Village of Bethalto Village Board met Dec. 13.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The Village Board of Trustees met on the above date in the Council Chambers of Village Hall 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, Tweedy, and Mull. Trustee Keister was absent. Also present: Police Chief Mike Dixon, Public Works Director Rod Cheatham, Village Attorney Ken Balsters, Fire Chief Brian Buhs, Asst. Fire Chief Jeremiah Grant, and Village Treasurer Joe Hughes.
Motion made by Tweedy, seconded by Lowrance, to approve Village Board meeting minutes of November 8, 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 November, noting 120 calls. The department has added 1 new volunteer. There were no questions.
Police Chief Dixon presented the monthly activity report for November, with his department running 625 calls. Dixon updated the board on some recent significant cases. The department is seeking lateral transfer hires; we are down one officer due to the retirement of Sgt. Cope. This year’s Christmas for All Event has been successful thus far; shopping days are this week. The department has raised over $15k for the event and will shop with 80 children from 35 families.
Public Works Director Cheatham presented his departmental reports and reviewed activity by department. Water crews have worked on main breaks, I hydrants, new water services and repairs. Sewer crews are busy with easement cleaning, a liner slipped on Courtesy Lane and Visu-Sewer will be repairing that area. Friday’s storm knocked out power to a lift station but the generators performed flawlessly. Street crews have finished ground restoration from mill & overlay projects, completed sidewalk work along Prairie, prepped for snow, replaced some curb & gutters, and started clearing work on the Friedel Bridge. The Prairie Street project will start on March 1. Parks crews have finished up holiday preparations, end of year mowing, field work and servicing of mowers. The water office sent out 6285 bills, processed 6313 payments and signed up 40 new customers. There were no questions.
Zoning Administrator Randy Reddick presented his report, noting 98 permits issued. Operations continue to be completed in a timely manner. Reddick updated the board on some problem properties and the new software system. Mayor Bost commended Reddick on his work getting properties on Hampton and Park Dr. demolished. There were no questions.
GUESTS/PUBLIC COMMENT:
There were no guests or public comments.
RESOLUTIONS
There were no resolutions for consideration.
ORDINANCES
Ordinance 2021-18 Tax Levy Ordinance was presented. Treasurer Hughes noted that the levy provides for an increase of approximately $109k in revenue, which isn’t expected to cover the anticipated inflation in costs of commodities. Hughes stated that the average Bethalto taxpayer will pay approximately $450 in taxes to the Village for services. Motion made by Lowrance, seconded by Mull, to approve Ordinance 2021-18 Tax Levy Ordinance. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Tweedy, and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
REPORTS FROM THE MAYOR:
Village offices will be closed on December 24 for Christmas and December 31 for New Year’s. Mayor Bost stated that Rose Lawn Memory Gardens has completed their façade grant project and qualifies for reimbursement through the façade grant program. Payment of $19,500.00 will be issued this week. Asst. Fire Chief Jeremiah Grant presented the department’s proposal for purchase of an F550 rescue truck. The proposed loan is for 5 years at $37,500 per year. They plan to pay the loan off early through their capital expense budgeted line item ($100k), so Grant stated the payment would fall comfortably within their budget. Mayor Bost reiterated that the department would not receive any increase in their budget, so that they must be comfortable with footing the expense themselves through their own budget. Three bids were received. Motion made by Tweedy, seconded by Lowrance, to approve the purchase of a Ford F550 rescue truck by the Bethalto Fire Department. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Tweedy, and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
MONTHLY TREASURER’S REPORT:
The November Treasurer’s Report was presented by Treasurer Joseph Hughes. Income and Expenses were reviewed, and the Village’s cash balance is down approximately $350k from the previous month. There were no questions. Motion made by Mull, seconded by Tweedy, to approve the Treasurer’s Report for the month of November, 2021. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Tweedy, and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
COMMITTEE MEETING
Committee meetings will be held on December 27, 2021 at 6pm.
BILLS
GENERAL FUND
Motion by Lowrance, seconded by Mull, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $233,923.58. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Tweedy, and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
WATER & SEWER FUND
Motion by Mull, seconded by Tweedy, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $440,532.20. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Tweedy, and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
AUDIT FUND
Motion by Lowrance, seconded by Dugger, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $17,130.00. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Tweedy, and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
GARBAGE FUND
Motion by Mull, seconded by Lowrance, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $57,828.28. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Tweedy, and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
BUSINESS DISTRICT FUND
Motion by Mull, seconded by Lowrance, authorizing payment of bills in the amount of $25,000.00. Trustees Dugger, Lowrance, Perkhiser, Tweedy, and Mull voted aye, nays none. Motion carried 5-0.
The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on January 10, 2022 at 7:00pm in the Council Room of Village Hall.
Having no further business, motion made by Tweedy, seconded by Lowrance, to adjourn the meeting. All trustees voted aye viva voce. Meeting adjourned at 7:19pm.
https://bethalto.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/VILLAGE-BOARD-MINUTES-121321.pdf
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