Thomasboro Village Board of Trustees met May 1.
Here is the minutes provided by the Board:
A Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Thomasboro was held on Monday, May 1, 2017. President Morris called the meeting to order at 7:00pm.
Roll Call:
The Village Clerk called the roll, finding the following members physically present: Village President Brad Morris and Trustees Jeff Robertson, Anthony Grilo, Kyle Henegar, Anna Martin, and Dustin Rhodes. Trustee Mickey Wilson was absent.
Other Village officials present: Leon Albers, Treasurer; Keith Willis, Chief of Police; Tyler Martin, Public Works Superintendent; Deanne Wattjes, Office Manager; and Jeremy Reale, Village Clerk.
Pledge of Allegiance:
Following roll call, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Discussion/Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting:
Trustee Grilo moved to approve the minutes of the April 3, 2017 regular meeting, as prepared. Trustee Henegar seconded the motion. Motion carried, all present voting “aye”.
Presentation of Bills:
Following review and discussion of the monthly bills, Trustee Henegar moved to approve the payment of the bills listed and the regular bills yet to be received. Trustee Robertson seconded the motion.
The Village Clerk called the roll:
Yeas: Robertson, Grilo, Henegar, Martin, And Rhodes – 5
Nays: None – 0
Absent: Wilson – 1
Motion carried by roll call vote of 5 to 0, with 1 member absent.
Committee Reports:
Police & Safety: Chair Martin discussed the monthly activity reports.
Personnel: No report.
Building Permit & Liquor License: No report.
Health, Sanitation & Public Relations: Chair Grilo reminded those in attendance that the upcoming community garage sales would be held on May 6, with the community cleanup scheduled for the following Saturday, May 13. For the cleanup day, Republic Services would be provided two roll-off dumpsters, plus there would also be a semi for metal recycling and a compactor truck on site.
Waterworks & Sewer: No report.
Streets & Alleys: Mr. Martin reported that he had received one estimate for road patching along North Church Street.
Trustee Grilo oved to authorize the patching of North Church Street for an amount not to exceed $600.00. Trustee Henegar seconded the motion.
The Village Clerk called the roll:
Yeas: Robertson, Grilo, Henegar, Martin, And Rhodes – 5
Nays: None – 0
Absent: Wilson – 1
Motion carried by roll call vote of 5 to 0, with 1 member absent.
Civil Defense & Parks: Chair Rhodes reported that storm sirens would be tested tomorrow.
Installation of New Elected Officials-
Mr. Reale administered the oath of office to Village President W. Tyler Evans and Trustees Kyle Henegar, Ronda Scott, and Trent Sage. The new officials were then seated with the continuing board members. Trustee Martin presented plaques to retiring Village President Brad Morris and Trustee Jeff Robertson in recognition of their years of service to the community. A plaque would also be presented to retiring Trustee Mickey Wilson, who was not present for the meeting.
Appointment of Village Treasurer, Village Clerk and Attorney-
President Evans announced that he would be reappointing Treasurer Leon Albers, Village Clerk Jeremy Reale, and Village Attorney David Thies for additional terms of office.
Trustee Martin moved to approve the reappointments of Village officers, as presented. Trustee Grilo seconded the motion.
The Village Clerk called the roll:
Yeas: Grilo, Henegar, Martin, Rhodes, Scott, Aand Sage – 6
Nays: None – 0
Absent: None – 0
Motion carried by roll call vote of 6 to 0.
Appointment of Standing Committees-
President Evans announced his standing committee appointments for the Village Board.
Trustee Martin moved to approve the committee appointments, as presented. Trustee Henegar seconded the motion.
The Village Clerk called the roll:
Yeas: Grilo, Henegar, Martin, Rhodes, Scott, And Sage – 6
Nays: None – 0
Absent: None – 0
Motion carried by roll call vote of 6 to 0.
Old Business:
Update on Village-owned properties at 501 Frederick and 702 Morris-
President Evans reported that he had met with an agent at Keller Williams Realty to discuss formulating a listing agreement for the two parcels. A draft listing agreement was presented to the Board for review, including a listing price of $12,000.00 for each property.
Trustee Rhodes moved to authorize the listing of the two properties through Keller Williams Realty, contingent upon review and approval of the agreement by the Village Attorney. Trustee Grilo seconded the motion.
The Village Clerk called the roll:
Yeas: Grilo, Henegar, Martin, Rhodes, Scott, And Sage – 6
Nays: None – 0
Absent: None – 0
Motion carried by roll call vote of 6 to 0.
Ordinance No. 603, amending the Thomasboro Municipal Code in connection with the regulation of golf carts and neighborhood vehicles. Trustee Grilo moved to pass Ordinance No. 603. Trustee Henegar seconded the motion.
The Village Clerk called the roll:
Yeas: Grilo, Henegar, Martin, Rhodes, Scott, And Sage – 6
Nays: None – 0
Absent: None – 0
Motion carried by roll call vote of 6 to 0.
Discuss/Approve building permit for cellular booster pole-
Trustee Grilo reported that the cellular provider, Mobilitie, had proposed a payment of $1,500.00 for use of the site for the proposed booster pole. There were additional concerns expressed about the ability of the Village to negotiate a contract with Mobilitie, as the site in question was property owned by the Canadian National Railroad with an easement granted to the Village. Mr. Martin and Trustee Grilo were directed to follow up with the railroad on the proposal and report back to the Board at the next regular meeting.
New Business:
Discuss/Approve annual wage adjustments for Village employees-
President Evans stated that he did not feel the newly elected officials were in a position to be able to make determinations as to appropriate raises for the employees, since they had not been involved in the personnel evaluation process. He requested that this item be deferred to the next regular meeting, in order to give the new trustees an opportunity to review job descriptions and put together performance expectations for staff members.
Discussion on various upcoming projects and planning-
President Evans presented a list of topics for the Board to consider in the coming months, including: improving the railroad pedestrian crossing at Clark Street; locating and funding for a pedestrian crosswalk and lighting at Central Avenue; preventative maintenance programs for the various public works departments; building permit and plan review processes; possible adoption of the International Building Code in order to bring local building codes up to national standards; implementing a rental inspection program; and discussing the effectiveness of existing Village ordinances and fine structures. The Board engaged in a lengthy discussion on these items.
The mowing and maintenance of properties along the west side of U.S. Route 45 was discussed, as the Village needed to be able to offset costs incurred for maintaining these areas. President Evans stated he would draft a letter to the owners of those properties providing them with a notice to comply with the terms of Village ordinances concerning grass and weed control or become subject to being charged for Village staff time. Trustee Grilo suggested a pilot program of planting wildflowers in these areas and having community groups maintain them. This could be started in small sections to determine whether it would be worthwhile to expand to include larger areas.
On the subject to building permits and plan reviews, President Evans suggested that the Building Permit and Liquor License Committee should have the responsibility for reviewing building plans for any structures other than fences, decks and accessory uses. The approval of the permit could be handled at the committee level without need for full Board consideration, unless there were questions or potential issues involved. President Evans also stated that he would send out information on the International Building Code (IBC), as he would like the Board to consider adopting those standards for new construction in the Village.
The Board discussed the possibility of selling advertising space in the community newsletters, as a way to promote local businesses and help to defray publishing and mailing costs. This item would be discussed further at the next regular meeting. Trustee Rhodes commented on the proposed improvements for West Side Park, noting that the Village continued to try to obtain donations – including time, labor, and materials – for those projects. President Evans suggested that the Board implement a timeline for the park improvements, which would include replacement of the swings, basketball hoops, and new restroom facility.
President Evans addressed the issue of temporary carports becoming permanently placed around the town. He felt that these structures should be limited to a seasonal basis. An ordinance providing for the regulation of these temporary carports would be prepared for the consideration of the Board at the next regular meeting. There was also a discussion on the garage business being operated on Main Street. The property owner had submitted a permit request for a new driveway; however, the Village adopted the stance that no action would be taken on the permit until other site issues were addressed at the business. The location of the garage created a significant image problem in the downtown area, although it would require amending the language of Village ordinances in order to further restrict the business.
Comments and Questions from the Audience-
Robert Pinske addressed the Board to request an amendment to the ordinance regulating the hours for the burning of landscape waste. With the current burning restrictions, residents did not have sufficient time to burn materials and remain in compliance. He suggested expanding the permitted hours and also extending the burning period to include Sundays. President Evans also noted that the Village needed to come up with an alternate site to allow residents to dispose of landscape waste. This item would be addressed at a future meeting.
Barb Maier addressed the Board with concerns about the home-based garage business on the south side of town, as it was creating more issues with noise for neighboring residents. The Board agreed that these concerns should be addressed by an amendment to the existing ordinance regulating home-based businesses.
Jim Richardson stated that he thought adopting a more stringent building code could be beneficial for the Village; however, he noted that enforcement of those codes would require having a licensed inspector.
Treasurers Report:
There were no comments regarding the Treasurer’s Report.
Adjournment:
There being no further business to come before the Board, Trustee Grilo moved to adjourn the meeting. Trustee Rhodes seconded the motion. Motion carried viva voce vote.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:33 pm.
http://thomasboro.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/5.1.17_Village-Board-Minutes.pdf
Alerts Sign-up