Chambana Sun

Village of Rossville Board Of Trustees met Dec. 16.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

Mayor Queen called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. then the pledge was recited. The meeting was held at the Rossville Municipal Building located at 120 East Attica Street in Rossville, Illinois.

Roll call was taken and a quorum was established with Mayor Queen and Trustees Cornell, Buck, Maden, Mahorney, Richison and Leaver were physically present. Guests present were Clerk White, Bobbette Gammon, Kenneth Gammon, Tony Moore from Republic Service and Marilyn Danner.

Minutes of the regular board meeting held November 18, 2019 were presented. Motion was made by Leaver, seconded by Cornell to dispense with the reading of the minutes and approve the minutes as presented with an omnibus vote. All members voted yes.

Treasurer Ault’s written reports for November and amended October report were presented. Trustee Richison asked which balance was correct for the universal sewer account-the ending October or the beginning November. Clerk White stated the ending balance for October was correct. A 2 was typed instead of a 5 on the November report. The typing error will be corrected. Motion was made by Buck, seconded by Leaver to accept the treasurer’s reports as amended. Vote: Mahorney, yes; Richison, yes; Buck, yes; Leaver, yes; Maden, yes; Cornell, yes.

Current bills – Current bills were reviewed earlier in the Finance & Purchasing Committee meeting. Motion was made by Leaver, seconded by Buck to approve the bills as presented. Vote: Richison, yes; Buck, yes; Leaver, yes; Maden, yes; Cornell, yes; Mahorney, yes.

Superintendent Lusk’s report – Trustee Maden asked if the street sign and “Children Playing” signs have been ordered. Mayor Queen stated Superintendent Lusk stated they have been ordered. Mayor Queen also reported that Sewer Plant Operator Matt Price is preparing a sewer operator’s report format.

Police Chief Kelnhofer’s report – There were no comments on Chief Kelnhofer’s report. Resident Marilyn Danner asked if there could be more police protection especially on Sundays. Mrs. Danner reported Danner Construction properties have been broken into twice now and both times the events were on Sundays. Trustee Cornell suggested starting the Neighborhood Watch program again. There were no comments on the Neighborhood Watch idea. Discussion on hiring another part time police officer will be held later in the meeting.

Accounts Receivable -Collector White reported the utility accounts receivable total as $42,333.91. There were 3 miscellaneous invoices totaling $1,800, making the total accounts receivable as $44,133.91. There was 1 disconnect this month. A check was approved this evening for a lien to be placed on the 202 Harrison property. Clerk White has spoken with a representative from PIP Group, owner of 406 Holmes regarding payment. The current owner of 315 Benton Street has not been determined.

Holiday Resolution for Calendar Year 2020 –A resolution was presented listing the dates in 2020 that legal holidays will be observed. Motion was made by Leaver, seconded by Richison to approve the holiday resolution for the year 2020 legal holidays. Vote: Buck, yes; Mahorney, yes; Cornell, yes; Maden, yes; Leaver, yes; Richison, yes. Resolution 2019-08 passed.

The Village Board of Trustees meets on the 3rd Monday of every month. A list of the meeting dates for 2020 was presented. Motion was made by Maden, seconded by Leaver to approve the listed Board meeting dates for 2020. All members voted yes.

Employee Safety Awards – Past practice, in the month of December, is to award employees a safety award ($100 for fulltime employees and $50 for part-time employees). Trustee Maden agreed with authorizing employees a safety award if they have worked scheduled hours during 2019 and revisit the matter next year. Motion was made by Cornell, seconded by Leaver to award and authorize checks made payable to employees, who have worked scheduled hours in 2019, as follows: Fulltime employees $100 and Part-time employees $50. Vote: Cornell, yes; Maden, yes; Leaver, yes; Buck, yes; Richison, yes; Mahorney, yes.

A proclamation commemorating Village of Rossville School Choice Week was read. Motion was made by Leaver, seconded by Buck to accept the proclamation. All members voted yes.

Discussion on Adding Garbage Pick-up as a new Utility on Village utility bills – Mayor Queen asked Tony Moore from Republic Services to speak regarding waste removal services for municipalities. Mr. Moore spoke regarding the services Republic Services offers such as recycling and regular trash pickup. Mr. Moore stated the Village would decide what to include in the contract, such as regular trash pickup, community cleanup days, recycling (additional fee for everyone if included in contract and placed on utility bills), what is furnished by the company and any increases in cost. Mr. Moore stated their contracts are for 3 or 5 years for municipalities.

Update on 106 E. Attica – Mayor Queen stated the report from the structural engineer regarding 106 E. Attica, 103 S. Chicago and 209 Stewart, has not been received. Mayor Queen was asked when the 60 days to repair begins since the sign has been posted on the front of the building. Mayor Queen is waiting on the structural engineer’s report to arrive detailing which repairs need completed. Once the engineer’s report is received and required repairs are listed then the procedures for demolition or repairs will begin. Mayor Queen will contact the Village attorney in regards to this matter.

Mayor Queen was also asked when the dumpsters will be removed or dumped. Mayor Queen will inquire. Mayor Queen was also asked when the dumpster at 311 McKibben will be dumped. Mayor Queen will have Chief Kelnhofer attend to the matter.

There was no report from Finance & Purchasing Committee Chairman Leaver or Streets & Alleys Committee Chairman Cornell at this time.

Police, Health & Safety Committee Chairman Buck reported the committee met previously and recommended hiring Branden Smith as a part-time police officer. Motion was made by Buck, seconded by Leaver to hire Branden Smith as a part-time police officer. Vote: Buck, yes; Leaver, yes; Maden, yes; Cornell, yes; Mahorney, yes; Richison, yes. Discussion was held on whether to hire another fulltime police officer and hours available. Board members received an estimate of expenses for an additional fulltime officer. Trustee Maden suggested tabling the matter in order to review the information. Trustee Leaver’s opinion differed. Motion was made by Leaver, seconded by Mahorney to hire another fulltime police officer. Vote: Leaver, yes; Maden, yes; Cornell, yes; Mahorney, yes; Richison, yes; Buck, yes. Chief Kelnhofer will be instructed not to sign up for any classes unless approved by board. Some ordinances need amended due to new laws that have been passed.

Water & Sewer Committee Chairwoman Maden and Gas Committee Chairman Richison had nothing to report.

Public Improvements/Beautification Committee – The newly appointed Beautification Committee needs to have their plan for improvements in the downtown area approved. Marilyn Danner provided a copy of the drawing of the proposed “Marketplace” plan for the Village owned properties at 107-111 E. Attica Street. The “Marketplace” drawing included a barn style building with a concrete foundation-60’ x 20’ to use as a community center and storage of tables, etc. The committee also recommended repairing the Village-owned lot at 131-133 S. Chicago to make it smoother for vendors to park or use to sell goods and making parking lots on either 121 or 122 E. Attica. The committee suggested hiring a structural engineer to do a feasibility study to see if the “Marketplace idea will work in the area. Marilyn Danner will schedule an architect to meet with her and the mayor. The Board will consider the plan.

Motion was made by Mahorney, seconded by Buck to adjourn the meeting. Vote: Maden, yes; Cornell, yes; Mahorney, yes; Richison, yes; Leaver, yes; Buck, yes. The meeting adjourned at 8:52 p.m.

https://www.villageofrossville.org/documents/218/Reg._Mtg._12-16-19.pdf