Sangamon Sun

Ball-Chatham Community School District 5 Finance Committee met Nov. 19 

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Attendees:

Ryan Murphy, Patrick Phipps, Andrea Rediger, Dr. Becca Lamon, and Wendy Dulakis

Key Points:

Bond Sale Proposal:

○ The Board of Education approved a Resolution of Intent to sell $1,850,000 in working cash bonds at the October 23, 2024 meeting.

○ The BINA publication was in the Chatham Clarion October 31, 2024, notice was posted at the district office as of 11.15.24, as well as the BINA hearing listed on the Agenda for the November board meeting.

○ A BINA hearing will be held on November 20, 2024 at the regular board meeting.

○ Next steps of the bond sale will be the Board adoption of the parameters resolution at the December 18 th Board Meeting.

○ The district is expecting proceeds from bond issuance in February 2025.

Levy update:

○ The Truth in Taxation was published on the website November 18, 2024.

○ The Tax Levy will be presented at the November 20, 2024 regular Board meeting.

○ Truth in Taxation will be published in the Chatham Clarion December 9, 2024.

○ Tax Levy Hearing, Truth in Taxation Hearing, and adoption of Tax Levy at the December 18th Board of Education meeting.

○ Mrs. Dulakis will file the tax levy with the county clerk’s office December 19, 2024.

Tower Update:

○ The district currently leases tower space to Rise Broadband. The Original contract was $1,560.00/month, but was increased in May of 2023 to $1,920/month. Rise Broadband approached the school in February 2024 requesting to add additional equipment and increasing leasing cost to $2,045/month, but have not returned messages to the district so the increase has not taken place, nor has the additional equipment.

○ Chatham Fire Department has leased tower space since 2011. The current contract is as follows:

○ 2011-2016 $480 per year

○ 2017-2021 $600 per year

○ 2022-2026 $720 per year

○ The district was approached by Timothy “Darrell” Short, Electronics Technician with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He stated the FBI is working with the Department of Justice (DOJ) Communications nation-wide initiative. The agencies would like to install:

○ “4 supersector antennas to mount at the top.  I believe the tower is 294' high and hoping to be as high as possible. They are 10.95" W x 51" H x 8.43" D. Two would be on one leg facing north. Two would be on another leg facing south. Each of these will have 2 cables ran to it, 1 fiber and 1 LMR400 coax”

○ Mr., Short and his associate conducted an on-site visit of the tower and building areas associated with the tower. He then met with Wendy Dulakis, Josh Mulvaney, and Mike Dobbs. The FBI is now requesting the district provide a cost to lease the tower. The FBI would like to add the equipment and start the lease in Marc

https://go.boarddocs.com/il/cusd5/Board.nsf/Public