Village of Bethalto Board met March 8.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
The Village Board of Trustees meeting was held in the Community Room of Village Hall on the above date in a regular meeting called to order by Mayor Alan Winslow at 7:00 p.m. The meeting opened with the “Pledge of Allegiance”. Roll call was taken by Village Clerk Sue Lowrance with Trustees Bost, Dugger, Gibbons, Lowrance, Perkhiser, and Stassi in attendance. Also attending were Village Attorney Ken Balsters, Public Works Director Rod Cheatham, Police Chief Mike Dixon, Fire Chief James Schulte, and Village Treasurer Joe Hughes.
A motion was made by Bost, seconded by Stassi, to approve the village board meeting minutes of February 8, 2021. All members voted aye viva voce. Motion carried 6-0.
A motion was made by Perkhiser, seconded by Lowrance, to approve the village special board meeting minutes of February 22, 2021. All members voted aye viva voce. Motion carried 6-0.
REPORTS FROM DEPARTMENTAL SUPERVISORS:
Fire Chief James Schulte presented his monthly report, noting 84 runs in February, which was down from the same month last year. There have been 207 calls year-to-date. There were 12 lift assist calls this month, and one major fire on St. Mary’s with a loss amount yet to be determined. The Fire and Police Departments collaborated on a life saved on March 1, and Schulte noted that the new LUCAS and AED equipment aided in that save. Schulte expressed gratitude to the board for the purchase of the equipment. The department audit is complete and copies submitted to the trustees. Chief Schulte then read his resignation letter to the board, asking to not be reappointed in May due to his new job and time constraints.
Schulte will stay on as Chief until a suitable replacement is found, and plans to stay on the department roster. Mayor Winslow expressed his thanks to Schulte for a job well done.
Police Chief Mike Dixon presented his monthly activity report. He stated that the school district’s Blue Refuge system has been tested and that he is very impressed with it. The department is working with Madison County for similar coverage at Meadowbrook. Dixon noted that the system will be a tremendous benefit to the community should the need for it ever arise. There have been a lot of issues with the dispatch center consolidation, mainly with equipment setup and scheduling. The two remaining full-time dispatchers now have tentative employment offers. One of our officers is out working with the Major Case Squad on a homicide in Madison, IL. Sgt. Dugger and Ptl. Bennett were vital in the life saved on March 1 and Dixon has presented them with lifesaving awards. Public Works crews have been doing work in the PD basement, updating showers and the weight room. This is possible due to a donation by a local resident. Interviews for new hires were completed this past weekend, with a list of potential hires created. Dixon noted that the top 4 are excellent candidates; he’d like to offer employment to the top of the list to cover OT and vacations, then that hire would fill Sgt. Skinner’s spot when she retires in June. Dixon then summarized for the board some of the outstanding cases that the department has been working on. There were no questions.
Public Works Director Cheatham presented his departmental reports. There was one major snow/extreme cold temperature event in February. Crews are working on potholes, sidewalk maintenance, street signs and tree trimming. Demolition work has started at 328 W. Corbin, but the discovery of a log cabin inside the building has halted that work until the board determines how to proceed. The latest round of sewer linings has been sent out for bid, with the focus being in Kutter-Aljets and under Moreland Road near Cedarhurst. Parks crews are doing maintenance and field prep. There were fifteen main breaks in February, and two large mains—111 at the airport and 111/255—need to be replaced. Trustee Bost asked about those repairs; new lines will be run parallel to the damaged lines and then connected so that the entire Village isn’t put on a boil order. Cheatham expects each repair to take around 30 days to complete. There were no further questions.
Zoning Administrator Reddick could not be in attendance, but his report was submitted in the board packets. Trustee Lowrance said he’d received a call about the dumpster located at the corner of W. Corbin and Albers Place. Cheatham noted that the dumpster has been removed; the company had gone out of business so the Village had to get a court order to obtain the dumpster and get it moved. There were no further questions.
GUESTS/PUBLIC COMMENT
There were no guests or public comments.
RESOLUTIONS
Resolution 2021-04 A Resolution Authorizing Purchase of Software & Services from BS&A Software was presented. This authorizes the purchase of a software suite as discussed in committee meetings over the past two months. The full, maximum cost will be $144,180 (all inclusive) plus the cost of a new server from Utilitra, which will be authorized with the following Resolution, at a cost of $5300. The cost will be split between the General Fund (57%) and Water/Sewer Fund (43%). Trustee Perkhiser asked if this is for certain modules as previously discussed or the entire package; this is for the entire software suite due to less system down time and lower travel & training costs by converting all at once. Winslow added that the Village is in good financial shape currently, so that now is the time to get this done. Motion made by Bost, seconded by Dugger, to approve Resolution 2021-04 A Resolution Authorizing Purchase of Software & Services from BS&A Software. Trustees Bost, Dugger, Gibbons, Lowrance, Perkhiser and Stassi voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
Resolution 2021-05 A Resolution Authorizing Purchase of Server Hardware and Licensing from Utilitra was presented. This new server and licensing is necessary for implementing the new software system, and will cost $5300. Motion made by Perkhiser, seconded by Lowrance, to approve Resolution 2021-05 A Resolution Authorizing Purchase of Server Hardware and Licensing from Utilitra. Trustees Bost, Dugger, Gibbons, Lowrance, Perkhiser and Stassi voted aye; nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
Resolution 2021-06 A Resolution Authorizing Website Design and Development by Riverbender.com was presented. Our current website is on an old platform and is difficult to navigate and update; this new site will be user-friendly and will look similar to Godfrey’s and Roxana’s. The cost will be $5000 plus $360 annually for hosting, which includes 30 minutes per month for tech support services. Previous estimates from other providers ranged from $18-35k for an updated website, so this is a good opportunity to stay local and we have been happy with their services. Motion made by Perkhiser, seconded by Lowrance, to approve Resolution 2021-06 A Resolution Authorizing Website Design and Development by Riverbender.com. Trustees Bost, Dugger, Gibbons, Lowrance, Perkhiser and Stassi voted aye; nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
ORDINANCES
Ordinance 2021-02 An Ordinance Authorizing Sale of Retired and Excess Items Owned by the Village was presented. This authorizes the sale by auction of items no longer useful to the Village. This will be an online auction organized by Rob Henke. Henke has the site ready to go, and will likely “release” it this week. The auction ends March 31; a preview day will be March 27, and pickup of items will be April 2nd or 3rd. Henke will handle everything, only one Village employee will need to be present in case of issues on-site. The sale will be advertised on Village social media. Motion made by Bost, seconded by Stassi, to approve Ordinance 2021-02 An Ordinance Authorizing Sale of Retired and Excess Items Owned by the Village. Trustees Bost, Dugger, Gibbons, Lowrance, Perkhiser and Stassi voted aye; nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
REPORTS FROM THE MAYOR:
Winslow presented applicants for façade grants, and the recommendations for approval by him, Zoning Administrator Reddick and Public Works Director Cheatham. It was recommended that applications from Handee Mart (signage & pump island), Leisure World (parking lot), Dugger Pools (parking lot), Weathervane (miscellaneous) and Gateway Group (electrical upgrades) be approved. An application from Handee Mart for replacement of gas pumps was not recommended for approval since it doesn’t meet the program parameters; two other applications from Weathervane exceed the grant limit so were also not recommended. Motion made by Bost, seconded by Stassi, to approve the applications for façade grants as recommended. Trustees Bost, Gibbons, Perkhiser and Stassi voted aye; Trustees Dugger and Lowrance abstained. Motion carried 4-0.
GRP Wegman was in attendance to review their Preferred Contractor program that was presented to the Board back in the fall. Representatives reviewed the concept and the pros and cons to the Village, noting that several projects could be included in the contract and then the Village could select any, all, or none of the items to be completed. The Village would not be obligated to proceed with anything unless a contract for a specific project was signed. Prevailing wages would still apply to any project. It was noted that GRP Wegman does a lot of this preferred contractor work now with school districts; they are just starting to branch out into municipalities. There was concern expressed over the higher cost of this format vs. Village crews completing work, as well as whether or not the Village would be tied to GRP Wegman for all future jobs. GRP Wegman noted that that this format generally saves money, and reminded the board that everything was on a project by project basis and even if bids are given for several projects the Village retains the flexibility to pick and choose what they want to proceed with. Mayor Winslow suggested that the board could select a few projects, give this program a try, and noted that it could always be tabled if we don’t like what we see. Winslow further added that he had met with Dr. Deist from the school district who had nothing but good reviews for the program. Winslow mentioned all the outstanding projects that are looming on the Village’s horizon and stated our crews can’t possibly handle all of them in a timely manner. It was suggested that we make a four-year plan and prioritize these projects, allow GRP to bid them through their program, and go from there. Winslow noted there is no risk by doing the RFP and will proceed.
CMHS has requested use of public streets for a Homecoming Parade on March 26. This will be a new route as suggested by Chief Dixon, starting on Stadium Drive, down West Corbin to Albers Place and ending behind Bethalto East on Mill Street. Motion made by Perkhiser, seconded by Gibbons, to approve the use of public streets by CMHS for their Homecoming Parade on March 26. Trustees Bost, Dugger, Gibbons, Lowrance, Perkhiser and Stassi voted aye; nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
Bethalto Rotary and Lifebrook Church would like permission to use Central Park for some sort of Easter Egg Hunt/event on April 3. They will be meeting this week to finalize plans, and Mayor Winslow will attend that meeting. Motion made by Bost, seconded by Lowrance, to approve use of Central Park for an Easter event on April 3, provided a formal plan is submitted in advance. Trustees Bost, Dugger, Gibbons, Lowrance, Perkhiser and Stassi voted aye; nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
Bethalto Spirit is asking permission to use Central Park for their annual plant sale on May 15. This is the fourth year for this event and is a good fundraiser for the group. Winslow also announced that he will be inviting the group to the April board meeting to recognize their work and their receipt of a certification award for the Arboretum. Motion made by Stassi, seconded by Dugger, to approve Bethalto Spirit’s use of Central Park for their annual plant sale on May 15. Trustees Bost, Dugger, Gibbons, Lowrance, Perkhiser and Stassi voted aye; nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
Riverbend Ministries is requesting use of Central Park on September 11 for a free concert to benefit their drug & alcohol addiction awareness programs. Dave Thomason from Rivers Edge Entertainment is the organizer, and his company will be responsible for security, insurance, clean-up and everything related to the event. Badfinger will be the headliner, along with an artist out of Nashville. This will be a day-long event that will include informational vendors, food trucks, etc. and will end by 9pm. Mayor Winslow noted that there are still details to be worked out, but right now they are just asking for use of the park that day. Motion made by Lowrance, seconded by Bost, to approve use of Central Park on September 11 for Riverbend Ministries to host a free concert. Trustes Bost, Dugger, Gibbons, Lowrance, Perkhiser and Stassi voted aye; nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
Upon demolition of the house at 328 W. Corbin, another log cabin has been discovered. The Madison County Historical Society has been contacted and it seems the dwelling has no historical significance. Winslow estimates the cost to remove and relocate this cabin would be $35,000 and would delay the demolition, but recommends that at minimum the logs be removed and stored for future repairs of our existing log cabin. Winslow also noted that there may be value in selling the logs outright. Trustee Lowrance said that the Village doesn’t have the time nor money to spend on relocation, especially since we already have one refurbished cabin. Lowrance agreed that keeping logs for future needs is a good option, and other trustees agreed. It was noted that there are likely other cabins hidden throughout the downtown area, and the Village can’t keep all of the ones that eventually turn up. Consensus was to remove the cabin and store the logs for future needs.
MONTHLY TREASURER’S REPORT:
The monthly Treasurer’s Report was reviewed by Joseph Hughes. Income and expenses were reviewed, and the ending cash balance was up from the previous month. There were no questions. Motion made by Bost, seconded by Stassi, to approve the Treasurer’s Report for the month of February, 2021. Trustees Bost, Dugger, Gibbons, Lowrance, Perkhiser and Stassi voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS:
Committee meetings were scheduled for Monday, March 22 at 6pm.
BILLS:
GENERAL FUND
Motion made by Gibbons, seconded by Lowrance, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $212,885.87. Trustees Bost, Dugger, Gibbons, Lowrance, Perkhiser and Stassi voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
WATER & SEWER FUND
Motion made by Bost, seconded by Dugger, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $138,158.46. Trustees Bost, Dugger, Gibbons, Lowrance, Perkhiser and Stassi voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
GARBAGE FUND
Motion made by Gibbons, seconded by Bost, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $54,112.00. Trustees Bost, Dugger, Gibbons, Lowrance, Perkhiser and Stassi voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
TIF FUND
Motion made by Bost, seconded by Dugger, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $103,592.43. Trustees Bost, Dugger, Gibbons, Lowrance, Perkhiser and Stassi voted aye; nays none. Motion carried 6-0.
The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on April 12, 2021 at 7:00pm.
Mayor Winslow announced there was no longer a need for the scheduled Executive Session, so, having no further business, a motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Perkhiser, seconded by Stassi. All voted aye viva voce. Meeting adjourned at 8:42pm.
http://bethalto.com/media/pdf/VILLAGE_BOARD_MINUTES_030821.pdf
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