Macon Reporter

Village of Harristown Board of Trustees met June 26.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The Board of Trustees of the Village of Harristown held their monthly meeting on June 26, 2023, at 185 N. Kembark St., Harristown, IL. Trustees Teresa Acree, Kevin Vessels, April Bogan, Jeff Eller, Jay Trusner, Les Jenkins, Mayor Evelyn Deverell, Budget Officer Rick Laskowski, and Attorney Andrew Weatherford were in attendance. Clerk Penny Allen was absent. Mayor Deverell called the meeting to order at 6:30 P.M. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

Consent Agenda

a) The Public Works section of the agenda will be moved to follow the Visitors section. Motion by Trustee Trusner to adopt revised meeting agenda. Trustee Vessels 2nd. Motion passed 6-0.

b) Approve 4/24/23 regular meeting minutes. Motion by Trustee Acree to approve the minutes with changes made at the prior Board meeting. Trustee Trusner 2nd Motion passed 6-0

c) Approve 5/22/23 regular meeting minutes. Motion by Trustee Acree to approve the minutes with no changes. Trustee Trusner 2nd Motion passed 6-0

d) Approve 5/30/23 special meeting minutes. Not complete, table for future approval.

Visitors

Mike Sorrentino - Concerned about speed limits on Harristown Blvd / Western Ave. Potential adjustments needed with increased traffic. State District 7 will need to be contacted.

Public Works

a) Report from Jonathon Closs was distributed listing activities during the month.

Leaking hydrant on Birks St fixed, water usage reduced. Locks for additional hydrants have been purchased. Metro cable company plans to install fiber optic lines for cable service. State statute allows these activities, taxing ordinances can be created. Franchise agreements exist with current utility companies (Ameren, Comcast, Ill Bell). Attorney Weatherford will prepare a draft for the new cable company. The gate on the Water Plant needs to be moved; the current location creates a traffic hazard. Quotes obtained on new gates were: $4,378 (rolling gate), $14,858 (fully assembled gate), and $8,878 (rolling gate + electric opener). Motion by Trustee Vessels to purchase rolling gate + electric opener from Macon County Fence for $8,878; Trustee Trusner 2nd. Approved 6-0.

Treasurers Report

a) A 20-page report was distributed to Board members. Due to the recent resignation of Treasurer Julie Rose, Mayor Deverell narrated the highlights of the report.

b) Included was the May 2023 Financial Report listing receipts, total disbursements, and bank balances by Fund. Motion by Trustee Jenkins to approve, Trustee Trusner 2nd, approved 6-0.

c) Also included were a list of invoices >$1,000 requiring Board approval. The list contained 2 invoices: $1,609.00 from Midwest Meter from the water fund and $1,162.80 from Metal Culverts from the general fund. The August IEPA payment of $37,212.78 was added to the list. The total amount submitted for approval was $39,984.58. Motion by Trustee Trusner to approve, Trustee Acree 2nd. Approved 6-0.

Budget Officers Report

a) Monthly budget report for May 2023 was reviewed. This is the first month of the 2023-24 fiscal year. There are 2 accounts (1-TIF & 1-Sewer) that are overbudget. Motion by Trustee Vessels to accept the Budget report. Trustee Jenkins 2nd Motion passed 6-0.

Zoning/Planning

a) Public meeting on Solar panels - about 60 residents attended the meeting. There was much opposition with the 2 areas targeted for solar installation. The Zoning committee supports public feeling to deny solar installation at the 2 locations. The parcel numbers for the 2 locations are 06-11-13-102-007 and 06-11-14-278-009. The recommendation was to vote "no" for issuing a special use permit for Solar Farms at the 2 locations. The current ordinance is for residential only, should it be modified? There have been no requests for special use permits for solar installation. There is nothing to vote on. Motion by Trustee Bogan that there be no discussion of solar facilities on the 2 parcels listed above; Trustee Acree 2nd, Approved 6-0.

Old Business

a) None

New Business

a) Street lighting improvements. A Lighting map was distributed showing lighting issues and suggested additional lighting in the village. Ameren will provide the installation. Trustees were asked to review the map before the next board meeting.

Personnel

a) Approve Personnel manual. Further revision is needed. Table for future meeting.

b) Treasurer's position - effective 6/23/2023, Julie Rose has resigned as Village Treasurer. Motion by Trustee Trusner to remove Julie Rose signature on village bank accounts. Trustee Eller 2nd. Approved 6-0. A replacement of the elected position for the remainder of the term is needed. Options to cover the vacancy were discussed. Appointing a person is being considered. Requirements are that there be no increase in compensation and the replacement needs to live in Harristown. No current applicants reside in Harristown except Trustee Acree. The cost of utilizing an accounting firm for Treasurer activities is very high (est. $93/hour). An Auditor may have to train a replacement. Julie Rose has offered training during daytime hours, but Trustee Acree is not available till after 3 PM. Julie Rose has also offered a proposal to continue performing Treasurer activities until 7/28/23 at a pay rate of $50/hour, to be paid weekly. There are many issues such as Tax ID's, passwords, etc. that need to be passed on to a replacement. The village would need a referendum to change from elected to appointed position. What is the timeframe to fill the position? The current Treasurer term expires in 2025. Need to consider a referendum in Fall of 2024 to change to appointed position. Does the position have to be filled? Quickly filling the vacancy was unsuccessful. Part time office position exists which can be filled to cover the vacancy. Replacement can't serve as both Treasure and Trustee. No timeframe was identified to replace the Treasurer. There appears to be 3 options: (1) Appoint a village resident at $400 per month, (2) Hire office clerical person to handle the office duties as needed, (3) Hire accounting firm to perform the Treasurer duties. Attorney Weatherford checked legal documents and found that nothing shows that a Treasurer needs to be replaced or hired. The current village budget contains an office clerical position at a rate of $15.00 per hour. This issue will be discussed in closed session. Trustee Acree or other Applicant should not be present during the discussion. Due to time limitations, the proposal offered by Julie Rose will not work. The current Auditor used by the village will be contacted for guidance during the vacancy.

c) Cleaning Person - Jeff Stockton will be off for 8 weeks. Brian Hood will cover during his absence at the same cost.

Streets and Alley

a) No report

b) IDOT Compliance review - 2021 MFT program reviewed and audited.

Finance

a) No report

Ordinance

a) Water and Sewer Tap-on fees. A draft of previously approved changes was submitted by Attorney Weatherford. Motion by Trustee Vessels to create Ordinance 23-15 with approved changes. Trustee Trusner 2nd, Motion passed via roll call 6-0 voted yes.

b) Revised Cannabis ordinance. A draft of previously approved changes was submitted by Attorney Weatherford. Approved changes include an age restriction of 21 years of age and clarification that the Board will be the group to control licenses and policies associated with the cannabis ordinance. Motion by Trustee Jenkins to create Ordinance 23-16 with approved changes. Trustee Trusner 2nd, Motion passed via roll call 6-0 voted yes.

Water and Sewer

a) URWC - Water loss has improved. Eric Emerick has resigned from EJ Water. He was treasurer of the water coop; replacement is unknown. There are concerns about a potential cost increase from the URWC. Next URWC meeting is on 7/20/23 at 5:30 PM in Illiopolis.

Economic Development/Community

a) Independence Day Celebration. Due to drought conditions, there was concern of cancellation. As of this meeting, there are no plans to cancel the event.

b) The Golf Cart Rally will be held on 8/26/23. Golf cart permits will be waived on the day of the event.

c) Park at 210 N Kembark - Quotes for fence and stump removal have been received. Two quotes for fencing were received, ATS = $23,000 and Macon County Fence = $14,760. Motion by Trustee Trusner to approve the $14,760 quote; Trustee Acree 2nd, approved 6-0. Also received was a $1,300 quote from Mr. Page to remove 3 stumps on the property and fill it with dirt and level-off. Motion by Trustee Eller to approve $1,300 quote from Mr. Page, Trustee Trusner 2nd, approved 6-0.

d) Landscaping Veterans memorial - need to improve view and make area safe. NEAT Landscaping (Nicholas Walker) has suggested adding a retaining wall. Desired completion date is Veterans Day.

Attorney

a) No report

Motion by Trustee Trusner to enter closed session to review ordinance violations and hiring an office clerical person. Trustee Jenkins 2nd - Motion passed 6-0. Leave regular session at 8:51 PM.

Returned from Closed session at 9:52 PM

Motion by Trustee Vessels to offer the office clerical position to Trustee Acree at the pay rate of $23.50 per hour and increase the pay rate of Misty Peters to $23.50 Trustee Eller 2nd; Approved 5-0. (Trustee Acree was not present). per hour.

Motion by Trustee Vessels to adjourn, Trustee Bogan 2nd. Motion passed 5-0.

Meeting adjourned at 9:54 PM

https://villageofharristown.com/documents/231/Meeting_Minutes_6-26-23.pdf