Coloma Township Board votes to sell former US Bank building amid rising costs

ROCK FALLS – The Coloma Township Board and township residents unanimously voted at their annual township meeting Tuesday to sell the former US Bank building the township bought two years ago.

The board blamed escalating costs to upgrade it for township use and maintenance and accessibility costs as the main reasons for selling the still vacant building at 300-302 First Ave. in Rock Falls. Township residents at the meeting also were allowed to participate in the voice vote on the measure because the vote took place during the annual meeting.

“We’re going to be lucky to get what we put into it,” said Becky Williamson, who has served as township clerk but was elected to the board as a trustee at the April 1 consolidated election.

The building costs the township about $60,000 annually to own and it would cost about $40,000 to complete the needed renovations to make it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and up to code, said Coloma Township Supervisor Kristine Dobbs.

Already, the township’s former leadership took out two lines of credit totaling $200,000 to pay for earlier renovations and “they used most of it,” leaving about $1,000 available for use, Dobbs said.

Another problem is its size, according to township board members. The two-story building is 15,616 square feet and includes a lobby area, general office area, private offices, teller windows, public restrooms, a bank vault and a break room with a large on-site parking lot.

“It’s a very large building for a small township to have,” Dobbs said, adding that the township doesn’t have the staff needed to fill it.

The initial plan for the US Bank

When the Coloma Township Board purchased the building in February 2023 for $250,000, then-Township Supervisor Sindy Sotelo had hoped to use the building for township offices and expand community services by adding a lending library, a community garden, a thrift store, and an arts and crafts workroom.

In a letter to residents, township board members at the time of the purchase said the property was accessible to people with disabilities but would need about $10,000 to fix the roof and between $25,000 and $50,000 to rewire the electrical system.

Current Coloma Township Board members said other problems came into play soon after the township bought the building, not just the cost to bring it up to code. Another was that the township failed to file the proper paperwork for tax exemption, ended up paying taxes it wouldn’t have needed to and was charged more because the taxes were paid after the due date, board members said.

The building was to be exempt from property taxes as a government building. But, in this case, the township failed to submit the required forms before the due date and ended up paying a property tax bill of $7,968.88 in 2024, according to Whiteside County tax bill information.

Sotelo has declined three requests from Shaw Local for an interview. She did provide written statements via text message and a copy of her resignation letter.

“Last year we had to pay a portion of the taxes for the new building, which was a couple thousand when the paperwork must have gotten lost,” Sotelo wrote in a text message.

Another problem is the bank building has not been able to open for township use. Once the building purchase was complete, the structure still needed several repairs before the city of Rock Falls could issue a certificate of occupancy.

Rock Falls Building Inspector Mark Searing sent a letter to Sotelo on Jan. 8, 2024, reminding her of that after he was notified that the township “intends or has already begun occupying the building for its general purposes, including holding public meetings at the location.”

Those repairs included electrical upgrades, a nonworking elevator and missing ceiling tiles, Searing wrote.

The letter goes on to say, “You must not occupy the building for any purposes ... until an occupancy certificate is issued.”

The first building permit was issued Feb. 20, 2024. The permit was for replacing the drop ceiling, erecting a wall and installing two commercial doors, according to a copy of the permit.

Another permit was issued March 26, 2024, also for remodeling. It included adding an interior window and a door, according to the permit.

The next month, permits were issued on April 11 and 29. The first was for electrical upgrades to bring the wiring up to code and the second was for installing exit lights, according to the permits.

Thomas Houck, vice president and architect at Willett Hofmann & Associates, an engineering consultant in Dixon, completed a required code review on Sept. 27, 2024. Included was a letter, addressed to Sotelo, listing several issues with the building that needed to be resolved before an occupancy certificate could be issued. They included the need for the required number of handicap parking spaces, property signage for accessible entrances and changes to the second-floor bathroom to make it accessible.

In the wake of Tuesday night’s decision, the township now will get the building appraised before it lists it for sale. State statute mandates the township sell the building for at least 80% of its market value.