At a recent meeting, DeSoto Village Board members planned inspection trips around the village to list properties that are in violation of the village's weed ordinance.
Below are the minutes from this meeting, as provided by the board.
STATE OF ILLINOIS)
COUNTY OF JACKSON)
VILLAGE OF DESOTO)
Minutes
Board of Trustees Regular Meeting
July 5, 2016
President John Evans called the first monthly meeting of the De Soto Village Board of Trustees to order at 7:00 P.M. Village Clerk Paula Parks was present to record the minutes.
Present: Tony Rushing Paulette Johnson
Tim Cochran John Evans
Eric Schuler
Absent: Larry White
Motion made by Eric Schuler, seconded by Tim Cochran, to dispense with the reading of the minutes and to approve them. Motion carried.
Motion made by Tony Rushing, seconded by Eric Schuler, to approve the June expense report. Motion carried.
Motion made by Tony Rushing, seconded by Paulette Johnson, to pay the list of bills. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing- Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Tim Cochran – Yes; Eric Schuler - Yes. Motion carried.
Pat Johnson, who lives at 201 S. Ash Street, expressed her concern that the leaning tree had not been addressed on the property next to hers. The Village had sent a letter to the property owner in regard to the nuisance violation of the debris. However, Ordinance No. 25-1-2 Nuisances addresses the danger in relation to the tree. President Evans apologized to Ms. Johnson that this issue was overlooked and assured her that a letter will be sent addressing the tree problem.
Board members had some concerns about Green Wave Consulting, LLC’s request to access the Village’s right-of-way on the north side of West Douglas Street across from the Fun Stop. President Evans asked that a representative from Green Wave Consulting, LLC attend the next board meeting to answer questions. Village Clerk Paula Parks will send a copy of the agreement to Attorney Pat Hoke for her review. No action was taken on the agreement.
Motion made by Tony Rushing, seconded by Eric Schuler, to approve the invoice to pay J. T. Blankinship $13,783.33 for work on the water main project. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Tim Cochran – Yes; Eric Schuler – Yes. Motion carried.
Motion made by Tony Rushing, seconded by Paulette Johnson, to approve the invoice to pay Haier Plumbing $169,819.83 for work on the water main project. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Tim Cochran – Yes; Eric Schuler – Yes. Motion carried.
Tony Rushing reported that the crew had cut into the 110 line that powers the light for the flag pole at the cemetery. The line wasn’t Julied so no one knew it was there. Trustee Rushing received from Carbondale Electric an estimate of $1,500 to repair the line. However, Director of Public Works David Griffin reported that Kerry Jones, township cemetery trustee, said that the cemetery board would like to get a solar light for the flag pole. Trustee Rushing will talk with Mr. Jones.
Motion made by Paulette Johnson, seconded by Tim Cochran, to authorize Tony Rushing to spend up to $1,500 to fix the problem with cemetery flag pole light. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Tim Cochran – Yes; Eric Schuler – Yes. Motion carried.
Trustee Tony Rushing reported that the EPA had hired a consulting firm, Gordon & Price Inc., to get samples at the Landfill. The findings do not affect the Village.
Motion made by Eric Schuler, seconded by Tony Rushing, to pass Ordinance No. 2016-4 Amendment to Annual Levy Ordinance for the fiscal year beginning May 1, 2015 and ending April 30, 2016, reducing the levy to $74,922.36. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Tim Cochran – Yes; Eric Schuler – Yes. Motion carried. Ordinance incorporated by reference.
Trustee Eric Schuler left the meeting at 7:50 PM.
President Evans asked for a group of board members to ride around town to determine properties that are in violation of the weed ordinance. Tony Rushing and Paulette Johnson will view the east side of town beyond the railroad tracks. Tim Cochran and Eric Schuler will look on the west side of town. They will report their information at the July 18 board meeting, and a formal discussion will be conducted at the meeting on August 1.
Trustee Paulette Johnson reminded the board members that any board member can loan the port-a-cool fans. However, if anything goes wrong, they will be responsible. Board members felt that loan authorization should be up to Trustee Johnson. The person using the fans should be responsible for any damage.
Trustee Johnson discussed the dilapidated condition of several properties in town. Police Chief Ben Doan suggested budgeting for this kind of clean up and addressing a couple of properties each year. Board members liked this idea and will keep it in mind when preparing the budget for the next fiscal year.
Motion made by Tim Cochran, seconded by Tony Rushing, to pass Resolution No. 2016-2 to appropriate $35,000 of Motor Fuel Tax funds for the purpose of maintaining streets and highways from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Tim Cochran – Yes. Motion carried. Resolution incorporated by reference.
Director of Public Works David Griffin reported that he, Larry White and Tim Cochran had looked at the sidewalk by the Miles motor home business on West Douglas Street. The Village will repair it. Mr. Miles will have to fix the north side to accommodate driving the motor homes across the sidewalk.
The next meeting will be held on Monday, July 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Village Hall.
Motion made by Tony Rushing, seconded by Tim Cochran, to adjourn the meeting at 8:35 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Paula J. Parks
Village Clerk
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