City of West Frankfort City Council Met March 9.
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, All Commissioners Warren And Harkins Were In Attendance, Along With The City Attorney And City Clerk. Commissioner Simpson And Stanley Were Absent.
2. Mayor Jordan Asked For Approval Of The Minutes From The February 23, 2021 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. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay City Bills And Payroll In The Amount Of $688,945.31. Commissioner Warren 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 Discussion, With Possible Action, Regarding A Grievance Filed By The Fraternal Order Of Police Concerning The January 22,2021 Closure Of City Hall To Install A Generator. They Are Requesting For All Sworn Police Officers Who Were Scheduled Or Not Scheduled To Work Be Paid Holiday Rates (Triple Time And A Half Approximately $6,800.00) Of Pay For Time Worked Or Scheduled Off On 1/22/21. The Mayor Stated That First Off We Really Have A Great Police Dept And We Appreciate Everything They Do For The City Of West Frankfort, So This Is Nothing Against Them. He Asked If Anyone From The F.O.P. Was Present And David Fields Spoke That He Was With The Union. Mr Fields Stated That Richard Bernardini Stated That On Friday January 22, 2021 The West Frankfort City Hall Was Closed Due To The City Installing A Generator At That Location. Signage On The Front Door And Drive Through Windows Indicated That The City Hall Was Closed That Day Due To The Power Outage. No Employees Were In The Building At That Time. Employees Were Not Required To Take Contractual Time Which Per The Above Section Of The CBA Constitutes A Holiday For West Frankfort Police Department Employees. Mr. Bernardini Advised The Chief Of Police Of The Closure And Requested All Employees Be Compensated As The Contract Required.On 2/3/21 We Received Our Biweekly Paychecks With No Holiday Time And Mr Bernardini Again Spoke With Chief Prudent And He Advised That The Mayor Had Advised That It Would Be Paid At Regular. Rate Mr Fields Stated That In The Contract It States, "Any Other Holiday Granted Or Observed By Any Other City Employee Is To Be Granted To The Police Department Employees, Provided That If City Hall Is Closed Due To Inclement Weather, A Funeral, Or Other Unforeseen Circumstances, And The Employees Who Work In City Hall Must Take Benefit Time To Be Paid For Work Missed Due To The Closure, Employees Covered By This Agreement Shall Not Receive Holiday Or Overtime Pay For The Hours Worked On That Day".
The Mayor Read A Statement From Attorney Courtney Cox Which Stated "The Closure Of City Hall On Friday, January 22,2021 Was Not Due To Inclement Weather, A Funeral Or Other Unforeseen Circumstance. Therefore, The Portion Of The Article X Of The Contract Set Forth Above Is Not Applicable. The Closure Was A Planned And Foreseen Closure Of City Hall To Permit The Installation Of An Emergency Electricity Generator. This Installation Required The Power To Be Shut Down During The Installation. "The Mayor Went On To State The Events Of That Planned Day. This Was A Generator Donated To The City From WPS Worth $130,000 We Paid $34,000 To Clinton Electric To Get The Transfer Switch On Building. On 1/21/2021 We Had The Employees And The It Staff Get Everything Ready To Be Taken Off Line And Backup All The Files. The Plan For 1/22/2021 All The Staff Showed Up For Work, The Power Was Supposed To Be Shut Off By Ameren At 11am, Then Clinton Electric Would Do The Switch Over And At 1pm The Generator Guy Starts And Run Engine, Operates Generator And Checks Function, And By 2:30 Pm Put City Hall Back In Service. And The Employees Would Come Back From A Long Lunch To Finish Out The Day. Basically A 3 Hour Lunch. But What Actually Happened Was The Staff Reported For Work, Willing To Work At 8am And Finish The Work They Need To Get Done Before Power Goes Off But Ameren Comes Early To Kill Power So By 8:30 We Had No Power, No Phone, No Internet, No Computers, No Heat. So By 9:30 We Make The Decision To Send Everyone On A Long Lunch. Clinton Electric Finished The Transfer Switch, At 12pm The Generator Guy Arrives, Runs Engines Shuts Off, Then Runs The Genreator For A While And Shuts It Off, At 1,30 Test Unit Out, 2pm Training For Myself, Chief Allen, Jim And Angie, By 3:30 Pm Training Was Done And By That Point It Was Too Late To Open City Hall Back Up For An Hour. This Is Not The Fault Of The 4 Employees That You Are Wanting To Take The Hours Away From. Because Of The Decision Of Ameren To Disconnect The Power At 8:30am. Employees Were Prevented From Working Until 11am. And When The Event Was Over It Was After 3pm And It Was Too Late To Call Them Back.
The City's Position Is That It Would Be Unfair To Deduct A Days Pay From The Employees. And The Grievance Should Be Denied. If We Lose In Arbitration, We Will Deduct The Time From The Employee's Pay. We Will Not Pay F.O.P. Members 3 12 Times Their Rate To Settle A Grievance. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion To Deny, Seconded By Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.
5. Next Was Discussion With Possible Action, Regarding The Acceptance Of Bids For The Purchase Of Surplus Property. The Property At 607 N Horn Street Parcel #11-24-205-005 Gabe And Bethany Yordy Brought In A Bid Of $500.00 For Property Next To Their House. They Have Also Agreed To Maintain Two Other Properties Next To Them That Are In The Flood Zone That Can Not Be Sold. Which Will Save The City Mowing And Upkeep Costs Over The Years To Come. Commissioner Warren Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.
6. Next Was Discussion With Possible Action, Regarding The Acceptance Of Bids For The Purchase Of Surplus Property John Mize Put A Bid Of $500.00 For The Property Located At 610 S Skelton. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.
7. The Next Item Was A Resolution Authorizing The Hiring Of A Dispatcher For The City Of West Frankfort. Tracy Graham Was Promoted To A Full Time Position. That Was Open From A Dispatcher Leaving For Another Position At A Different Police Station. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.
8. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay An Invoice From Brit Global Specialty In The Amount Of $10,000.00 Representing Payment Of The Deductible For A Liability Claim. Commissioner Warren Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Hawkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.
9. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay An Invoice Of Contractor's Pay Estimate #4 To Wiggs Excavating, Inc. In The Amount Of $49,381.80 For The Monroe Street Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Project. Commissioner Warren Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.
10. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay An Invoice Of Construction Engineering Bill #3 To Brown And Roberts, Inc. In The Amount Of $5,790.32 For The Monroe Street Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Project. Commissioner Warren Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.
11. The Next Item Was Approval Of A Change Order #1 For The Taft Street Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation - Phase Ii Project. The Change Order Was To Extend The Finish Date To June 20, 2021. Commissioner Warrren Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve, Motion Carried.
12. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay Invoice #805 From Wiggs Excavating, Inc For Repairs On Alley Off Emma Street In The Amount Of $30,482.50 For Sewer Department. Commissioner Warren Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.
13. Approval To Pay An Invoice #811 From Wiggs Excavating, Inc For Repairs On Water Break On Main Street By Peoples Bank In The Amount Of $6,240.00 For The Water Department. Commissioner Warren Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve.
14. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay Invoice #777 From Skuta Construction, Inc. For Cleaning And Inspection 5th Street To Cochran Street $6,185.00 For The Sewer Department. This Item Was Not Discussed As It Was Already Voted On At The 2/9/2021 Meeting.
15. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay An Invoice #781 From Skuta Construction, Inc. For Sewer Repair On Bryan Street In The Amount Of $4,675.00. Commissioner Warren Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.
16. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay An Invoice #782 From Skuta Construction, Inc. Excavation 4th Street Off Of Mulberry Repairs In The Amount Of $4,100.00 For Sewer Repairs, Commissioner Warren Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.
17. Building And Sign Permits ~
There Were No Building Or Sign Permits.
18. Officer's Report -
Fire Report For The Month Of February 2021. Chief Allen Reported They Had 166-Ambulance Calls, 1- Rubbish/Illegal Fires, 1- Brush/Field Fires, 4 Motor Vehicle Accidents, 3 Fire Alarm, 1 Vehicle Fire, 5 Fire Emergency (Gas Leaks, Power Lines Down), 4 Structure Fires And 1 Smoke Scares. 4 Mutual Aid Calls. For A Total Of 190 Calls During The Month. The Department Used Approximately 63,500 Gallons Of Water. The Department Collected $44,728.08 For Ambulance Calls.
Police Report For The Month Of February 2021. Chief Prudent Reported Officers Answered A Total Of 822 Calls For Service, Of Those Calls 15 Were Traffic Accidents, 4 With Injury. Officers Responded To 31 Domestic Disputes, 3 Fights In Progress, 16 Alarms, O Intoxicated Persons, 16 Burglaries, 9 Reports Of Criminal Damage To Property, 9 Complaints Of Juvenile Problems, 15 Reported Thefts, And 58 Complaints Of Disorderly Conduct/Disturbances. 19 Street Contacts. Officers Conducted 73 Traffic Stops, Issued 20 Citations, 64 Warnings, And 4 Lw-27's. There Were 35 Adult Arrests Made And 3 Juvenile, Resulting In 60 Criminal Charges Filed. Dispatchers Answered 999 Calls. Of Those, 464 Were 9-1-1 Calls, 98 Were Walk In Requests. 822 Were For Police, 190 Were For West Frankfort Fire, 10 Were For Thompsonville Fire/Ems, And 7 Were For Abbott Ems, And O For United Ambulance. And For The Month Of February We Collected $1,380.00 In Fines And Fees Codes Report For The Month Of February 2 Building Permits Were Issued, O Sign Permits. Rental Properties-1 New Rental Properties, 8 Rental Inspections. Complaints-66 Nuisance Complaint Phone Calls, 6 Nuisance Letters Mailed, 60 Nuisance Complaints Resolved. Buildings-4 Occupancy Prohibited Signs Posted, 2 Dangerous & Burned Out Buildings Identified, 36 Dangerous & Burned Out Buildings In Progress, O Dangerous & Burned Out Buildings Demolished, 2 Files Given To Attorney. Vehicles-2 Inoperable/Abandoned Vehicles Letters Mailed, 2 Inoperable/Abandoned Vehicles Resolved. O Citations Given.
19. Mayor's Report ~
The Mayor Stated That He Wanted To Let Everyone Know West Frankfort Will Be Receiving From The Illinois Department Of Commerce & Economic Opportunity That We Are The Recipients Of The 2020 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) For Housing Rehabilitation. Housing Rehabilitation Grants Are Designed To Assist Low-To Moderate Income Homeowners With Improvements To Ensure Safe And Sanitary Living Conditions. Eligible Funds Range From Structural Work To Electrical, Plumbing, New Appliances, Flooring, Ada, And Accessibility Accommodations, And More. Homeowners Work Through The Local Unit Of Government To Apply For The Grant. Up To $50,000 May Be Spent On Each Home. West Frankfort Is The Recipient Of $500,000.00.
20.Commissioner Comments:
Commissioner Harkins Stated The Police And Fire Department Has Been Staying Busy, And Both Departments Are Doing Such An Excellent Job, As Always. No Complaints.
Commissioner Warren Stated The Water And Sewer Has Been Busy Trying To Fix Problems Between The Water Breaks During The Cold Spell And The Sewer Issues For The People Around Mulberry Area They Have Been Busy Keeping Things Going.
21. Audience Questions Or Comments:
Ryan Pursell Was In The Audience With Blazing Trails Bbq He Would Like To Get His Building Out By Crownline He Bought Annexed Into The City. He Stated West Frankfort Has Supported Him So Much Over The Past Year, He Wants To Give Back To West Frankfort And Make His Home Base In The City Limits. He Is Willing To Pay Whatever To Get The Boring Done Etc And Will Bring The Deed To The Property To City Hall On Wednesday. He Has A Contractor Lined Up Ready To Start Work In The Next Couple Of Weeks.
Mr Hastings Wanted To Express His Gratitude For The Night
To Noonday At The Old City Hall Location. He Also Wanted
To Recognize Susan Calcaterra Dawson For All Her Help
And Volunteering To Help Others In Need.
22. With No Further Business To Be Discussed, The Meeting Was
Adjourned On A Motion By Commissioner Harkins At 6:47 P.M.
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