City Council

Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of the Village of Jerome Board CALL TO ORDER: The President and the Board of Trustees held a regular meeting on Thursday, August 15, 2024, at the Jerome Civic Center, 2901 Leonard Street, Jerome, Illinois. The meeting was called to order at 6:34 pm by President Lopez, followed by Roll call and the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: The following were present: Mike Lopez, Village President Kathy DeHart, Trustee Public Health Leigh Irons, Trustee of Public Safety Ralph Irons, Trustee of Water Department Dale Lael, Trustee of Building & Zoning via phone Phil Raftis, Trustee of Public Works Also Present: Lisa Cave, Village Clerk, arrived 7:32pm Jason Brokaw, Attorney, Giffin, Winning, Cohen & Bodewes, PC, arrived 6:45pm Steve Roth, Executive Assistant Absent: Katrina Christofilakos, Trustee of Public Property Emily Snow, Village Treasurer _____________________________________________________________________________________ APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: President Lopez asked whether the Board had reviewed the August 1, 2024, Minutes and if they found need for any changes, corrections, or amendments. President Lopez asked the August 1, 2024, minutes would stand approved as presented. Motion to approve the August 1, 2024, Meeting Minutes as presented by: Trustee Raftis and 2nd by Trustee Ralph Irons Upon roll call vote, all voted AYE; MOTION PASSES. APPROVAL TO PAY BILLS: President Lopez asked whether the board had reviewed Warrant List 25-07 dated August 1, 2024, totaling $60,833.06. Treasurer Snow stated the breakdown of the amount that $18,536.09 will be paid from the General Revenue Fund, $11,263.89 will be paid from the 1% Fund and $31,033.08 will be paid from the Water Account. President Lopez asked for a motion to approve Warrant List 25-07 as presented. Motion to Approve the Warrant List 25-07 totaling $60,833.06 as presented By: Trustee Ralph Irons and 2nd by Trustee DeHart Upon roll call vote, all voted AYE; MOTION PASSES. PUBLIC COMMENTS: President Lopez opened the Visitors Acknowledgement portion of the meeting at 6:40 pm. Shawn Stillman, a resident on Iles has received the signs and has started distributing them to other residents. His hope is for others to put in their yards to slow the traffic down on Iles Ave. President Lopez expressed his thanks to Shawn for his efforts for the Village. President Lopez stated that the meeting on Thursday, September 19, 2024, will be at 6:00 pm regarding the TIF district. Please plan accordingly, it will be a lengthy meeting. This portion of the meeting closed at 6:46 pm. REPORTS: Trustee DeHart stated she met with the owner on Reed Ave and got everything collected. Forms are being updated with the help of Ruth, Amanda and Jen. Trustee DeHart complimented Ruth on how on top of everything she is. Halloween discussion will be at the first meeting of September. Trustee Raftis stated there is a completion date of November 15, 2024 on the Iles Avenue road construction. They have 90 days (about 3 months) to complete the project, and it will start in September. The contractors will be notifying the residents of road closures. Storm Sewers on Fillmore will be seeding next week. Ordered culverts to be replaced and Public Works will notify the residents before they begin. Trustee Lael had nothing to report. Trustee Leigh Irons stated the Chief and herself are doing interviews. Dillon will be on in the afternoon and monitor Iles with school dismissal. Chief Tolley will monitor in the am. Trustee Ralph Irons stated Dave is continuing replacing hydrants and will begin flushing them next month. Training with the new systems is going great. Steve Roth said he met with Ruth about the house accounts and Comcast bills. Steve has gone through the record retention schedule with the office staff and created a cheat sheet. Plan is to share it with the Board at the next meeting and then send it to archives for approval to shred. Steve stated that the office team is fantastic! They work very well together. Audit is going well; they needed a tax-exempt form, and we should be having the report next month. President Lopez asked that all bulletin items are sent to the Clerk before the end of the month. Steve Roth, the audit is going well. Steve is locating the information that IDOT is requesting for 2018 to present in the basement of the Police Department. Water had been in the basement, but it does not appear that it damaged the documents. There are a lot of blueprints downstairs, Steve will gather a list of the blueprints. Steve will be done by August 31, 2024. Attorney Brokaw stated the Group that are drafting the TIF and Business district, estimate 200,000 per year maybe more at the Shop n Save location. They are confident in the locations, and we are looking to establish before the October 1, 2024, deadline. The TIF plan is being worked on and we hope to have this ready and start in January 2025. Shawn Stillman asked how the TIF district will affect the residential properties. Attorney Brokaw stated it will not affect the owners of the properties, it will affect who receives the funding on the property taxes. Trustee DeHart asked about the property on Homewood. Attorney Brokaw stated the mortgage company no longer exists. The State’s Attorney and Sangamon County are still investigating who has the mortgage now. The next step is we are hopeful that the State’s Attorney and Sangamon County will find the answers. Someone is making the tax payments but noone can tell who is making the payments. The problem is there is no record of the current mortgage assignee. President Lopez announced again about the September 1, 2024, deadline for the bulletin items. NEW BUSINESS: President Lopez opened discussion and approval of Rental Equipment to level and prepare for grass seed along Fillmore. Motion to Approve Rental Equipment to level and prepare for grass seed along Fillmore not to exceed $2,000.00 by Trustee Raftis and 2nd by Trustee Ralph Irons Upon roll call vote, all voted AYE; MOTION PASSES. President Lopez opened discussion and approval of Purchasing Grass Seed and Fertilizer for along Fillmore Street. Motion to Approve the Purchase of Grass Seed and Fertilizer for along Fillmore Street not to exceed $525.00 by Trustee Raftis and 2nd by Trustee DeHart Upon roll call vote, all voted AYE; MOTION PASSES. President Lopez opened discussion and approval of the Purchase of a Storm Sewer Pipe and Components for Fillmore (south of W Grand Ct to 1st driveway). Motion to Approve the Purchase of Storm Sewer Pipe and Components for Fillmore not to exceed $1,250.00 by Trustee Raftis and 2nd by Trustee DeHart Upon roll call vote, all voted AYE; MOTION PASSES. President Lopez opened discussion and approval of the Purchase of a Clean Out Hydrant for dead end on Iles Ave. Motion to Approve the Purchase of a Clean Out Hydrant for dead end on Iles Ave not to exceed $2,500.00 by Trustee Ralph Irons and 2nd by Trustee Raftis Upon roll call vote, all voted AYE; MOTION PASSES. President Lopez opened discussion and approval of Ordinance 25-10 Authorizing the Disposal of Surplus Personal Property Owned by the Village of Jerome, Illinois. There are 6 fire hydrants and 20 shelving units from the Village Library. Motion to Approve Ordinance 25-10 Authorizing the Disposal of Surplus Personal Property Owned by the Village of Jerome, Illinois by Trustee Ralph Irons and 2nd by Trustee Raftis Upon roll call vote, all voted AYE; MOTION PASSES. President Lopez opened discussion and approval of Conference Registration of IPWSOA for all 3 Public Works Employees. Dave Wilken will attend the entire conference, and the other two Public Works employees will attend one day. Motion to Approve the Conference Registration of IPWSOA for all 3 Public Works Employees not to exceed $595.00 by Trustee Ralph Irons and 2nd by Trustee DeHart Upon roll call vote, all voted AYE; MOTION PASSES. President Lopez opened discussion and approval of the Bid of Tree Removal at 3030 ½ Chatham Road. Tabled. Trustee Raftis asked to table it till the next meeting. President Lopez opened discussion and approval of the Demolition and Site Cleanup for 3030 ½ Chatham Road. President Lopez spoke with Dave and think they can do it themselves for $10,000. Public Works feels that they can do the work themselves. Trustee Raftis asked if there was any additional liability for our employees to do the work. Attorney Brokaw feels that it is a small structure already gutted we could do it, but we need to double check the IEPA, which can change the figures if there is asbestos etc. as the disposal requirements could change. Dave has been told it could be $30,000 to $40,000. Attorney Brokaw stated we need to make sure the right steps are followed. Steve Roth stated we have never taken down a building ourselves. Steve recommends an official bid be obtained before we agree to do it in- house. President Lopez asked to table to the next meeting. President Lopez opened discussion and approval of the Hiring of Police Officer(s). Trustee Leigh Irons asked for it to be tabled at the next meeting. President Lopez opened discussion and approval of Ordinance 25-11 Setting A Date For a Public Hearing On the Proposed Jerome Business District. Attorney Brokaw stated this is a required step for the Business District. that he found a typo and the ordinance needs amended to reflect September 19, 2024, not September 5, 2024. Motion to Amend Ordinance 25-11 Setting a Date for a Public Hearing on the Proposed Jerome Business District to September 19, 2024, at 6:00 pm and correct the Trustees names by Trustee DeHart and 2nd by Trustee Ralph Irons Upon roll call vote, all voted AYE; MOTION PASSES. Motion to Approve the Amended Ordinance 25-11 Setting A Date for a Public Hearing on the Proposed Jerome Business District by Trustee Ralph Irons and 2nd by Trustee DeHart Upon roll call vote, all voted AYE; MOTION PASSES. OLD BUSINESS: President Lopez opened discussion and approval for the Paid Leave for All Workers Act. Attorney Brokaw suggested to table the discussion until the next meeting. President Lopez stated that if you have any ideas or recommendations on this please email before the day of the next meeting. President Lopez opened discussion and approval for the Purchase of 3 Cameras for the Municipal Building and Garage. Trustee DeHart stated this was provided by Thirdwave. There are 3 available slots for cameras, one for the office hallway, one in the Jerome Board Room and one in the garage. The one in the Board Room would need a different camera if we wanted to share video conferencing. Trustee DeHart recommends not to purchase the one for the Board Room until the Board decides what the options, we want in the Board Room. Trustee Lael asked to table this until the next meeting. President Lopez opened discussion and approval of a Hire-On Bonus for the Police Department. After discussion, President Lopez asked to table until the next meeting. ADJOURNMENT: With no further business, President Lopez asked for a motion to close the meeting at 7:41 pm. Motion was made by Trustee Raftis and 2nd by Trustee Ralph Irons. PREPARED BY: Lisa Cave, Clerk DATE APPROVED: September 5, 2024 ____________________________________ Village Clerk _____________________________________ Date