Sangamon Sun

Village of Divernon Board of Trustees Met Jan. 13.

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”, Wayne Jones “Here”, Gail Hedges “Here”, Tyler Bramley “Here”, Larry Baer“Here”, Also in attendance were Superintendent Jeremy Rhodes and Police Chief Jason Martin.

A motion was made by Baer and seconded by Jones to approve the minutes of December 23, 2020. The motion passed 4-0. Layton and Bramley voting present.

Hedges presented the Village bills with a motion to approve. Baer seconded and the motion carried 6-0.

Visitors:

Jerrod McMorris of Good Energy Systems presented a new contract to the Village for electric service for Village owned properties. The current contract expires in March. He recommended contracting with AEP Energy for Village properties and leave the streetlights with Ameren. He suggested a three-year contact. A motion was made by Baer and seconded by Jones to approve the recommendation. The motion carried 6-0.

Adam Stroud of PGAV Planners was in attendance to bring the Board up to date on the planning of the two business districts. The goal of a district is to create incentives, improve infrastructure, entice new business, invest in existing businesses and improve blighted areas. Funds created by the district must remain within the district and funds must be kept separately for both districts. He will have a schedule finished by next week.

Ryan McCrady, President of the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance was in attendance. The Alliance works for growth of business and opportunities for communities in Sangamon County. He said with the new proposed power plant south of Pawnee, the Divernon I55 interchange would be the fastest way to get to the plant. He feels it is a great opportunity for the Village to take advantage of. Ameren has contracted with Nextsite to reach out to businesses across the country to interest them in your communities. They will offer a three-year contract to the Village for $8000.00 per year and a bonus of $4500 for each business they bring to your community. McCrady would recommend the Village not enroll in the program. Rather he would like to see the Growth Alliance work with Nextsite to create a program in which they would work for all of the communities in the county thereby saving money. No action was taken at this time.

Supervisor Reports: Public Works:

Superintendent Rhodes reported he had met with Hedges to discuss the work projects he has planned for this year. They also discussed testing requirements and other regulations required by EPA and other agencies. Hedges suggested adding a fourth person to the public works crew. Rhodes said he wouldn’t be opposed to the idea. Treasurer Amanda Kessler will work up some numbers of the overall cost for the Board.

Police:

Chief Martin reported he had an organizational meeting for a possible neighborhood watch program. Six people attended and they discussed a number of ideas. Martin will keep the Board updated on progress. Martin and Copelin have looked into a program for policies and training from Lexipol. The company would keep the department’s policy and procedures manual updated in regards to the latest statutes. In addition, the program would provide online training for members of the police department. The annual cost of the program is $2820.00. Layton asked if any other departments in the area were using the program. Currently Taylorville and Kincaid are enrolled. Baer would like the Chief to try the demonstration training before making a decision. Copelin stressed the Board needs to be invested in officer’s training. A motion was made by Hedges to purchase the program a cost of $705.93 which will run until the end of the fiscal year. Busch seconded and the motion carried 6-0. A motion was made by Jones to approve Ordinance 2021-001 in regards to towing vehicles. Baer seconded and the motion was approved 6-0. Martin would like to raise pay for part time officers to $21.00 per hour. Other departments in the area are paying at least that much and he is having a hard time getting applicants. There was discussion as to whether it would be better to hire a fourth full time officer instead of raising part time pay. Baer and Hedges will look to see if it is possible when working on the Appropriations Ordinance this year. A motion was made by Busch to increase the starting pay for full and part time officers to $21.00 per hour beginning with the next pay period. Bramley seconded and the motion passed 4-2. Baer and Hedges voting no.

Committee Reports:

Zoning, TIF, Building Permits:

A discussion was held concerning the ideas put forth by Ryan McCrady. Jones thought it best to go with the county wide program. Busch felt it best for the Village to employ them on their own. In a county wide program, the contractor would not necessarily be looking out for the best interests of the Village. The Board will see what McCrady comes up with.

Public Utilities, Water, Sewer and Gas:

Nothing to report.

Finance, Personnel, GIS:

Nothing to report.

Public Safety, Health and Safety:

Nothing to report.

Public Works, Streets, Alleys and Sidewalks:

Nothing to report.

Village Communication/Building Grounds and Lights, Parks:

Busch asked for thoughts on the Block Party for this year. Should there be one or two? What time of the year should it be? It was determined to stick with one this year. Jones suggested having it later in the year in hopes the pandemic would be winding down and many people would be vaccinated by then. July 17 was set as the tentative date. Busch said improvements need to be made on the water and electrical systems in the park. Hedges said the Village Website needed some updates and she would talk with Office Manager Heather Rideout about it.

Old Business:None.

New Business:

Heart Technologies has informed the Village they will begin charging for remote access to the computer system. There will be a $500.00 set up charge and $20.00 per month for each user. Currently the Treasurer and Office Manager have remote access. Busch will contact Heart about reducing the charge.

A motion was made by Hedges to adjourn at 9:27 p.m.

https://divernonil.com/assets/uploads/sites/219/2021/02/Minutes-1-13-2021.pdf