Carterville City Council met April 10.
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 7:02 p.m.
Roll Call:
Bradley M. Robinson Mayor Present
Khristina Hollister City Clerk Present
Michele A. Edwards Deputy City Clerk Present
Mark Carney City Treasurer Present
John Allsopp Alderman/Ward 3 Present
Doug Brinkley Alderman/Ward 3 Present
Bud Edwards Alderman/Ward 1 Present
Phyllis Emery Alderman/Ward 4 Absent
Tom Gentry Alderman/Ward 1 Present
Mike Helfrich Alderman/Ward 2 Present
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; Ron Rains, Fire Chief; Heather Reno, Police Chief; Emily Hunsaker, The Courier; Allen Latch, Citizen; Harriet Mize, Carterville Chamber of Commerce; Ronda Robinson, Citizen; Janice McConnaughy, HR Specialist; Ralph Graul, Building Inspector; Marty Hagan, Firefighter/Paramedic; Bradley Ahlgren, Firefighter Candidate, Robert Ahlgren; Baxter Heflin; Lyndsey Kuligowski; James Lawson, Firefighter/EMT; Stephanie Wooley, S I Suzuki Strings; Jacob Pendley, Police Officer; Jordan Kiesling, Police Officer; Mike Byrne, Police Officer; Jerry Humble, Citizen; and Retia Watson, Bookkeeper-Secretary.
Motion 1: Oetjen moved and Helfrich seconded to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of March 13, 2018 and as presented. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
Motion 2: Gentry moved and Edwards seconded to approve the minutes of the Special Meeting of March 27, 2018 as presented. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
Mark Carney, City Treasurer, presented and explained the March 2018 Treasurer’s Report for approval.
Motion 3: Gentry moved and Edwards seconded to approve the March 2018 Treasurer’s Report as presented. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
Recognition of Guests:
Stephanie Wooley, S I Suzuki Strings, introduced herself as a new business on South Division Street. The business offers music lessons for string instruments using the Suzuki method.
Motion 4: Edwards moved and Allsopp 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. (Tom Gentry asked about the FS bill for gasoline/diesel and Khrissy indicated that it was received today and Dave Draper is completing the breakdown).
Departments/Committees:
Cannon Park and James Street Park-
Garry Wiggs presented a proposal for installation of a Knox Box for the Cannon Park Concession Stand at a cost of $346.00.
Motion 5: Helfrich moved and Brinkley seconded to purchase a Knox Box for the Cannon Park Concession Stand.at a cost of $346.00 (this will be installed in-house). A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
The Mayor introduced a request for the purchase of two new benches at the Dog Park to be constructed from the bottle caps that have been collected. This was discussed in Park Committee. Janice McConnaughy explained that there is a surplus of bottle caps that need to be used so that they are not lost. There is enough material collected to complete three benches and the cost of making them is $225.00 each for the labor to build the benches. She also indicated that there will be shelters over the benches in the future. The surplus material will also be used by the Rotary Club to add slats to existing benches.
John Allsopp asked about benches on the back side of the walking path.
Motion 6: Liebenrood moved and Allsopp seconded to use our plastic cap credit for purchase two 6’ grey benches for the Cannon Park walking path at a cost of $225.00 each and donate the balance of our surplus caps to the Rotary Club. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
The request for a reduced fee for the Community Center from Create-A-Smile Dental Foundation was withdrawn.
Fire Department:
Ron Rains, Fire Chief, explained the on-going remodeling projects at the Fire Station. They have been working with Bill Mausey on these projects. All the furniture has been purchased and they are working on acquiring the needed materials.
The repeater is up. They are testing and it will be up and going by the end of the week.
The Balloon Glow event is still in the planning and advertising stage. It is scheduled for May 4th and May 5th at Cannon Park. The information is all on the Facebook page for the event. They have booked a band. The Golf Scramble in September is also in the planning stage.
Motion 7: Brinkley moved and Helfrich seconded to confirm the Mayor’s appointment of Bradley Ahlgren as Full-Time Firefighter for the Carterville Fire Department. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
Khristina Hollister, City Clerk, swore in Bradley Ahlgren as a Full-Time Firefighter.
Police Department:
Chief Heather Reno presented the March 2018 Report:
• There were 294 Officer Calls for Service in March (case number generated)
• Officers provided assistance to other departments 57 times in March
• Code Enforcement generated 7 calls
• Officer attended training in FOIA; Motor Vehicle Theft; Law Enforcement Symposium
• All funds have been spent from the IDOT CPS grant for the purchase of child passenger safety seats. Live Simple shop raised approximately $225.00 for us in the month of February during a fundraising drive. We had some money left from the donation received from the Pin Oak and Jim Koonce is making up the rest for a total of $500.00 and the Woman’s Life is donating an additional $500.00 so we will have an additional $1,000.00 to purchase additional seats for the rest of the grant year.
• Received a Mini Distracted Driving grant in the amount of $1,056.00
• Completed applications for a reimbursement grant for in-car camera systems ($27,782.00)
Chief Reno explained that there are now two vehicles totaled due to accidents. With the funds available through insurance and equipment funds they have $32,018.59 available. She suggested that they purchase at least one SUV with these funds. Also, Watermark Motors indicated that they would give us a discount if we purchased two SUVs at a cost of $59,983.00. The Mayor indicated that we cannot purchase more than one tonight because of the bid process. Reno gave evidence that the used cars that were suggested for purchase would not be reliable for an emergency department. She feels that we are trying to move forward with SUVs and feels that the Impalas are not as safe. This purchase would not be cost effective because they would only give us a few additional years. There was a long discussion regarding the purchase of used vehicles. Mike Helfrich explained this is not a permanent process but that funds are very low because of State funding cuts, employee health insurance increases and Police and Fire Pension Fund increases. This is one way the City can hold expenses until funds are more stable probably within the next couple of years. Gentry indicated that we have to live within our means. Oetjen indicated that the two vehicles that we are looking at are Federal vehicles. It was suggested that Jerry Evans, Maintenance Shop, take two additional people to the dealership in northern Illinois and purchase two cars, if he feels they are reliable and safe.
Motion 8: Oetjen moved and Gentry seconded to authorize the purchase of two 2012 Chevrolet Impala Police Cruisers (Stock #17454 and #17455) from Asia Motors Incorporated in Stone Park, IL at a cost of approximately $7,000.00 each pending approval from the City Maintenance Department. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
Mayor Robinson explained a request for placement of Honor Wreaths for Veterans at the City cemeteries from December 15, 2018 through January 15, 2019. This was reviewed by the Cemetery Committee and there are no restrictions on placement of wreaths on graves. The request was made by Jim Koonce and the Mayor asked that the Council consider and approve this request. He also stated that we should work on an ordinance that clarifies regulations instead of only having signage on site.
Motion 9: Liebenrood moved and Edwards seconded to approve the request from Jim Koonce for placement of Honor Wreaths for Veterans on cemetery graves from December 15, 2018 through January 15, 2019. All voted yea and the Mayor declared the motion carried.
Ralph Graul, Building Inspector, distributed and explained his report, which shows 30 active permits.
The Mayor explained that we had an EF1 tornado that hit Carterville and he and other personnel did a damage assessment and found there were nine residential structures that had damage from the storm (two of these were duplexes/three shed structures; a number of fences; the trees were not counted; one family was displaced). This storm data was reported to Williamson County Emergency Management Office in case there is funding available for repairs. Also, the storm siren did not sound because the National Weather Service did not issue a tornado warning until the tornado had passed through Carterville and crossed Rt. 148 heading east. The Mayor has sent an inquiry to the National Weather Service through the Williamson County EMA Director.
Harriet Mize, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director:
• Business Spotlight – Irons in the Fire; Yewell Insurance and Tequilas.
• Harriet welcomed the SI Suzuki Strings to Carterville
• Dates to Remember:
o Tuesday, April 17th – Downtown Merchants Meeting
o Thursday, April 19th – Chamber Business Seminar Luncheon
o Every Wednesday – Cannon Park Community Market
• Next General Membership Meeting – Wednesday, May 2, 2018
• Carterville Chamber Map – Selling ads for the publishing company
• Future Dates:
o May 11th – Rotary/Chamber Golf Scramble
o June 14th – Carterville Community Day at Miner’s Park (Gum Drops Donations)
o September 7th – Chamber Twilight 5K Run/Walk
The Mayor explained that we received a request for Chamber map sponsorship from the Chamber of Commerce at a cost of $2,295.00 for advertising on the back cover of this map. This will be published later this year by Town Square Publications of Arlington Heights, IL.
Motion 10: Oetjen moved and Edwards seconded to table the request for sponsorship of the Chamber map. All voted yea and the Mayor declared the motion carried.
The Mayor explained the annual Employee Health Insurance renewal process. The State of Illinois changed their calculation of small group/large group classifications and they put the City of Carterville in a large group classification. This change increased the pricing of health insurance which resulted in an increase in out-of-pocket expenses to employees and an increase in the total premium. Therefore, even though our employment numbers have not increased, premiums have increased by approximately $100,000.00 a year. Aetna is the lowest priced plan.
Motion 11: Helfrich moved and Oetjen seconded to accept the Aetna Insurance contract for employee health insurance at a monthly premium of $39,708.00. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
The Russ Fine family is requesting that they be permitted to place a plaque in memory of Dr. and Mrs. Herbert Fine at the Gazebo. This is an 18” X 18” plaque to be placed near the ground at the gazebo. They are providing the plaque and are asking for approval.
Motion 12: Liebenrood moved and Allsopp seconded to allow the 18” X 18” plaque for Dr. and Mrs. Herbert Fine to be placed on the gazebo behind the Veteran’s Memorial. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
The Project Graduation donation was discussed. This year’s program is not an after graduation party but a trip to Six Flags. The Mayor indicated that this was discussed in Finance Committee and in past years we have donated $200.00 toward this program. The Mayor stated that if this donation is denied by the Council, we will accept individual donations from Council members and give this to the Project Graduation Committee.
Motion 13: Oetjen moved and Edwards seconded to deny the donation to Project Graduation as presented. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
The Downtown Car Show sponsored by the Heritage Museum is scheduled for June 1, 2018 and they are asking for permission to close Division Street and provide Police presence for this event.
Motion 14: Oetjen moved and Liebenrood seconded to approve the closing of Division Street and the use of Police presence for the Heritage Museum Downtown Car Show on Friday, June 1, 2018. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
Motion 15: Gentry moved and Edwards seconded to approve the budget from Barbara Kerley and Rich Stevenson for supplies for the planters at the Veteran’s Memorial in the amount of $350.00. (This is for plants and dirt and all labor is donated). A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
Motion 16: Gentry moved and Helfrich seconded to approve a budget of $300.00 for the 11th Annual Block Party scheduled for April 27, 2018 (rain date May 4). A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
Alderman Curt Oetjen gave the Water and Sewer Board report as follows:
• There were 198 delinquent accounts in the amount of $20,207.89
• There were only 43 shutoffs last month
• Water Loss: In March, we sold 9,761,750 gallons and purchased 11,372,374 gallons for a water loss of 1.6 million
• Electronic Meters – Bid opening April 17, 2019 at 12:00 noon
• Board approved the purchase of a 3” trash pump for $1,607.82.
• There were NO LEAKS last month
• Board approved purchase of a Hatch for the Influent Pump Well for $1,614.64
• Leak credits approved $1,271.90 (12)
• Board approved advertising for a General Laborer for the Water Department
Engineering Report – Garry Wiggs (Engineer was not available):
Garry Wiggs explained that we will be replacing two 30” culverts on North Division at a cost of $1,105.60 and we will be adding a 24” culvert at $585.30 for a total cost of $1,690.90. This will help the drainage issue for Mr. Hancock on North Division.
Motion 17: Liebenrood moved and Gentry seconded to approve the purchase of culvert pipe for North Division Street at a total cost of $1,690.90 (these will be installed in-house). A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
Garry Wiggs explained the progress on the Cannon Park Concession Stand. The City personnel will be completing this project in the next week (including connection of the force main which will cause a road closure on North Greenbriar Road). The Council members asked about the road and Wiggs indicated that they would be making repairs.
Motion 18: Oetjen moved and Helfrich seconded to move to EXECUTIVE SESSION for the purpose of discussing personnel. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Council left the room at 8:31 p.m.
Motion 19: Gentry moved and Liebenrood seconded to return to REGULAR SESSION. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Council resumed regular session at 8:46 p.m.
Motion 20: Brinkley moved and Edwards seconded to approve the three-year contract for Ron Rains as Fire Chief for the City of Carterville. A roll call vote was taken, and all present voted yea. The Mayor declared the motion carried.
Reminders:
Farmer’s Market – Wednesdays 3-6 p.m. – Cannon Park
11th Annual Block Party – Friday, April 27th – Behind City Hall
Fire Department Balloon Glow – Friday and Saturday, May 4th and May 5th
Heritage Museum Downtown Car Show – Friday, June 1st
City Spring Cleanup Dates – June 4th and June 5th
Kamper’s Supply – 43rd Annual Open House – May 4th and May 5th
Motion 21: Gentry moved and Brinkley seconded to adjourn. All voted yea and the meeting was dismissed at 8:50 p.m.
https://visitcarterville.com/sites/default/files/City%20Council%20%20Meeting%20April%2010%2C%20%202018.pdf