Chambana Sun

City of Monticello City Council met Sept. 10.

Here is the minutes provided by the council:

The monthly meeting of the Paxton City Council was held on Tuesday, September 10, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

Mayor Ingold called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

Roll call showed the following aldermen in attendance: Evans, Geiken, Johnson Anderson, Pacey, Satterlee, Steiger, Wilson and Withers. Also, in attendance were: Mayor Bill Ingold, Treasurer/Comptroller Tammy Jensen, Public Works Director Mark LeClair, Police Chief Coy Cornett, City Attorney Marc Miller, EMA Director Ed Hanson, and members of the audience and press.

Mayor Ingold led everyone in saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

MINUTES

Mayor Ingold asked if there were any changes, corrections or additions that needed made to the minutes from the August Council meeting. There was a correction made to the minutes. Alderman Withers made a motion to approve the minutes of the August Council meeting as amended. Aldermen Geiken seconded the motion. All ayes, motion carried on a voice vote.

LIST OF CLAIMS

Alderman Wilson made a motion to approve the lists of claims, except for EIEC bill. Alderman Johnson Anderson seconded the motion. Roll Call: ayes – Alderman Evans, Geiken, Johnson Anderson, Pacey, Satterlee, Steiger, Wilson and Withers. All ayes, motion carried.

Alderman Johnson Anderson made a motion to approve the EIEC bill. Alderman Pacey seconded the motion. Roll Call: ayes – Alderman Evans, Geiken, Johnson Anderson, Pacey, Satterlee, Steiger, and Withers. Alderman Wilson abstained. Seven ayes, one abstain, motion carried.

TREASURER’S REPORT AND INVESTMENT REGISTER

The reports have been emailed to all Aldermen. Alderman Wilson made a motion to approve the Treasurer’s Report and Investment Register. Alderman Steiger seconded the motion. All ayes - motion carried on a voice vote.

FINANCE/BUDGET

There were no committee meetings and nothing on the agenda.

Treasurer/Comptroller Jensen relayed that the audit is wrapped up, and there should be a presentation for next month’s meeting. PUBLIC WORKS

There were no committee meetings.

Public Works Director LeClair discussed the purchase of a stump grinder/auger for $18,000. He thinks it runs a little slower than they’d like, but it will work. It is safer than a regular stump grinder.

Alderman Pacey made a motion to approve the purchase of the stump grinder. Alderman Evans seconded the motion. Roll Call: ayes – Alderman Evans, Geiken, Johnson Anderson, Pacey, Satterlee, Steiger, and Withers. Nay – Alderman Wilson. Seven ayes, one nay, motion carried.

Mr. Mike Friend, from Farnsworth, spoke regarding the closure letter the City received regarding the landfill. Mr. Friend relayed that the City should look into their insurance policy and see if any additional premiums or riders associated with the landfill can be removed. The landfill is now closed! Mr. Friend credited Mike Streff’s hard work on this project.

PUBLIC SAFETY

There were no committee meetings and nothing on the agenda.

Alderman Johnson Anderson spoke regarding J turns. She’s concerned with the number of illegal J turns that she’s seeing. Chief Cornett has been monitoring Market Street more frequently this month.

CITY PROPERTY

There were no committee meetings.

EMA Director Hanson presented the formal estimate from Brust Tuckpointing for the repairs to the EMA building. This estimate is more complete and more similar in work to be completed when compared to the bid by Rick Adkins Masonry.

There are currently bricks that are popping out of the building right now. This could potentially harm someone. EMA Director Hanson is worried that by not completing these repairs this year, the damage from a hard winter could result in even more repairs next year. There was discussion on the costs and budgeting concerns.

Alderman Pacey made a motion to approve the bid from Brust Tuckpointing for repairs to the EMA Building. Alderman Evans seconded the motion. There was discussion on whether something was left out of the bid, because of the large difference in prices. Roll Call: ayes – Alderman Evans, Geiken, Johnson Anderson, Pacey, Satterlee, and Steiger. Nays – Alderman Wilson and Withers. Six ayes, two nays, motion carried.

LICENSE, PERMIT, ZONING & INSURANCE

There were no committee meetings and nothing on the agenda.

Daiven Emling was here to speak regarding recreational cannabis. He sees a need for education in the community on this issue. There was some discussion on this. Mr. Emling will be applying for 10 licenses. He’s interested in creating a bakery and a place to use recreational cannabis. A point was raised from the audience that there is a lot of confusion between hemp, CBD, cannabis, and THC. It was suggested that there be a town-wide meeting to share information.

COMMUNITY

There were no committee meetings and nothing on the agenda.

Alderman Withers reminded the Council that the Swine and Dine event is on September 21st. Market Street will be closed at 6 p.m. for this event. The Mayor let the Council know that there will be a town-wide meeting, tomorrow night, at the Firehouse to commemorate the anniversary of September 11, 2001.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

There were no committee meetings and nothing on the agenda.

Mayor Ingold spoke regarding the meeting with Farnsworth about the StreetScape project. Some outlines have been marked, but they will be revised as they seemed too large. There is a StreetScape meeting on September 23rd, from 4 – 6 p.m., at City Hall. The Farnsworth engineers will be there to answer questions and to present. Alderman Johnson Anderson asked if the meeting would let the business owners know the impact this construction would have on their businesses. Mayor Ingold relayed that Farnsworth is very aware that the business impact needs to be minimized as much as possible.

LONG TERM PLANNING

There were no committee meetings and nothing on the agenda.

Alderman Evans asked if there had been thoughts on a replacement the retiring TIF Attorney. Mayor Ingold stated that this would be discussed in an Executive Session.

OTHER

At 7:40 p.m. Alderman Johnson Anderson made a motion to adjourn tonight’s regular meeting of the Mayor and City Council. Alderman Withers seconded the motion. All ayes - motion carried on a voice vote.

https://www.cityofpaxton.com/DocumentCenter/View/308/09-10-2019-City-Council-Meeting-Minutes-PDF