Sangamon Sun

Village of Diamond Village Board of Trustees met Nov. 27.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

The regular meeting of the Village of Divernon Board of Trustees was held on Wednesday, November 27, 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”, Melissa Layton “Here”, Wayne Jones “Here”, Gail Hedges “Here”, Tyler Bramley “Here”, Larry Baer “Here”.

A motion was made by Hedges and seconded by Busch to approve the minutes of November 13, 2019. The motion passed 5-0. Layton voting present.

A motion was made by Jones and seconded by Baer to approve the executive session minutes of November 13, 2019. The motion passed 5-0. Layton voting present.

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

Visitors:

Chuck Apgar was in attendance but had no business to bring before the Board.

Greg Moredock of Sorling Northrup spoke to the Board about becoming the new Village Attorney. Jeff Jurgens will be leaving January 1, 2020. Moredock has been with Sorling Northrup since 2013. He is experienced with municipal law and currently serves as attorney for Auburn, Chatham and Rochester.

Supervisor Reports: Public Works:

Nothing to report.

Police:

Nothing to report.

Committee Reports:

Zoning, TIF, Building Permits:

Molnar reported the annual TIF Joint Review Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. The TIF redevelopment agreement with the Corner Bar was discussed but tabled until more information is received from the TIF attorney. Busch reported he was asked about the new outside lighting at the Snack Shack. They are bright and he wants to be sure they adhere to zoning regulations. He will look into the zoning ordinances.

Public Utilities, Water, Sewer and Gas:

A motion was made by Jones and seconded by Baer to approve two requests for adjustments to utility bills. The motion carried 6-0. Copelin reported that the Township Supervisor had requested the late fees be removed from the Township utility bill, as it was received by the Township after their monthly meeting. According to the Supervisor, by statute, the Township is required to approve all bills before they are paid. Copelin said he had approved removing the late fees for this month, but needs to get more information for the future. This is the first time the problem has arisen. Copelin was questioned by Marc Bourne as to why utilities we not shut off at his rental property when his tenant moved out. There was usage after the tenant moved. The consensus was in the past, the only time utilities were shut off is when it was requested by the property owner.

Finance, Personnel, GIS:

The Village has to have a sexual harassment training system in place by the first of the year. Molnar checked with the Illinois Municipal League which has online training. He will check to see if there is a charge to take them.

Public Safety, Health and Safety:

Nothing to report.

Public Works, Streets, Alleys and Sidewalks:

Nothing to report.

Village Communication/Building Grounds and Lights, Parks:

Hedges will have a draft of the quarterly Village Newsletter available at the next meeting. The newsletter will be available via the Village Website. Copies will be available at the Village Hall for those who do not have access to a computer. The annual Christmas Lights Contest will be held again this year. Voting will be done on December 18th and awards will be given at the first Board meeting in January.

Old Business:

Copelin, Baer and Chief Martin attended a meeting in Auburn on November 19th regarding the possibility of establishing an Administrative Adjudication Court to handle Village ordinance violations instead of sending them to Sangamon County. Copelin reported currently it looks like Auburn is interested. The sharing of costs, including those already incurred by the Village will need to be worked out. The next meeting is set for December 10th at 6:00 p.m. at the Auburn City Hall. The new owner of the old IGA building on the square have been doing some work on the building on weekends. A timeline of repairs to take place has been established by the Circuit Clerk of Sangamon County. The Mayor hopes to have a copy by the next meeting. The Village is looking for someone to clean the Village Hall. An ad will be put in the local paper and on the Village Website. Randy Kestner will be used to clean the carpets again this year. Molnar has put together documentation to have the Zoning Map updated.

New Business:

Hedges sent the Board information regarding playground equipment that is handicapped accessible. The project tabled until spring.

Motion by Jones to adjourn at 7:50 p.m.

https://divernonil.com/assets/uploads/sites/219/2019/12/Minutes-11-27-2019.pdf