Metro East Sun

Village of Bethalto Committee met June 23

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Members Present:

Gary Bost Jeff Mull

Brady Dugger Rachel Sontag

Maria Perkhiser Jay Wright

Terri Keister

Also Present:

Village Clerk Sue Lowrance PW Director Rod Cheatham

Village Attorney Ken Balsters Dave Cook, IPBC

The Wealthcare Group Ryan Dugger, Kasey Govero, Tom Sontag

Finance Director/Treasurer Aleisha Randolph

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

IPBC Insurance Presentation

Dave Cook from IPBC was in attendance to present their proposal for the Village’s medical & ancillary insurance, as discussed in the past and now included in the Police Union contract. Timing is of the essence as our renewal isn’t until November 1, but IPBC requires a 90-day implementation period for enrollment purposes; this means that a decision must be made at the July board meeting whether we will move insurance to IPBC. IPBC is an intergovernmental agency created based on state statutes, with 175 member communities, 22 others showing interest in joining, and 23,000 members covered throughout the State. Membership in IPBC is on a one-year term, with renewal rates known in March for the following enrollment year. Communities can opt out of the program annually, if they choose to do so. Members own and manage the co-op, and the Village would have a delegate named to their Board of Directors. IPBC’s goal is “great service at the best price” for government entities. Prescription drugs are through Express Scripts, and commercial insurance plans through United Health Care or Blue Cross Blue Shield (although the Village would be a Tier 1 with under 50 enrollees, so UHC would be our only option). Dividends are paid back to member communities at the end of each year, with the average being 1.2%. Medical and life enrollment is required; all other coverage is optional. Cook noted that over a 5-year period, the Village could expect a savings of approximately $667,000. As noted, the Village would be a Tier 1 member: claims under $50k would be paid by Tier 1 and Tier 2 members, $50k - $2 million would be paid IPBC wide, and claims over $2 million would be covered by commercial stop loss insurance. The quote for coverage was presented with Cook noting that it was updated today to reflect an even lower premium cost, with all costs figured in. Trustee Wright inquired if premiums would drop as new members join; Cook replied that annual dividends of excess funds are distributed but premiums themselves would not fluctuate during the year. There is not frequent fluctuation in membership; Cook noted that since he’s been with the company they’ve lost 5 or 6 due to political reasons, but since 2013 IPBC has grown from 68 to 175 member entities, with 22 prospective additions.

Mayor Bost asked the board to review the proposal and ask any questions between now and the July board meeting. Wealthcare would like to review the proposal as well and have their questions answered. Police Sergeant Ryan Dugger asked if there are options available for higher deductibles, etc. There are various plan options, but a member of our size is limited to UHC at this time; there are 7 UHC plan options but Cook noted the plan quoted is the most like our existing structure. Wex would provide HRA services, which would be on a debit card rather than reimbursements. PW Director Cheatham asked why the HRA would be necessary with the much lower deductible plan; the HRA is currently included in contract language, so the Village is bound to that.

There were no other questions. Bost asked anyone to contact him or Aleisha before the July meeting if there were questions, comments, or concerns. Budget Review

Finance Director Aleisha Randolph presented the proposed budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year (her discussion and the proposed budget is attached). The street budget increased, with plans to do more mill & overlay work. The water budget may need tweaking depending on the results of our current discolored water investigations (we would re-work the budget as needed to fund any repairs). Randolph noted that the Village spent 87.74% of its budget last year, and revenue was up 5% over anticipated numbers. Randolph applauded department heads for their conscientious spending habits. Randolph also noted that she budgeted for a 12% medical insurance increase, which may be different if the Village joins IPBC. Mayor Bost noted that work on the budget has been ongoing for quite some time, and that the Ordinance itself must be passed by the end of July; he encouraged any questions to be directed to him or Aleisha as soon as possible. If we’re ready, a public hearing will be held prior to the July meeting, and the Appropriation Ordinance presented for consideration at that same meeting.

1% Grocery Tax Legislation

The State of Illinois has abolished the 1% grocery sales tax, to be effective January 1, 2026; that same bill, however, allows local municipalities to implement their own tax so that these revenues are not lost entirely. Many surrounding communities have adopted their own 1% tax ordinance, and Mayor Bost is weighing whether Bethalto should do the same. Implementing the tax would not cost taxpayers any more at the grocery store, as it would be just replacing a statewide tax with a local tax; unfortunately, the State cannot give us financial figures to know what revenue we would be forfeiting if we do not implement the tax. Randolph noted that every community she has spoken with has calculated their “loss” differently, and nobody has set in stone figures. Wood River anticipates a loss of $800k; Edwardsville anticipates a loss of $1.2 million. Bost noted that the Village has until October 1 to pass a local ordinance that will go into effect January 1 so we would see no loss in tax revenue; however, we can delay the  decision to see what effect the loss has on our budget and make the decision down the road if need be. An ordinance can be passed at any time to implement a tax; the next opportunity would be to pass by April 1 for a July 1 implementation. Trustees agreed that waiting it out may be the best course of action at this time.

821 Wildwood Drive

This address has been a nuisance property for a few years now, and the Village has been required to mow and maintain grass cutting as the owner does not respond to notices. The owner has moved out of the property, but utilities are still on, and mail gets delivered there. Bost and Cheatham wanted the board to be aware of the situation in case they receive calls or complaints about it; the Village is currently doing all they can and will continue to mow while placing liens on the property.

Trustee Keister asked for a list of streets that will be milled & overlayed in this budget cycle; Cheatham agreed and asked for any input the board may have as well. Trustee Perkhiser inquired when Plegge resurfacing may be finished; Cheatham responded that the contractor is ready to go but Ameren still must relocate a telephone pole for the turn lane to be constructed.

Trustee Mull asked if the stoplights could be installed while we wait; Cheatham stated that we would have to pay relocation fees if we did so. There was discussion that some residents seem to like the 4-way stop, but there are concerns about having the project completed before school starts in August.

Having no further items for discussion, the meeting was adjourned by Mayor Bost at 7:00pm.

https://bethalto.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/committee-minutes-062325.pdf