200 West Fourth Street, P. O. Box 177, Pleasant Plains, Illinois 62677(217)626-1024
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Monday through Friday
October 6, 2014
The Village Board of Pleasant Plains met in regular session on Monday, October 6, 2014, at 7:00 p.m., at the Village Hall. President Jim Verkuilen called the meeting to order and roll was recorded:
Nicholas Bodineabsent Ian Magerlpresent
William Riggins, Jrpresent Duey Blair present
JD Harrispresent Wayne Heideman present
President Jim Verkuilen declared a quorum present.
Staff Present:Jim Verkuilen, President
Judy Reiser, Village Clerk
Dave Stewart, Water Superintendent
Neil McCafferty, Assistant Water Superintendent
Greg Miles, Street Superintendent
Kevin Kesselring, Chief of Police
Visitor(s): Greta Myers, Ryan Murphy, Dennis Boesdorfer, Nick Giacomini,
Todd Wilcockson
The agenda was reviewed andapproved by a unanimous aye vote.
President Verkuilen recognized Nick Giacomini of W C Media. Mr. Giacomini has been in the advertising business for 18 years. He would like to install a double, double sided billboard on the property of Murphy/Boesdorfer’s new mini storage across from Casey’s. The lot is zoned commercial. The sign will be luminous from dusk until dawn. Approval is needed by the Village first and then they would apply for a permit through the state as well. The Board was informed that the neighbor, Frank Elmore, has been approached regarding the billboard and lighting and indicated he has no issues or concerns with this. Due to the size of this structure (576 square feet-both sides) it falls outside the sign limitations of 240 square feet and will require a variance to this statute. The Zoning Committee will review this request and make recommendations to the board. Mayor Verkuilen will contact the Zoning Chairperson and ask that this issue be reviewed by the Zoning Committee prior to the next board meeting. Mr. Giacomini will prepare measurements, placement and design for the committee’s review. He will also forward a copy of the state regulations.
Todd Wilcockson, Assistant Program Manager for the Office of Government and Community Affairs gave a presentation on the Local Debt Recovery Program through the State Comptroller’s Office. This program is designed to offer resources to collect unpaid debts such as water and sewer bills, traffic fines, ordinance violations, etc. Debtors are notified by the agency at the time of collection and the debt is paid through tax refunds and wage garnishing. For instance, if the debtor is a state employee 25% of their pay will be garnished until the debt is paid. There is no charge to the Village for this service however the debtor will be charged a $15 collection fee by the agency. The outstanding bill must be at least $10 and under seven years old to be put on the system. Fees will not be collected for charges less than $10. After review and discussion a motion was made by Darrell “Duey” Blair to approve the Intergovernmental Agreement By and Between the Illinois Office of the Comptroller and the Village of Pleasant Plains Regarding Access to the Comptroller’s Local Debt Recovery Program. Motion was seconded by William Riggins, Jr.
Ayes: William Riggins, Jr., JD Harris, Ian Magerl, Darrell ‘Duey” Blair,
Nays Wayne Heideman
Abstain: N/A
Absent: Nick Bodine
President Verkuilen declared the motion carried by a roll call vote.
Mr. Wilcockson will meet with Judy in the near future to complete the remaining forms to get us started.
President Verkuilen asked for additions or corrections to the September 2, 2014, minutes.Trustee Bill Riggins, Jr. asked thatthe sentence on page three “Greg has been getting quotes on the fence replacement however did not realize the budget balance was so high”, be stricken as Greg had already gotten the necessary bids. Trustee Darrell “Duey” Blairmade a motion to accept the minutes with the correction mention above. Trustee JD Harris seconded this motion. President Verkuilen declared the motion carried by a unanimous aye vote.
Treasurer’sreport waspresented by Mayor Verkuilen in Treasurer Keyes’absence. The board reviewed the Treasurer’s report and summaryof September 30, 2014,Balance Sheet, Statement of Receipts and Disbursements of the General Fund.Trustee Riggins asked where the $645 under Other Income came from. This income was generated from Clean-Up Days Receipts. Continued review of the Disbursements of the Special Revenue Fund, Receipts and Disbursements of the Water Fund and the Receipts and Disbursements of the Sewer Fund. As there were not questions, a motion was made by TrusteeWayne Heidemanto accept the Treasurer’s Report andseconded by Trustee Ian Magerl.
Ayes: Wayne Heideman, Darrell “Duey” Blair, Ian Magerl, JD Harris,
William Riggins, Jr.
Nays: N/A
Abstain: N/A
Absent: Nick Bodine
PresidentVerkuilen declared the motion carried by a roll call vote.
The Board reviewed the bills that were presented for payment. Among these payments was the final loan payment on the police car. Trustee Riggins asked for verification on the payment from Benton & Associates for $1,261.00. This was the January-April 2014 engineering fee for MFT. After discussion Trustee Wayne Heideman made a motion to pay the bills as presented and Trustee Darrell “Duey” Blairseconded this motion. It was a unanimous aye vote.
Ayes: William Riggins, Jr., JD Harris, Ian Magerl, Darrell ‘Duey” Blair,
Wayne Heideman
Nays: N/A
Abstain: N/A
Absent: Nick Bodine
President Verkuilen declared the motion carried by a roll call vote.
Police Department:
Police Chief Kevin Kesselring reportedthe homecoming parade went smoothly and he thanked Mike Long of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office and Terry Nydegger, of the New Berlin Police Department, for their assistance in directing traffic. Next March the school should have dates, etc. on the homecoming so our resolution can be voted on in a more timely manner. Kevin informed the Board that all PPPD officers have passed their annual firearm re-qualification evaluation. The Police Chief advised charges have been filed with the State’s Attorney office with regard to an August fire.
Water/Sewer Department:Superintendent Dave Stewart provided the Board with a quote from Ace Pipe Cleaning, Inc., of $7,200 for repair of a leak at the North Lift Station. Dave says the work is guaranteed for a year. Due to the depth andtools neededit is beyond the scope of village workers. The Board was in agreement with this contract. Overall the wells are doing good however Superintendent Stewart is worried about the deterioration of the current wells and feels they should be cleaned at least once a year to preserve longevity. He feels it would be a good idea to do some test wells for future service. Trustee Blair will approach the land owner with regard to us drilling test wells. Dave will get a proposal for the drilling of the test wells from Brotcke Well & Pump.
Dave suggested we repeal Ordinance 38-4-12 which requires a $10 fee to request voluntary shut-off of water service. The Board agreed to leave the ordinance as it stands.
Streets Department: Greg Miles, Street Superintendent, reports Neil and Jonathan helped with the citywide clean up which went well. Greg is continuing road work, mostly in the alleys, however he has been able to complete some of the larger patch jobs. Equipment problems continue this month:
- Throttle is sticking on the backhoe—will be taken to a certified JBC dealer in Auburn.
- The fan motor nor the heater are working properly on the dump truck.
- The hydraulic pump on the skid steer blew a seal.
Superintendent Miles expressed his concern for the lack of control over his budget due to equipment repairs and maintenance. The Board assured him these repairs are not predicable and are necessary and do not reflect his capability to monitor his budget.
The teeter totter is almost finished and will be returned to the playground. Due to the unexpected costs in other areas, it was the Board’s decision not to replace the fence at the park but rather paint it for this year.
Mike McEvers of Benton & Associates suggested we reimburse the MFT account for January-April, 2014 to avoid having to file a new plan at more expense. Reimbursement will come from the Road and Bridge line item.
Greg provided information regarding the National Joint Powers Alliance. NJPA is a municipal contracting agency that facilitates contract purchasing needs from office supplies to heavy equipment for their members.
In looking forward to next fiscal year, Greg’s wish list would include a six-way dozer blade attachment for the Bobcat, current quote of $4,874. Greg has asked to be allowed to use funds from his miscellaneous line item to purchase a computer which will enable him to keep up on his maintenance items. First, Ian will try to get existing computer to work. If this fails, Greg will go ahead and purchase a computer.
Ordinance Books-Individual ordinance books were passed out to each board member.It was strongly recommended that the ordinance book get codified. It was last codified in 2000.
Personnel Reviews- Mayor Verkuilen passed a memo to the Trustees regarding the personnel reviews.
Chief Kesselring told the Board that the PPPD officers do not have written personnel evaluations on file. He states that staff concerns or issues are handled on a face to face basis as they arise. Trustee Heideman advised the Chief that it is his impression that personnel evaluations only pertain to full time village employees.
Announcement
Pleasant Plains residents who wish to become a candidate for Village Trustee in the April 2015 election may pick up a candidacy packet at Village Hall or the Sangamon County clerk’s Office. Three trustee positions will be open.
Motion was made by Trustee Darrell ‘Duey” Blair and seconded by Trustee Wayne Heideman to
go into Executive Session at 8:26 p.m. for discussion on personnel issues. The motion passed by voice vote.
Motion was made by Trustee Wayne Heideman to resume to open session and seconded by Trustee Bill Riggins, Jr.The motion passed by voice vote at 8:49 p.m.
Adjourn
There being no further business TrusteeDuey Blairmade a motion to adjourn the meeting.Trustee Ian Magerlseconded the motion. The motion was passed by voice vote. President Verkuilen declared the meeting adjourned at 8:50p.m.
Submitted by,Approved by,
______
Judy Reiser, Village ClerkJim Verkuilen, President
Minutes – Village Board – Regular Session –October 6, 2014Page 1