Sangamon Sun

Village of Jerome Board of Trustees Met Jan. 21.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

Call to Order

President Lopez called the January 21, 2021 meeting of the Village of Jerome Board of Trustees to order at 6:32 pm.

Pledge of Allegiance

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

Roll Call

Clerk Wheeland called the roll:

Present:

President Mike Lopez

Trustees Kathy DeHart, Leigh Irons, Ralph Irons, Dale Lael, Christina Smith Clerk Linda Wheeland

Attorney Jason Brokaw

Treasurer Steve Roth

Trustee Philip Raftis arrived later in the meeting.

Approval of Minutes

January 7, 2021 Regular Meeting Minutes

A motion was made by Trustee L. Irons to approve the Minutes of the January 7, 2021 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees. The motion was seconded by Trustee Smith.

Roll Call Vote:

Ayes: Trustee Lael, Trustee DeHart, Trustee R. Irons, Trustee Smith, Trustee L. Irons The motion carried.

December 17, 2020 Executive Session Minutes

A motion was made by Trustee Lael to approve the Minutes of the December 17, 2020 Executive Session 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 Smith, Trustee L. Irons The motion carried.

Approval of Warrant List 21-18

Treasurer Roth stated that Warrant List 21-18 dated January 21, 2021 totaled $28,164.34.

He added that of this amount $6,193.31 will be paid from the General Revenue Fund, $1,198.39 will be paid from the 1% Fund, and $20,772.64 will be paid from the Water Fund.

A motion was made by Trustee Smith to approve Warrant List 21-18 dated January 21, 2021 for a total of $28,164.34. The motion was seconded by Trustee Lael.

Roll Call Vote:

Ayes: Trustee Lael, Trustee DeHart, Trustee R. Irons, Trustee Smith, Trustee L. Irons The motion carried.

Visitors Acknowledgement

President Lopez opened the Visitors Acknowledgement portion of the meeting at 6:37 pm.

He noted that during the time period when remote meetings are being held public comments must be submitted in writing to the Clerk by email or by placing them in the deposit slot outside the office front door by 6:00 p.m. the day of the meeting.

Clerk Wheeland stated no public comments had been received.

This portion of the meeting closed at 6:38 pm.

Reports from Village Departments

A. Public Health

Trustee L. Irons stated she had no report.

B. Public Works

After arriving later in the meeting Trustee Raftis reported the following:

∙ Dave and Billy are putting the salt spreaders on the trucks.

∙ The lowest bids to fix the hole on Wabash Avenue in front of Once in a Blue Moon are $14,000 and $18,000.

C. Public Property

Trustee DeHart reported the following:

∙ The Christmas decorations have all been taken down.

∙ A request for rental of the Civic Center later in the year was received. Trustee DeHart and President Lopez determined that no reservations would be taken due to the need to sanitize the facilities after each use. When appropriate, the Civic Center will be made available again and this will be posted on our website.

∙ A flat screen TV was donated to the Village and will be installed in the Board Room. She is looking to purchase a firestick to allow access to weather and news during emergencies. The TV can also be used for training sessions and possibly security.

Attorney Brokaw noted that the franchise agreement the Village has with Comcast provides a cable package for the Village at either no cost or five dollars a month.

∙ COVID-19 anti-body testing is available at Hy-Vee for $25. Registration can be done on their website.

D. Building & Zoning

Trustee Lael reported the following:

∙ The foundation is in for the new building next to Asian Market. President Lopez confirmed that the addresses at the new building will be 1322 Wabash Avenue Suite A and Suite B.

∙ The foundation was also laid for the new home on Urban Street.

∙ A Bitcoin kiosk was installed inside the Jerome Marathon next to an ATM. 

∙ The owner of the house in the 1500 block of Glenn Avenue where a fallen tree did extensive damage has reported difficulty in working with his insurance company. He will let Trustee Lael know once he hears back from them.

E. Public Safety

Trustee Smith reported the following:

∙ The lease on one of the Tundra trucks expires soon.

Chief Estill reported the following:

∙ The lease on the 2018 Tundra will be up in March. It currently has 37,000 miles on it. The lease allows for 45,000 miles. Mylas Copeland at Green Toyota is looking to get the Village the best incentives to renew the lease.

∙ Officer Hull will attend a two-week transition school at the end of February. This will bring his standards up with the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Board for the full-time police officer position that he now holds with the Village. Officer Hull is doing a great job with the department and his work has exceeded what was initially expected of him.

∙ Acting Sergeant Brian Brewer also continues to do a good job. He will be retiring at the end of May. He is the Village’s only evidence officer. Chief Estill will be asking to hire two additional full-time officers in FY 22.

∙ The TV referenced by Trustee DeHart was donated anonymously through the Chief. He envisions it being used for training and presentations through a laptop hookup.

F. Water Department

Trustee R. Irons reported the following:

∙ A fire hydrant on Vernon Avenue was replaced by CWLP. That leaves one hydrant that still needs to be replaced.

∙ Kits have been ordered for the fire hydrants that need to be repaired. Dave and Billy will do these repairs.

Trustee Raftis arrived at the meeting.

G. Village Treasurer

Treasurer Roth reported the following:

∙ We have received the revenues for November for Telecom, Sales, 1%, Use, Income, Personal Property Replacement and Cannabis Tax for December.

∙ MFT revenue was received for December.

∙ The State has reported that no Gaming revenue was received for December. 

∙ Some good news is that we continue to do better than last year in Sales, 1%, Use, and Income Taxes, but are down in revenue for Gaming, MFT, and Telecom taxes.

∙ Gaming revenue should start up again with Region 3 moving into Phase 4 of the State’s COVID-19 mitigation plan.

∙ Overall revenues are exceeding spending which can be attributed to the increase in revenues, but also the maintaining of costs, which is good news.

∙ Checks for the January 7th warrants were mailed out right after that meeting. Payroll was met for January 15th. Checks will be mailed out following this meeting. 

∙ Treasurer Roth has submitted all the documentation for reimbursement under the CURE Act for the amount of $104,922.43. We were initially allotted, $68,315 but requested additional funds and he hopes to get them with this submission. When he hears back as to whether the request has been approved and when we can expect the reimbursement, he will let Board members know.

∙ Budget forms have been sent to Board members so they can begin putting together draft FY 23 budgets for their departments. We will need to stay around the budget numbers we had this fiscal year to keep our expenditures within our funds.

∙ Treasurer Roth will email a reminder about the warrants procedure to Board members. 

∙ The balances of various accounts are approximately as follows:

⮚ Illinois Funds General Revenue Account - $415,043

⮚ Motor Fuel Tax Fund - $46,841

⮚ INB General Revenue Account - $37,885

⮚ INB Water Account - $262,589

⮚ 1% Account - $400,368

⮚ Law Enforcement DUI - $31

⮚ Law Enforcement Vehicle - $358

⮚ Road & Bridge - $18,526

⮚ Police Equipment Fund - $40

⮚ Cannabis Fund - $1,144

⮚ MFT Rebuild Illinois - $36,379

H. Village Clerk

Clerk Wheeland stated she had no report.

I. Village Attorney

Attorney Brokaw reported the following:

∙ Reimbursement for expenses through the Local CARES Act has been extended through the end of the year. The Local CURE program could follow suit. He suggested the Village continue to track eligible expenses through the full calendar year.

J. Village President

President Lopez reported the following:

∙ The request for rental of the Civic Center was made by a homeowners association. With the need to continue social distancing and wearing masks and the responsibility to clean the building after each use, it is not feasible at this time to allow facility rentals. 

∙ Board of Trustee meetings will continue to be held remotely.

∙ COVID-19 vaccine appointments will be opening up again after February 1st. Village employees can choose whether or not to get the vaccine.

∙ President Lopez is looking for guidance on opening the playground equipment in March.

∙ Rich Niemann of Niemann Foods has reached out to a local real estate broker to market all or part of the former Shop ‘n Save building in the short term.

∙ President Lopez received a call from a video gaming establishment in Jerome reporting that the first day after re-opening they were packed for all but one hour.

∙ Barrel Head has received their 2021 liquor license and will open soon. 

∙ The Subway in Jerome will offer free meals to anyone on Saturday from 9:00 to noon. 

∙ Trustee Raftis is working on paperwork for the $550,000 grant awarded to the Village through the Restore Illinois program. President Lopez asked him to invite our engineer, Terry Fountain, to the next Board meeting.

∙ An infrastructure bill may come at the federal level.

∙ He asked Treasurer Roth if he was seeing any lag time in receiving revenue from the State. Treasurer Roth responded that payments were coming on time.

∙ Three candidates had filed for the April 6th Consolidated Election, himself for president and Trustees DeHart and Raftis for trustee.

Old Business

A. Discussion and Approval of Ordinance 21-16 Amending an Ordinance Establishing a Salary Schedule and the Personnel Policy for the Village of Jerome, Illinois Attorney Brokaw noted that some changes had been incorporated into this ordinance since the last meeting and the revised ordinance was sent to Board members this afternoon.

President Lopez asked Board members if they would like more time to review the ordinance. It was the consensus of the Board to take more time for review.

This item was tabled.

B. Appointment of Individuals to Village Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Commission

President Lopez stated that he had approached some Village residents about serving on the Zoning Board of Appeals and on the Planning Commission but has received no firm commitments. He will provide names to the Board before the next meeting.

New Business

A. Discussion and Approval of Writing Off Closed Water Accounts

Trustee R. Irons explained that Board members had been sent three lists of closed water accounts with outstanding balances. The first list totaled $3,623 and included rental properties with outstanding balances from previous renters although still with the same landlord. Certified letters requesting payment will be sent to the landlords. He will consult with Jason on legal action that can be taken if a landlord does not respond. The two other lists are for closed accounts, totaling $3,488, and inactive accounts, totaling $1,713. He emphasized that the action to write off these amounts was to clean up water accounts that weren’t addressed in the past. The Village has already taken the loss on these accounts.

A motion was made by Trustee R. Irons to approve writing off closed water accounts in the amount of $3,488.11 and inactive water accounts in the amount of $1,713.12. The motion was seconded by Trustee Smith.

Roll Call Vote:

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

The motion carried.

B. Discussion and Approval of Bonus for Police Chief

This item was addressed after executive session.

C. Discussion and Approval of Appointment of a Deputy Clerk

This item was addressed after executive session.

D. Discussion and Approval of Appointment to Fill a Vacancy in the Office of Village Clerk

This item was addressed after executive session.

E. Discussion and Approval of Resolution 21-16 Appointing an IMRF Authorized Agent of the Village of Jerome

This item was addressed after executive session.

Executive Session

A motion was made by Trustee Raftis to go into Executive Session to discuss the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of a specific employee or legal counsel for the public body (5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1)); minutes of meetings lawfully closed under the Open Meetings Act for purposes of approval by the Body (5 ILCS 120/2(c)(21)); and the selection of a person to fill a public office including a vacancy in a public office, when the public body is given power to appoint under law or ordinance (5 ILCS 120/2(c)(3)). Trustee R. Irons seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote:

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

The motion carried.

The Board went into Executive Session at 7:32 pm.

The Board returned from Executive Session at 8:59 pm.

Clerk Wheeland called the roll.

Present:

President Mike Lopez

Trustees Kathy DeHart, Leigh Irons, Ralph Irons, Dale Lael, Philip Raftis, Christina Smith 

Clerk Linda Wheeland

Attorney Jason Brokaw

Treasurer Steve Roth

B. Discussion and Approval of Bonus for Police Chief

A motion was made by Trustee Smith to approve an $800 bonus for Chief Estill. The motion was seconded by Trustee R. Irons.

Roll Call Vote:

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

The motion carried.

C. Discussion and Approval of Appointment of a Deputy Clerk

A motion was made by Trustee R. Irons to authorize the Village Clerk to appoint a Deputy Clerk. The motion was seconded by Trustee DeHart.

Roll Call Vote:

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

The motion carried.

D. Discussion and Approval of Appointment to Fill a Vacancy in the Office of Village Clerk

A motion was made by Trustee L. Irons to approve the appointment by the President of Lisa Cave to the office of Village Clerk effective February 1, 2021. The motion was seconded by Trustee Smith.

Roll Call Vote:

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

The motion carried.

E. Discussion and Approval of Resolution 21-16 Appointing an IMRF Authorized Agent of the Village of Jerome

A motion was made by Trustee L. Irons to approve Resolution 21-16 appointing an IMRF authorized agent of the Village of Jerome. The motion was seconded by Trustee DeHart.

Roll Call Vote:

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

The motion carried.

President Lopez thanked the Board for their patience and dedication during COVID-19 and through the number of items on the agenda tonight.

He then expressed thanks and gratitude to Linda Wheeland for her service to the Village. He noted that as president he is responsible for the actions of the Village and how it moves forward.

He sets the agenda and the trustees, as the legislative branch, make final decisions. He is indebted to Linda Wheeland for her professionalism and dedication to the Board and is sad to see her go.

Treasurer Roth expressed his thanks to Linda Wheeland and said she was a great help, did a fantastic job, and will be missed greatly. He added that because most of her work was done behind the scenes people don’t realize how much she did. He said it was great working with her and he greatly appreciated everything she did.

Adjournment

A motion was made by Trustee R. Irons to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Trustee Raftis.

Roll Call Vote:

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

The motion carried and the meeting adjourned at 9:07 pm.

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