Village of Bethalto Board of Trustees met April 3.
Here is the minutes provided by the Board:
The Village Board of Trustees met on the above date in the Council Room at Village Hall in a regular meeting called to order by Mayor Winslow at 7:15 p.m. The meeting opened with the “Pledge of Allegiance”. Roll call was taken by Village Clerk Sue Lowrance. Present: Trustees Bourland, Withers, Mull, Bost, Dugger, McRae, and Mayor Winslow. Also present: Police Chief Gregg Smock, Police Lt. Craig Welch, Public Works Director Rod Cheatham, Village Attorney Ken Balsters, Fire Chief Alex Campbell, Village Treasurer Joe Schoppet, and Zoning Administrator Tim Brown.
Motion made by Bourland, seconded by Mull, to approve village board minutes of March 6, 2017 as printed. All members voted aye viva voce. Motion carried 6-0.
Reports from Departmental Supervisors:
Fire Chief Alex Campbell reviewed the statistical report for the month of March, noting 86 total calls with a minimal fire loss. There were three missed calls; misses are generally happening between the hours of 7am-4pm when fewer volunteers are available. Total calls year-to-date are 235, which is down from this time last year. The department is holding a trivia night fundraiser on May 6. Three fire department vehicles are set to be auctioned off at the Village sale this weekend. There were no questions.
Police Chief Smock presented the March activity report. The old squad cars have been picked up by the dealer as trade-in toward the new SUV’s. Three AED units are on-order, one for the Village Hall lobby and the other two to be rotated in the patrol cars on duty. There were no questions.
Public Works Director Cheatham presented his report: Two larger repairs have been completed in the sewer system; Visu-Sewer is set to line those along with the airport area. Cheatham stated that Visu-Sewer called our clay lines “some of the worse clay tiles they’ve seen”. This lining work should help the lift stations function more to capacity. There is a lot of infiltration in the system, smoke testing and camera work continues to identify issues to be dealt with. The Park Drive storm sewer needs replacement, as it has channeled with the sanitary sewer due to erosion between the two lines. All the water is flowing together and eventually is sent to Alton for treatment at our cost. Laterals are also an issue in this area. Mr. Manhole has arrived and will be put to use immediately, starting on Sherman St. In Streets, the sweeper is out cleaning up and crews are working on catch basins that need repair. Cheatham said lining could be done on catch basins, but at a hefty cost. In parks, Cheatham is awaiting the Splash Pad proposal, which should come this week. Concession and rest rooms at Field of Dreams and the Splash Pad are complete. Grass mowing has begun and flower bed work has started. Cheatham is looking into the TAP Program for Arboretum trail funding, this would be an 80/20 split to cover the leg from the Arboretum to Prairie. Cheatham is hoping to have two phases underway to more favorably influence ITEP funding, which would cover Prairie to Old Bethalto Road. There were no questions.
Guests/Public Comment:
Clyde Jones was in attendance and commended Trustee Gerald Bourland for his years of service to the Village of Bethalto. Scout Bryan Pearson was in attendance to observe local government in action as part of his Community Merit Badge program.
Resolutions:
Resolution 2017-06 A Resolution Relating to IMRF Participation by Elected Officials was presented. This is a new requirement by IMRF that municipalities certify the eligibility of their participating elected officials every two years to ascertain the minimum 1000 hour annual threshold. This would apply to Bethalto’s Village President and Village Clerk. Motion made by Mull, seconded by Bost, to approve Resolution 2017-06 A Resolution Relating to IMRF Participation by Elected Officials. Trustees Bourland, Withers, Mull, Bost, Dugger and McRae voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
Ordinances:
Ordinance 2017-05 An Ordinance Providing for Reimbursement of Travel, Meal and Lodging Expenses was presented. This is to satisfy a new state requirement and sets limits for expenses and guidelines for reimbursement. Any expenses in excess of the limits set by ordinance will require prior approval. Motion made by Withers, seconded by Bourland, to approve Ordinance 2017-05 An Ordinance Providing for Reimbursement of Travel, Meal and Lodging Expenses. Trustees Bourland, Withers, Mull, Bost, Dugger and McRae voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
Reports from the Mayor:
Public Works Director Cheatham presented the proposal for engineering work by Oates & Associates for the first phase of the bike trail through the Arboretum to Central Park. Cheatham noted that the project will include a 10’ wide trail through the park with decorative lighting and a railroad theme. This authorizes the engineering work of the Arboretum leg only, with grant funding paying a portion of the other costs and labor & material being MFT eligible. Motion made by McRae, seconded by Bost, to approve the acceptance of the proposal by Oates & Associates for engineering work for the Arboretum Bike Trail. Trustees Bourland, Withers, Mull, Bost, Dugger and McRae voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
Mayor Winslow announced that the Village in recent months has had difficulty getting quorums in attendance at Zoning and Plan Commission meetings, thus causing him to further research the combination of the two boards as had been discussed in past committee meetings. Upon research, it has been determined that the Village would still need two distinct boards, but that the same members could serve on each board. Winslow is asking for a public hearing to be called to review code and consider language changes to Chapter 40 Zoning Code; this would start the process of reviewing the code and amending it to reflect these changes. The hearing would be set for April 20 at 6:45pm. Motion made by Mull, seconded by Withers, to call for a public hearing to review possible Zoning Code language changes. Trustees Bourland, Withers, Mull, Bost, Dugger and McRae voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
Zoning Administrator’s Report:
Zoning Administrator Brown presented his monthly report, noting 11 permits issued with 5 new residential permits. The demolition of the Edwards property on MacArthur is out for bid, and the permit for 514B Street demolition is in the works. There were no questions.
Monthly Treasurer’s Report:
Treasurer Joe Schoppet presented the February, 2017 Treasurer’s Report, noting $1,071,130 in the bank on February 28. Schoppet reviewed several fund balances as compared to this time last year, noting that these funds should end the fiscal year in better shape than a year ago. Schoppet commended the board and department heads for watching expenditures and payroll. The TIF payment will be due in April and will have an impact on cash balances, but that is to be expected and is unavoidable. Schoppet reviewed capital expenditures and noted that this shows the Village’s commitment to capital improvements. There were no questions. Motion made by Bourland, seconded by Mull, to approve the February, 2017 Treasurer’s Report. Trustees Bourland, Withers, Mull, Bost, Dugger and McRae voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
Committee Meetings:
Committee meetings were set for Monday, April 17 at 6 pm.
Water Department Bills:
Motion by Bost, seconded by Dugger, authorizing payment of the Water Department bills in the amount of $154,197.46. Trustees Bourland, Withers, Mull, Bost, Dugger and McRae voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
General Fund :
Motion by Bost, seconded by Withers, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $172,180.45. Trustees Bourland, Withers, Mull, Bost, Dugger and McRae voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
Liability Fund:
Motion by Withers, seconded by Mull, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $9,004.00. Trustees Bourland, Withers, Mull, Bost, Dugger and McRae voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
MFT Fund:
Motion by Bourland, seconded by Dugger, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $8,644.56. Trustees Bourland, Withers, Mull, Bost, Dugger and McRae voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
Garbage Fund:
Motion by Mull, seconded by Bost, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $53,449.30. Trustees Bourland, Withers, Mull, Bost, Dugger and McRae voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
TIF Fund:
Motion made by Withers, seconded by Mull, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $615.50. Trustees Bourland, Withers, Mull, Bost, Dugger and McRae voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
The next regularly scheduled meeting will be May 1, 2017 at 7:00 pm water board, 7:15 pm for the village board.
Having no further business, a Motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Bourland, seconded by Withers. All voted aye viva voce. Meeting adjourned at 7:51 pm.
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