Chambana Sun

City of Gibson City Council met Aug. 11

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Dickey in City Hall Council Chambers.

Roll Call:

Ward #1 Susie Tongate: P Sarah Sarantakos: P

Ward #2 Randy Wyant: P Ray Hankes : P

Ward #3 Scott Davis: P Terry Roesch: P

Ward #4 Denis Fisher: P Laura Miller: P

Pledge led by Alderman Hankes.

Motion to approve Minutes of August 11, 2025, made by Alderman Fisher, Alderman Hankes seconded the motion, motion carried 8/0.

Visitors: Susie Oyer, Nick Craig, Jeremy Darnell, Dawn Clintworth, Dan Walton, Mason Potts and family.

Susie Oyer: Susie was in attendance to inquire about the status of their façade grant for Shepherd’s Closet. Admin Meg Fairchild informed Susie and the council that the check was in the bills for approval and would be issued as soon as it was approved.

David Walton: Mr. Walton addressed the council regarding the prior council meeting, in which Water Superintendent John Bobera provided insight into the complaint of flooding at Mr. Walton’s property. David read a rebuttal to the previous explanation by Mr. Bobera but did thank him for the measures that had been taken thus far.

Nick Craig: Mr. Craig was in attendance representing the Youth Football League. He asked the council for the ability to block off Sangamon from 15th to 17th Street during 4 home games. City Superintendent Tyler Marftin joined the conversation to provide insight into the logistics of the request. After Discussion, the council agreed to a trail run of this, with the option to amend their decision if it wasn’t feasible after this trial.

Treasurer’s Report: Presented by Vickie Lorenzen

Committee Reports: Alderman Sarantakos gave a summation of the minutes from the Park, Building and Technology Committee meeting.

• Superintendent Martin addressed the maintenance of the North Park bathrooms and if those would be available for public use during events.

• Coaches from Youth Baseball were in attendance regarding wireless availability to lock bathrooms.

• Future proposals for camping changes were discussed.

• Alderman Sarantakos announced that the new pool had been permitted.

• An available grant was discussed at the committee meeting and would be addressed to the full council.

Admin Reports: Meg Fairchild reported Frank from Locis was once again here for training. Frank will be on site for the go-live date of 8/15/2025. He will be here to assist with payroll and utility billing on this day. A change of processor for utility billing is being investigated. Meg is investigating changes that would encourage people to sign up for automatic billing.

Meg also discussed the current deposit for water and sewer paid by renters. This will require an ordinance change which will shift responsibility to the landlord to maintain these water deposits, removing that task from the admin office. All changes to this ordinance will be at a future meeting.

Approval of Bills:

Motion made by Alderman Wyant to pay general bills in the amount of $217,655.00 2nd made by Alderman Roesch, motion carried 8/0.

Motion made by Alderman Hankes, Second by Alderman Sarantakos to approve TIF 2 check in the amount of $244,491.00. Motion carries 8/0.

Motion made by Alderman Sarantakos, Second by Alderman Fisher to approve TIF 3 check in the amount of $173,629.40. Motion carries 6/0. Abstain from Alderman Davis and Alderman Miller.

Motion made by Alderman Sarantakos, Second by Alderman Roesch to approve TIF 4 check in the amount of $1336.25. Motion carries 6/0. Abstain from Alderman Wyant and Alderman Fisher.

New Business:

A. Dawn Clintworth was in attendance on behalf of the Restoration Association. Dawn and City Attorney Marc Miller met prior to the council meeting to finalize the application for an EPA grant for the property at 107 N Sangamon. Application will be shared with council after the remaining changes are completed. Mr. Miller clarified that the city was not an owner of the property but a co-applicant for the application. Alderman Sarantakos made a motion to authorize the mayor to sign the EPA grant. Second by Alderman Wyant. Motion carries 8/0.

B. The Little League would like to use the west park baseball field for more than t-ball, so they would like to put in new dugouts and reposition the field slightly. This would be at no cost to the city. Motion by Alderman Wyant to approve, second by Alderman Hankes. Motion carries 8/0.

C. Request for approval, not to exceed $5,000, for the OSLAD grant application. This grant would be used for the new pool project. Motion made by Alderman Hankes, Second by Alderman Sarantakos. Motion carries 8/0.

D. Attorney Marc Miller discussed the retention of the 1% grocery sales tax in ordinance 2025-O-11. Motion made Alderman Tongate, Second by Alderman Wyant to pass this ordinance. Motion carries 8/0.

E. Superintendent Martin informed the council on the results of the EPA inspection of the water department. This inspection only yielded 2 recommendations. Superintendent Martin asked for approval on task order 079 not to exceed $12,000 to accommodate these recommendations. Motion made by Alderman Roesch, Second by Alderman Miller. Motion carries 8/0.

F. Mayor Dickey discussed an ordinance authorizing boundary modifications to the Bloomington-Normal Enterprise Zone. This is a one-time opportunity for a collective vote between Bloomington, Normal, McClean County, Ford County and Gibson City to add residential and commercial properties for improvements. This is at no cost to the city. Motion made by Alderman Wyant, Second by Alderman Hankes. Motion carries 8/0

G. City Superintendent Martin reported to the council that McClean County Asphalt had completed their work on the roads. This has been a long project, so he was happy to relay that 99% of the roads are now complete. Mr. Martin was asking for approval of the payment to McClean County Asphalt in the amount of $197,130.33. Motion made by Alderman Roesch, Second by Alderman Miller. Motion carries 8/0.

H. Motion made by Alderman Davis to enter executive session. Second by Alderman Wyant. Motion carries 8/0.

I. Motion to enter regular session by Alderman Wyant, Second by Alderman Miller. Motion carried 8/0.

J. Motion made by Alderman Wyant to approve the hiring of Mason Potts as Gibson City Police officer at the hourly rate of $28.65/hour, 2 personal days, 1 week vacation after 6 months and all normal benefits. Second by Alderman Roesch. Motion carries 8/0.

K. Mason was sworn in by City Clerk Carla McGrew.

L. Motion to adjourn by Alderman Davis, Second by Alderman Wyant.

https://gibsoncityillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/8.11.25-Minutes.pdf