Metro East Sun

City of Belleville City Council met April 30

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

Mayor Gregory called this meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. 

City Clerk Gain Meyer called roll. Members present on roll call: Alderperson Whitaker, Alderperson Schneider, Alderperson Duco (arrived 5:33pm), Alderperson Randle, Alderperson Ferguson, Alderperson Anthony, Alderperson Ovian, Alderperson Dintelman, Alderperson Schaefer, 

Alderperson Elmore, Alderperson Weygandt, Alderperson Sullivan. 

Excused: Alderperson Eros, Alderperson Stiehl, Alderperson Rothweiler, Alderperson Osthoff. 

ROLL CALL DEPARTMENT HEADS 

City Clerk Gain Meyer called roll of Department Heads: City Treasurer, Sarah Biermann; City Attorney Hoerner; Finance Director, Jamie Maitret; Director of Public Works, Jason Poole; Director of Health, Housing & Building, Scott Tyler; Director of Economic Development, Planning & Zoning, Clifford Cross; Interim Director of IT, Ty Buckner. 

PLEDGE 

None. 

PUBLIC HEARING 

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 

James Clara: I wanted to present this before in the past but didn't really get a chance to. It involves what you are going to be voting on tonight for Mount Hope and potentially installing solar panels there. One of the things that I do is that I work as a teacher at Belle Valley and I also have a Master's Degree in Environmental Management with Sustainability and one of the things that did was teach me about land management and one thing about that is that the lease on the solar panels is for 25 years I believe, but what happens when that lease ends and they have already cleared out that land and let's say they want to remove those solar panels, you know have cleared out land with nothing for it. What I suggest to be done instead is to actually start more of a Non-Profit for that so you can actually have fundraiser and other things that can raise money, you can also potentially increase the size of the cemetery, sell more plots, raise money that way as well, but I think the Non-Profit would be better especially if you involve people like me because I have family members who are buried at Mount Hope, quite a few of them. It would probably be more beneficial to have more people like us involved to actually manage it and so if you can actually do that for the future of the cemetery, I believe, would actually be more sustainable than installing solar panels, which is limited and you are not guaranteed that after those 25 years are up, that they will remain there and one thing that I noticed is that Belle Valley has solar panels there, and they are doing a similar thing, but they are not taking land that was already for forest life, it is land that they had already bought instead and used that partially for the solar panels. I am suggesting that you do an alternate plan here which is to involve family members more and get us involved and do the Non-Profit, so I hope you will consider that in voting tonight. 

EXECUTIVE SESSION 

Alderperson Elmore made a motion second by Alderperson Schneider to go into executive session to discuss the purchase or lease of real property for the use of the public body, including meetings held for the purpose of discussing whether a particular parcel should be acquired. (5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5)). 

All members present voted aye. 

Motion carries. 

Executive Session Began: 5:35 p.m. 

Regular Session Resume: 6:05 p.m. 

Alderperson Whitaker made a motion second by Alderperson Schneider to read Resolution 3511 by title only. 

All members present voted aye. 

Motion Carries 

Alderperson Whitaker made a motion second by Alderperson Anthony to approve Resolution 3511 A Resolution Conditionally Authorizing the Acquisition of Property for Community solar (CDCS) Project. 

Members voting aye on roll call: Whitaker, Schneider, Duco, Randle, Ferguson, Anthony, Ovian, Dintelman, Schaefer, Elmore, Weygandt, Sullivan. 

Motion carries. 

ADJOURNMENT 

Alderperson Ferguson made a motion second by Alderperson Duco to adjourn at 6:09 p.m. 

All members present voted aye. 

Motion carries.

https://www.belleville.net/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_04302024-3232