Sangamon Sun

Village of Divernon Board of Trustees met Feb. 29.

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 Thursday February 29, 2024. Mayor Copelin called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. In the absence of Clerk Gail Hedges, Copelin called roll: Craig Busch “Here”, Joe Bukantos “Here”, Chuck Apgar “Here”, Randy Olson “Here”, and Larry Baer “Here”. Also present was Superintendent Jeremy Rhodes and Sergeant Michael Lavin. Dianne Brenning and Chief Paul Carpenter were absent.

A motion was made by Apgar, seconded by Busch, to approve the amended minutes of February 14, 2024. The motion passed 5-0. 

Baer made a motion, seconded by Busch, to approve the bills. The motion passed 5-0.

Visitors:

Dave Catlin was present to inform the board of an upcoming event for Maddy’s Tavern. Halls HD will not be holding bike night events in 2024, so Maddy’s will be holding their own. The event will be held in the side yard of Maddy’s on June 9, 2024, and David asked that the streets be blocked off for the event. The event will run from 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m., and David is aware he will need to provide the necessary insurance documentation for the event.

Michael Frakes, from the Department of Public Health, was on hand to alert the residents of Divernon of the services that they provide. Frakes spoke to the Board about the Sangamon County Department. of Public Health Emergency Preparedness program. The entity offers several emergency services including CPR instruction, flu vaccines, first aid response, Narcan distribution along with many other services. A brochure can be picked up at the Village Hall that further explains their mission and services.

Public Works:

Superintendent Rhodes reported that a tree located on 2nd and Dyson needs to be removed, and the Board was presented with two bids. Olson recommended a different company. Rhodes will follow up to determine which bid is the most economical. A motion was made by Baer, seconded by Olson, to approve the cost for removal of the tree in question up to $3,000. The motion passed 5-0. Superintendent Rhodes informed the Board that some changes were made on the cell phone accounts allowing other members of the Village staff or Board to make necessary changes.

Rhodes also relayed that Habitat for Humanity had been called about a couch in front of a resident’s home and they came down and removed the couch from the easement.

Police:

Baer requested the police department’s wish list and needs be submitted so as to be included in upcoming appropriations. Sergeant Lavin will follow up with Chief Carpenter.

Committee Reports:  

Economic Dev., Zoning, TIF, Building Permits:

The Village will start identifying abandoned properties as well as empty lots to embark on a growth initiative. Mayor Copelin asked Busch to assist with updating our Zoning and Fees information in the ordinance book. Evan Lloyd has sent down a new fee schedule that needs to be incorporated soon.

The Board will look at the current Zoning and Fee information and update by next meeting. Business District procedures were discussed, and a discussion was held on how the business owner could use the funds. Busch and Apgar will research the minutia of the program and update the Board at the next meeting.

Public Utilities Water, Gas and Sewer

Nothing to report.

Finance, Personnel, GIS:

The Civics Plus communication portal is up for renewal and a vote was needed from last meeting. Baer made a motion, seconded by Apgar, to approve the renewal. The motion passed 5-0. The Village will use the same auditors it used last year due to the difficulty of finding a new firm. The renewal will last for 3 years. Baer made a motion, seconded by Apgar, to approve using the same audit firm. The motion passed 5-0.

Public Safety, Health and Safety:

Olson will begin preparing letters to residents with ordinance violations. The letter will state the violation and the necessary time frame to mitigate said violation. Olson will work with the police department on enforcement challenges so as to make it as easy as possible for all involved in the process.

The abandoned house at 312 Lincoln St. has been under construction for many years and isn’t habitable at this point. The Board has worked with the property owner giving a year from purchasing his work permit to get the remodel completed. The house is still in disrepair, so the Village will be working with the county in efforts to demolish the house on the property.

Olson brought up parking to the west of the railroad tracks on Dodd St. Vehicles are sticking out into the street, thus making it difficult for emergency vehicles to operate and maneuver in that particular area. Mayor Copelin will take a look and give his thoughts at the next meeting.

Public Works, Streets, Alleys, and Sidewalks:

Nothing to report

Village Communication/Building, Grounds & Lights, Parks, Recreation

Apgar has submitted paperwork for the .Gov domain. Once final approval is received, Apgar will work with the Village IT people to get things updated and migrated from the old platform.

The newsletter content is due and Apgar is working on a fresh design for the upcoming publication. The next release will be in May of this year.

Old Business:

Bukantos found some Christmas decorations that he thought would complement our park during the holiday season. The Santa/reindeer decoration costs $3,662.00. A motion was made by Bukantos, seconded by Baer, to approve the purchase. The motion passed 5-0

Mayor Copelin and Busch will meet with the future property owner for the north side gas station property on Monday. The parties will begin flushing out ideas in regard to design, offering, and construction start date.

Mayor Copelin encourages the Board to take a look at the MFT account and start using it to update some of the streets that are not in good shape.

Tasks for the attorney are building up, and the Board has suggested working with an additional attorney to get some of our pressing matters handled and cleared up. Mayor Copelin will bring a few recommendations to the next meeting.

New Business:

No new business.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m. with a motion from Baer. 

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