Sangamon Sun

Village of Divernon Board of Trustees Met April 14.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

The regular meeting of the Village of Divernon Board of Trustees was held at the Masonic Lodge. Mayor Pro Tem Larry Baer called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. After the Pledge of Allegiance was recited by those in attendance, Clerk Rod Molnar called roll: 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. Jim Copelin was absent.

A motion was made by Jones and seconded by Layton to approve the minutes of March 24, 2021. The motion passed 4-0. Bramley voting present.

Baer presented the Village bills, adding an invoice to the Divernon Masonic Lodge for $400.00. Busch made the motion to approve the bills. Hedges seconded and the motion carried 5-0.

Visitors:

Chuck Apgar was in attendance.

Chief Martin introduced Nico Williams. Williams is interested in a part-time police officer position with the Village. He studied law enforcement at Western Illinois University. He has worked for the Sangamon County Detention Center. The Village would be required to send him through the part-time police academy. No action was taken.

Norman and Debbie Wilson asked to have a utility bill reduced on a rental property. The previous tenant had moved out, and there were six days before a new tenant moved it. Wilson said he was charged for an entire month for those six days. A motion was made by Jones and seconded by Busch to reduce the bill by one half. The motion carried 5-0.

Supervisor Reports:

Public Works:

Superintendent Rhodes introduced Cayden Muench. Rhodes would like to hire him has a full time employee for the summer. Muench graduated from Auburn High School and attended LLCC. He previously has worked with the Chatham Public Works department. A motion was made by Jones to hire Muench beginning Monday, April 19, 2021 at a rate of $15.00 per hour. Hedges seconded and the motion was approved 5-0. Rhodes and the engineer from Benton and Associated recently examined the Village streets and will put a plan together for this summer’s maintenance program. He said 90% of the work has been completed on the latest water main project. He is waiting on approval of samples from EPA, at which time houses will be attached to the new mains. He has installed timers on the aerators at the sewage treatment plant which is saving on electric costs.

Police:

Chief Martin reported he and Hedges are working on an ordinance to allow UTV’s be driven on Village streets. It is a work in progress. He is considering a fee of $45.00 for residents and $55.00 for non-residents. The Board would like to get some input from the Mayor before making any final decision. Martin would like to add a Sergeant’s position to the Police Department. He is having a hard time keeping officers and believes adding a position would help. He would like a $2.00 increase per hour for the position. The Board had a number of questions for Martin on the subject. Baer is concerned this would ultimately increase the number of full-time officers and wants Martin to put together some numbers on what the cost would be to the Village. A motion was made by Hedges and seconded by Jones to table the item. The motion passed 5-0. Layton asked about the status of the old IGA building. There is a part of the building that it appears kids could get in. Martin will contact the owner.

Committee Reports:

Zoning, TIF, Building Permits:

Busch reported a new business will be opening in the former Divernon Equipment building on April 26. A grand opening will take place in June. They will deal in grain bins and other farm type equipment. Paperwork has been filed with the Illinois Department of Revenue in regards to the two new business districts.

Public Utilities, Water, Sewer and Gas:

Nothing to report.

Finance, Personnel, GIS:

Baer reported he and Hedges are working on a plan to pay off the loan from the Illinois Finance Authority used to pay the extremely high natural gas bill from February. They have determined by raising the rate per unit from $1.07 to $1.37 for the next three years would raise the funds necessary to pay the loan. Busch asked if the Village could absorb some of the cost to lessen the impact on customers. After a long discussion, no decision was made. Baer would like to have the item come up for a vote at the next meeting. Hedges reported Superintendent Rhodes was contacted by Representative Darin Lahood’s office of a funding opportunity for repairs of the water distribution system. Benton and Associates estimated the total cost for the project would be $1,356,000.00. The grant would be for 80% of the project. A motion was made by Hedges to approve resolution 2021-002, to begin the process to apply for the grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior. Busch seconded and the motion carried 5-0. Hedges has received letters of support for the grant from Representative Mike Murphy, Senator Steve McClure, and Fire Chief Randy Rhodes.

Public Safety, Health and Safety:

Layton reported the Sangamon County Health Department will hold a Covid vaccine clinic on April 22, 2021 at the Divernon Masonic Lodge. The County would like a minimum of 15 people to hold the clinic. Thus far, eight have signed up. Originally the County had planned to give the Johnson and Johnson vaccine as it requires only one shot. With the J&J vaccine on pause, Layton is unsure what Sangamon County has planned. Some residents from outside the Village had asked about being about to be a part of the Village wide cleanup. It was decided to keep it to residents only.

Public Works, Streets, Alleys and Sidewalks:

Nothing to report.

Village Communication/Building Grounds and Lights, Parks:

Nothing to report.

Minutes April 14, 2021 Page 3835 Old Business:

None.

New Business:

Employee reviews are due for the next meeting.

A motion was made by Hedges to adjourn at 8:25 p.m.

https://cdn.sitepreview.co/assets/uploads/sites/219/2021/04/Minutes-4-14-2021.pdf