Sangamon Sun

Village of Divernon Board of Trustees met May 22.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

The regular meeting of the Village of Divernon Board of Trustees was held on Wednesday, May 22, 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”, Gail Hedges “Here”, Tyler Bramley “Here”. Also in attendance were Police Chief Jason Martin and Superintendent Jeremy Rhodes.

A motion was made by Hedges and seconded by Layton to approve the minutes of May 8, 2019. The motion passed 6-0.

Baer presented the Village bills with a motion that they be approved after adding invoices from Blue Cross/Blue Shield for $3212.63 and Melissa Layton for $73.43 for flowers around the square. Hedges seconded and the motion carried 6-0.

Visitors:

Brittany Catlin requested a one day liquor license for a fundraiser on June 15, 2019 from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. 

A motion was made by Jones and seconded by Baer to approve the request. The motion carried 6-0.

Kevin Zimmerman requested a donation for the Sportsman’s Club annual fireworks display. The Village has donated in the past, but has not been asked for one recently. Zimmerman said the cost of the display is around $5000.00.

Ben Spreen of Benton and Associates was in attendance to discuss the Village’s Capital Plan. The plan was updated last in 2012. The State of Illinois may pass a capital budget this year, and the Village would like to be ready if any funds are available. Spreen asked if the Village would like to have the plan updated with new cost projections for 2019. He recommended that the Village focus on the storm water portion of the plan, as there is no other revenues to cover storm water. The Board asked Spreen to begin work on the plan. Spreen also spoke with the Board regarding the possibility of looking into USDA or IEPA grants to replace water lines. There are roughly 12,000 feet of old cast iron mains in the Village that need to be replaced. Public Works have been replacing about 600 feet each year, but Rhodes believes that a replacement project is something we should consider. Spreen said there is a possibility that the Village could qualify for a grant or low interest loan.

Presentations were made from Matt Hupp and Matt Walker of Illini Tech as well as Harv Koplo of Avrom Systems regarding the contract for the Village’s IT service. Previously a presentation was made by Heart Technologies and a proposal from Hanson Information Systems. The Board will review all of the proposals and make a decision at the next meeting.

Supervisor Reports:

Public Works:

Jeremy Rhodes said that he and his crew have completed the rocking of alleys. He will begin work on side roads next. He asked the Board for permission to put a new roof on the shop. A motion was made by Jones to approve $4500.00 for materials from ABC Supply for the roof repair. Bramley seconded and the motion passed 6-0. Ameren recently removed five trees, one in the park. The Board approved spending $350.00 to have the stumps removed. A garage was placed on the property at 43 S. 2nd street. Upon inspection, Rhodes said that the property lies in the flood plain and buildings are not allowed to be built there. He asked the homeowner to have it removed by June 14, 2019. Bids will be opened on May 30, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. at the Village Hall for oil and chipping of streets. He thanked the Board for the raise he recently received.

Police:

Chief Martin has secured ten refurbished laptops from State Farm for use by the Village. Citations have increased with the hiring of his two new officers. He and Layton have been working on getting problem properties cleaned up. 75% have complied thus far. He supplied two estimates for a camera for the new police vehicle. $4220.00 for a refurbished camera, while a new one would cost $5020.00. Installation for both would be $600.00. The item was tabled. He would like to purchase a new taser for the department. A refurbished taser would cost $600.00. The item was tabled. Jim Coughlin, the owner of the old IGA on the square was in attendance. The Village and the Sangamon County Health Department has been trying to contact him for quite some time with no luck. The Village has begun proceedings with the County to have the building demolished. Coughlin said he is using the building for storage and would do whatever necessary to bring the building up to code. After a long discussion, Copelin asked Coughlin to present a plan to the Board at the next meeting, but the Village plans to continue with their efforts to have the building removed for now.

Committee Reports:

Zoning, TIF, Building Permits:

The TIF redevelopment agreement with the Corner Bar and Grill was tabled.

Public Utilities, Water, Sewer and Gas:

Nothing to report.

Finance, Personnel, GIS:

Baer reported that UCB will match the offer from Wells Fargo for a 2.6% rate on a three year CD of $300,000.00. A motion was made by Baer and seconded by Jones to move the money from the sweep account into the CD. The motion passed 6-0.

Public Safety, Health and Safety:

Layton reported that the annual cleanup day was a success. Fees of $1020.00 were taken in. Flowers Sanitation charged $1622.48, bringing the cost of the cleanup to the Village of $602.48. This is quite an improvement from when there was no charge for the cleanup day. The cost to the Village then ran between three and five thousand dollars.

Public Works, Streets, Alleys and Sidewalks:

Hedges reported that she will be meeting with Rhodes to go over his list of projects that he has planned.

Village Communication/Building Grounds and Lights, Parks:

Nothing to report.

Old Business:

A motion was made by Baer and seconded by Bramley to donate $1000.00 to the Divernon Sportsman’s Club for their annual fireworks display. The motion passed 5-0. Jones voting present. Molnar presented one bid for the property at 333 State Street. The bid was from Sam and Mary Lou Fugate for $3000.00. A motion was made by Baer to accept the bid. Hedges seconded and the motion carried 6-0.

New Business:

Molnar reported that he was contacted by an individual interested in opening a restaurant on Route 104. He referred him to Rhodes to see if any zoning issues needed to be taken care of. The prevailing wage ordinance will be on the agenda for the next meeting. Letters have been sent to liquor and gaming license holders, as all licenses renew on July 1, 2019.

Motion by Layton to adjourn at 9:27 p.m.

https://divernonil.com/assets/uploads/sites/219/2019/06/Minutes-5-22-2019.pdf