Carbondale Reporter

Carterville City Council met Tuesday, April 11.

Here is the minutes provided by the Council:

The meeting was held in the Council Chambers with Mayor Bradley M. Robinson presiding. He called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.

Roll Call

Bradley M. Robinson Mayor Present Michele A. Edwards City Clerk Present Khristina Hollister Deputy City Clerk Present Mark Carney City Treasurer Present

Doug Brinkley Alderman/Ward 3 Present Phyllis Emery Alderman/Ward 4 Present Tom Gentry Alderman/Ward 1 Present John Gooden Alderman/Ward 3 Present Mike Helfrich Alderman/Ward 2 Present James Houseworth Alderman/Ward 1 Absent Tom Liebenrood Alderman/Ward 4 Present Curtis Oetjen Alderman/Ward 2 Present

The Mayor declared a quorum present.

Others present were: Garry Wiggs, Public Works Director; Bud Edwards, Alderman Elect/ Ward 1; Heather Reno, Police Chief; Bruce Talley, Retired Fire Chief; Bill Kirk and Gary Cooper, Planning/Zoning Committee; Kevin Fear, Air Evac; Sherri Jenkins, Police Secretary; Harriet Mize, Chamber of Commerce; Dennis Brown, Assistant Fire Chief; Ralph Graul, Building Inspector; Rhett Barke, City Attorney; John and Kimbra Frost, Citizens; Rod Sievers, Citizen Advisory Committee Member; Marvin Oetjen, Kamper Supply; Ronda Robinson, Citizen; Janice McConnaughy, HR Specialist; Allen Latch, Citizen; Harry Treece II, Tippy Road (7:37 p.m.); Emily Hunsaker, The Courier; John Allsopp, Alderman Elect/Ward 3; Jerry Humble, Elders Farm Way; Clifford Brady, Scout Cabin Road; and Marilyn Halstead, The Southern Illinoisan;

Motion 1: Emery moved and Gooden seconded to approve the minutes of the March, 14, 2017 as presented (with the correction of a typo to page 5). A roll call vote was taken and all present voted yea and the Mayor declared the motion carried.

Mark Carney, City Treasurer, presented the March 2017 Treasurer’s Report for approval by the Council.

Motion 2: Oetjen moved and Emery seconded to approve the March 2017 Treasurer’s Report as presented. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea, and the Mayor declared the motion carried

Recognition of Guests: There were no guest comments

Motion 3: Emery moved and Helfrich seconded to pay the monthly bills as presented by the City Clerk. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.

Motion 4: Helfrich moved and Emery seconded to pay the monthly bill for E & K Cleaning in the amount of $1285.00 for 14 Cleanings at the Community Center. Roll call vote: Brinkley, yea; Emery, yea; Gentry, yea; Gooden, abstain; Helfrich, yea; Liebenrood, yea; Oetjen, yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried

The Mayor introduced Kevin Fear, Air Evac Services, and explained a proposal that he had discussed with the Insurance/Finance Committee to offer memberships to full time employees with payroll deductions.

Motion 5: Oetjen moved and Helfrich seconded to allow Kevin Fear, Air Evac Services, to offer membership to full-time employees and allow payroll deductions for the service. All voted yea and the Mayor declared the motion carried.

Departments/Committees Parks Department

Garry Wiggs, Public Works Director, discussed Summer Employment for the Parks and Cemetery. Danny Tucker has asked for four (4) summer employees (same as last year).

Motion 6: Emery moved and Helfrich seconded to hire four (4) summer seasonal workers for the Parks and Cemetery Department. All voted yea and the Mayor declared the motion carried.

Garry Wiggs gave an update on the outside lighting at the Community Center. Wiggs is gathering information on lighting improvements for the inside of the Community Center.

Plantscape Nursery quoted a price for replacement of shrubs at the Veteran’s Memorial. The Council agreed to table this issue for further investigation.

The Mayor explained that the bids for the Cannon Park Concession Stand came in higher than the engineering estimate. Crawford and the Park Committee have been reviewing and making cuts to these plans to reduce costs. Crawford is also discussing these cuts with the contractor that gave us the low bid. This project will be reviewed again by the Park Committee for a recommendation. There may be a Special Committee Meeting called before the next regular meeting to finalize this bid.

Motion 7: Emery moved and Liebenrood seconded to order Mulch for the parks at a cost of $4,280.00 [to be paid from the Park Fund]. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

Ron Rains, Fire Chief, was not available for the meeting and Dennis Brown, Assistant Fire Chief, gave a monthly report as follows:

• The new rescue boat is in service

• 901 is set up as a First Responder Vehicle

• Fire Protection Training at JALC Daycare

POLICE DEPARTMENT

Heather Reno, Police Chief, gave a monthly report as follows:

• 2 officers attended a class on Legal Tips for Officers

• 3 officers attended Breath Analysis Operator Training

• Narcan training is ongoing

• Hazmat training is ongoing

• We had 300 Officer Calls for Service in March (Case number was generated)

• We had 52 Calls for Officer Assistance to other departments or jurisdictions in March

• The department received the tire deflation devices purchased with money from the State’s Attorney’s Office. We are coordinating training for the devices before they are put into service.

• Chat with the Chief event was held on March 28th

Chief Reno circulated a list of Surplus Property. The Public Safety Committee has already reviewed and approved this property for sale.

Motion 8: Oetjen moved and Brinkley seconded to approve the sale of Surplus Property for the Police Department as recommended by Chief Reno. All present voted yea, and the Mayor declared the motion carried.

STREET DEPARTMENT

Garry Wiggs, Public Works Director, asked that the Council approve the hiring of four (4) summer employees for the Street Department as discussed in Committee.

Motion 9: Gentry moved and Emery seconded to authorize the Street Department to hire four (4) summer seasonal employees. All present voted yea, and the Mayor declared the motion carried.

Motion 10: Gentry moved and Emery seconded to authorize the removal of a tree on Cherrybark Lane at a cost of $700.00 with work to be completed by Hodges Tree Removal. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.

The downtown railroad ROW alley closure was tabled for a legal explanation and further study.

Ralph Graul, Building Inspector, explained his monthly report. There are permits for nine (9) single family dwellings, one (1) duplex and three (3) swimming pools. He also explained the request from Clifford Brady, 214 Scout Cabin Road. The Variance Hearing was held this evening at 6:45 p.m. and there were no objections to this request and it was approved by the Planning/Zoning Board.

Motion 11: Gentry moved and Emery seconded to approve the variance for Clifford Brady at 214 Scout Cabin Road for construction of a carport. Al present voted yea, and the Mayor declared the motion carried.

Harriet Mize, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, gave the Chamber Report. The Chamber made a donation of $300.00 to the Block Party. Chamber members picked up trash along Route 13 on April 6th. The Annual Golf Scramble is scheduled for May 12th at COGC. The Chamber is working on ads for the Carterville Community Day Miner’s booklet. The 5K race is scheduled for September 8th. Tom Harness (Harness Digital Marketing) will speak at a Chamber sponsored seminar on the use of video on social media on April 20th. The next General Meeting will be held at noon on May 3rd with speakers from the Alzheimer Association and catering by IGA.

The Mayor gave an update on the property donation of 114 S. Division by George Pennock. The Quit Claim Deed will be recorded at Williamson County and the title work is being completed. Everything went smoothly.

Rhett Barke served a notice to demolish to U S Bank on the Barr Street property. They called to say that the property was released, but we can’t locate the owner.

Motion 12: Helfrich moved and Emery seconded to accept the ANNEXATION PETITION FROM SHANNON WATSON for the property along Route 13 East and refer this to the engineer for a map and prepare an ordinance. All voted yea and the Mayor declared the motion carried.

The Ordinance designating one-way traffic on Jersey Street was tabled until the May meeting.

Curt Oetjen gave the Water and Sewer Board report as follows:

• There were 181 delinquent accounts in the amount of $13,361.70

• Water loss: Rend Lake bill not available, we sold 9,188,000

• Leak Credits were $61.54

• Approved bid process for Electronic Water Meters

• Approved the purchase of Water Bath for the Sewer Lab

• West Grand – Phase II Waterline – Complete

• Downtown Water Line - approved payment of Estimate no. 3 to Dean Bush in the amount of $16,675.45 and Engineering in the amount of $2,000.00

• KPS Texas and Willow – work schedule in April

• Sludge Disposal Renewal I.E.P.A. – Crawford & Associates $750.00

ENGINEERING REPORT

John Crawford, Crawford and Associates, explained that his office is preparing a grant application for water line improvements in the northwest section of Carterville (Johntown). The Concession Stand bids are still being reviewed for approval by Council.

Motion 13: Gooden moved and Helfrich seconded to approve payment of the Design Engineering for the Cannon Park Concession Stand to John Crawford and Associates in the amount of $11,000.00. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.

John Crawford presented a bill for Sierra Bravo for the Phase I West Grand project in the amount of $52,926.65. Since this was not listed on the agenda it was held for a future meeting. John Crawford indicated that his office is requesting $120,000.00 reimbursement for sidewalks already constructed from Federal pass-through funds (Map 21 Grant).

The West Grand – Phase II street improvements will be starting sometime in April. These pay estimates will be billed to I.D.O.T. for SIMPO funds. There will be a Message Board installed on West Grand announcing the road closure. The cost of the Message Board is part of the project costs. Many of the Council members indicated that they had heard concerns from the public about this road closure and the Mayor explained the processes followed to determine this decision and indicated that we will have Police presence at Cambria Road and West Grand Avenue.

The Mayor mentioned the following reminders:

• Downtown Merchants Committee – Monday, May 1, 2017 at 8:00 a.m. at Botski’s

• SIMPO Committee – Monday, April 10, 2017 at 1:00 p.m.

• Balloon Glow (Fire Dept) – Saturday, April ___ at Walker’s Bluff

• 10th Annual Block Party – Friday, May 5, 2017

• Murder Mystery Dinner Theater – Thursday, June 1, 2017

Motion 14: Gentry moved and Liebenrood seconded to adjourn. All voted yea and the meeting was dismissed at 8:04 p.m.