Sangamon Sun

Village of Jerome Village Board met July 6.

Here is the minutes provided by the Board:

Call to Order:

President Lopez called the July 6, 2017 meeting of the Village of Jerome Board of Trustees to order at 7:04 pm.

Pledge of Allegiance:

President Lopez led all those present in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Roll Call:

Clerk Wheeland called the roll.

Present:

President Lopez

Trustees Chilton, Johnson, Lael, Tripp, Winchester

Clerk Wheeland

Treasurer Roth

Attorney Brokaw

Absent:

Trustee Monnat

Approval of Minutes:

A. June 1, 2017 Regular Meeting Minutes

A motion was made by Trustee Chilton to approve the Minutes of the June 1, 2017 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees. The motion was seconded by Trustee Johnson.

Roll Call Vote:

Ayes: Trustee Lael, Trustee Winchester, Trustee Chilton, Trustee Tripp, Trustee Johnson

B. June 15, 2017 Regular Meeting Minutes

A motion was made by Trustee Tripp to approve the Minutes of the June 15, 2017 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees. The motion was seconded by Trustee Lael.

Roll Call Vote:

Ayes: Trustee Lael, Trustee Winchester, Trustee Chilton, Trustee Tripp, Trustee Johnson

Approval of Warrant List 18-05:

President Lopez noted that Warrant List 18-05 dated July 6, 2017 totaled $31,882.44. Treasurer Roth added that of this amount $17,370.51 would be paid from the Water Fund and the remaining $14,511.93 would be paid from the General Revenue Fund.

Trustee Winchester asked if the pre-mix used by the Public Works Department could be paid from Motor Fuel (MFT) funds. Treasurer Roth responded that MFT funds could not be used for that purpose but Road and Bridge funds could be used.

Attorney Brokaw clarified that although the Comcast bill was shown as Broadband TV there is no television Service included in that bill.

A motion was made by Trustee Lael to approve Warrant List 18-05 dated July 6, 2017 for a total of $31,882.44. The motion was seconded by Trustee Johnson.

Ayes: Trustee Lael, Trustee Winchester, Trustee Chilton, Trustee Tripp, Trustee Johnson

The motion carried.

Visitors Acknowledgement:

President Lopez opened the Visitors Acknowledgement portion of the meeting at 7:11pm,

There were no public comments. This portion of the meeting closed at 7:12 pm.

Reports from Willage Departments:

A. Public Health

Trustee Johnson reported that she had received a complaint regarding swastikas painted outside a home on Iles Avenue west of MacArthur Boulevard. Acting Chief Estill stated that a call had been received at the Police Department the previous day and an officer had investigated, finding the symbols were painted on the side of canoes. Trustee Chilton observed that although the symbols were offensive, they were not illegal under the right to freedom of speech.

Presdident Lopez notified Trustee Johnson that the Sangamon County Department of Public

Health would be sending the annual Intergovernmental Agreement for animal control services and that the fees would be increasing this year. The Agreement will be forwarded to Trustee Johnson.

B. Public Works

Trustee Tripp reported that the branch pickup was complete. Public Works staff had done a good job on this project and had done one final sweep of the Village after covering each street. Trustee Tripp also complimented the Public Works staff on their help with the July 4th parade and activities and noted that they will now be catching up on other projects.

C. Public Property

Trustee Winchester stated that he had no report.

D. Building & Zoning

Trustee Lael reported the following:

•Pre-cast concrete walls are up at the Jerome Mini-Mall at 1501 Wabash Avenue and installation of the trusses has begun. There is no indication as to the businesses that will go in there so although the floors are being poured soon the plumbing needs have not been determined. Trustee Lael will check with the County Building Inspector to see if he has received any more specific plans. Trustee Chilton asked if the water lines had been determined yet. James Foster, Superintendent of Public Works, stated that he had not been contacted regarding the water line needs since the project planning stage. Trustee Lael stated that temporary power is being installed and the project is moving rapidly now. The architect had contacted him regarding addressing of units in the building. President Lopez explained that 9-1-1 prefers using the base address and letters for each Suite,

•Merchandise has been brought in to the NAPA store and it should be opening soon.

•The Wing Stop restaurant plans have been approved by the County and the Village, Trustee Lael is not sure when work will begin,

•The house at 1641 Homewood has been demolished. A new home wit be Constructed on the property.

•Trustee Lael has notified several contractors working in the Village that they need a contractor's permit. Everyone was cooperative and just didn't know about the requirement.

E. Public Safety

Acting Chief Estill reported that $800 has been received in response to the donation letters approved at the last meeting and Allied Plumbing and Heating will be donating $750 in August through their community charity program.

President Lopez noted that an intergovernmental Agreement with Lincoln Land Community College is needed in order to donate the police car as previously approved by the Board.

F. Water Department

Trustee Chilton reported that she, James Foster, and Joe Gragg, the Village Water Operator, had met with a representative from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a review of the Village's Water operations. The meeting went well and a letter with results of the review is forthcoming.

G. Village Treasurer

Treasurer Roth reported the following:

•Income Tax Revenue for May of $22,195.31 was received from the Illinois Department of Revenue.

•Gaming Revenue for April of $10,176.05 was received.

•Checks for the June 15th meeting warrants were mailed out right after that meeting and the Village met payroll for June 30". Checks will be mailed out after this meeting.

•With all obligations before paying July 6th warrants, payroll taxes, and IMRF, there is $64,685.50 in the Illinois National Bank (NB) General Revenue Funds (GRF) account. There is approximately $270 in the Illinois Fund Account after transferring out $22,200.

•GRF obligations for the July 6th warrants is $14,511.93 with reimbursement from the Road and Bridge Fund of $478.73.

•Reimbursement to the GRF for work performed for the Water Department by the Public Works Department was $911.74 for the month of June.

•A separate bank account will be established for the Police Department donations. As items are purchased the General Fund will be reimbursed for the cost of purchases.

•Due to a bookkeeping error recently discovered by the State Police, the Village has received approximately $23,746 in back payment for having a Police Officer in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) program. There are no restrictions on the money and it will go into the General Fund, Trustee Lael asked if the money could be used to buy a new police car. Treasurer Roth responded that a carpurchase was not in the budget so some other item would need to be eliminated from the budget to make up the difference.

•Treasurer Roth had sent a memo to Willage officials regarding the procedure for processing warrants. The Secretary makes two copies of the warrant summary sheet, cover sheet, and bills to be filed in two separate locations, in the spindle and in a Warrant Book. Trustee Lael expressed his support for having the Warrant Book. Treasurer Roth felt this was an unnecessary extra step for the Secretary and a waste of paper. He stated that if there was no objection he would advise the Secretary to no longer maintain the Warrant Book. There was no objection.

•Woodside Property Taxes of $4,165.79 had been received.

H. Village Clerk

Clerk Wheeland stated she, President Lopez, and Attorney Brokaw had developed the following process for creating meeting agendas:

•On the Monday of the week prior to the Board meeting, Clerk Wheeland will send an email reminding Board members to send any items for the agenda to her by noon on Friday. If a legal document is needed, such as an ordinance or resolution, it would be helpful to know sooner.

•The President will review the agenda on Friday afternoon.

•The agenda will then be sent to the Attorney for final review.

•Any last minute need to have an item included will be accommodated.

I. Village Attorney

Attorney Brokaw stated he had no report.

J. Village President

President Lopez stated that the State Budget passed earlier in the day had included a reduction in payments to municipalities.

President Lopez reported the following income for the month of June:

Video Gaming $10,176.05

Sangamon County $1,614.87

E-Citation $28.00

DUI $350.00

Police Vehicle Fund $207.00

Employment Security $4,485,70

President Lopez thanked everyone who attended and helped with the July 4th parade and activities. He thanked all the trustees who helped, especially Trustee Lael for all his hard work and Trustee Chilton who donated cookies and chips. He noted that ShopNSave had donated 280 hot dogs. He reminded people that the next event is the Halloween celebration, which will require a Public Health food certificate.

President Lopez informed the Board that he would be attending the Regional Leadership Council on July 27. He asked Trustee Lael to provide any photos that could be used in joint projects being undertaken by the Council.

Old Business:

A. Discussion and Approval of Website Operation

This item was tabled until the next meeting.

B. Discussion and Approval of Ordinance 18-02 Adding a Liquor License

Attorney Brokaw explained that the Village Board has the authority to set the number of liquor licenses available in the Village. There are two types of liquor licenses: tavern, which allows the sale of alcoholic drinks, and package. Any business with a gaming license must have a tavern liquor license. There are eight tavern liquor licenses allowed in the Village and all of them are taken. A request has been made by Jia Qiang Dong, owner of Hunan Restaurant, for the Willage to add a ninth tavern liquor license. The Willage President is the Liquor Commissioner and has final approval on such matters. However, the Village President can consult the Deputy Liduor Commissioner Board before making a decision. One set of five video gaming machines is allowed per liquor license. One liquor license is allowed per location.

Jia Qiang Dong stated that he had purchased the former Goodwill building at 1333 Wabash Avenue and planned to move his restaurant there in two years when the lease is up on the restaurant's current location. In the meantime he would like to put in a video gaming business at the new location. He has tried to rent the building but has had no interest.

Trustee Chilton asked what the status is on gaming revenue for the Village. Treasurer Roth stated that it is up from last year.

Trustee Lael stated that gaming revenue in Springfield has been declining. He also wondered about requiring a certain percentage of food sales revenue per gaming establishment. Attorney Brokaw explained that the City of Springfield only allows establishments with 60% of revenue from food to get a gaming license. This was a policy decision made by the City and could be a factor in declining gaming revenues they are experiencing.

President Lopez asked each trustee how they felt about adding a ninth liquor license to the Willage. The responses were:

•Trustee Lael has an issue with allowing another gaming license but not another tavern liquor license.

•Trustee Winchester is opposed to adding a liquor license.

•Trustee Chilton is in support of the request because of the revenue another gaming business Would bring to the Village.

•Trustee Tripp is opposed to another gaming facility because of the ill effects he has seen associated with this activity.

•Trustee Johnson is opposed to another gaming facility because of the behavior it draws and she doesn't think the community should be built on gaming,

President Lopez asked the Village Clerk to convene the Liquor Commission to consider Jia Qiang Dong's request before the next Board meeting.

C. Discussion of Electronic Citation Service

This item was tabled until the next meeting.

New Business:

A. Discussion and Review of Proposed Road Projects in the Village Utilizing Road and Bridge Funds and Motor Fuel Tax Funds

Trustee Winchester stated that he and Trustee Tripp had put together a list of priority road projects for Board consideration. They had initially looked at Iles Avenue.

Trustee Tripp stated that he had taked with Superintendent Foster about using $15,000 of Road and Bridge Funds on culvert work to be performed by Village staff. The Village has about $95,000 in Motor Fuel Tax Funds available although using these does require DOT review and approval. There is a total of approximately $300,000 available for road projects this year. Trustee Tripp worked with Mickey Mann, Village Engineer, to develop additional projects.

Mr. Mann presented a list and map of eight potential projects involving mill and overlays and patching. He noted that any project costing over $20,000 and using MFT funds would have to go through the DOT review process and letting. A resolution was approved earlier in the year for limited use of MFT funds so a supplemental resolution would be needed before submitting the projects to IDOT. He said that if the resolution was approved at the next meeting plans could be ready to submit. Bidding could be undertaken in late August with a contract executed in early September. Work could start in September. Mr. Mann noted that the projects would address some of the worst areas in the Village, although not the long-term drainage problems.

Trustee Winchester stated that it is not often that the Village has a large sum of money to spend on road projects and the Iles Avenue projects would dress up an entrance to the Willage.

It was noted by the President and several Trustees that Reed Avenue has deteriorated badly and is a long overdue project.

Trustee Tripp recognized the poor condition of the Park Street and Glenn Avenue intersection. Mr. Mann explained that the project at that intersection would include a re-build, not just a mill and overlay.

Mr. Mann reminded the Board of the grant application that had been submitted to the Springfield Area Transportation Study for Iles Avenue. The application had gotten a favorable score although the Village would have to provide a match of about $1 million.

Treasurer Roth reported that there was $150,000 available in the 1% sales tax fund, $95,000 in the MFT fund, and $75,000 of General Revenue Funds for road projects in the FY 2018 budget. There may need to be a supplemental appropriation ordinance approved.

Attorney Brokaw explained that the MFT funds could be designated through resolution so they would not need to be included in a supplemental or amended appropriation ordinance.

The consensus of the Board was to move forward with the following projects using MFT and 1% Sales Tax funding:

lles Avenue (Chatham to Welch) $35,000

lles Avenue (Leonard to Owens) $90,000

lles Avenue (Owens to Park) $45,000

Park Street (Intersection of Scott/Glenn) $75,000

Maple (Park to Lincoln) S 5,000

Reed Avenue (Chatham to Corbin) $60,000

The following project will use Road and Bridge funding and will be undertaken by the Public Works Department staff:

Drainage problems, including Iles Avenue west of MacArthur Boulevard $10,000

The following project will be completed using Water Department Funds since road issues at this location are caused by water main breaks:

Intersection of Leonard Street and Glenn Avenue $15,000

Mr. Mann noted that additional MFT funds will be coming in over the next months.

Board members noted that this list of road projects will cover all areas of the Village.

President Lopez noted that a total of 13 road projects will have been undertaken between last year and this year.

Treasurer Roth suggested using all the MFT funding available before tapping into the General Revenue Fund for these road projects.

B. Appointment of a Chairman and One New Member to the Zoning Board of Appeals

President Lopez suggested naming Hal Pilger to be Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals.

A motion was made by Trustee Lael to approve Hal Pilger as Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals. The motion was seconded by Trustee Chilton.

Roll Call Vote:

Ayes: Trustee Lael, Trustee Winchester, Trustee Chilton, Trustee Tripp, Trustee Johnson

The motion carried.

Executive Session:

A motion was made by Trustee Lael to go into Executive Session to discuss the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of a specific employee or legal counsel for the public body (5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1)) and to discuss minutes of meetings lawfully closed under the Open Meetings Act for purposes of approval by the Body (5ILCS 120/2(c)(21)). Trustee Tripp seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote:

Ayes: Trustee Lael, Trustee Winchester, Trustee Chilton, Trustee Tripp, Trustee Johnson

The motion carried.

The Board went into Executive Session at 8:31 pm.

The Board returned from Executive Session at 10:06 pm.

Adjournment:

A motion was made by Trustee Chilton to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Trustee Tripp.

Roll Call Vote:

Ayes: Trustee Lael, Trustee Winchester, Trustee Chilton, Trustee Tripp, Trustee Johnson

The motion carried and the meeting adjourned at 10:07 pm.

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