Sangamon Sun

Village of Divernon Board of Trustees met June 28.

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 on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. 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”, Randy Olson “Here”, and Dianne Brenning “Here”. Also present were Superintendent Rhodes and Interim Chief Reardon. Larry Baer was absent.

A motion was made by Apgar, seconded by Bukantos, to approve the amended minutes of June 14, 2023. The motion passed 5-0.

Brenning made a motion, seconded by Olson, to approve the bills with the addition of $5267.86 to Avrom Systems. The motion passed 5-0.

Visitors 

No visitors were present.

Public Works: 

Superintendent Rhodes reported the Village water is tested twice monthly and the tests are submitted to EPA for reading. No traces of contaminants have been reported. The three gas valves on Kenney St., near the school, have been installed. Rhodes also reported that routine preventative maintenance of jetting old sewer lines was done. Olson reported that Baer will be contacting Tru Green to find out if the chemicals being sprayed in the park are harmful to children and pets, and if signage that could be placed to alert people that the lawn has been treated.

Police: 

Interim Chief Reardon presented to the Board the June activity report providing information on officer activities. Discussion followed. Reardon also shared that it would be beneficial to officers and their families to create a Law Enforcement Library. The library would allow officers to check out books that would provide professional development for them, and books that would provide information helpful to the family. Reardon indicated he has all the books on the list and has found them very useful. Reardon has also studied the CPU usage and determined the computers need memory upgrading. The Village IT person will be contacted to determine the next steps to increasing memory and get an estimate of cost to be brought back to the Board. Reardon mentioned research will be done to find grants that could assist with the cost. Interim Chief Reardon reported the current ticket reporting system doesn’t capture all the information needed for NIBRS (National Incident-Based Reporting System) compliance. Reardon is recommending that VP Share be purchased which is compatible with digiticket and compliant with NIBERS. The estimated cost is $2500.00 plus $180.00 annually. A vote will be taken at the next meeting. Interim Chief Reardon also submitted to the Board his Letter of Intent to apply for the chief position.

Hedges shared with the Board that she had a discussion with Reardon regarding things he was working on. Reardon shared that he had reviewed officer files to determine if required training was current and he determined that some officers were lacking some training although all were current on firearms certifications. Hedges asked Reardon about Lexipol and whether the police department policies had been updated and he indicated they were. Hedges then asked Reardon how he knew whether officers had reviewed all the new/revised policies and he indicated there is a signoff process in Lexipol. Hedges asked if all officers completed their review and Reardon indicated that some of the PT officers were significantly behind in their review. Reardon has given instruction to all that reviews must be conducted timely and gave them a due date for completion

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

Mayor Copelin reported that Wiseman is ready to demolish the north gas station once the final asbestos report is received. The Divernon Fire Department used the building for firefighters training over the weekend.

Public Utilities Water, Gas and Sewer 

Joe Hogan, Otter Lake General Manager, and Jake Rettberg, Otter Lake Water Commission Chair, were invited to speak to the Board about complaints of bad taste and smell of the Village water. Hogan indicated the water is 100% safe to drink. Strict regulations are followed requiring regular daily testing of water quality. Even the minutest trace of a contaminate results in treatment. In 2010-2011, the plant underwent a multi-million-dollar upgrade. The Commission chose at that time to go above and beyond the recommended requirements to ensure the best quality of water. Chair Rettberg invited the Board and Village residents to contact the Commission with questions or request a tour of the plant. Alecea Olson requested credit on her gas and water bill for a pool fill. Per Village policy for pool fill, the request was granted.

Finance, Personnel, GIS: 

Brenning reported the June End-of-Month Financial Reports can’t be prepared until the audit report is completed, which should be ready in early August. Apgar reported that HB 3129 Employee Pay Scales requires employers, including local government, with 15 or more employees to include the pay scale for a position in any job posting beginning January 1, 2025. The Village roster is close to that number including PT employees.

Public Safety, Health and Safety: 

Bukantos made a motion, seconded by Busch, to approve the Sangamon County Department of Public Health Animal Control Agreement. The motion passed 5-0. Interim Chief Reardon reported that law enforcement must be involved with the animal control process in some manner. The empty lot at 615 S. State is overgrown and needs to be mowed. Interim Chief Reardon will investigate the matter. The sidewalk in front of 609 S. 2nd St. must be extended to stretch between Wells and Madison and to be compliant with ADA requirements. The old IGA building structure and concrete remain. Mayor Copelin will contact the owner and inform him he must move forward with removing the remaining structure or sell the property.

Public Works, Streets, Alleys, and Sidewalks: 

Nothing to report.

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

Busch made a motion, seconded by Apgar, to approve Ordinance 2023-003 which allows for alcohol to be served by Maddys Tavern in the Village Park at the Block Party. The motion passed 5-0. Busch mentioned that Jake Rettberg is willing to pay $100.00 to the band to play an additional hour Saturday night.

Apgar reported that he had been researching the logistics behind streaming audio or video of the board meetings to allow for easier access by the public. Per consultation with Village Counsel, the meeting stream would not be interactive, and would not be required to be available after the meeting. The stream could only be available as a method for public information, not participation. Except in very limited circumstances, to participate in the public meeting an individual must be present. Apgar also reported that research into other municipalities pointed towards YouTube as one of the most popular and accessible methods. Apgar requested and participated in a product demo with Civic Plus on their meeting management system. This system does not support live streaming, but the consultant was able to share information on that process. The Village would need to consider considerable technology upgrades, including audio/visual software, significant hardware acquisition, and physical adjustments to the board- room depending on the method of streaming desired. It was recommended by the Civic Plus vendor that the Village work with local vendors to determine exact needs. The Board held discussion on the options, and the additional considerations needed to properly implement a live streaming feed to the board meeting. It was determined that further discussion is needed before a streaming option can be put into place in a way that ensures quality of content, ease of access, and the best value using Village funds.

The Board also discussed the Village's other channels of public communication. It was determined that the Police Department Facebook Page would be relaunched, and that the Village managed "Divernon Community Information" page would be converted to be an official communication channel for the Village. The Police and Official Village pages are intended to work in tandem. Apgar will begin adjusting the Facebook page, as well as looking at drafting policies and procedures for content and moderation. Interim Chief Reardon was asked to provide a copy of the Departments social media Policy for reference and review. Once access is granted, Apgar will also begin working on updates for the Village website.

Old Business:

Busch reported the pavilion on the square will be power washed and painted by the time of the block party. Superintendent Rhodes will power wash the pavilion floor in ready for the party.

Busch reported everything is ready for the Village Block Party scheduled for July 8, 2023, from noon until midnight. See the Divy Block Party FB page for details. Hedges reported that because a police report was not prepared by the former chief, the Village may be responsible for the cost of repair of the damaged concrete trash can located on the square. A video recording of the incident has been provided that may be accepted as a report. A brief discussion of the June 14th Board meeting took place. Board members commented on the behavior of some of those speaking and the disrespect shown Mayor Copelin and the Board. Bukantos stated he felt Mayor Copelin handled himself well. Board members also commented on how misinformed residents were. Mayor Copelin stated he felt the Board handled the situation well. In general, the Board felt the meeting went well.

New Business:

Hedges presented the 2023 liquor and gaming licenses for approval of the Board. Busch made a motion, seconded by Brenning, to approve the liquor and gaming licenses for Toni’s Gaming Inc. The motion passed 5-0. Busch made a motion, seconded by Apgar, to approve the one-day event liquor license for Maddys Tavern for the July 8th Village Block Party. The motion passed 5-0. Bukantos made a motion, seconded by Busch, to approve the liquor and gaming licenses for Circle K, TNE, Corner Bar and Grill, Maddys Tavern and Lucky Lana’s. The motion passed 5-0.

The meeting ended with a motion by Busch at 9:19 p.m.

https://media.websitecdn.net/sites/219/2023/07/Minutes-6-28-2023.pdf