Chambana Sun

City of Gibson City Council met Aug. 23.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

Call to order by Mayor Daniel Dickey at 7:00 pm.

Roll Call:  Ward #1 Susie Tongate, Present      Greg Houtzel, Absent

Ward #2  Randy Wyant, Present       Aaron Franks, Present       

Ward #3  Scott Davis, Present          Michelle Celeschi, Present

Ward #4  Denis Fisher, Present         Laura Miller, Present

Others present: Administrator Peg Stalter, Street & Alley Superintendent Wayne Link, , Treasurer Scott Shull, Marc Petersen – Harvest Fest; Chief Rosendahl, Greg Kerber- Bible Church, Pastor Nick Carlson, Laura & Josh Benningfield – New Beginnings Church; Pat Huban Enterprise Zone; Nelda Jordan, Hailey Wahl, Terry & Susan Whitebird - Ford County EMA, Paula Dickey, Il Rep. Tom Bennett, Mayor Michael Smith, Roanoke; Brad Duncan, Contractor.

Alderman Randy Wyant led council in Pledge of Allegiance.

City Clerk Jan Hall read the resignation of Alderman Greg Houtzel, Ward 1. Houtzel moved outside of Gibson City and therefore can no longer retain his seat. He has served the city for 3 years.

Alderman Davis moved to approve council Minutes of August 9 & 16, 2021, seconded by Alderman Celeschi MC 7-0.

Mayor Dickey recognized visitors:

Mayor Michael Smith of Roanoke, Illinois addressed the council and visitors with a recount of the 4 floods that his community has endured in 2013, 2015, 2019, and 2020, They know first-hand the difficulties Gibson City is facing. He made it very clear that his residents also had many losses, mixed feelings, and expected the city to ‘make them whole’. Mayor Smith reminded all that a flood of this magnitude is no different than a tornado or ice storm. It is an act of nature, and it is not the role of the municipality to ‘make everyone whole again’. His recommendations were for homeowners to take an endorsement on their homeowner’s insurance to cover back up of floor drains, sump pumps, etc., consider taking out flood insurance if it is available, and pay to have ‘check-valves’ installed at your home. These are all individual responsibilities that can help in the future. Mayor Dickey and council and employees were commended on the quick responses demonstrated.

Greg Kerber of Gibson City Bible Church – reported that they have been a hub for donations to be dropped off and picked up, they are glad to be able to help, and overwhelmed by the donations. Goods that are left outside are free to flood victims, no appointments needed.

Pastor Nick Carlson of the New Beginnings Church explained that his church has been working with Team Rubicon, who will be leaving at the end of this week. Pastor Carlson stated that his church has learned from them and will do their best to continue that work for the next two weeks.

Treasurer Scott Shull presented the July treasurer’s report (see attached).

Committee Reports:

Alderman Fisher reported that the Ordinance Committee met at 6:30 p.m. prior to the council meeting and discussed the local liquor ordinance and a request from business owner Marc Petersen (Sand Trap) for the city ordinance to be amended to match the State of Illinois in allowing 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds to serve alcohol. The committee will research the matter further and has no recommendations at this time.

Alderman Franks – Streets & Alleys, asked Supt. Link to report – Link gave a hearty thank you to all the surrounding communities and people who have shown up with their own equipment and helped haul debris. The process is going well, and they are continuing to collect debris. Ken Lee of Lee Farms (landfill) estimated that 800K to 1.2 million pounds of debris has already been collected.

Approval of Bills:

TIF #2 (3 checks) $12,771.50 Motion to approve by Alderman Fisher, 2nd by Alderman Davis, MC 7-0. General Fund: $124,089.26 Motion made by Alderman Miller, 2nd by Alderman Fisher, MC 7-0.

New Business:

Agenda Item A –Mayoral appointment of Hailey Wahl as Junior Alderman. Alderman Davis made a motion to approve, 2nd by Alderman Celeschi, MC 7-0.

City Clerk Jan Hall administered the oath of office to Junior Alderman Hailey Wahl, and she was seated at the council table.

Agenda Item B – Consideration of Harvest Fest Donation. Marc Petersen addressed the council with a request for a monetary donation as previously discussed to help defray event expenses. Alderman Davis stated that money was earmarked in the budget for this donation, and he made a motion to approve $5K, 2nd by Alderman Tongate. Alderman Fisher, while expressing his appreciation for the event, asked if the committee will investigate partnering more with local groups and fundraising in the future. Petersen agreed and a financial report will be presented showing a dollar amount that will be retained to start the next years event. Roll call, MC 7-0.

At this time, Mayor Dickey requested the council hold over Agenda Items C, D, and H. Alderman Franks questioned the reason for holding over, and Mayor Dickey stated Todd McNutt should be present to go over the Agreement for Services and the new Welcome sign, and H (distribution of funds collected at the Bank for flood relief) – to further determine the best methods of disbursement. Motion made by Alderman Celeschi to hold these items over, 2nd by Alderman Wyant, MC 6-1, Franks cast the nay vote.

Agenda Item E – Picnic table purchase – Supt. Link explained to council that it is his understanding former Supt. Stauffer planned for replacing tables each year, but he did not have the dollar amount. Alderman Davis stated that $10K was in the budget for purchase of new picnic tables and made a motion to approve Supt. Link to order new picnic tables, not to exceed $10K. 2nd by Alderman Miller, MC 7.0

Agenda Item F – Illinois Emergency Management Mutual Aid System Agreement. Terry Whitebird representing Ford County EMS explained the need for this document to be approved because it allows mutual aid in emergencies to begin within 24-48 hours of need. Motion to approve made by Alderman Davis, 2nd by Alderman Tongate, MC 7-0.

Agenda Item G – Consideration of an Ordinance Amending Designation and Operation Criteria in the Bloomington Normal Enterprise Zone. Pat Huban representing the Enterprise Zone summarized the Ordinance stating the purpose to level the playing field of requirements to receive the perks, such as creation of at least 25 jobs, investment of $250K, hiring from McLean and Ford Counties, etc. Motion to approve Ordinance 2021-0-13 was made by Alderman Fisher, 2nd by Alderman Franks, MC 7-0.

Motion to adjourn made by Alderman Tongate, 2nd by Alderman Miller, all in favor, meeting adjourned at 7:58 p.m.

http://www.gibsoncityillinois.com/images/August_23_2021_reg_minutes.docx