Sangamon Sun

Village of Divernon Board of Trustees met July 24.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

The regular meeting of the Village of Divernon Board of Trustees was held electronically. Village President Jim Copelin called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Clerk Rod Molnar called roll: Jim Copelin “Here”, Craig Busch “Here”, Melissa Layton “Here”, Gail Hedges “Here”, Tyler Bramley “Here”, Larry Baer “Here”. Also, in attendance were Police Chief Jason Martin and Superintendent Jeremy Rhodes. Wayne Jones was absent.

A motion was made by Layton and seconded by Baer to approve the minutes of June 10, 2020. The motion passed 5-0.

Baer presented the Village bills with a motion they be approved after adding an invoice from Med Corporation for $62.00. Hedges seconded and the motion carried 6-0.

Supervisor Reports: Public Works:

Superintendent Rhodes reported public works has been cleaning up damage from the recent storm. He presented two bids for the removal of two trees. Arbor Tech for $2150.00 and Ben Tree Service for $1800.00. A motion was made by Baer and seconded by Layton to accept the bid of Ben Tree Service. The motion carried 5-0. The yard waste dump at the sewage treatment plant that has been closed because of illegal dumping will be open through the weekend to allow residents to clean up from the storm. Rhodes expects to have the new camera system in place by the middle of July. Hedges suggested having Martin post a Facebook video explaining the closing of the yard waste dump. Rhodes said the concrete has been poured for the ADA accessible swing set. He suggested keeping the swing locked with a placard directing parents to call a number to obtain the code to open it. He is afraid otherwise it will be damaged. He and his crew have completed ethics training. He is working on a drainage problem between 1st and Lewis Streets. There is an old partial sidewalk on Lewis Street that leads nowhere in poor condition. The Board advised him to have it removed.

Police:

Chief Martin has been working on a number of ordinance violations regarding old vehicles and yards needing attention. Rhodes is working on getting paint for the fire hydrants for the community service workers. Martin will contact the attorney before putting the kids to work concerning liability. Layton will trim the bushes in front of the Village Hall if the kids will clean up. The 2015 Ford Explorer needs new shocks and struts. A motion was made by Hedges to have the work done by Herman’s Garage at a cost of $658.00. Bramley seconded and the motion passed 5-0. The owner of the old IGA has been mowing and spraying the property. Hedges asked about the status of the adjudication court in conjunction with Auburn. Martin said due to the Covid crisis the project has been on hold but hopes to have something in place by September. Bramley reported that Tim Patterson has been doing a great job getting MacMurray Park in shape. The baseball tournament scheduled for this weekend has been postponed until August 8, 2020.

Committee Reports:

Zoning, TIF, Building Permits:

Nothing to report.

Public Utilities, Water, Sewer and Gas:

A motion was made by Hedges to approve one adjustment to a utility bill this month. Layton seconded. The motion was approved 5-0.

Finance, Personnel, GIS:

Baer reported he attended the Zoom meeting for the bid opening for electric service organized by Good Energy. Homefield Energy was the low bid of.04325 per Kwh. The current contract which expires at the end of the year is for.05870 per Kwh. Baer suggested the Village consider adding a utility fee of 1/10 of 1 cent per Kwh which could be put into the Infrastructure Fund or possibly create a new fund. The Board was in agreement. Baer will have the contract signed and returned to Homefield Energy.

Public Safety, Health and Safety:

A discussion was held concerning the house number ordinance which is being considered. Martin said it is important that first responders be able to locate the correct residence when called during an emergency. Items discussed were where the numbers should be displayed and what the size should be. Hedges will make some changes to the proposed ordinance and have it ready for the next meeting.

Public Works, Streets, Alleys and Sidewalks:

Nothing to report.

Village Communication/Building Grounds and Lights, Parks:

Busch gave an update on the block party scheduled for the Village Park on July 18th. He is still working on donations. He is slightly over budget because of the cost of port-potties. He said there has been a great deal of interest on Facebook. A pet show has been added to the schedule. Hand sanitizer will be available at different locations in the park. The Corner Bar and Grill will be serving alcohol and will supply the Village with an insurance waiver. He asked that Dodds Street be blocked off for the party. After a discussion it was decided to block all four streets surrounding the park.

Old Business:

Hedges reported the Fast Track infrastructure program has been postponed by the State of

Illinois and will be instituted at a later date.

New Business:

A motion was made by Layton to approve liquor and gaming license renewals for Maddy’s Tavern, The Corner Bar and Grill, The Snack Shack, and Circle K. Baer seconded and the motion carried 5-0. Hedges indicated a second round of small business grants for employers with less than 50 employees are available through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Copelin would like for the next meeting of the Board to be held on-site. Due to Covid regulations for social distancing he believes the Village Hall is to small and should be moved to a different location. Rhodes suggested moving to his shop. It was decided to see if the Masonic Lodge is available. If not, the meeting will be held at the public works shop.

Motion by Hedges to adjourn at 8:18 p.m.

https://divernonil.com/assets/uploads/sites/219/2020/07/Minutes-6-24-2020.pdf