Village of Dix Village Board met Jan. 14.
Here is the agenda provided by the board:
The Dix Village Board met in regular scheduled session at the Dix Village Hall. Village Trustee/President Pro-tem, Sean Wilkey called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M.
Roll Call: Trustees Present: Judy Bronson, Tiffany Gentles, Kurt Karcher, Paul Ayers and Sean Wilkey-Acting President Pro-tem. Absent-Brandy Mount.
Officers Present: Village President-Vacant; Village Clerk-Connie Hicks and Village Treasurer Sharon Bean.
Meeting opened with prayer given by community member, Ron Hopkins and Pledge of Allegiance led by Sharon Bean.
Motion was made to approve the minutes from the December 10, 2019 regular board meeting by Kurt Karcher. A second to motion was made by Tiffany Gentles.
Motion carried 5-0.
Motion to accept the Treasurer's Report was made by Kurt Karcher. A second to motion was made by Tiffany Gentles.
Motion carried 5-0
Motion to approve payment of the bills was made by Kurt Karcher. A second to the motion was made by Judy Bronson.
Motion carried 5-0.
Recognition and Comments from the Public:
Kim Wilson, Community Organizer reported that the Hospitality Group recognized the Dix postmaster, Loretta, on her birthday on 12/27/2019 with balloons and a gift card. Loretta is a valuable part of our community.
Kim also reported the Hospitality Group as well as the board members are looking for ways to reach out and help the community. She reached out to Rome Grade School and members of the Hospitality Group have volunteered to help with the concessions at ballgames at the school. They have helped at a few games and the response has been very positive. They will continue to reach out to the community to find ways to help others and welcome any suggestions in doing this.
Studio 37 will be recognized on January 15, 2020 on being open in Dix for 3 years.
Kim stated the community suffered a great loss with the passing of Jerry Bryant.
It was also reported that the postmaster, Loretta walked into the post office one morning to find a homeless man sleeping under the table in the lobby area. There have also been reports of a couple of homeless men around the Dollar General Store and sleeping under the Interstate 57 overpass bridge.
Kim informed everyone there will be a fund raiser held on January 30, 2020 at the Rolland Lewis Community Center in Mt. Vernon for Ella Koenegstein and her family. Ella is 4 years old and survived a near drowning accident at her home in Dix and has been hospitalized in St. Louis since the accident. Central Christian Church will also be donating a $1.00 from each person attending on Sunday, January 12, 2020 to Ella and her family.
Kim reported that the Methodist Church in Dix closed at the end of 2019.
As a community Outreach event, there will be a Chili supper on Saturday, February gth at the Village Community Center. This event is free to the community. Kim stated she hopes to do something each quarter of the year as a community outreach event.
An update was given by Gina regarding the new ice cream shop she and her husband are planning on opening on the vacant lots across from Osborn Funeral Home on Main Street. They are in the process of gathering the machinery and the building is being built offsite and will be transported to the site. This will be a temporary structure with the hopes of erecting a permanent building in the next few years. She stated they are planning on having all flavors of ice cream and a different sandwich each day for sale. They are also planning on having a drive through window for convenience. The name of the shop will be Yellin Helens as a tribute to her late grandmother. Paul Ayers inquired if there were any ordinances regulating temporary structures within the village. Kurt Karcher stated there were no ordinances regarding the building, but the drive entrance and exits will need to be measured for culvert placement.
Sean Wilkey reported there is a new cell phone tower going up near the Frito-Lay building.
Building and Grounds Committee:
Tiffany Gentles reported the Christmas lights are all taken down and put into storage as of 1/8/2020. A huge thank you to Max Wilson and Judy Bronson for completing this task that day. Tiffany has contacted Tri-County Electric in an effort to obtain the number of linemen who volunteered putting up and taking down the Christmas decorations so gift cards can be purchased for them.
Tiffany stated we need an extra trash can at the Village Community Center. Sean Wilkey stated, Tiffany could contact Jennifer Keener with Republic Services to get this and the fee is $5.00 extra per month.
CASA contacted Tiffany in regard to using the Dix Community Center each Tuesday and Wednesday for 5 weeks to have meetings, CASA which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates, is a not-for-profit organization and will not be charged for these nights. This will begin at the end of February 2020.
Street and Alley Committee:
Paul Ayers reported there were no major projects completed in December 2019. Max Wilson has continued to work on clearing the brush out of the guard rail area on the West Lincoln Street overpass. Paul inquired into the possibility of purchasing a brush cutter for the Village's use. The vines are terribly overgrown and the Village has no equipment capable of taking care of this. Paul would like to discuss this further with the board to get opinions on whether or not we need to invest in the equipment or just invest in a service company to come and clear the areas that need to be cleaned up.
Paul stated the Street and Alley committee will continue to prioritize projects. He also stated he would like to have a Street and Alley Committee meeting sometime in January 2020. The mowing agreement along with the snow removal agreement both need to be renewed.
Police Commission Committee:
Nothing to report.
Long Range and Planning Committee:
Larry Mooney is working on the report.
Business Items:
• Item #1: Consider Changing the Village Motto
Some ideas that were presented as new Village mottos were" Where Strangers Become Friends”; “So Glad You're Here"; and the winning motto from Rome Grade School was “Come as a Stranger, Leave as a Friend”.
Tiffany Gentles made a motion to change the Dix Village motto to: “Welcome to the Village of Dix, Where Strangers Become Friends”. A second to the motion was made by Kurt Karcher.
Motion carried 5-0.
Item #2: Approve buying gift cards for Electric Company Workers who volunteered to put up Christmas Decorations
A motion was made by Kurt Karcher to approve purchasing gift cards for the Tri-County electric lineman who put up and took down the Village Christmas decorations and a gift card for the Republic driver, Bobby who takes care of the Village waste management.
Motion Carried: 5-0
Item #3: Ordinance Violation Reports
The Village Trustees were given a list of current violations that haven't been taken care of by property owners.
A motion was made by Kurt Karcher to continue to move forward with the ordinance violations that are already in process. A second to the motion was made by Tiffany Gentles.
Motion Carried: 5-0
Item # 4: Accept Resignation of Sean Wilkey as acting Village President Pro-Tem
Due to time constraints, Sean Wilkey has resigned as Village President Pro-tem. He will remain active as a Dix Village Trustee.
A motion was made by Judy Bronson to accept the resignation of Sean Wilkey as Acting President Pro-tem for the Village. A second to the motion was made by Tiffany Gentles.
Motion Carried: 5-0
Item 5: Appoint New Village President
A motion was made by Sean Wilkey to appoint Kurt Karcher as the new Village of Dix President. A second to the motion was made by Paul Ayers.
Motion Carried: 4-0
Kurt Karcher -Abstained.
Kurt Karcher resigned as a Dix Village trustee and will assume the duties of Village President.
A motion was made by Tiffany Gentles to accept the resignation of Kurt Karcher as Dix Village Trustee. A second to the motion was made by Paul Ayers.
Motion Carried: 4-0
Item 6: Reassignment of Committees by New Village President
The new Village Committees will be as follows:
Building and Grounds: Tiffany Gentles - Chair person, Sean Wilkey and Judy Bronson
Street and Alley: Paul Ayers – Chair Person, and Brandy Mount
Police Commission Committee: Sean Wiley - Chair Person, and Judy Bronson
No action Needed.
Item 7: Open Discussion for Vacant Village Trustee Seat Selection
Kurt Karcher recommended, Dix Village resident, Jennifer Prosise to be appointed as a Dix Village Trustee.
Sean Wilkey made a motion to accept the recommendation from Kurt Karcher and appoint Jennifer Prosise as a Dix Village Trustee. A second to the motion was made by Paul Ayers.
Motion Carried: 4-0
Item 8: Miscellaneous
A motion was made by Paul Ayers to assign the 911 address to the new home recently built on Lot# 7 on Meadow Lane Street as #7 Meadow Lane, Dix, IL 62830. A second to the motion was made by Sean Wilkey.
Motion Carried: 4-0
Paul Ayers handed out a quote for possible purchase of equipment to clear brush for the Village for the Village Trustees to review.
A motion was made by Sean Wilkey to table this item until the next Village Board meeting in February 2020, to allow Village Trustees to review the quote and assess the equipment need. A second to the motion was made by Tiffany Gentles.
Motion Carried: 4-0
Sean Wilkey stated the Village needed a new file cabinet for the Village President's office because the existing file cabinets are all full.
Max Wilson stated there is a problem at the Dix Village Park with dog owners bringing their dogs and letting them run loose and make messes. The owners are not cleaning up after their dogs. It was suggested to possibly purchase a sign and a bag dispenser with bags to install at the park in an effort to remind dog owners to clean up after their dogs. Dix Village has an ordinance against animals running loose so another possibility would be to contact the Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy to enforce the ordinance in cases where owners are non-compliant. Tiffany Gentles will look into the cost of a sign and the bags with the dispenser. If the cost is less than $800 the Village will go ahead and purchase these items.
Item 9: Old Business
Nothing to report.
No action needed.
Item 10: Correspondence
Nothing to report.
No motion or action needed.
Item 11: Necessary and Proper
Nothing to report.
No motion or action needed.
Item 12: Executive Session
No action needed.
A motion was made by Sean Wilkey to adjourn the meeting. A second to the motion was made by Tiffany Gentles.
Meeting was adjourned 8:13 PM
http://www.villageofdixillinois.com/uploads/3/4/5/0/34506521/january_2020_minutes.pdf
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