Sangamon Sun

Village of Divernon Board of Trustees met Sept. 25

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 September 25, 2024. Mayor Jim Copelin called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Clerk Gail Hedges called the roll: Craig Busch “Here,” Joe Bukantos “Here,” Chuck Apgar “Here,” Randy Olson “Here,” and Dianne Brenning “Here.” Also present were Village Attorney Tony Schuering and Police Chief Mike Lavin. Larry Baer and Superintendent Jeremy Rhodes were absent.

Olson made a motion, seconded by Apgar, to approve the amended September 11, 2024, minutes.

The motion passed 5-0.

Brenning made a motion, seconded by Bukantos, to approve the bills for payment. The motion passed 5-0.

Visitors:

Samshir Singh was present to share the status of the new gas station. Plans have been developed and were shared with the Board. There will be four gasoline pumps and three diesel pumps, food items including prepared food, soft drinks and alcoholic drinks, and gaming. The building will be approximately 6000 sq. ft. facing Brown St. A third entrance/exit will be added allowing for semis to easily exit the property in a safe manner. Remediation is yet to be done but should begin soon.

Removal of the broken concrete and the hauling in of rock should take place later this month. The Board discussed business incentives that Mr. Singh could apply for, including TIF, Business District Funds, and other possible tax incentives. The Board wants to support the economic development in the Village and ensure the best possible outcomes for residents.

Public Works:

Nothing to report.

Police Department:

Bukantos said he has received complaints that motorcycles and cars are racing down 1st St. and turning onto Faithorn St. This problem has been getting worse. The police department will be looking into the matter.

Chief Lavin reported he got three bids for the lettering and graphics for the K-9 squad car donated by the Springfield Police Department. The Ace Sign bid of $1321.73, which included removal of the old graphic and applying the new graphic, offered the best package. Bukantos made a motion, seconded by Busch, to approve the purchase of the graphics from Ace Sign. The motion passed 5-0. The police department needs a new camera system to replace the camera in the evidence room.

Chief Lavin also requested a bid for not only the police area and evidence room, but the other cameras in the building plus four new cameras to be installed on the exterior of the building. The new system would tie into the same system as the park cameras. Lavin recommends that all cameras be replaced, and exterior cameras be installed to increase security. The areas just outside the police department and around the garages are dark which is why the additional cameras are needed. The bid to replace existing cameras and add the four new cameras is $5684.29. Busch made a motion, seconded by Apgar, to approve the purchase of all new interior and four exterior cameras for $5684.29 from ThirdWave. The motion passed 5-0.

Chief Lavin reported that Officer Lackland learned that the new firearms from Scheels should be in next week. Active shooter drills were performed at Auburn schools by Chief Lavin and Officer Lackland. The drills went well with no issues identified.

Chief Lavin said that he had looked into chiropractic wellness for the Village. The Waggener Chiropractic and Wellness Center in Chatham is willing to put together a plan for the Village.

The police department will be at the Village Hall October 30th and 31st for Trick or Treating. Everyone had a fun time last year.

Chief Lavin has asked the Board to review the holiday policy for the police department. Part-time officers often work, but sometimes there is a need for a full-time officer to work to ensure the Village is covered during peak times. During the discussion, the Board determined the on-call policy also needed to be reviewed.

Economic Dev., Zoning, TIF, Building Permits:

Busch continued the discussion on incentives for the new gas station project being developed by Samshir Singh. It has been suggested that the Village approve an incentive ceiling of 7.5% of total cost. In the case of this project, the 7.5% would be $195,000.00. The balance of the TIF funds could be used since the Village plans to drop the current TIF when it expires. Other ideas include business development funds, waiving of building permit and utility fees, and a percentage of the gaming and sales tax could be waived for a given period. Attorney Schuering suggested the Village consider creating a new TIF district for this area including the gas station properties and other contiguous properties.

When the State of Illinois abolished the grocery tax, the General Assembly included authority for non-home rule municipalities to levy a replacement sales tax on grocery items. The last legislative session also provided non-home rule municipalities the ability to levy additional motor fuel taxes. It was proposed that the Village consider imposing a motor fuel tax and a sales tax as reaction to the State decrease, and to generate additional revenue for Village growth. Funds collected from the motor fuel levy are restricted to the usual MFT uses. Busch made a motion, seconded by Olson, to impose a 1% motor fuel tax increase on gasoline and diesel fuel. The motion passed 4-1 with Apgar voting present. Busch also made a motion, seconded by Olson, to impose a 1% retail tax on tangible personal property, also to help cover the revenue loss. The motion passed 3-2 with both Apgar and Brenning voting no. The revenue earned by these increases will be used for roads and streets, access roads, bridges, and sidewalks; waste disposal systems; and water and sewer line extensions, water distribution and purification facilities, storm water drainage and retention facilities, and sewage treatment facilities or to reduce the levy for real estate taxes or avoid an increase in the levy for real estate taxes that would otherwise have been required

Public Utilities Water, Gas and Sewer:

Mayor Copelin reported that Kelly and Vincent Gill requested an extension to pay the balance of $195.00 on their utility bill. The request was granted with the due date October 4, 2024. Because the account was so delinquent, the late fees were not waived.

Finance, Personnel, GIS:

Brenning reported that one of the $175,000.00 CDs at UCB reached maturity and needed to be rolled over. The new interest rate will be 4.70% through the end of December 2024. MuniBilling is charging $254.00 for an infrastructure upgrade and $245.00 annual reporting fee.

Public Safety, Health & Safety:

Olson requested a meeting with Mayor Copelin and Chief Lavin to discuss ordinance violations.

Mayor Copelin reported that an email was received from the owner of the 615 S. Lincoln property stating the garage will be demolished by Sunday, September 29, 2024.

Public Works, Streets, Alleys & Sidewalks:

Nothing to Report

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

Apgar reported the next newsletter will be going out in November. John Masten will be spraying for mosquitos every Thursday with the last being October 17, 2024.

Old Business:

Mayor Copelin reported that a permit had been pulled from a golf cart for ordinance violations.

The permit is assigned to the cart, not the driver. Discussion followed on the lack of adherence to the golf cart ordinance.

New Business:

None.

Apgar made a motion, seconded by Olson to go into executive session at 8:46 p.m. The motion passed 5-0. Apgar made a motion, seconded by Busch, to return to regular session at 9:00 p.m.

The motion passed 5-0.

September 25, 2024, Minutes Page 4064

Busch made a motion, seconded by Apgar, to approve the September 3, 2024, executive session minutes. The motion passed 5-0. Apgar made a motion, seconded by Busch, to release the following executive session minutes: December 27, 2023, February 14, 2024, April 24, 2024, and June 12, 2024. The motion passed 5-0.

Busch made a motion, seconded by Olson, to adjourn the meeting at 9:03 p.m. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote. 

https://media.websitecdn.net/sites/219/2024/10/Minutes-9-25-24.pdf