Village of DeSoto Board of Trustees met Jan. 4.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
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. The meeting was held via telephone conference due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Present: Tony Rushing Brian Gleason
Paulette Johnson John Evans
Jennifer Morgan Cristy Desormeaux
Eric Schuler
Others present on the call were David Griffin, Dana Smith, Ben Doan, Tim Parsons
Motion made by Paulette Johnson, seconded by Jennifer Morgan, to dispense with the reading of the minutes and to approve them. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Brian Gleason – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Jennifer Morgan – Yes; Cristy Desormeaux – Yes; Eric Schuler – Yes. Motion carried.
Motion made by Eric Schuler, seconded by Brian Gleason, to approve the December expense report. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Brian Gleason – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Jennifer Morgan – Yes; Cristy Desormeaux – Yes; Eric Schuler – Yes. Motion carried.
Motion made by Paulette Johnson, seconded by Jennifer Morgan, to pay the list of bills as presented. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Brian Gleason – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Jennifer Morgan – Yes; Cristy Desormeaux – Yes; Eric Schuler – Yes. Motion carried.
Tim Parsons, owner of the 4-Way Quik Stop, asked about the process to get retail sale of packaged liquor at the 4-Way. President John Evans pointed out that a referendum would be required. He said his understanding is that a petition would be required to get the question on the ballot. The village clerk will research the process.
Treasurer Dana Smith stated that the Village rents a safe deposit box at First-Mid Bank and Trust. According to Branch Manager Julie White, the Village would have the option of moving the safe deposit box to another First-Mid branch and getting one year of the rental fee waived. The Village currently pays $50 per year to rent the box. Treasurer Smith pointed out that documents currently held in the bank safe deposit box could be moved to the safe at the village hall and the safe deposit box closed.
Motion made by Tony Rushing, seconded by Jennifer Morgan, to close the safe deposit box at the First-Mid Bank and Trust De Soto branch and move the contents to the village hall. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Brian Gleason – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Jennifer Morgan – Yes; Cristy Desormeaux – Yes; Eric Schuler – Yes. Motion carried.
Discussion on lighting for the park walking path was tabled until the next meeting. Trustee Johnson was still gathering information.
Trustee Johnson suggested using the revitalization funds to purchase the property at 215 N. Walnut Street, demolish the house and clean it up. The Village did not get the DCEO grant for demolition of abandoned properties.
Motion made by Paulette Johnson, seconded by Tony Rushing, to use revitalization funds to pursue the purchase and demolition of the property at 215 N. Walnut Street. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Brian Gleason – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Jennifer Morgan – Yes; Cristy Desormeaux – Yes; Eric Schuler – Yes. Motion carried.
Trustee Tony Rushing had talked with Harold Sheffer of J. T. Blankinship, Inc. about the Phase IV Watermain Replacements project. Mr. Sheffer said the debt forgiveness would be 50%, and the application deadline is in February. Mr. Sheffer was going to contact the EPA to get a definite deadline.
Trustee Paulette Johnson said that a Bank Committee meeting was scheduled for January 11 at 6:30 PM.
The next village board meeting will be held Tuesday, January 19, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. via telephone conference. The public may join the meeting by calling 1-978-990-5087 and entering the access code 536100.
Motion made by Paulette Johnson, seconded by Tony Rushing, to adjourn at 7:44 PM. Motion carried.
http://villageofdesoto.com/board-members--village-minutes--forms.html
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