Macon Reporter

Village of Forsyth Board of Trustees met July 15.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

CALL TO ORDER

Mayor 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 Chelsie Kidd, Trustee Jeff London, Trustee Jim Ashby, Trustee Jeremy Shaw, Trustee Dave Wendt

Telephone: Trustee Lauren Young

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

Staff Absent: Planning and Zoning Director Ryan Raleigh

Others Present: Bill Krueger, Sue Thomas, John Kuhlmann

CONSENT AGENDA

1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF JUNE 17, 2025

2. APPROVAL OF WARRANTS FOR JULY 1, 2025 AND JULY 15, 2025

3. APPROVAL OF TREASURER’S REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE 2025

MOTION

Trustee Wendt made a Motion to approve the Consent Agenda with noted corrections to be made to the June 17th minutes and Trustee London seconded the Motion.

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

Yeas: 5 – Ashby, Kidd, London, Wendt, Shaw

Nays: 0 – None

Absent: 1 – Young

Motion declared carried.

MOTION

Trustee Wendt made a Motion to approve the participation of Trustee Lauren Young on the telephone and Trustee Kidde seconded the Motion.

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

Yeas: 5 – Ashby, Kidd, London, Wendt, Shaw

Nays: 0 – None

Abstain: 1 – Young

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.

Resident John Kuhlmann addressed the Board regarding complaints about yard and plant sales creating traffic issues within the neighborhood. He stated that there really was no traffic issue. Resident Sue Thomas spoke regarding the same issue.

ADMINISTRATION REPORTS

1. Law Enforcement Report

Sheriff Deputy Zigler had nothing significant to report.

2. Village Staff Reports

Village Engineer Buening answered Mayor Peck’s questions regarding the following topics: seeding at the Sports and Nature Park will occur in the fall; the grade school bike path project will start August 6 and complete by September 27; the bike path improvements project is in the design phase and will happen next spring: Prairie winds north/south road work has been started but will not meet the deadline; road maintenance will happen this year; water tower bids will go out August 19 and will be subject to contractor availability; Moon Street improvements are in the design phase.

Trustee Wendt shared that the three-month moving revenues average is very comparable to last year. He also asked about the lights on the walking path and it was confirmed that they are sensor controlled. Trustee London asked about the timeline for Route 51 striping and Village Engineer Buening confirmed that the timeline is still unknown.

Trustee Shaw noted that the intersection of Route 51 and Illiniwick has a section that is still in poor condition so Public Works Director Fowler agreed to follow through with Macon County officials.

OLD BUSINESS

1. DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION REGARDING REPLACEMENT OF VILLAGE HALL ROOF (PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR DARIN FOWLER)

Public Works Director Fowler shared the quote details of replacing the Village Hall roof with a metal roof versus an asphalt shingle. A lengthy discussion ensued regarding the pros and cons of the two materials and the cost commitments. The Trustees then agreed that asphalt shingles is their choice but would like more quotes before moving forward. Since it will be over $25,000 this will need to go out for bid per Public Works Director Fowler.

No Motion needed.

2. DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION REGARDING IT SERVICES WITTHIN THE VILLAGE BUILDINGS (LIBRARY DIRECTOR MELANIE WEIGEL)

Library Director Weigel explained the details of both vendors’ quotes and what is included in each. After a lengthy Board discussion, they agreed to choose Option 1 that includes a one-time equipment upgrade of $2,186, a monthly charge of $526, an anticipated 37 hours of IT support billing and to include Microsoft 365.

MOTION

Trustee Wendt made a Motion to approve Option 1 as described above and Trustee Shaw seconded the Motion.

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

Yeas: 5 – Ashby, Kidd, London, Wendt, Shaw

Nays: 0 – None

Abstain: 1 – Young

Motion declared carried.

NEW BUSINESS

1. DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION REGARDING POTENTIAL HOTEL WITHIN THE VILLAGE (VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR JILL APPLEBEE)

Village Administrator Applebee explained that Dhaval Patel of Pace Hospitality LLC has inquired about financial incentives for developing a new $15 million hotel (no restaurant included) within the Village of Forsyth. She went on to explain the details of the financial options and asked the Board for direction on this topic. A lengthy discussion ensued and the Board agreed for Administrator Applebee to continue the conversation with this investor.

No Motion needed.

Mayor Peck asked Village Attorney Petrilli when the next closed session will be held. She responded that on August 19 we will hold one in addition to having a training session for the new Board members.

ADJOURNMENT

Trustee Wendt made the Motion to adjourn and Trustee Shaw seconded the Motion. All Board members agreed by voice vote, and the meeting was adjourned at 7:42 p.m.

https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/5126/VOF/5924221/External_Meeting_Packet.pdf