Macon Reporter

Village of Forsyth Board of Trustees met June 18.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

CALL TO ORDER

Mayor Jim Peck called the meeting to order at 6:30 P.M.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

ROLL CALL

Upon a call of the roll, the following members were physically present: Mayor Jim Peck, Trustee Marilyn Johnson, Trustee Bob Gruenewald, Trustee Jeff London, Trustee Lauren Young, Trustee Dave Wendt

Absent: Trustee Jeremy Shaw

Staff Present: Village Administrator Jill Applebee, Village Clerk Cheryl Marty, Village Treasurer Rhonda Stewart, Village Engineer Jeremy Buening, Village Library Director Melanie Weigel, Village Attorney Lisa Petrilli, Public Works Director Darin Fowler, Planning and Zoning Director Ryan Raleigh

Others Present: Cathy Mansur (May Cocagne and King), Bill Krueger, Rita Colee CONSENT AGENDA

1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF MAY 21, 2024

2. APPROVAL OF WARRANTS

MOTION

Trustee Johnson made a Motion to approve the Consent Agenda as presented and Trustee Gruenewald seconded the Motion.

Upon a call of the roll, the vote was as follows:

Yeas: 5 – Johnson, London, Gruenewald, Young, Wendt

Nays: 0 – None

Absent: 1 – Shaw

Motion declared carried.

PUBLIC COMMENT: At this time, the public has the opportunity to express views or make comments to the Mayor and Board of Trustees on agenda items or any other Village issue. Comments must be limited to not more than three (3) minutes.

Rita Colee, a former resident, had a recent incident when she was attending a ballgame in Forsyth Park. Her car was broken into and her wallet stolen. She praised the excellent response from Sheriff Deputy Casner and her professionalism. She urged the Village to install cameras wherever possible. Public Works Director Fowler provided an update on that particular project.

ADMINISTRATION REPORTS

1. Law Enforcement Report

Sheriff Deputy Hale reported that all went well at the Forsyth Fest and had no incidents to report. The deputies will be present at the upcoming public meeting on Thursday. Trustee Wendt thanked him and the Sheriff’s staff for their help during the parade.

2. Village Staff Reports

Mayor Peck said this was one of the best Forsyth Fests we have had and kudos to all Village staff for this level of success. Village Engineer Buening confirmed for Trustee Gruenewald that they have yet to discover why the Avalon concrete is cracking so much in one area, and the plan is to uncover it all to further investigate. He also confirmed the Route 51 median color sample is to arrive soon.

OLD BUSINESS

1. ORDINANCE NUMBER 2024-13 AN ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF A REDEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN THE VILLAGE OF FORSYTH AND SULLIVAN DEVELOPERS, LLC, AND REED W. SULLIVAN (VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR JILL APPLEBEE)

Village Administrator Applebee explained this is the final redevelopment agreement for Carpet Weavers and summarized the details. A brief discussion was held with several Board members requesting a TIF report showing the status of individual projects and Administrator Applebee agreed to make that request.

MOTION

Trustee Wendt made a Motion to approve the Ordinance as presented with corrections for the word “City” being replaced with the word “Village” and corrections to address and phone numbers and Trustee Young seconded the Motion.

Upon a call of the roll, the vote was as follows:

Yeas: 5 – Johnson, London, Gruenewald, Young, Wendt

Nays: 0 – None

Absent: 1 – Shaw

Motion declared carried.

2. DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION REGARDING FUTURE INVESTMENT OPTIONS (VILLAGE TREASURER RHONDA STEWART)

Village Treasurer Stewart introduced the report that summarized current and future investment plans. Mayor Peck said her report is perfect and thanked her for that. Trustee Gruenewald said the report is very clear and appreciated it as well. A brief discussion was held.

No Motion needed.

3. DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION REGARDING ESTIMATE OF OLD TOWN RENOVATIONS (VILLAGE ENGINEER JEREMY BUENING)

Village Engineer Buening explained he and his staff compared the Undersized Water Main Project to the Woodland Hills Reconstruction Project per the Board’s request. He further explained the details of the estimated costs and timeframes for both projects. When questioned about the need for water main replacement he explained that it was the EPA recommendation to do the water main replacements first if road work was going to be done. The EPA also recommends replacing the 60+ year old 4” mains with the current requirements of 8” mains. While the mains are functioning without issue, leaks have occurred and been repaired per Public Works Director Fowler. After a lengthy Board discussion, Trustee Wendt suggested moving the water main project up in the timeline and others agreed. Village Attorney Petrilli said a vote on the Woodland project will need to be on the next agenda.

No Motion needed.

4. DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION REGARDING PLAYGROUND PLAN FOR FORSYTH PARK (VILLAGE ENGINEER JEREMY BUENING)

Village Engineer Buening explained his set of plans illustrating the layout for the new playground equipment and pour-in-place surfacing in Forsyth Park. Some discussion centered around the possible reuse of current playground equipment but there were concerns about doing so without damage. A brief discussion continued and no Motion was needed as this was an information-only presentation.

No Motion needed.

NEW BUSINESS

1. PRESENTATION OF AUDIT REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023 (MAY COCAGNE AND KING)

Cathy Mansur from May Cocagne & King presented the audit findings for 2023 and complimented the staff on the excellent quality of information received – it is incomparable to any she’s seen. She explained the highlights of the audit report. It is a testament to the Village spending and fiscal management and that is a high compliment for a municipal government. She responded to several questions from Board members.

No Motion needed.

Administrator Applebee shared that Verizon is interested in the commercial use of our water tower but her position was the Village was not interested and asked for Board input. They want to install communication equipment on the top of the tower but Public Works Director Fowler said it is just more opportunity for rust and also makes maintenance much more difficult. Also, it is bad timing when the painting project is on the horizon. The Verizon representative did not appear on the phone tonight as promised and all Board members agreed not to pursue this opportunity.

ADJOURNMENT

Trustee Wendt made the Motion to adjourn and Trustee Young seconded the Motion. All Board members agreed by voice vote, and the meeting was adjourned at 7:45 P.M.

https://forsyth-il.gov/vertical/sites/%7B18717005-44FD-438D-B0BC-B86101984F4F%7D/uploads/External_Meeting_Packet_Revised.pdf