Metro East Sun

City of Lebanon City Council met March 21.

Here is the minutes provided by the council:

The council met an emergency electronic session with Mayor Wilken presiding. The meeting was called to order at 3:00 p.m.

Roll Call: Aldermen Fero, Gale, Jenkins, Johnson, Witty – present. Alderman Mack, Wright, Zurliene – absent

This emergency meeting was called to discuss and approve policies and decision concerning items presented on the properly posted agenda. No minutes were presented to the council for approval.

1. Health Insurance, Dental and Vision plan selection for next year fiscal year.

Aldermen Fero/Jenkins MOTIONED to approve the United Health Care Balance Plan for the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 including the employee option for Dental and Vision if the minimum enrollment numbers are attained.

Roll Call: Aldermen Fero, Gale, Jenkins, Johnson, Witty – yeas.

MOTIONED carried. 5-0

2. Paying of the city employees during the Executive Order # 8 “IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19”. Dated 3/20/20

Aldermen Witty/Fero MOTIONED to pay city employees for regular pay base and not charge vacation or sick leave. Prescheduled vacation days will be exempt and deducted from their total. Any type of time used to cover childcare from the time of the statewide closing of school districts will not be charged against our employees. This shall be in effect until the city is release from government oversight.

Roll Call: Aldermen Fero, Gale, Jenkins, Johnson, Witty – yeas. 

MOTIONED carried. 5-0

It was brought up that we needed more than childcare coverage which resulted in another motion be made. Aldermen Fero/Witty MOTIONED to pay our employee if they are home sick or for family member care and not to charge for sick or vacation time until released from all the government restrictions of Executive Order # 8 “IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19”. Dtd 3/20/20 Roll Call: Aldermen Fero, Gale, Jenkins, Johnson, Witty – yeas.

MOTIONED carried. 5-0

3. Approve the public viewing of the proposed budget.

After a motion was presented and then withdrawn there was a consensus by the council that this would be formally voted on at the Special Meeting scheduled for March 30th.

4. Approve the contract for TWM to do the engineering for the CDBG.

Aldermen Jenkins/Witty MOTIONED to approve contract with TWM to do the engineering report for the Intergovernmental Grant “Belleville Street to US Highway 50 Water Main Replacement Project” for a total of $23,698.00 to come out of FY 20-21 engineering line item. Roll Call: Aldermen Fero, Gale, Jenkins, Johnson, Witty – yeas.

MOTIONED carried. 5-0

5. Discuss and approve COVID-19 process procedures.

a. The City Clerk entered the topic of the council considering rolling over vacation/personal days to the next fiscal year because there is not enough time before the end of the year to use all allocated days. Aldermen Fero/Gale MOTIONED that due to the COVID-19 emergency that city employees be permitted to rollover vacation/personal days to the next fiscal year as long as they are used within FY20-21. Vacation/personal days earned for the actual FY 20-21 must be use in accordance with what is set forth in the Personnel Manual.

Roll Call: Aldermen Fero, Gale, Jenkins, Johnson, Witty – yeas. 

MOTIONED carried. 5-0

b. Street Department needs to present a contingency plan for dealing with scheduling and procedures related to the COVID-19 emergency.

c. The mayor explained to council the moving of the ambulance out of the garage stall at city hall. During this emergency time the Water/Sewer Superintendent presented a contingency plan for keeping the city’s water system safe to the IEPA. The department needed two separated crews to ensure that there is no virus cross contamination of personnel. Since the EMTs could be classified as high risk personnel it was determined for safety purposes to move the EMTs out of their allotted stall, allowing the department two staging areas, city hall garage & water plant

d. There was discussion on the idea of purchasing a Zoom site for the City. It was decided to look into it at a future time.

e. George announced a technical glitch prevented the first 20 minutes of the meeting from being recorded. He will write a synopsis and post it with the recording.

Adjournment – with no further business to be conducted, Aldermen Gale/Fero moved to adjourn Roll Call: Aldermen Fero, Gale, Jenkins, Johnson, Witty – yeas. MOTIONED carried. 5-0 Meeting Adjourned at 3:12 p.m.

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