Metro East Sun

Village of Bethalto Committee met June 24

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Members Present:

Gary Bost Rachel Sontag Brady Dugger Tim Tweedy

Maria Perkhiser Terri Keister Jeff Mull

Also Present:

Village Clerk Sue Lowrance Fire Chief Brian Buhs

Public Works Director Rod Cheatham Police Chief Jason Lamb

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Gary Bost at 6:00pm in the Council Chambers of Village Hall.

Verizon Tower Lease Agreement

Verizon had initially proposed a renewal of their cell tower lease agreement at $17k per year with a 10% increase every 4 years. After negotiations, the contract will be renewed at $22k per year (starting in March, 2027, after the current contract expires) with a 4% annual increase.

There were no questions or comments.

SRO Contract Agreement

With Dr. Deist leaving the district at the end of June, he has requested that the SRO contract renewal be completed prior to his departure, even though we usually don’t sign the agreement until August. The proposed renewal agreement includes the same language as the previous agreement but has an increase in cost to cover SRO Shank’s increased salary for the current year. The school district intends to sign their agreement at this month’s meeting; we will pass a resolution for acceptance of the agreement at the July meeting if there is no opposition. There were no questions or comments.

Citizen Request to Purchase Village-owned Property

Corey Murphy has approached the Village about potentially purchasing a parcel of land across Illinois 255 from the Sports Complex. Murphy would like to relocate his Riverbend Outdoor Services business into the Village and build a home on the property as well. The parcel consists of approximately 40 acres on the west side of 255, with access via Culp Lane by the Community Hope Center. The Village is having a new appraisal completed, but the one from 2016 shows a value of $175k. Mayor Bost noted many reasons for the Village to be open to selling the property: it is a liability that has already seen a drowning in the lake, a homeless encampment, unauthorized four-wheelers, and deer hunters, and the Village has no real use for it. At one time, a disc golf course was planned, but never came to fruition, as there is no access across 255 to the property. PW Director Cheatham stated we do not supply water or sewer to the parcel and added that since there is no easement from SC1 or SC2 it is basically “an island”; he agreed it is a good property to sell off. Bost added that 17 acres of the property are included in  the flood plain. Bost asked for the board’s feedback and Trustees Keister and Tweedy stated they would agree to pursue a sale; there was no negative feedback. Bost added that any improvements to the property would add to the Village’s tax base; Murphy is looking to have a substantial investment in his home and business there should he be able to purchase the property. As with previous surplus property, the Village would need to acquire an appraisal, declare the property as surplus, advertise the intent to sell, accept offers, and move forward with the sale. Hearing no opposition, Bost stated we will move forward with the next steps.

Having no further items for discussion, the meeting was adjourned by Mayor Bost at 6:12pm.

https://bethalto.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/committee-minutes-062424.pdf