Chambana Sun

Village of Rossville Board met Dec. 20.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

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

Roll call was taken. A quorum was established with Mayor Queen and Trustees Black, Daniel, Cornell, Hackett, Gammon and Sturm physically present.

Guests present were Clerk White, Kenneth Gammon, Callan Masterson, Jordan Gandenberger and Marilyn Danner. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Guests were acknowledged.

Minutes of the regular board meeting held November 15, 2021 were presented. Motion was made by Hackett, seconded by Gammon to dispense with the reading of the minutes and approve the meeting minutes as presented. Vote: Cornell, yes; Sturm, yes; Daniel, yes; Black, yes; Gammon, yes; Hackett, yes.

Treasurer Ault’s written report for November 2021 was presented. The columns for the Water Premier account at the Bank of Rossville do not add correctly. The line item will be reviewed and an amended treasurer’s report will be presented next month. Motion was made by Black, seconded by Hackett to accept the November 2021 report, with the exception of the Water Premier account, as presented. Vote: Cornell, yes; Hackett, yes; Gammon, yes; Black, yes; Daniel, yes; Sturm, yes.

Current bills – Current bills were reviewed earlier in the Finance & Purchasing Committee meeting. Motion was made by Hackett, seconded by Black to approve the bills and pay as presented. Vote: Sturm, yes; Daniel, yes; Black, yes; Gammon, yes; Hackett, yes; Cornell, yes.

Superintendent Lusk’s report – Superintendent Lusk’s provided reports for the time periods of October 19, 2021- November 15, 2021 and November 16, 2021-December 20, 2021. Mayor Queen commented good progress is being made on the partking lot, located at 122 E. Attica, but the drains need to be cut in.

Sewer Operator Price’s report – There were no comments on Sewer Plant Operator Matt Price’s monthly report.

Police Chief Kelnhofer’s report – Chief Kelnhofer reported Officer Greene was in a high-speed pursuit that ended in Danville. The paperwork has been submitted to seize a 2022 Kia K5 GT under Article 36 seizure criteria. The vehicle was seized as a PNT (Public Nuisance Tow) for fleeing and eluding.

Accounts Receivable -Collector White reported the utility accounts receivable total as $32,568.83. There were 2 miscellaneous invoices totaling $1,200.00 to make the total accounts receivable $33,768.83. There were no utility accounts disconnected last month.

Holiday Resolution – A resolution was presented listing the proposed 10 holidays for the 2022 calendar year. Trustee Black questioned why Martin Luther King’s birthday is not listed. Mayor Queen requested Veterans Day to be included. Clerk White stated past administrations had established 10 days to be the limit on the number of days for annual holidays but nothing was officially adopted as a limit. Motion was made by Black, seconded by Sturm to approve the proposed holidays with the addition of January 17, 2022 (Martin Luther King’s birthday) and November 11th (Veterans Day) for the 2022 calendar year. Vote: Daniel, yes; Sturm, yes; Cornell, yes; Hackett, yes; Gammon, yes; Black, yes. Resolution 2021-10 passed.

Safety Awards for employees – Past practices for safety awards were audited by IMRF (Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund) and were found to be incorrect. Motion was made by Black, seconded by Sturm to issue checks through the payroll system so fulltime employees receive net check amounts of $100 and part-time employees receive net check amounts of $50 each after required taxes and deductions are applied. Vote: Black, yes; Gammon, yes; Hackett, yes; Cornell, yes; Sturm, yes; Daniel, yes.

Meetings dates for calendar year 2022 – The Village Board of Trustees meet on the third Monday of every month for the regular board meeting at 7 p.m. at the village office. The Finance & Purchasing Committee meets on the third Monday of every month at 6:45 p.m. at the village office. The meeting dates for 2022 are January 17, February 21, March 21, April 18, May 16, June 20, July 18, August 15, September 19, October 17, November 21 and December 19. Motion was made by Daniel, seconded by Hackett to approve the 2022 meeting dates. Vote: Gammon, yes; Hackett, yes; Cornell, yes; Sturm, yes; Daniel, yes; Black, yes.

Discussion to approve projects for the ARPA funds was tabled until the next Finance & Purchasing Committee meeting.

Ordinance to sell surplus real estate – An ordinance to sell surplus real estate was presented. The ordinance listed selling 107-113 E. Attica with a minimum bid on each lot of $750. Marilyn Danner suggested auctioning the property. Motion was made by Gammon, seconded by Black to adopt the ordinance to sell surplus real estate for 107-113 E. Attica for a minimum bid of $750 per lot. Vote: Hackett, yes; Cornell, yes; Sturm, yes; Daniel, yes; Black, yes; Gammon, yes. Ordinance 2021-17 passed.

New Electrical Service for Park Street Lift Station – Per Matt Johnson, engineer for the Park Street Lift Station project, an upgrade for the electrical service to a 3-phase 480V service would be recommended to minimize the cost of conductors and pumps and to extent the service life of the new pump motors. The cost of the upgrade would be $18,462.84. The Village could pay the $18,462.84 now or defray these costs by the Village entering into a 7-year Service Extension Guarantee Agreement (SEGA) with Ameren. If the Village elects to enter into the SEGA, the Village would pay no money up-front. Instead, a $219.80 per month minimum bill would apply for the next 7 years. For example, if the Village uses $300 worth of electricity, the Village would pay $300. If the Village only uses $100 of electricity, the Village would pay the $100 plus $119.80 as a result of the SEGA. Motion was made by Sturm, seconded by Black to enter into SEGA agreement with Ameren to pay a minimum monthly bill of $219.80 for a 7-year term. Vote: Black, yes; Gammon, yes; Hackett, yes; Cornell, yes; Sturm, yes; Daniel, yes.

Keep Vermilion County Beautiful Membership Dues – A request to renew membership dues to Keep Vermilion County Beautiful for 2022 was presented. Motion was made by Black, seconded by Gammon to renew business membership with Keep Vermilion County Beautiful for $150 for 2022. Vote: Gammon, yes; Hackett, yes; Cornell, yes; Sturm, yes; Daniel, yes; Black, yes.

Finance & Purchasing Committee- Trustee Hackett had nothing further to report at this time. Streets & Alleys Committee- Trustee Cornell had nothing to report at this time.

Police, Health & Safety Committee- A complaint was received from Damian Street, who lives on North Church, stating when the Village maintenance workers installed the water main in front of his house between the sidewalk and the street, the workers broke up his asphalt driveway from the sidewalk toward the road. Mr. Street would like his driveway asphalt replaced as it was originally installed. Trustee Black asked if the Village is required to replace driveway materials if the materials are placed on Village easement. The matter will be reviewed to see what the Village is legally required to do. Mr. Street wants his bush replaced that Mr. Street alleged was uprooted by Village employees. That matter will also be reviewed.

Water & Sewer Committee – Trustee Daniel had nothing to report at this time.

Gas Committee- Trustee Sturm had nothing to report at this time.

Public Improvements Committee – Trustee Gammon reported the Beautification Committee met and are seeking volunteers to assist sorting bottle caps at the fire station on January 10th from 10-5 for the park bench project. Trustee Gammon reported the committee discussed the Village-owned properties and potential projects, the pond: signs, pond location and parking, picnic tables and small pavilion. The committee suggested offering to transfer the gazebo property to the owners beside the gazebo. The committee suggested talking to the Park Board to see if they would insulate the pavilion and install heating and air conditioning so events could be held at the park.

Marilyn Danner, in reference to the pond, stated Robert Danner and Allen Decker could dredge out the pond in exchange for the dirt.

Trustee Sturm asked when the IPads are going to be used. The Village spent money to purchase them so they should be used. Trustee Black has stated he can meet with members in order to train them in use of the IPads. A time will be established for training.

Trustee Daniel asked who does the snow removal in the downtown area. Mayor Queen will ask if the maintenance staff does that or if the property owners are responsible to clean their property.

Motion was made by Sturm, seconded by Cornell to adjourn the meeting. Vote: Sturm, yes; Daniel, yes; Cornell, yes; Black, yes; Gammon, yes; Hackett, yes. The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:12 p.m.

https://www.villageofrossville.org/documents/218/Reg._12-20-2021.pdf