City of West Frankfort City Council met Sept. 10.
Here is the minutes provided by the Council:
1. Mayor Jordan called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Requesting a Roll Call. Commissioner Harkins, Commissioner Simpson, Commissioner Warren were in attendance, along with the City Attorney and City Clerk. Commissioner Chambers was absent.
2. Mayor Jordan asked for approval of the minutes from the August 27, 2019 council meeting. Commissioner Harkins made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
3. Mayor Jordan next asked for approval to pay city bills and payroll in the amount of $243,970.09. Commissioner Simpson made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
4. The next item was approval of an ordinance authorizing the granting of a mortgage to Banterra Bank on the West Frankfort business incubator (pin 11-23-201-007) to secure the funds to pay off the purchase money mortgage on the desantis real estate (pins 11-23-428-001, 11-23-279-005 and 11-23-427-012) and the ucc financing statement. The mayor stated we have received a 4 million dollar grant from the EDA and to receive that grant they want clear title to the mall and approx the 19 acres that are out there. We have a mortgage on it with southern Illinois Bank and their policy is they would not relinquish the first mortgage on that to give it to the eda. That title to that property has to be clear so we refinanced that property using the business incubator. This will pay off the loan on the mall and give us a clear title to that. We are borrowing $820,000.00, 72 month payment with a 5 year balloon at the rate of 2.9 percent. Commissioner Simpson made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
5. The next item was approval of an ordinance authorizing the leasing of a specific area of the West Frankfort mall in a second amendment to lease. The Mayor stated this is a lease agreement we have with wps for multiple areas of the mall. This is a 1 year renewal lease. We are so pleased to have them out there. This lease with wps and those jobs is why we were able to get the 4 million dollar grant for economic development. Commissioner Simpson made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
6. The next item was approval of a purchase request for surplus property. The Mayor stated we have a property at 408 N. Vanburen and this property has been there for a long time. Eric Bryant has offered a bid to buy that property for $500. This has already gone out for bid and is surplus property. Commissioner Simpson made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
7. The next item was approval of an agreement for professional services to Harvey Baker and Reinhardt, P.C. for legal services. The Mayor stated there is a law firm in Mt. Vernon that we have a relationship with. Commissioner Warren made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Simpson. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
8. The next item was approval of an agreement for professional services to Maberry Consulting and Evaluation Services, LLC for grant writing, along with an initial fee of $3,000.00. The mayor stated we are working on a grant to buy a fire truck. Commissioner Harkins made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Simpson.Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
9. The next item was approval of a request for payment of redevelopment project costs in the amount of $80,000.00 regarding quest fitness. The Mayor stated we are in a tif agreement with quest fitness and in that agreement we have agreed that we will refund him the cost of the property. He bought the property for $80,000.00 and he has a considerable amount of his building done. We would like to pay him back the $80,000.00 for the property. Commissioner Simpson made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
10. The next item was approval of a request for payment of redevelopment project costs in the amount of $25,000.00 regarding John and Jolyn Raby/Burg's hair parlor. The Mayor stated they have had the front of the building tuck pointed and straightened the wall out. Commissioner Simpson made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
11. The next item was approval to accept bids and award projects for demolition. The Mayor stated we were not able to get the bids in for demolition. They went in late so the date we had to put on there to accept the bids in order to meet the legal requirements that we allow for that will be friday. The bids will come in friday and we will put this on the next agenda. This matter was tabled.
12. The next item was discussion, with possible action, regarding excessive amounts of trash and debris being placed on the curb of homes for normal removal. The Mayor, City Council and Representative from Bulldog Trash discussed the issues and possible solutions to this matter. No action was taken.
13. The next item was discussion, with possible action regarding 1405 E. St. Louis Street property. The Mayor stated this is the property that is burned out and we started out trying to fast track it and tear it down. Someone bought it and our codes officer has been asking him when he is going to tear it down. The codes officer told him we would tear it down and pay for it and he can pay us back. The information I got late this afternoon is that he wants out of it. He wants to give the city the deed to the property and let us tear it down. We don't have to take any action on this until a later date. No action was taken.
14. The next item was approval to advertise for bids for renovations to the new city hall building at 605 W. Main Street. The mayor stated we have a picture here we will pass around. We are going to modify the lobby to include a council chamber and add a couple of offices. I think we should have some sort of opportunity for you guys to go walk through the buildings. We need to start the process to advertise for the cost of this. Commissioner Simpson made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
15. The next item was approval of invoices from plantscape nursery in the amount of $9,500.95 for the main street beautification. These funds are being paid through donations which have been received. The Mayor stated we are the fiduciary that takes care of all the donations and payments that come in for main street beautification for the flowers and the light parade. The ladies work very hard and have fundraisers and that money comes into the city and we have to write the check. We haven't given the beautification group a penny for the last eighteen months. Everything you see down on main street is paid for by these donations. The last time we gave them money was February 27, 2018. Commissioner Harkins made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
16. The next item was discussion, with possible action, regarding a proposal from fowler heating and cooling regarding the rooftop units on the fire and police departments. Fire Chief Jody Allen stated the unit went down and when they came to check it out they found it is running on only one compressor right now. It needs a new compressor they are nineteen years old and to get a new compressor is the price on that sheet $6,362.00 to repair. Option two is to replace it and option three is to replace both units. Police Chief John Prudent stated our unit has went our multiple times this summer. The Mayor stated why would we put $6,326.00 into a nineteen year old unit? Commissioner Warren stated do we have a contract with fowler? Is this the only bid? Commissioner Simpson stated do we need to put this out for bid to replace both units? The mayor stated we can but it is commercial. The City Clerk stated it is hard to get commercial bids for a rooftop unit. Commissioner Harkins stated I think we need two new units there and I will make a motion for Jody to talk with fowler to replace both units. City Attorney, Mike Riva stated you probably should put this out for bid anything over $20.000,00 is supposed to be bid. The Mayor stated well we can buy one for the fire department and one for the police department. I just hate for them to have to wait weeks for this to go out for bid with this heat. The city attorney stated you need to do one as an emergency situation due to the possible heat index. Commissioner Warren stated the lobby is also a cooling area for the public. The Mayor stated we have a motion and a second to do the complete job. Commissioner Harkins made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Simpson. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
17. The next item was discussion, with possible action, regarding an estimate from Gandy's Body Shop in the amount of $2,015.84 regarding repairs to one of the sewer department vehicles. The Mayor stated what year truck is this? Commissioner Simpson stated it is a 2008 Chevy Silverado 1500 work truck. The City Clerk stated the bed of the truck is coming off and they are going to weld it back on. Commissioner Warren stated he said he likes the truck and doesn't want a new truck right now. Commissioner Warren made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Simpson. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
18. The next item was discussion, with possible action, regarding requests for donations. The Mayor stated this is an item I had requested to be on the agenda. We have received a lot of requests from different groups and I want to say up until this point we have not turned anybody down for the youth of west frankfort requesting funds. In your packet is a list of all the money we have given out from the gaming tax fund. The city gives $3,000.00 to redbird ready the school organization that does an excellent job. They step in and help kids that have a need for a backpack, coat, shoes, etc. The city is currently paying for the broadcasting for the radio for football games and basketball to keep them on the radio. We helped first Christian church in 2015 for a summer program they had for the kids. What has happened is we give money to all sorts of orgainization and it has been my fear that this has become the situation where we have been asked by the booster club to provide meals to athletes that are going back and forth to games and we have another request from first priority. I think this money is becoming an issue if we don't set some sort of guidelines about what we are doing with this money and how it is being handled. We have been asked to buy cheerleading uniforms and I spoke with some parents about this and when we are talking about helping the youth of west frankfort that doesn't fit into my criteria and not that there is anything against cheerleaders. I talked to iris from the booster club and the funds aren't there like they were. I told them the city didn't want to pay for meals for athletes going to games and after doing some soul searching I realized we are buying meals for first priority so we are buying meals. I talked to iris on the phone and they don't have a lot of money but they do have a lot of need. How are we going to oversee this money in the future? Commissioner Simpson stated I think we need to set some guidelines that will help us in the future determining what we need to do. We are being hit with a lot of requests. There has been a lot of stray from the original intent when we set this up. The Mayor stated what we do is split the revenue in half from the gaming money and we set it aside for the youth of West Frankfort. One of the first things we did was partnered with the high school to replace the curtains in the auditorium. We gave them $11,000.00 matching funds to the money they raised. We recently gave money to the park to put in a volleyball court. They never did it but we pledged to give them $9,000.00 for the youth. Those are things that I think make a significant difference. I think there are some things that we may not approve so before the argument starts I would like to know what is and isn't acceptable. Commissioner Warren stated I think they need to be fundraising on their own to help themselves. The Mayor stated I am a lot better matching money then giving all of it. I did meet with matt donkin because we have another request for denning school and the oldest grade is second grade. They used to have sixth graders there and they would work in the office and the kids would go to classrooms to bring messages to the teachers. They requested that we would buy intercoms or do something and it was around $12,000.00. I talked to Matt Donkin and asked if this was something the school district wants to do? Because I think the citizens are going to say the schools have their money, park has their money and this is the city's money. We are trying to help the youth. I think we need to modify what we have done going forward to make sure that we don't get into a situation where we are accused of picking people and groups. City Attorney stated you could just make a block grant donation to the school district each year for x number of dollars and let them determine where that goes and that takes the city out of the middle of it. The Mayor asked Commissioner warren if she would be willing to be an advocate for the school since she is at the school. Can you help us with the needs of the kids as far as what you see coming through? You are there everyday and if that would be something you would be comfortable with that would help us. Commissioner Warren stated yes, I can try. Commissioner Simpson stated I would like to see that we are getting the maximum effect of the money we are putting out there. That it is going to be used to benefit the most number of kids of the community. The youth were the ones we were looking out for when we started this. Commissioner Warren stated that is our future. Commissioner Simpson stated I think we can get some people from the community together to go over what we would like to see as guidelines and work from that point. The mayor stated when I spoke with matt donkin I said if the request comes from the school it needs to go through the Superintendent’s Office because if the school says no to a project and they come to the city and ask us for the money we need to make sure the school is aware. If something comes up for the schools safety and this money is available what else would be more beneficial than protecting the kids at school.
19. The next item was discussion by council to set the date and time for the trail of treats, as well as the hours for trick or treating. The Mayor stated we are going to set trick or treating and trail of treats for October 31st from 3-5 for trail of treats and from 5-8 for trick or treating. The same hours as last year. Commissioner Warren made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Simpson. Roll Call Vote: all Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
20. The next item was approval to pay an invoice from Hawkins Inc. In the amount of $1,888.04 regarding the purchase of aluminum chlorydrate for the sewer department. Commissioner Warren made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Simpson. Roll Call Vote: All commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
21. The next item was approval to pay an invoice from ferrell electric in the amount of $1,575.11 regarding the West Frankfort mall. Commissioner Simpson made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
22. The next item was approval to pay an invoice from johnson's auto and truck repair in the amount of $1,583.62 for the fire department. Commissioner Harkins stated air conditioning in a-2. Commissioner Harkins made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Simpson. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
23. The next item was approval to pay an invoice from moran economic development, inc. In the amount of $1,900.00 regarding tif administration. Commissioner Simpson made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
24. The next item was approval for Franklin County abate to hold a roadblock for the christmas for kids fundraiser on Saturday September 21, 2019 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, at the intersection of Route 149 and Highway 37. Commissioner Harkins made a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners and Mayor Jordan voted to approve. Motion Carried.
25. Officer reports: chief prudent read the police department's report.
Chief Allen read the Fire Department's Report. Commissioner Harkins read the code department's report.
26.Building and sign permits:
The building permit for 1301 E. Elm Street was tabled.
27. Mayor’s comments:
N/A
28. Commissioner comments:
Commissioner Harkins stated we have a fire truck that will be here soon. Commissioner Warren stated the water and sewer department's are doing great.
29. Audience questions or comments:
N/A
30.With no further business to be discussed, the meeting was adjourned on a motion by Commissioner Harkins at 7:25 p.m.
http://www.westfrankfort-il.com/web_files/forms/September%2010,%202019.pdf
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