Macon Reporter

Village of Forsyth Board of Trustees met Sept. 12.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

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

Truth in Taxation Hearing - The levy from last year was $65,000. There are a multitude of areas the Village is behind. It’s increasing to $95,000. Municipal taxes are not as significant as other entities. It does not affect the senior freeze that is available in Moultrie Co. Adjourn the Truth in Taxation Hearing and move into the regular meeting.

A motion was made by Trustee Doty to approve the minutes from the August 8, 2024, regular meeting, seconded by Trustee Ruppert. 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 McLain. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

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

Public – Brian Marshall, representing the owners of the Bethany Diner: Work with SBLH with the Peace Meal. They do 750 - 800 meals a month. There is a group of 10 investors that went in to keep it open approximately five years ago. The Diner has basically been for sale since they purchased it. Because only having breakfast and lunch it is difficult to keep it open. They have investigated ways to save money. They have listed it with a realtor who suggested having a liquor and gaming license to make it more attractive to sell. The liquor license is non transferable and there is a restaurant liquor license available. The number of gaming licenses was set at two and they were taken.

Tony Miller, contesting a leash law ticket. It was reported that his dog got out of his yard and bit a neighbor. Angie and Tom Rucker were here to state what happened when Angie was bitten. Others were here to support Mr. Miller’s claim and others were here to support Mrs. Rucker’s claim of being bitten. The Board will not take any action on this matter. The ticket stands. Mike Sweeney representing The Publisher. They will be doing their annual Jeep Run on Sept. 21st 9:30 am to Noon just as last year. The road was closed from the tracks to the end of the business district. The handicapped space in front of the Diner will be left open. The Publisher does need to fill out a special event application. A motion was made by Trustee McLain to approve the closing of Main St from the tracks to the end of the business district on Sept 21st from 9:30 am to Noon, seconded by Trustee Ruppert. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Andrea Doty Special Use Permit - This was discussed in July for a special use permit for her dog breeding business that is currently in town. She was going to look for property in the country and that has not been favorable. Properties located outside of town have been very expensive. There have been no further complaints concerning her dogs. Ms. Doty has one litter of six puppies that are three weeks old and six older dogs. The Village Attorney stated that there needs to be a Special Use Permit application before the Board needs to take action on this.

Greg Gustafson Water Improvement Project Updates - The water main SNC has completed and the pipe installation for the directional lines is done. They still need to be flushed and tested. There has not been any real surface restoration or service pipe connections despite several requests from the Engineer and the Village. There is a pay request from SNC submitted. A&R Services has not been back on site since last month. Greg is inspecting the tank as it is being built. He provided A&R a punch list on clean up that needs to be done. They will be starting on some of these things that are on the inside of the plant. He has discussed transport details with Bruder Tank in regards to the Detention Tank. A Project Manager representing SNC was present and was asked as to why Village requests have not been met; specific complaints dealing with the North end of town and multiple holes. Mr. Gustafson received an email from the EPA concerning the chlorine gas leak that happened earlier. He will talk with Village Manager, Shannon Risley on what exactly the EPA is wanting. He was approached by the new water meter supplier on an alternate meter that is all plastic. They are having trouble getting the rest of the new meters. It didn’t seem like a good choice. The supplier has been told that the Village will wait until the remaining meters can get here. We received a pay request from Berns Clancy. A motion was made by Trustee McLain to approve the pay request for Berns Clancy in the amount of $55,081.90, seconded by Trustee Allen. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried. Pay request #4 from SNC will be tabled until some movement is seen on the items mentioned. A motion was made by Trustee McLain to table pay request #4 from SNC until September 26th, special board meeting at 7pm, seconded by Trustee England. Roll call taken: Doty-yes; Ruppert-yes; England-yes; McLain-yes; Allen-yes; Gill-No; motion carried.

Traffic Logix Speed Tracker - This is a portable device/data collection that will record speed. Drivers will not be able to see their speed. Lately complaints have been on N Jefferson St. A motion was made by Trustee McLain to purchase Traffic Logix Speed Tracker for $2,109.00, seconded by Trustee Allen. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Exchange of 40’ x 30’ Parcel of Real Estate - Village Attorney has handed out a packet dealing with this issue. There needs to be a public meeting before this can be finalized. A motion was made by Trustee Allen to hold this Public Meeting at the beginning of the regular October 10th meeting at 7pm, seconded by Trustee McLain. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Tax Levy - The significant changes in the Levy are in the special funds. It won’t entirely satisfy the insurance expenses but it will help with this in the general fund. A motion was made by Trustee Doty to approve the Village Tax Levy, seconded by Trustee McLain. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

BASO Donation - Last year the Board donated $500 from the Utilities Dept. A motion was made by Trustee Allen to donate $750 to BASO payable from the Utilities Dept., seconded by Trustee Doty. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Trick or Treat Hours - A motion was made by Trustee Allen to hold Village Trick or Treat hours on October 26th from 6pm to 9pm, seconded by Trustee Ruppert. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

ISPAN Bullet Software - The State of Illinois took away the software, IWIN from the Police use in the car computer. IPSAN is similar to what was used before. It is currently being used on a trial basis. It is $50 per device per month. It can be canceled at any time. A motion was made by Trustee McLain to approve the subscription and use of IPSAN for the Police Dept, seconded by Trustee England. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

New Website for Police Dept. - The Dept has removed their Facebook page. Chief Nichols would like to use the same company as the Village for a new Police website. It would allow them to post forms and receive them via email. A motion was made by Trustee McLain to approve a Village Police website through Immense Impact LLC at the current rate, seconded by Trustee Ruppert. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Ordinance for Property Maintenance Code & Adoption of Building Code. - The Village is using Moultrie Co. for building codes. The Village Attorney suggested to table this to allow Village Manager Shannon Risley to get with Moultrie Co. to go over this code along with the Building Codes to see if there are any modifications needed for the Village. Trustee Ruppert made a motion to table items 7E and 7F indefinitely, seconded by Trustee England. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

1% Grocery Tax - Illinois has now allowed non home rule municipalities to have a 1% grocery tax. It will take effect January 1 of 2026. The State will collect the money and then send it back to us. A motion was made by Trustee McLain to Implement the 1% grocery tax to take effect January 1, 2026, seconded by Trustee Doty. Roll call taken, all ayes, motion carried.

Treasurer Jessica Henderson asked the Village Attorney to look over the Ordinances concerning Utility practices. As of now the current practices do not match the current Ordinances. Attorney Patrick Sullivan will continue to work with Jessica on this.

Reports – Utilities Manager Shannon Risley, and Chief Nichols

Correspondence – Received a water survey from Berns Clancy and Assoc. We ranked 48 out of the 72 towns for water charges. We ranked 23 out of 48 for sewer charges. Trustee Gill mentioned that the State’s Attorney wanted the Board to know the exceptional work Chief Nichols conducted on a current case. Attorney Ed Flynn received an email from Dan Flannel who is handling the estate for the building on Main St. that is having building issues. He is asking for patience as they are trying to sell the building and close the estate. Mr. Flynn is wanting to slow down in his practice and will be turning more of the Village work over to Patrick Sullivan.

Committee Meeting Dates – No meetings are needed

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. The meeting was adjourned.

https://www.villageofbethany.com/documents/116/MINUTES_9-12-2024.pdf