Metro East Sun

Village of Bethalto Committee met Nov. 25

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Members Present:

Gary Bost Terri Keister

Brady Dugger Jeff Mull

Maria Perkhiser Rachel Sontag

Tim Tweedy

Also Present:

Village Clerk Sue Lowrance

PW Director Rod Cheatham

Finance Director Aleisha Randolph

Police Chief Jason Lamb

Village Attorney Ken Balsters

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

Girl Scout Troop 301 Silver Award Project

Members of Girl Scout Troop 301 were in attendance to present their idea for Little Library Boxes to be constructed for our parks. Each scout presented a part of their proposal, which will include planning, fundraising, construction, and installation of 2-3 Little Libraries for community use. Possible designs and locations were discussed, with the schoolhouse design the favorite of the Trustees. Locations chosen were Splash Pad Park and Field of Dreams, with Bryant Park selected as an alternate site. The board unanimously approved of the project; and the scouts will begin fundraising as soon as possible, followed by construction, with installation planned for sometime this summer. They will work with public works on installation. The board thanked the girls for their commitment to community service, and we are looking forward to seeing the project come to fruition.

Senior Building Use

Mayor has spoken with several of the groups that use the Senior Building and received input on some of the ideas we’ve discussed about the building’s use. In the past, we have had to turn down events due to groups using the room free of charge, so we’ve come up with a tentative plan that may make it possible to free up more available slots. Paid reservations would not be cancelled for any reason; groups using the room free of charge may be subject to last-minute cancellations. Civic organizations would be able to request the room one day a week free of charge, subject to that last-minute cancellation policy. Once-monthly standing use by civic organizations would still be free of charge. Instructors who charge a fee for their events would be able to reserve their time slots for $25 a month for an hour weekly time slot. Citizens who  reserve, deposit, and pay for their rentals would not be subject to cancellation. It was agreed that anyone who is charging for their instruction time should have to pay for the rental. It was noted that we have a cleaning crew now and that, with this updated system, we can block off time for cleaning when necessary. Mayor noted this does not require board action, but he wanted everyone’s input and discussion prior to setting this new policy in place.

Planning & Zoning Recommendations

The Planning & Zoning Board will have two recommendations for consideration at the December meeting. One is for 1412 West Drive, to be rezoned from RS5 Single Family Residential to RM Multi-Family Residential. Austin Opp is the owner of the property and is planning to construct some apartments there; more specifically 55+ senior apartments. Two residents did protest at the public hearing, with concerns about the curve in the road and drainage, but their only real negative was “they didn’t want apartments”. Bost noted that any drainage concerns would be dealt with in the construction phase. Cheatham added that the layout of the land would not allow for basements as there has been a lot of fill dirt used there over the years and agreed that the construction phase would address building codes, setbacks, etc. when the project reaches that point. It was noted that any construction would be beneficial over an empty lot, and that single-family homes aren’t really feasible there. Balsters added that the parcel meets all the requirements for RM zoning.

The second recommendation is for a setback variance for property located at 408 E. Bethalto Drive, which is owned by Yates Rentals, LLC. Balsters noted that Wendell Yates signed the application, but did not designate that he was signing as Yates Rentals, LLC’s manager, so that will need to be corrected prior to any final action. This was a clerical error only and can easily be corrected. The layout of the proposed project was reviewed, with the southwest corner of the proposed building being where the variance would be needed. The back property line is not parallel to Route 140, which means the building would extend past the required setback in that corner only. The variance would be tied to this specific project plan only, as this layout shows the parking spots that would be required along with the area of the building that doesn’t meet the setback requirements. There was discussion of utility easements, which would have their own right-of-way, and it was noted that Yates has already been in contact with IDOT regarding property access.

Charter Franchise Agreement

The current franchise agreement with Charter expired in 2023, so Balsters has been working with them on a new agreement. The new agreement has an updated definition of “gross revenues” that should include a broader range of products, but as cable users decline, our revenue from this agreement likely will as well. We have updated the address listing with Charter and have gained 50-60 new addresses. The new agreement will begin as soon as approved by this board. This year’s payment will be received based on the previous agreement terms. Internet services are not included in the gross revenues. Trustee Perkhiser asked who is responsible for tracking the expiration of these types of agreements; Balsters noted that a system should be developed to monitor this. There were no further questions. 

Tax Levy

Finance Administrator Randolph reviewed the proposed tax levy (her notes attached), stating that the Village’s tax rate would change from 1.1726% to 1.1924% with a 105% increase in the levy, which is her recommendation. The proposed levy amount would be $2,655,111. This increase would still not cover the anticipated increase in expenses for the coming year, but EAV’s are expected to increase as well. Balsters reminded the board that the rate itself would depend on the final EAV calculations. The library has already held it’s truth in taxation hearing, and is raising its levy 17.5%; the school district has also announced a truth in taxation hearing to be held later in December, indicating that they, too, will be increasing their levy over the 105% threshold. Trustees discussed how this term can be misleading, as many believe it to mean taxes are being raised 5%, when it means an increase of 5% more than the previous year’s extension. Randolph added that a taxpayer with a house valued at $150,000 pays approximately $516 in real estate taxes to the Village each year, or about $1.43 per day. Taxpayers in the Village pay real estate taxes to 8 taxing bodies, including the Village, and the Village controls less than 40% of its revenue; 32% of Village revenue is determined and controlled by the State of Illinois. The tax levy ordinance will be prepared and presented for consideration at the December board meeting.

Having no further items for discussion, the meeting was adjourned by Mayor Bost at 6:49pm.

https://bethalto.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/committee-minutes-112524.pdf