Macon Reporter

Village of Bethany Board of Trustees met Oct. 10.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

The regular board meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by President Jon Book. The following Trustees were present; Dave Doty, Jeannie Ruppert, Mike Jennings, Greg McLain, Raven Russell, and Brian Gill.

A motion was made by Trustee Doty to approve the minutes from the September 12, 2019 regular meeting, seconded by Trustee Ruppert. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried. A motion was made by Trustee McLain to approve the special meeting (appropriations) minutes from September 12, 2019, seconded by Trustee Doty. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

A motion was made by Trustee Doty to approve the “Statement of Income and Expenses”, seconded by Trustee Jennings. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

A motion was made by Trustee Gill to approve the “Banks and Checks Journal”, seconded by Trustee Ruppert. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Public - NONE

Someone to Mow Delinquent Yards - There is no further movement with Ronnie George. Cohen Collins came to the meeting at the request of Trustee Ruppert. Mr. Collins was asked to put in a bid on mowing, per job, for the Village. He is in the process of obtaining insurance. This would start in the spring and he is to have his bid in by February.

TIF Agreement with the Bethany Fire Protection District - this will be tabled until next month as not all of the paperwork has been received.

Water Improvements with Greg Gustafson - Greg Gustafson was at the IML Conference. Shannon Risley, Village Manager, met with Mr. Gustafson concerning water projects that need completed in town. Mr. Gustafson spoke to the Board concerning this as he works with communities of our size on a regular basis. He also specialized in water towers and been successful in receiving grants that he has written. Mr. Gustafson brought information for the Board members concerning the Rural Development loans/grants. There would need to be a preliminary engineering report completed to apply for a Rural Development loan/grant.

Property at 410 N. Washington St. - The Board would like to sell this property. It will need to be appraised again. Village Attorney, Jack Kiley, will begin this process. A motion was made by Trustee Gill to have the property at 410 N. Washington St. reappraised for sale, seconded by Trustee Russell. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Village Trick or Treat Times - Trustee McLain made a motion to set the Village trick or treat times for October 31st from 6pm to 9pm, seconded by Trustee Russell. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Action on Passed Due/Delinquent Fines - Mr. Kiley has sent out letters to those who are in violation.

Changes to violation Fines in the Ordinances - Chief Nichols would like to amend the Administration section of the Code book to make assessing fines easier. This would take some time to recode this section of the Code book. Village Attorney Jack Kiley and Chief Nichols with work on this and come up with a proposal for the Board.

Social Media Policy - Village Treasurer Jessica Henderson attended classes at the IML conference dealing with this type of policy in dealing with the Village Facebook page. She feels it would be a good idea to have some sort of policy in place. It was suggested that the Village match the Police policy concerning the same thing. Mr. Kiley will look this over.

Send Village Treasurer to Classes - This is a three-year program through the IML. Ms. Henderson would then be certified through the Treasurer’s Assoc. of Illinois. The classes last 5 days, each year at a cost of $310. This includes the class, room, and food. A motion was made by Trustee Ruppert to send Village Treasurer Jessica Henderson to the Treasurer classes, not to exceed a cost of $400 per year, seconded by Trustee Russell. Roll call taken: Ruppert-yes; Jennings-yes; McLain-abstain (conflict of interest); Russell-yes; Gill-yes; Doty-yes; motion carried.

Authorized Signers for the Village and Police Credit Card - The signers for these applications need to be updated. There also needs to be a name on the list for VISA, so they will speak to this person concerning these accounts. There can be up to three people for each account. For the Village card it will be Jessica Henderson, Shannon Risley, and Jon Book. For the Police card it will be Jessica Henderson, Chris Nichols, and Jon Book. A motion was made by Trustee Jennings to put the names listed on the appropriate accounts, seconded by Trustee Ruppert.

Other New Business - 1. Trustee McLain talked about all the good things found at the IML Conference. If anyone wanted anything it can be printed off. He suggested having someone from the Village go and discuss ordinance violations with people before the Police give a warning. Rockford does this and about 70% of the people fix the violations. 2. The wall on the other side of Colbert’s garage still is not repaired. It was started in May of 2017 and the Village has already paid half of the cost. It was suggested to send a letter from the Board concerning this along with a time frame for finishing. Treasurer Henderson will take care of the letter. 3. The tax levy is coming up soon and will need to be passed by the last Tuesday in December.

Reports - were given from; Shannon Risley and Chief Nichols Correspondence - NONE

With no other business to discuss a motion to adjourn was made by Trustee McLain and seconded by Trustee Ruppert. Voice vote taken, all ayes, motion carried. Meeting was adjourned.

https://www.villageofbethany.com/documents/116/10-10-19_min.pdf