Village of Bethalto Village Board Met June 14.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The Village Board of Trustees met on the above date in the Village Hall Council Chambers in a regular meeting called to order by Mayor Bost at 7:00 p.m. The meeting opened with the “Pledge of Allegiance”. Roll call was taken by Village Clerk Sue Lowrance. Present: Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Keister and Mull. Trustee Tweedy was absent. Also present: Police Chief Mike Dixon, Public Works Director Rod Cheatham, Village Attorney Ken Balsters, Fire Chief Brian Buhs, Village Treasurer Joe Hughes, and Zoning Administrator Randy Reddick.
Motion made by Mull, seconded by Lowrance, to approve village board meeting minutes of May 10, 2021 as printed. All members voted aye viva voce. Motion carried 5- 0.
Motion made by Lowrance, seconded by Dugger, to approve village board special meeting minutes of May 24, 2021 as printed. All members voted aye viva voce. Motion carried 5-0.
REPORTS FROM DEPARTMENTAL SUPERVISORS:
Fire Chief Brian Buhs presented his report for the month of May, noting 107 calls for the month. Three new applications have been received, with two already approved. There were two resignations in May, one part-timer and one volunteer. Buhs is in the process of developing a new monthly report which he hopes to have by next month. There were no questions.
Police Chief Dixon presented the monthly activity report for May. Sgt. Michelle Skinner has retired, and her replacement will start on June 21. Significant cases that the department has been working on were reviewed; the large vehicle theft ring based in St. Louis has had a suspect identified thanks to work by Detective Hale and a warrant will soon be issued for that suspect. Detective Hale was also involved in identifying a suspect in the ATM theft ring from Texas. LPR’s played a crucial role in that case, so Chief Dixon is working with State’s Attorney Tom Haine’s office to join a task force that may lead to funding for additional LPRs at heavily-traveled intersections in town. The details of this task force are still to be determined. The department’s two new officers are patrolling on their own and doing well. The fireworks show set for June 27 has been altered, with fireworks now to be set off within the fenced area of the airport, and parking and traffic restrictions in place for safety. Dixon anticipates a safer event with less manpower required due to these adjustments. There were no questions.
Public Works Director Cheatham presented his departmental reports. Water line bids for the replacements at 255 and 111 will go out on June 16, and the water line installation that our crews are working on should be completed next week. BS&A software work continues, and there is a lot to do prior to the October rollout. There were no main breaks this month. Ditching, sidewalk work, potholes, sewer line maintenance and manhole lid adjustments are keeping crews busy, along with mowing. The Splash Pad has opened up with a slight hiccup; the park had to be closed for three days in order to determine the cause of poor water quality. It was determined that some plugs at the tank were not pulled causing water to circulate incorrectly. This has since been fixed and the park is open and busy. Crews have removed the graffiti from the Splash Pad and have worked on landscaping around Village Hall, the Senior Building, and the Village clock. There was a softball tournament in town last weekend which also kept crews busy. Trustee Keister stated that she received a complaint about a sidewalk along Logan that has been buckled for a while, and that the resident stated they have called for years with no return calls or status updates; Cheatham stated he will drive by and take a look. There were no further questions.
Zoning Administrator Randy Reddick presented his monthly report, noting one commercial permit issued for QT, with work now nearly completed. Two projects were sent out for review; Reddick explained to the new trustees that some plans need to be sent out for review when the Village does not have the expertise to review them properly before issuing permits. Sent out were plans for a communications tower and a detention pond. Operations continue to run timely, and code violations are up. A demolition permit for 128 Hampton has been applied for, and the other demolition properties are in the court system now; Reddick reminded the board that demolitions can sometimes take years. There were no questions.
GUESTS/PUBLIC COMMENT:
There were no guests or public comments.
RESOLUTIONS
Resolution 2021-17 A Resolution Authorizing the Repurposing of the Skate Park Into a Soccer Court and Other Alternative Recreational Uses was presented. This authorizes the Village to convert the old skate park into a soccer court; work will consist of paint, striping and nets, and work will be completed by Village crews. Motion made by Mull, seconded by Lowrance, to approve Resolution 2021-17 A Resolution Authorizing the Repurposing of the Skate Park Into a Soccer Court and Other Alternative Recreational Uses. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Keister and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
Resolution 2021-18 A Resolution to Authorize Establishment of New Recreational Permanent Base Court and Acceptance of Bid for Construction was presented. This authorizes the construction of a new court to the west of the former skate park, to be used for pickleball and other uses. Work will include a rock base, asphalt, fencing, striping and netting. Fencing is not included in the bid attached, and will be paid out of the general park fund, but the work must be approved in order to receive the grant funding from the County. Motion made by Perkhiser, seconded by Lowrance, to approve Resolution 2021-18 A Resolution to Authorize Establishment of New Recreational Permanent Base Court and Acceptance of Bid for Construction. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Keister and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
Resolution 2021-19 A Resolution to Authorize Light Standard Improvements in the 100 Block of South Prairie and the 100 Block of West Central was presented. This authorizes the upgrades to light fixtures in the downtown area, to match the ones used in the arboretum and multi-use trail. Current fixtures will be moved to the Sports Complex. Business district funds will be used for this project as it will benefit the downtown commercial area. Motion made by Lowrance, seconded by Dugger, to approve Resolution 2021-19 A Resolution to Authorize Light Standard Improvements in the 100 Block of South Prairie and the 100 Block of West Central. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Keister and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
Resolution 2021-20 A Resolution to Authorize Roadway Improvements to North Prairie Street, West Moro Drive, and Culp Lane was presented. This authorizes the improvement of Prairie Street from the old Methodist Church property to Culp Lane and onto Culp Lane to the Village limits and accepts the bid for the work. Mayor Bost explained that this skips the IDOT portion of Prairie from W. Corbin to the old Methodist Church property, as that has been delayed. Bost explained that these projects will be completed at a lower cost if done while the contractor (Christ) is in town, so he recommends proceeding with this phase of the roadway. IDOT will complete their section when they can. Motion made by Lowrance, seconded by Mull, to approve Resolution 2021-20 A Resolution to Authorize Roadway Improvements to North Prairie Street, West Moro Drive, and Culp Lane. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Keister and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
Resolution 2021-21 A Resolution to Authorize Roadway Improvements to Various Streets North of East Sherman Street and Acceptance of Bid for Construction was presented. This authorizes the repairs to roadways torn up due to water main replacement in this area. Christ Bros. will be completing this work as well. Motion made by Mull, seconded by Lowrance, to approve Resolution 2021-21 A Resolution to Authorize Roadway Improvements to Various Streets North of East Sherman Street and Acceptance of Bid for Construction. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Keister and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
ORDINANCES
Ordinance 2021-04 An Ordinance Amending Chapter 7-Business Code was tabled after lengthy discussion. Trustees would like the language altered to allow for a special use one day permit to allow food trucks at commercial locations, schools, or residences rather than strictly at festivals and green space locations. The ordinance will be updated and presented at a future meeting.
Ordinance 2021-05 An Ordinance Dedicating Publically Owned Land for Road Right of-Way Purposes was presented. This establishes East Main Street from Sheridan to E. Central as dedicated roadway, as it had never been officially dedicated as a public street in the past. With roadway improvements on the horizon, this needs to be done. Motion made by Perkhiser, seconded by Dugger, to approve Ordinance 2021-05 An Ordinance Dedicating Publically Owned Land for Road Right-of-Way Purposes. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Keister and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
REPORTS FROM THE MAYOR:
The Fireworks event will be held at the airport on June 27, with the fireworks display at approximately 9:15pm.
Village offices will be closed on Monday, July 5 in observance of Independence Day.
As discussed in committee, employee ancillary insurance needs to be renewed by July 1; and Guardian returned the most reasonable bid and will save both the Village and employee money on premiums. There were no questions, and a motion was made by Dugger, seconded by Lowrance, to accept the bid of Guardian for employee ancillary insurance coverage, effective July 1. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Keister, and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
Mayor Bost has accepted the resignation of Ed Slayden as Chairperson and member of the Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals due to moving out of town; Bost recommends current PC/ZBA member Brad Myers as Chairperson for that board. Motion made by Mull, seconded by Lowrance, to approve the appointment of Brad Myers as Chairperson of the Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Keister and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
The Bethalto Chamber of Commerce is requesting use of Bryant Park from July 13-23 for an IDNR fishing/wildlife event. This will be manned by IDNR personnel and will include fishing instruction, a wildlife museum with stuffed animals, and other information. Insurance will be required for use of the park. Motion made by Lowrance, seconded by Dugger, to approve use of the park from July 13-23 for this event, provided insurance is in place. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, and Mull voted aye; Keister abstained. Motion carried 4-0.
MONTHLY TREASURER’S REPORT:
The May Treasurer’s Report was presented by Treasurer Hughes. Revenue and expenses were reviewed, and the ending cash balance was up approximately $500,000 from the previous month. There were no questions. Motion made by Lowrance, seconded by Mull, to approve the Treasurer’s Report for the month of May, 2021. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Keister and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
BILLS
GENERAL FUND
Motion by Perkhiser, seconded by Dugger, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $124,777.87. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Keister and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
WATER & SEWER FUND
Motion by Lowrance, seconded by Mull, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $204,664.39. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Keister and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
ESDA FUND
Motion by Mull, seconded by Lowrance, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $1,373.00. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Keister and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
GARBAGE FUND
Motion by Mull, seconded by Dugger, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $54,112.00. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Keister and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
TIF FUND
Motion by Perkhiser, seconded by Mull, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $103,592.43. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Keister and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Committee meetings will be held on Monday, June 28 at 6:00pm.
The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on July 12, 2021 at 7:00pm.
Having no further business, a motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Perkhiser, seconded by Lowrance. All voted aye viva voce. Meeting adjourned at 7:43pm.
https://bethalto.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/VILLAGE_BOARD_MINUTES_061421.pdf
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