Sangamon Sun

Village of Jerome met Jan. 2.

Here is the minutes provided by the Board:

Call to Order

President Lopez called the January 2, 2020 meeting of the Village of Jerome Board of Trustees to order at 6:30 pm.

Pledge of Allegiance

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

Roll Call

Present:

President Mike Lopez

Trustees Kathy DeHart, Leigh Irons, Ralph Irons, Dale Lael, Christina Smith, Jake Tripp

Clerk Linda Wheeland

Attorney Jason Brokaw

Treasurer Steve Roth

President Lopez asked for a moment of silence in memory of Midge Langfelder, mother of the Mayor of Springfield, who passed away on Monday.

Approval of Minutes

December 19, 2019 Regular Meeting

Minutes A motion was made by Trustee L. Irons to approve the Minutes of the December 19, 2019 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees. The motion was seconded by Trustee R. Irons.

Roll Call Vote:

Ayes: Trustee Lael, Trustee DeHart, Trustee R. Irons, Trustee Tripp, Trustee Smith, Trustee L. Irons

The motion carried.

December 5, 2019 Executive Session Minutes

A motion was made by Trustee L. Irons to approve the Minutes of the December 5, 2019 Executive Session of the Board of Trustees. The motion was seconded by Trustee DeHart.

Roll Call Vote: Ayes; Trustee Lael, Trustee DeHart, Trustee R. Irons, Trustee Tripp, Trustee Smith, Trustee L. Irons

The motion carried.

Approval of Warrant List 20-17

President Lopez noted that Warrant List 20-17 dated January 2, 2020 totaled $19,013.64.

Treasurer Roth added that of this amount $14,220.41 will be paid from the General Revenue Fund, $4,773.25 will be paid from the Water Fund, and $19.98 will be paid from the Police Equipment Fund. Treasurer Roth noted that the CRMT insurance bill will be split between the Board (2/3) and the Water Department (1/3)

A motion was made by Trustee Lael to approve Warrant List 20-17 dated January 2, 2020 for a total of $19,013.64. The motion was seconded by Trustee L. Irons.

Roll Call Vote:

Ayes: Trustee Lael, Trustee DeHart, Trustee R. Irons, Trustee Tripp, Trustee Smith, Trustee L. Irons

The motion carried.

Visitors Acknowledgement

President Lopez opened the Visitors Acknowledgement portion of the meeting at 6:33 pm. There were no visitor comments and this portion of the meeting closed at 6:34 pm.

Reports from Village Departments

A. Public Health

Trustee L. Irons reported the following:

• Bingo will start on the last Sunday in January, the 26th, and will be held in the Civic Center from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.

• She thanked Trustee DeHart for the great job she did of putting on the Village Christmas party with Santa.

B. Public Works

Trustee Tripp reported the following:

• Trent is working out well and is now practicing driving for the CDL test. Dave will take him to the training course to practice.

• The white truck is still out being fixed.

• Next Monday the Public Works staff will pick up Christmas trees that are at the curb by 7:00 a.m.

• The Public Works staff is gearing up for projects for Public Property.

• The final bill of approximately $32,000 for the West Grand Court project was received.

• The original cost was $290,000 with $250,000 for construction and $40,000 for engineering. The final total included $246,844 for construction and $46,983 for engineering.

C. Public Property

Trustee DeHart reported the following:

• She thanked Dave and Trent for the many indoor projects they have recently completed including:

> Replacement of a tile in the Civic Center which was needed before the floor cleaning is done.

> Repair of the water fountain in the Civic Center.

> Research on repairing the front door closure at the Civic Center.

> Repair of the accessible toilet in the Civic Center.

> Repair of the Library toilet.

> Installation of a book drop at the Library.

> Thorough cleaning of the Library.

> Installation of a new eyewash in the Police Department.

• The next project at the Library will be to secure the black bookcases to the wall.

• The heavy holiday decorations were taken down by the Public Works staff today. Trustee DeHart will take down decorations at the Park and Library tomorrow.

• She thanked everyone who supported the Santa event. About 30 people attended.

D. Building and Zoning

Trustee Lael reported the following:

• The Barn restaurant may open by the end of January.

• Walls were installed at the house under construction on Glenn Avenue.

E. Public Safety

Trustee Smith reported the following:

• It was quiet in Jerome over the holidays although our officers were busy assisting with incidents outside the Village.

F. Water Department

Trustee R. Irons reported the following:

• He will meet with Dave on Monday to discuss the equipment needed for maintaining the new water meters.

Trustee DeHart stated that Betsy had asked for a new chair at the Water Clerk's desk. It has needed to be replaced for a while and Trustee DeHart advised Betsy to do some research on chairs and let her know which one she would like.

G. Village Treasurer

Treasurer Roth reported the following:

• We have not received any new revenues for January.

• We have not received our Road and Bridge check from Woodside Township. He called the Township and was told there was a miscommunication on the process this year but our check should arrive by Monday.

• Checks for the December 19th warrants were mailed out right after that meeting. Payroll was met for December 30th Checks will be mailed out following this meeting.

• He has requested sales tax reports from the Illinois Department of Revenue.

• FY 2020 budget forms will be ready for the next meeting. Since revenues have remained stagnant the cuts made this year will need to remain in place for the next fiscal year.

• The balances of various accounts are approximately as follows:

> Illinois Funds General Revenue Account - $319,373

> Motor Fuel Tax Fund - $6.217 (This fund was expended for the West Grand Court project and still owes the General Revenue Fund $24,540. Treasurer Roth will reimburse the GRF as MFT funds are received.)

> INB General Revenue Account - $26,789

> INB Water Account - $316,034

> 1 percent Account - $275,009

H. Village Clerk

Clerk Wheeland stated she had no report,

I. Village Attorney

Attorney Brokaw stated he had no report.

J. Village President

President Lopez reported the following:

• This meeting will be relatively shorter than most in 2020. There are several topics the Board will be addressing over the next few months including:

> An update of the Jerome zoning map.

> Additional assistance on the U. S. Census to be conducted in April to insure an accurate count.

> A replacement for Trustee Tripp who is resigning later this month as well as other officials who may leave.

> Appointments to the Liquor Commission and Planning and Zoning Commission.

> Fiscal Year 2021 budget.

> Development of an autopay system for the Water Department billings.

> Stabilization of Village personnel.

> Continuation of partnerships with other local and State governments for assistance in performing our daily operations.

> Securing State of Illinois General Assembly Members Initiatives monies and Capital Infrastructure monies for lles Avenue.

> Continued development of the MacArthur/Wabash business corridor.

> Attracting new businesses to the Village.

> Potential for a cannabis dispensary in Jerome during 2020.

> Continued community-based events such as Bingo, Easter Egg Hunt, July 4th Parade, Community Night Out, Halloween Party, Police Halloween Event, and Christmas Santa Claus Event.

• Sometime over the next six months he will be holding a meeting for landlords to discuss issues that have come up at rental properties in the Village.

• We are very fortunate to have a very proactive office staff, department staff, village board, clerk, and treasurer.

• We must continue to live within our means for Village operations.

• He thanked everyone for their dedication and service to the Village of Jerome.

Old Business

There was no old business.

New Business

There was no new business.

Executive Session

The Board did not go into executive session.

Adjournment

A motion was made by Trustee Lael to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Trustee DeHart.

Roll Call Vote: Ayes: Trustee Lael, Trustee DeHart, Trustee Ralph Irons, Trustee Tripp, Trustee Smith, Trustee L. Irons

The motion carried and the meeting adjourned at 7:02 pm.

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