Sangamon Sun

Village of Divernon Board of Trustees met April 13.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The regular meeting of the Village of Divernon Board of Trustees was held at the Village Hall. Mayor Jim Copelin called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Clerk Gail Hedges called roll: Craig Busch “Here”, Joe Bukantos “Here”, Chuck Apgar “Here”, Tyler Bramley “Here”, and Dianne Brenning “Here”, and Larry Baer “Here”. Also present were Superintendent Rhodes and Chief Martin.

A motion was made by Baer seconded by Bramley to approve the minutes of March 23, 2022. The motion passed 6-0.

Baer made a motion seconded by Brenning to approve the bills with the addition of $27,565.to IMCO. The motion passed 6-0.

Visitors

Tim Stewart was present to discuss the status of the vacant house at 312 S. Lincoln. The house is being renovated following a fire, and the exterior should be completed by the end of June. Tasha Tomarelli was present to work out a payment plan for catching up her bill. It was a consensus of the board to approve her paying $150.00 on Friday, April 15th and $100 each Friday thereafter until the bill was current. Baer made a motion to waive the late fee seconded by Bukantos. The motion passed 6-0.

Public Works:

Superintendent Rhodes reported the Drug and Alcohol Prevention Policy, mandated by the State of Illinois, was updated and effective April 1, 2022. Discussion followed. The policy will be incorporated into the Village policy. The SCADA system purchased by the Village is working well allowing Rhodes to monitor remotely.

Police:

Chief Martin reported another cell phone is needed for the third police officer. A plan to include the current cell phones and the addition of a new phone will be researched to ensure the Village has the best plan based on need. The new cell phone will be selected based on the best plan and price. Martin has been placing stickers on vehicles that need to be removed in violation of ordinance 6-7-2. If the vehicle is not removed and the fine is not paid within the given timeframe, the vehicle will be towed at the owner’s expense. The burned down house at 615 S. State St. has yet to be demolished causing a dangerous building situation. The investigation as to cause was released on February 15, 2022 allowing for the house to be demolished. To date, nothing has been done although a permit to demolish has been approved.

Committee Reports: Economic Dev., Zoning, TIF, Building Permits:

Apgar reported that he and Busch had been working on the process for the small business assistance grants. After much discussion, Apgar made a motion seconded by Busch to grant $10,000 to each privately owned food and bar service industry business in the Village to offset the impact of the pandemic. The motion passed 5-1 with Bukantos voting no.

Bukantos reported Dave and Mary Bentley are requesting the $20.00 late fee be waived due to their credit card being declined. Bukantos made a motion to approve the waiver seconded by Apgar. The motion passed 6-0.

Finance, Personnel, GIS:

Baer made a motion seconded by Brenning to approve the 2023 Village appropriation. Discussion followed. The motion passed 6-0. Baer reported the Village is submitting an application to Congressman Darrin LaHood for funding to complete the water main project for the remainder of the Village and out to Ste. Rt. 104. Baer made a motion seconded by Brenning to approve the resolution requesting the funding.

The motion passed 6-0. Baer also made a motion seconded by Brenning to approve the 20% match required for the LaHood project. The motion passed 6-0. Baer mentioned the sick leave pay included in the Personnel Code needs to be amended and will be presented at the next meeting.

Public Safety, Health and Safety:

Apgar made a motion seconded by Bramley to approve the Hazard Mitigation Resolution required by Sangamon County. The motion passed 6-0.

Public Works, Streets, Alleys and Sidewalks:

Brenning reported that Design landscaping will be planting the new trees along Brown St. on Friday, April 15, 2022.

Village Communication/Building, Grounds and Lights, Parks, Recreation:

Busch made a motion seconded by Apgar to approve the purchase of surveillance cameras for the park in the amount of $5692.57. The motion passed 5-1 with Bukantos voting no. Bramley will contact Americal to get quotes for speakers for the board room telephone. The discussion on new flooring for the Village Hall was tabled until the next meeting.

Old Business:

None

New Business:

None

A motion was made by Baer to go into executive session at 8:13 p.m. Baer made a motion to return to regular session at 8:39 p.m.

The meeting ended with a motion by Apgar at 8:40. p.m.

https://cdn.sitepreview.co/assets/uploads/sites/219/2022/04/Minutes-4-13-2022.pdf