Macon Reporter

City of Sullivan City Council met July 13.

Here is the minutes provided by the council:

1 The City Council of the City of Sullivan, Illinois, met in regular session at 6 00 p.m. at the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library, 2 West Water Street, Sullivan. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Richard Glazebrook.

A roll call was taken.

Commissioner Abbey Sherwood present

Commissioner Mike Fowler present

Commissioner Chuck Woodworth present

Commissioner Peggy Hargis present

Mayor Richard Glazebrook present

2 Lee Beckman reported that the bid date for the water plant project is expected to be scheduled for late December or early January The sidewalk projects on Jefferson and Harrison Streets have recently been completed. The ITEP grant is due in November and could be used for streetscaping and ADA projects

3 Courtice Bowman gave a presentation on the recent indoor air quality assessments that were completed at the City Building. The second floor was tested and high levels of aspergillus penicillium were found, which were well over ten times above what would been seen in background concentrations. Formaldehyde testing was completed on the first floor, general organic vapor testing was completed as well as an asbestos survey of the whole building. He recommended that the second floor be restricted and that only one person be permitted to access the floor' s document storage areas while wearing personal protective equipment, a N95 mask, gloves and a tyvek suit. He also suggested that the designated individual have some training or general awareness regarding the conditions. He didn't believe that there was much that could be done with the basement, which has a lot of water infiltration coming in from the street. Mr Bowman stated that ideally moving into a different building would be a short-term goal. He said that the data didn't suggest that this action was necessary but if looking for a long-term solution this might be the proper course of action. Interim, a short-term goal would be to continue with monitoring levels to make sure that they don' t fluctuate too much from the baseline. The most needed change is to rework the HVAC on the second floor that provides heat and air to the first floor Further stating that this is probably not a good situation when you have an environment with high spore counts. The supply duct work that comes off of the unit is broken and the seams aren' t attached as they should be. A change in differential pressure could be created and the air on the second floor could seep into the duct work and down into the first floor He suggests that the A coil in the central air unit housing is past it' s life expectancy and more than likely is inefficient due to the holes in the duct work. The data shows that the first floor areas are within background concentrations. When tested, the formaldehyde levels were at 015 parts per million, which is just below the recommended exposure limit at 016 He suggested sampling for formaldehyde periodically The housing of the HVAC unit on the second floor is in disarray, the air filter is not properly fitted into the unit and is pulling in air around it. The filter is molded and crusted and the environment is wet because of the condensation that is being drained from the unit and could potentially result in waterborne diseases. Testing for waterborne diseases was not completed. A HEPA filter would help if it was properly fitted to the furnace and suggested filters that target removing mold spores from the indoor air for the HVAC units. Currently, there are no standards for permissible exposure limits for mold mainly due it being ambiguous to the outside air and everyone is susceptible to different levels of mold. The air quality testing on the second floor revealed that there were over 300 aspergillus penicillium spores per cubic meter of air He stated that exhaust fans to vent out the air would help in the short term and suggested looking at the HVAC systems on the first and second floor There are also penetrations of the floor of the second story that aren' t sealed properly

4 Linda Huber addressed the Council to present a marketing plan for the City of Sullivan. The purpose of the plan is to have families relocate to the community and to increase the local economy by promoting the City' s assets. Stating that the City of Sullivan has some of the best schools around, the quality of life is good, there is security, there are extra-curricular activities, a theatre, a lake and campgrounds. Other towns have started this process and Sullivan shouldn't miss out on this opportunity She then introduced Cassie Yoder of Cass Concepts. Ms. Yoder owns and operates a marketing firm. The firm' s purpose is to draw people into communities through the tourism aspect or by the economic development aspect of driving and increasing revenue. She explained that they concentrate on smaller towns with a population of 10,000 or less. They look at the aspects in the community that can be capitalized on and bring attention to these aspects. The opportunities when working with economic development are endless. People are leaving the cities in search of safety, good schools and things to do on the weekend. She provided the Council with a packet showing an overview of the things she has discussed with economic development. The marketing plan is a story telling series that will be made into commercials. The promoting of these stories will be based on analytics. Beta testing will be run to determine the target groups and effectiveness of the stories Cass Concepts represents other cities and explained that the marketing tactics for each community are different. Ms. Yoder emphasized the there are huge employment opportunities in the City of Sullivan. The firms digital campaigns are implemented using geofencing to target specific geographic locations to entice relocation to the community as a resident or a business owner Ms. Huber received numbers from the school district on the impact of a family in the community Providing that investors coming into town would spend $ 3, 000 a year in real estate taxes, $ 10, 000 in discretionary spending, stating that half of this amount would go back to local businesses, for a total of 8, 000 per family She concluded that the investment would be paid for if the campaign could bring 5 families to the community

5 Mayor Glazebrook asked if there were any comments from the public. There were two comments from residents of the Eastview Subdivision that asked to have the water issues in the area addressed. Another resident asked if multiple cremations at the Cemetery qualify for one opening.

6 Mayor Glazebrook asked to pull Ordinance 20-9 from the consent agenda and read the remaining items on the consent agenda.

Approval of minutes of the regular meeting held June 22, 2020 

Approval of claims except those in TIF funds

Approve 2020 regular Council meeting schedule

A motion was made by Commissioner Hargis and seconded by Commissioner Sherwood that the consent agenda be approved. Commissioner Fowler requested the correction of a typo in the minutes from June 22, 2020 Clerk Carrie Creek confirmed that the minutes were correct and reflected the dialogue from the recording. Upon a roll call being taken, the results were as follows

Commissioner Peggy Hargis yea 

Commissioner Abbey Sherwood yea 

Commissioner Mike Fowler yea 

Commissioner Chuck Woodworth yea

Mayor Richard Glazebrook yea

and the motion was declared carried by omnibus vote.

7 A motion was made by Commissioner Woodworth and seconded by Commissioner Sherwood to approve the claims for TIF IV Upon a roll call being taken the results were as follows

Commissioner Chuck Woodworth yea 

Commissioner Abbey Sherwood yea 

Commissioner Mike Fowler abstain

Commissioner Peggy Hargis yea 

Mayor Richard Glazebrook yea

and the motion was declared carried.

8 Commissioner Sherwood reported that the Park Department has been mowing and spraying weeds, noting that it was well taken care of for the Fourth of July She also thanked the American Legion for holding the festivities on the Fourth. She attended a meeting with the swim team regarding the Civic Center, which is now open including pool usage and swim lessons and the budget is being finalized by Treasurer Golden. Commissioner Sherwood addressed some inaccuracies that were presented in Commissioner Fowler' s report at the last council meeting. Confirming that she and Commissioner Fowler have discussed this issue and her feeling that the report was an attack on the integrity of herself and her departments. She went on to explain that the numbers that were presented were false and correct amounts and numbers were provided to them by Treasurer Golden. The Electric Department does transfer money out ofthe department, but this amount has decreased since 2012. If anyone would like a copy of the transferred amounts she would be happy to share that information. Every two week the Council members are provided with a detailed summary of claims and expenditures. They also pass a budget at the beginning of the fiscal year that includes extensive details on the amounts that will be transferred out of the Electric Department and shows what the funds will be used for She stated that there has never been a concern voiced about the expenses or a vote showing disapproval ofthe expenses. The expenses include such items as Park, Cemetery, Civic Center, retirement funds and insurance. Further stating that she doesn' t believe it is possible to be unaware of where the money is being used if you look at the reports. She confirmed that'there is no pressure from anyone on the Council to raise rates and believes it is important that the community know that. Explaining that she herself would be upset if there were an increase and doesn' t believe it is necessary at this time. The last rate increase was imposed in 2012 Conversations and dialogue need to continue regarding this issue and she suggested a decrease in budget items to decrease the transfer amounts. She wants the community to know that they are not hiding anything, the money is going where it should. The RIPPLE program is still in effect, she encouraged citizens to save their receipts from shopping in City limits.

9 Commissioner Fowler suggested that his report from the last meeting wasn' t intended to be offensive He stated that he wanted to start a dialogue regarding the income ofthe City He has concerns about where the income generates from and believes it has been too easy to increase the electric rates. The increase has been noticed over the years and he doesn' t believe that citizens are benefiting from the increases. The Line Crew is interested in hiring a groundsman. The intention is to have the position work alongside the department twelve to eighteen months with the option of them moving into the apprenticeship program. Dan Flannell was contacted about a new hire and has been in contact with the union hall to work out the details, they have several candidates and will be performing interviews. The Line Crew has been working on underground on South Madison, work on street lighting on Harrison Street, took down flags, completed JULIE' s and installed underground piping on South Worth. Commissioner Fowler met with Treasurer Golden to discuss the upcoming budget ofthe Electric Department. He stated that the budget of the Electric Department is in the red, but he still does not feel comfortable raising rates.

10 Commissioner Woodworth reported that the distribution crew has been installing approximately fifty new water meters a day The next step will be the installation of water meters in garages, maintenance rooms, and homes. Ifhome- owners are agreeable to allow the employees in their homes to perform meter changes, they will do so while wearing masks. As part of the bi-annual cleanout program, the north lime pit was cleaned out last week. The deficiencies from the OSHA inspection have been corrected at a total cost of$ 29, 246 87

11 Commissioner Hargis reported that the Street Department picked up brush, mowed, placed additional speed limit signs on South Patterson Road and will be starting a tile job at the Park.

12 A motion was made by Commissioner Hargis and seconded by Commissioner Fowler to approve change order number 3 on the Jefferson Street Project contract in the amount of$ 3, 680.27 Upon a roll call being taken the results were as follows

Commissioner Peggy Hargis yea 

Commissioner Mike Fowler yea

Commissioner Abbey Sherwood yea 

Commissioner Chuck Woodworth yea

Mayor Richard Glazebrook yea

and the motion was declared carried.

13 A motion was.made by Commissioner Hargis and seconded by Commissioner Woodworth to approve pay estimate number 2 to Esker& Walker Construction on the Jefferson Street Project contract in the amount of$27,780 46 Upon a roll call being taken the results were as follows

Commissioner Peggy Hargis yea 

Commissioner Chuck Woodworth yea

Commissioner Abbey Sherwood yea 

Commissioner Mike Fowler yea

Mayor Richard Glazebrook yea

and the motion was declared carried.

14 A motion was made by Commissioner Hargis and seconded by Commissioner Sherwood to approve final change order number 1 to Esker& Walker Construction on the Harrison Street Project Contract in the amount of$3394.29 Upon a roll call being taken the results were as follows

Commissioner Peggy Hargis yea 

Commissioner Abbey Sherwood yea 

Commissioner Mike Fowler yea 

Commissioner Chuck Woodworth yea

Mayor Richard Glazebrook yea

and the motion was declared carried.

15 A motion was made by Commissioner Hargis and seconded by Commissioner Fowler to approve final pay estimate number 1 to Esker& Walker Construction on the Harrison Street Project contact in the amount of$ 117,864 44 Upon a roll call being taken the results were as follows

Commissioner Peggy Hargis yea 

Commissioner Mike Fowler yea 

Commissioner Abbey Sherwood yea 

Commissioner Chuck Woodworth yea

Mayor Richard Glazebrook yea

and the motion was declared carried.

16 Mayor Glazebrook appointed Ted Walk to the Revolving Loan Fund Board and Dan Flannell was appointed as the COVID taskforce chair He met with the school regarding the upcoming school year, met with the Blue Dolphin Swim Team regarding the Civic Center, and met with master gardeners about projects in Tabor Park. Mayor Glazebrook thanked the American Legion and all the volunteers for their outstanding job on the Fourth of July festivities. He also thanked the Electric Department for taking care of the flags. The taping for Our Town Sullivan will be taking place on July 28th at the Little Theatre. The Gas Department has been working on installing meters. He asked that residents notify the Gas Department or the City Building ifthey discover a gas leak.

17 A motion was made by Commissioner Woodworth and seconded by Commissioner Fowler to waive formal reading and extend the effective date of Ordinance 20-3, which implemented the Mayor' s March 18, 2020 Declaration of Emergency, to the date of the next City Council meeting on Monday, July 27, 2020 Upon a roll call being taken, the results were as follows

Commissioner Chuck Woodworth yea

Commissioner Mike Fowler yea

Commissioner Abbey Sherwood yea 

Commissioner Peggy Hargis yea 

Mayor Richard Glazebrook yea

and the motion was declared carried.

18 Ordinance 20- 10— An Ordinance Making Appropriations for the City of Sullivan, Moultrie County, Illinois for the Fiscal Year Commencing May 1, 2020 and ending April 30, 2021 was presented for the first reading. Treasurer Sarah Golden read the proposed appropriations for each department and explained that the 30 million dollar budget has decreased 18 5 million from last year' s budget. Capital purchases have been cut back, while major projects are still moving forward.

19 A motion was made by Commissioner Sherwood and seconded by Commissioner Woodworth to approve a donation of$ 10,000 for the American Legion. Treasurer Golden provided information regarding previous donations made by the City for the Fourth of July Celebration. Upon a roll call being taken, the results were as follows

Commissioner Abbey Sherwood yea 

Commissioner Chuck Woodworth yea

Commissioner Mike Fowler yea

Commissioner Peggy Hargis yea 

Mayor Richard Glazebrook yea

and the motion was declared carried.

20 A motion was made by Commissioner Hargis and seconded by Commissioner Sherwood to discuss options to move the City Building. Commissioner Hargis read a fact sheet on formaldehyde and listed some of the health issues that employees have been experiencing. Don Frevert owns an office building and is willing to sign an annual lease with the City for$ 12,500 The lease would include the office building and the house next to the office. Commissioner Hargis suggested temporarily moving the City Building to this location and hiring engineers to evaluate possibilities for the current location. QNS has looked at the building and can set up the computers in the new location with no issues. She stated that this would keep money local and would increase the productivity of the employees if they were in a better environment. She emphasized that everyone deserves the right to work in a healthy environment and would like something to be done. Mayor Glazebrook would like to install a new furnace and clean up the second floor He believes that these repairs would be cheaper than an annual lease Commissioner Hargis stated that the move would be temporary and that the employees cannot sit in the building while it is being renovated. Mayor Glazebrook believes that there is not a huge problem with the mold or the formaldehyde and that they are within the permissible exposure limits. Commissioner Hargis voiced concern regarding the levels and that ongoing formaldehyde testing would be an additional expense. Mayor Glazebrook said that air filters and a HEPA system could be installed and that the issue could be remedied quicker than relocation. Commissioner Hargis again suggested that an engineer be contacted to look for possible solutions to the problem, if any She would like to ensure that there is a possible solution before spending any money on the current building. Commissioner

Fowler asked if the air quality had been tested in the proposed building, adding that formaldehyde is a serious issue even in new homes Commissioner Sherwood is concerned that personal protective equipment and a full body suit are required to access certain areas ofthe building. Stating that this shouldn't be overlooked or ignored because it is a problem that will only get worse as the building degrades. She also believes that the problem from the second floor will continue to trickle down and that a new ventilation system and HVAC system are needed. She would like to move the employees to a temporary location for their safety Once employees have been relocated, the process can be started to remedy the issues and again retest the building. Mayor Glazebrook stated that the report does not state than an evacuation of the building is necessary Commissioner Hargis pointed out that this was a suggested long-term goal. Mayor Glazebrook said that he would like to take care of the problem areas to see if this solves the problem. Ifthis action does not remedy the situation then everyone can be evacuated. Commissioner Woodworth asked what the cost would be to move everyone to a new location. Commissioner Fowler also voiced concern about the cost. Commissioner Sherwood informed the Council that the servers would remain in the building and would only be accessed as needed. Mayor Glazebrook emphasized that the problem was a bad furnace and that a HEPA filter could be installed on the unit and that an exhaust fan could also be installed to pull in fresh air Commissioner Woodworth said the air filter should be changed. Commissioner Hargis voiced concern about the conditions being disturbed and spreading into the first floor Commissioner Woodworth suggested that after the issues have been remedied, Servpro could be contacted to complete mold remediation. He would like to look at what is causing the problem and corrective options before moving the staff out of the building. Upon a roll call being taken, the results were as follows

Commissioner Peggy Hargis yea 

Commissioner Abbey Sherwood yea 

Commissioner Mike Fowler nay 

Commissioner Chuck Woodworth yea

Mayor Richard Glazebrook nay

and the motion was declared carried.

21 A motion was made by Commissioner Sherwood and seconded by Commissioner Hargis to adopt Ordinance 20- 11 thereby amending Section 7-7- 1 — Definitions, of Article VII—Vehicular Food Vendor, of Chapter 7— Business Code of the Revised Code of Ordinances of the City of Sullivan. Commissioner Sherwood explained that the amendment modifies the definition of" vehicular food vendor" to require all food vendor trailers or trucks to acquire a City issued permit regardless if they are on private or public property Upon roll call being taken, the results were as follows

Commissioner Abbey Sherwood yea 

Commissioner Peggy Hargis yea 

Commissioner Mike Fowler yea

Commissioner Chuck Woodworth yea

Mayor Richard Glazebrook yea

and the motion was declared carried.

22 A motion was made by Commissioner Fowler and seconded by Commissioner Woodworth to accept the marketing plan from Cass Concepts for a total of$39,000 Commissioner Fowler asked if the costs were going to be shared. Commissioner Hargis asked to table the issue to review the information provided. Upon roll call being taken, the results were as follows

Commissioner Mike Fowler yea 

Commissioner Chuck Woodworth yea 

Commissioner Abbey Sherwood nay 

Commissioner Peggy Hargis nay 

Mayor Richard Glazebrook yea

and the motion was declared carried.

23 A motion was made by Commissioner Sherwood and seconded by Commissioner Hargis to adjourn the meeting. Upon roll call being taken, the results were as follows

Commissioner Abbey Sherwood yea

Commissioner Peggy Hargis yea 

Commissioner Mike Fowler yea 

Commissioner Chuck Woodworth yea 

Mayor Richard Glazebrook yea 

and the motion was declared carried and the meeting was adjourned at 7 52 p.m.

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