Sangamon Sun

Village of Divernon Board of Trustees met March 13.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

The regular meeting of the Village of Divernon Board of Trustees was held on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at the Divernon Village Hall. Village President Jim Copelin called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. After the Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance, Clerk Rod Molnar called roll: Jim Copelin “Here”, Craig Busch “Here", Wayne Jones "Here", Melissa Layton “Here”, Larry Baer “Here”, Derek Hedges “Here”, Dianne Brenning “Here”. Also in attendance were Superintendent Jeremy Rhodes, Treasurer Christine Nichols and Police Chief Jason Martin.

A motion was made by Busch and seconded by Jones to approve the corrected minutes of February 27, 2019. The motion passed 6-0.

Brenning presented the Village bills with a motion that they be approved. Baer seconded and the motion carried 6-0.

Visitors:

David and Brittany Catlin of Maddie's Tavern were in attendance. They wanted to bring the Board up to date on plans they had for this summer. They will be hosting “Bike Night” again this year. The set up for traffic and parking will be about the same as last year. The date will be May 31, 2019. They are planning an “All Class Divernon High School Reunion”. The date is tentatively set for September 7, 2019. Details will be forthcoming.

Wesley White asked the Board if barricades could be put back at the entrance to the closed gas station on North Henrietta. He said that the property is becoming an area for littering and people coming off the highway have been using it for a bathroom. J. Rhodes will get barricades put up soon.

Tasha Tomarelli requested and received an extension of time to pay her utility bill beyond the shutoff date.

Supervisor Reports:

Public Works:

Superintendent Rhodes reported that he and his crew have been working on alleys and will put rock down this spring. He is meeting with Lindsay Enloe of USDI next week about the proposal to electronically store the Village's natural gas records. He will have Enloe come to a future meeting.

Police:

Chief Martin reported he is continuing to work with the Sangamon County Health Department on getting the old IGA property cleaned up or demolished. He presented a program to the Board called Safe Passage. The program is being done in other communities with success. Citizens with a drug problem could approach the department, turn in their drugs and be transported to a facility for help. Martin believes there are people that are looking for help. He will contact the Village Attorney for advice on the matter before moving forward. He is looking into a better way for officers to carry the equipment they currently carry on their belts. There have been issues with back problems for police officers. There are methods for moving some items to the vest area. He will look more into this and bring it back to the Board. The department recently received an $1800.00 grant for vests. Two prospective part time officers have been selected to put through the part time police academy. They are Zack Pearce and Ben Schoonover. Both serves as sergeants in the military. Pearce is currently in the Air Guard. Classes will begin next month.

Committee Reports: Zoning, TIF, Building Permits:

Mayor Copelin informed the Board that he, Rhodes, Martin and the Village Attorney recently performed a walk through at the Corner Bar to observe the construction taking place. It was determined that the work being done exceeded cosmetic repairs and would require a building permit. A stop work order is forthcoming until a permit is issued.

Public Utilities, Water, Sewer and Gas:

Nothing to report.

Finance, Personnel, GIS:

A motion was made by Brenning to approve Ordinance 2019-001, the annual Appropriation Ordinance. Baer seconded and the motion was approved 6-0. Nichols reported that the names of those that have access to the Village's safety deposit box needed to be updated. A motion was made by Baer and seconded by Jones to have Molnar, Baer and Copelin put on the list. The motion carried 6-0. Nichols also reported that the Village needed to update their software version of QuickBooks at a cost of $219.95. A motion was made by Hedges to approve the purchase. Layton seconded and the motion passed 6-0. Copelin presented letters from the Village Attorney with recommendations to changes to the Personnel Code.

Public Safety, Health and Safety:

Layton reported that she will begin work on scheduling the annual Village Wide Garage Sale as well as Cleanup Day. The garage sale will be the first weekend in May and the cleanup will be the second Saturday in May. There will be an attempt to have an electronic recycling station at the cleanup if possible.

Public Works, Streets, Alleys and Sidewalks:

Nothing to report.

Village Communication/Building Grounds and Lights, Parks:

Busch reported that information about early voting has been added to the website. If anyone wants anything else added they should contact him or Office Manager Heather Rideout.

Old Business:

Molnar opened the only bid received on the property at 333 State Street. The bid was from Bill Fuchs for $3501.00. A motion was made by Hedges and seconded by Baer to accept the bid. The motion carried 6-0.

New Business:

Layton reported that the annual Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by the Presbyterian Youth Group will be held in the park on April 7, 2019 from 1:00 to 2:30. A Teenage Easter Egg hunt will be held in the park on April 13, 2019.

Representative Darrin Lahood's office will bring his traveling town hall to the Village on Tuesday April 9, 2019 from 1:00 to 3:00. Residents will items or concerns are encouraged to attend.

A motion was made by Hedges to go into executive session at 7:36 p.m. to discuss personnel issues.

The Board returned to regular session at 7:52 p.m.

No further action was taken.

Motion by Hedges to adjourn at 7:53 p.m.

https://divernonil.com/assets/uploads/sites/219/2019/04/Minutes-3-13-2019.pdf