Carbondale Reporter

Village of DeSoto Board of Trustees met April 4.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

President Douglas Hexamer called the first 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 : Tony Rushing Brian Gleason

Paulette Johnson Doug Hexamer

Jennifer Morgan Cristy Desormeaux

Eric Schuler

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

Motion made by Tony Rushing, seconded by Brian Gleason, to approve the March Expenditure report. Motion carried.

Motion made by Cristy Desormeaux, seconded by Eric Schuler, 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.

Cathy Payne was present to discuss the need for an increase in the water deposit for renters. Mrs. Payne pointed out the Village had not increased rental water deposits since 2003. She felt that the deposit should be increased to at least $150 to cover the cost when renters move out leaving an unpaid water bill. Water rates have increased but the rental water deposits have not. Therefore, the water deposits are not keeping up with the increased water bills. When the deposit does not cover the unpaid water bill, the Village covers $30, and the landlord has to pay the rest. Raising the rental water deposit rate would be beneficial to the Village as well as the landlord. Board members agreed increasing the renter water deposit to $150 was a good idea. The current rate of $100.00 would have to be amended to $150.00 by ordinance.

Select Energy had submitted the pricing proposal with the electric supply renewal rates, effective May 2022, for the Village’s Ameren accounts. Because of the current jump in rates, the Board felt it best to contract with the supplier with lowest rate for 12 months in case the rates go down.

Motion made by Eric Schuler, seconded by Tony Rushing, to approve a contract with Constellation for 12 months at a quoted rate of $0.08963 for electric supply. 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 Tony Rushing, seconded by Paulette Johnson, to approve the Letter of Authorization of Representative for J. T. Blankinship, Inc. to sign PWSLP loan application documents for the Phase IV Watermain Replacements Project. 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 reported that the Water Committee had met at 5:30 PM to interview applicants for the water meter reader position. There were four applicants but only two showed up. The Water Committee recommended hiring Michael Johnstone.

Motion made by Tony Rushing, seconded by Eric Schuler, to hire Michael Johnstone as the meter reader, effective passing the background check, at $.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 award a 3% wage increase to all regularly scheduled employees. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Brian Gleason – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Jennifer Morgan – Yes; Cristy Desormeaux – Yes; Eric Schuler – Yes. Motion carried.

President Douglas Hexamer reported that Du Quoin State Bank will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, April 18, 2022 at 8:30 AM to officially open the De Soto branch for business.

Based on the latest appraisals by Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust Insurance, the Village is underinsured in some areas. Therefore, the insurance premium would increase this year by approximately $4,328.00 based on a pro-rated calculation. The premium for next year would increase by approximately $6,066.00.

Motion made by Jennifer Morgan, seconded by Eric Schuler, to authorize Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust Insurance to increase the coverage for the underinsured areas and to approve the additional premiums due to the increased coverage. 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 next Village board meeting will be held Monday, April 18 at 7 PM at the village hall.

Motion made by Tony Rushing, seconded by Jennifer Morgan, to adjourn at 8:22 PM. Motion carried.

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