Carbondale Reporter

Village of DeSoto Board of Trustees met Nov. 15.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

President Douglas Hexamer called the second regular 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:

Douglas Hexamer Tony Rushing

Brian Gleason Paulette Johnson

Jennifer Morgan Cristy Desormeaux

Eric Schuler

Motion made by Tony Rushing, seconded by Cristy Desormeaux, to dispense with the reading of the minutes and to approve them. Motion carried.

Motion made by Brian Gleason, seconded by Paulette Johnson, to approve the October revenue report. Motion carried. Motion made by Brian Gleason, seconded by Tony Rushing, to pay the list of bills. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Brian Gleason – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Jennifer Morgan – Yes; Cristy Desormeaux – Yes; Eric Schuler – Yes. Motion carried.

Cristy Desormeaux noted that her name was incorrect in Paragraph 5 of the minutes. The minutes incorrectly read Johnson instead of Desormeaux.

Motion made by Cristy Desormeaux, seconded by Eric Schuler, to correct the name is Paragraph 5, Line 1, of the minutes from Johnson to Desormeux and to approve the minutes as amended. Motion carried.

Employee health insurance with Blue Cross Blue Shield was up for renewal as of January 1, 2022. The monthly premium would increase from $4,727.04 ($787.84 per person) to $5,169.90 (861.65 per person), which calculates to a 9% increase. The benefits of the current plan remained the same with the new plan. Insurance agent Mark Kelly was present to answer questions. Mr. Kelly noted that the Village has managed to maintain insurance costs over the last few years without much change in benefits. Board members felt the increase was reasonable, and nothing would have to change for the employees’ benefits.

Motion made by Eric Schuler, seconded by Tony Rushing, to renew the employees’ health insurance with Blue Cross Blue Shield at $861.65 per month per person for a monthly total of $5,169.90. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Brian Gleason – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Jennifer Morgan – Yes; Cristy Desormeaux – Yes; Eric Schuler – Yes. Motion carried.

The Village’s liability insurance with Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust was up for renewal on December 1 2021. The overall premium had decreased about 1% from last year. However, Trustee Jennifer Morgan pointed out the new police vehicle was not listed on the policy, which might increase the premium a little bit. The Village will make sure everything is listed properly and get an updated premium.

Motion made by Jennifer Morgan, to renew the risk management insurance policy with Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust, effective December 1, 2021 through November 30, 2022. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Brian Gleason – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Jennifer Morgan – Yes; Cristy Desormeaux – Yes; Eric Schuler – Yes. Motion carried.

Village Clerk Paula Parks had not received the Real Estate Sales Agreement for 402 E. Main St.

Motion made by Tony Rushing, seconded by Brian Gleason, to table discussion on the Real Estate Sales Agreement for 402 E. Main St. until the next meeting. Motion carried.

Trustee Tony Rushing reported that J. T. Hobbs was willing to read the meters for the whole town if the per meter rate would increase. Mr. Hobbs would also need to use the village truck to read the rural meters. In view of the fact that there should only be a need for one meter reader when the Radio Read Meters are installed, board members felt it would be good to at least try using one person to read meters for the whole town.

Motion made by Paulette Johnson, seconded by Tony Rushing, to raise the meter reader rate to $1 per meter instead of $.72 per meter. 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 Tony Rushing, to offer J. T. Hobbs the position of meter reader for the whole town for 60 days, beginning in January with re-evaluation at the end of the period. 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 Brian Gleason read the letter of resignation from Police Officer Gage James effective November 11, 2021.

Police Chief Ben Doan will advertise the vacancy in the paper and on Facebook.

The next board meeting will be held Monday, December 6, 2021 at 7:00 PM at the village hall.

Motion made by Tony Rushing, seconded by Jennifer Morgan, to adjourn at 7:59 PM. Motion carried.

http://villageofdesoto.com/board-members--village-minutes--forms.html