police Department consists of five divisions (field services, investigative services, community services, special services, support services) to serve public needs. Specific information on functions such as neighborhood watch, bicycle safety, traffic and parking regulations and records can be found in the Police Department section of the Village website. Emergency Assistance The Montgomery Police Department is dispatched by Kendall County Public Safety Dispatch (KenCom). If you need a police officer at your residence or need to make a report and it is not in progress, you may reach the KenCom dispatch center by dialing 630-553-0554. If you have an emergency that warrants its use, please do not hesitate to call 911. Tornado Alerts On the first Tuesday of every month, the police department runs a test of the Village s tornado alert siren. The test begins at 10 a.m. and only lasts for a few minutes. Online Emergency Alerts Find the Montgomery Police Department s community alert and notification feed at Nixle.com. Fire Protection Districts The Village of Montgomery is served by five fire protection districts. Montgomery-Countryside Fire Protection District Aurora Township Fire Protection District Bristol-Kendall Fire Protection District Sugar Grove Fire Protection District Oswego Fire Protection District 7
Regulations Building Home construction projects on private property require village-issued building permits. These projects include, but are not limited to, porches, garages, swimming pools, fireplaces, decks, fences and stair and siding replacement. A permit must be obtained before the start of the project. Permit applications can be found online to print and submit to the building department. Permit Application Village of Montgomery - (630) 896-8080 Ext. 1559 An inspection for underground utilities is required before digging on private property. Residents must call the Joint Utility Locating Information for Excavators (JULIE) before digging for projects such as gardens, landscaping, tents, mailbox posts and other excavation. To contact JULIE, just dial 811. Pets While the Village doesn t license pets, owners of domesticated cats and dogs must maintain a current county license tag (registration is done through either the Kane County Clerk or Kendall County Clerk, depending on the county in which the resident lives) and rabies inoculation registration for each animal. Note that the Village does limit residents to a maximum of four domesticated animals, not to exceed two of any single type (e.g. two cats and two dogs), with an exception made for any service animal. Information on the Village s animal control ordinance can be found on the Village s website. Required Registration In addition to building permits, the Village requires registration for various uses. A full list of required permits and licenses can be found at the Village s website at www.ci.montgomery.il.us. The Village does not require licenses for businesses, vehicle stickers or garage sale permits. 8
Water The Village s raw water comes from eight groundwater wells. The water treatment staff is certified by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Village is also an active member of the Northwest Water Planning Alliance, a council of area governments dedicated to the long term outlook of the regional water supply. Residents are billed for water usage every other month; bills may be paid online, mailed or brought to Village Hall. Refuse and recycling collection bills are also included with water bills. Village hydrants are flushed twice per year and schedules are made public in advance. Ordinance 1250 contains mandatory water conservation regulations in the Village of Montgomery, which applies to all users of Village water from May 1 - September 30 each year. The ordinance makes it illegal to water a new lawn (a lawn planted between July 1 and August 31) with water from the Village s water system. Residents are subject to fines if found using the Village water supply outside of regulations. Water use restrictions Landscape watering (except new sod and seeded turf lawns) or the filling of swimming pools is allowed from 6-9 AM and again from 6-9 PM as follows: Properties with an even-numbered address may water on even-numbered calendar dates Properties with an odd-numbered address may water on odd-numbered calendar dates These restrictions do not apply to hand-held watering devices; swimming pools holding 50 gallons or less; or vehicle and equipment washing. When laying new sod or seeded turf lawns, residents must follow Village-established regulations. These can be found on the Village s website. No person shall allow a continuous stream of water from the Village water supply to run off into any gutter, ditch, drain, or street inlet while using water for any purpose. 9
Public Works Parking Restrictions Winter parking regulations help the Public Works staff effectively remove snow from the roads and streets by keeping the pavements free of parked cars. This extra room provides the space needed by the plow trucks to maneuver and push snow off the streets. Parking is prohibited on any Village street during or after a snowfall in which there is an accumulation of two inches of snow or more. Violators may be ticketed and/or towed. On-street parking may resume when the snowfall has stopped and Village crews have completely removed the snow to the curb, which may take 1-2 after snowfall has ended. Residents and businesses should not plow snow from driveways or parking lots onto roadways. Village Snow Plowing During a snowstorm, crews concentrate on clearing the primary thorough-fares, highly-traveled intersections and trouble spots first. Roads such as Montgomery, Douglas, Aucutt and the Mill/River/Webster connection through downtown are prioritized. Crews will then plow the roads leading in and out of the neighborhoods and then all cul-de-sacs and side streets. Sidewalk and Fire Hydrant Snow Removal Residents are urged to clear snow and ice from the sidewalks in front of their homes to allow neighbors and children en route to school to walk safely away from the street. Residents with fire hydrants in front of their homes are also urged to clear snow and ice away from the hydrants so Water Residents are billed for water use every other month. Bills may be paid at Village Hall, by automatic withdrawal, or on the Village website with a credit or debit card. Note that registration for automatic withdrawal must be done at Village Hall and online credit or debit transactions charge a $2.00 convenience fee. Credit or debit payments cannot be taken over the phone. Brush and Leaf Pick-Up The Village offers brush removal during the first full week of each month, April-October. Brush must be stacked neatly in the parkway by the Sunday night of pickup week. In October and November, the Village provides leaf retrieval services. Residents who wish to have leaves collected from their yards must rake them into a neat pile behind the curb by 7 a.m. Monday. Leaves will be picked up each week. Leaf burning within the village is not allowed. Full instructions and restrictions for pick-up can be found on the Village website or by calling Village Hall at (630) 896-8080 or public works at (630) 896-9241. 10
Waste & recycling Refuse and recycling collection for the Village of Montgomery is provided by Republic Services (630-892 -9294). For the monthly rate, each residence receives weekly refuse collection as well as the rental of a recycling cart. Volumes of waste that exceed the limit will be assessed additional fees. Monthly rates and rate increases are available on the Village s website. Collection Times The Village s website lists the collection days by area. All waste and recyclables must be placed at the curb prior to 6 a.m. on the pickup day. There is no collection on New Year s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day. Collection will be provided one day later than usual after a holiday. Regular Service Collection Regulations Refuse: All trash must be contained in 33-gallon plastic cans, refuse carts or bags. There is a twoitem limit; additional bags of trash, yard waste or large items (like appliances) may be set out with refuse stickers attached. Visit the Village s website for a list of retailers that sell refuse stickers. Recycling: All recyclable materials must be placed in the provided 65-gallon recycle cart, which has wheels and is covered. The cost for recycling carts is included in the monthly refuse collection fee billed to each residence. A full list of recyclable items can be found on the Village s website. Further Provisions Additional sizes of recycling carts: Residents who prefer a recycling container larger or smaller than 65 gallons may instead rent a 95-gallon cart or a 35-gallon cart. Republic Services will publicize a time period in which the fee will be waived for the cart switch. Switches made outside of that time will garner a $40 charge. Yard waste: Yard waste may be bundled (sticks and branches) or contained in a 33-gallon brown paper bag. Each residence is allowed one yard waste bag or bundle for collection per week. Additional materials must have a refuse sticker attached. Bags for senior residents: Montgomery citizens 65 and older may purchase specially-priced refuse bags rather than paying the monthly fee. Residents must register for the senior bag program through registration at Village Hall. Rates for senior bags by contract year are listed on the Village website. Seniors are still provided with a recycling cart. 11
Village government Resident Representation The Village of Montgomery is served by a Village Board composed of six at-large trustees, a Village President and a Village Clerk. Officials are elected to staggered, four-year terms. Visit the Village s website for a complete list of officials, their term expiration dates, contact information, and for a complete text of Montgomery s Municipal Code. Meetings The regular meetings of the Board of Trustees are held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 200 North River Street. All meetings are open to the public. Anyone wishing to have an item included on the agenda must notify the deputy clerk (630-896-8080 ext. 1114) by noon Tuesday, but residents can address the Board for up to 2 minutes at the beginning of any public meeting. The Village President presides at each meeting and votes only when required by state law. Meeting minutes are available on the Village s website and video of each meeting can be viewed on the Village s YouTube channel. Village Hall - 200 North River Street (630) 896-8080 Fax: (630) 896-0791 Village Hall is open 8 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and is closed on major holidays. The Village Hall provides a variety of services for residents, including water and trash collection, billing management, access to applications for permits, licenses and voter registration, free notary service and the sale and distribution of garbage stickers and maps. Other Representation The Village of Montgomery is located within both Kane and Kendall counties and is divided into four townships: Bristol, Aurora, Oswego and Sugar Grove. More information on each county and township can be found on their websites. Know more This packet is designed to help Montgomery residents become acquainted with the Village. Additional information, including other important regulations, services and updates, can be found at the Village s website, www.ci.montgomery.il.us or by calling or visiting Village Hall. You can also follow the Village on Facebook to get all the latest news and announcements. 12