Village of Dix Village Board met April 13.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
The Dix Village Board met in regular scheduled session at the Dix Village Hall. Village President, Kurt Karcher called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M.
Roll Call: Trustees Present: Judy Bronson, Tiffany Gentles, Sean Wilkey and Brandy Mount. Trustees Absent: Jennifer Prosise and Paul Ayers.
Officers Present: Village President-Kurt Karcher; Village Clerk-Connie Hicks; and Village Treasurer-Sharon Bean. Officers Absent: None
A motion was made to approve the minutes from the March 9, 2021 regular board meeting by Judy Bronson. A second to motion was made by Brandy Mount.
Motion carried 4-0
A motion to accept the Treasurer's Report was made by Tiffany Gentles. A second to motion was made by Judy Bronson.
Motion carried 4-0
A motion to approve payment of the bills was made by Tiffany Gentles. A second to the motion was made by Brandy Mount.
Motion carried 4-0.
Recognition and Comments from the Public:
Darrell Hungate stated he received a letter from the Village regarding a complaint about his dog running loose when someone was jogging in the Village. He wanted to know who it was that complained about his dog. He wanted to know if the Village was now going to be run like a homeowner's association.
Tiffany Gentles stated she was the jogger that complained because the dog ran into her as she was jogging and her knee was injured.
Max Wilson stated that when he complained about a dog running loose in the Village Park the owner of the dog tried to get him fired from the Village. He stated this individual is still letting her dog run loose in the park and he asked why are we enforcing the ordinance with some resident's but not with all residents. Kurt Karcher stated he was unaware the individual was still letting their dog loose at the park and that he would send a letter to the dog owner. Dix Village ordinance clearly states that owners are not allowed to let dogs run loose off their own property.
Phil Pittman, resident of 800 Lincoln Street, presented a petition with 450 plus signatures to the Village Board of Trustees requesting that a 4 way stop light system be placed at the intersection of Dix-Irvington Road and Highway 37. According to Mr. Pitman, there have been a multitude of accidents at this intersection and he was told to present the petition to the Village board to take the petition to I.D.O.T to get a stop light system installed. Kurt Karcher stated the Village Board has no jurisdiction for this intersection at Highway Route 37 and Dix-Irvington road.
Max Wilson asked Phil Pitman where he got the signatures. Phil stated the signatures came from the Citizens of Illinois.
Tiffany Gentles and Brandy Mount both asked would a stop light be better at this intersection than the current stop sign located there now? They both felt a stop light would cause a backup of traffic both ways.
Kurt Karcher asked Phil Pitman if he had contacted the County Highway department. Phil stated he had not. Kurt Karcher asked Phil who told him to give the petition to the Village Board? He stated that his legal team instructed him to give the petition to the Dix Village Board.
Kurt Karcher stated he would contact the County Highway engineer, Brandon Simmons and would also contact I.D.O.T. in reference to the petition for the traffic control device.
Phil Pitman also donated $100 to the Village for a tree removal that had been done on West Lincoln Street by the Village.
Building and Grounds Committee:
Tiffany Gentles stated that there had been a 4-wheel ATV riding around in the Village Park. Max Wilson asked the individual to leave and to his knowledge the person has not been back on Village Park property. The water at the Village Park was turned on April 1, 2021, however; the water fountains still remain closed due to current state Covid restrictions. Tiffany stated she has been monitoring the sidewalk drainage issue at the Village park and will continue to monitor this during rain. She also stated we have a mole issue at the Village Park. She called the local pest control services and they stated you can possibly spray caster oil as a deterrent to the moles. She was told you can purchase the substance in granulated form to possibly spread on the grass, but there is no guarantee it will control the mole population. Tiffany is going to do further research on this problem.
Tiffany stated there had been a message left on the Village answering machine asking why the boil water orders had not been put on the new Village sign. There have been no boil water orders for the Village since we have installed the digital sign. If the Village does receive a boil water order, it will be placed on the sign.
Street and Alley Committee:
In Paul Ayer's absence, Kurt Karcher stated the Jax Asphalt pothole work will begin in the Village next week.
Police Commission Committee:
Sean Wilkey stated we had 5 dates for Deputy services in April 2021. Sean has asked for more coverage and more sporadic shifts, however; the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department states they still do not have enough coverage for the hours we have asked for. Sean asked the Village Board, if we want to continue with the deputy service since we are not getting the coverage we really asked for, Kurt Karcher stated he spoke to Jefferson County Sheriff Bullard about giving the Village an update on the deputy service.
Community Organizer Report:
Kim Wilson asked if the state was still under a no more than 50-person mandate if events were held outside. Currently the state still has a no more than 50 people gathering rule.
Kim would like to have a cleanup day on May 1st for the Village and asked that anyone who could and wanted to volunteer to meet at the Village Hall at 9:00 AM that day. After cleanup is done, Yellin Helen's has invited all volunteers to come for a treat. Kim stated we would be cleaning up only the main roads within the Village. She stated for all volunteers to wear bright clothing and bring gloves and buckets. Max Wilson stated we have plenty of garbage bags at the Village Park to empty the buckets of garbage in.
Kim would also like everyone that possibly can to meet at her office on April 21, 2021 at 5:00 pm to come up with some ideas for possible community wide events.
Business Items:
Item #1: Introduction of Village Attorney, Douglas Hoffman
Douglas Hoffman, the new Dix Village attorney introduced himself to the Village Board and the public members present. Doug and his family live in the area and his children attend Rome Grade School.
No action Needed.
Item #2: Approve Appointment of Village Trustee
Kurt Karcher would like to appoint Whitney Garrison to the vacant Village Trustee seat of Jennifer Proşise, that will be left open after the April 2021 meeting. Whitney has lived in the Village for more than 6 years.
A motion was made by Tiffany Gentles to approve the appointment of Whitney Garrison as a Dix Village Trustee. A second to the motion was made by Brandy Mount.
Motion Carried 4-0
Item #3: Approve Charter Communications Franchise Agreement
A motion was made by Tiffany Gentles to approve the Charter Communication franchise Agreement for the Village of Dix. A second to the motion was made by Brandy Mount.
Motion Carried: 4-0.
Item # 4: Approval of Record Retention Policy Ordinance #2021-3
Village Attorney, Doug Hoffman, explained the purpose of this ordinance.
A motion was made by Judy Bronson to approve the Record Retention Policy Ordinance # 2021-3. A second to the motion was made by Tiffany Gentles.
Motion Carried: 4-0
Item # 5: Approval of Whistleblower Policy Ordinance # 2021-4
Village Attorney, Doug Hoffman, explained the purpose of this ordinance.
A motion was made by Tiffany Gentles to approve the Whistleblower Policy Ordinance # 2021-4. A second to the motion was made by Judy Bronson.
Motion Carried: 4-0
Item #6: Approval of Drug-Free Workplace Policy Ordinance # 2021-5
Village Attorney, Doug Hoffman, explained the purpose of this ordinance.
A motion was made by Tiffany Gentles to approve the Drug-Free Workplace Ordinance # 2021-5. A second to the motion was made by Judy Bronson.
Motion Carried: 4-0
Item # 7: Approval of Ethics Ordinance # 2021-6
Village Attorney, Doug Hoffman, explained the purpose of this ordinance.
A motion was made by Tiffany Gentles to approve the Ethics Ordinance # 2021-6. A second to the motion was made by Brandy Mount.
Motion Carried: 4-0
Item # 8: Award Mowing Contract for 2021 Season
The Village only received one bid for the mowing service and that was from Gray's Lawn Service. The bid was $300 for the bush hogging portion and $200 for the mowing services.
A motion was made by Sean Wilkey to award the 2021 Mowing Contract to Gray's Lawn Service. A second to the motion was made by Brandy Mount.
Motion Carried: 4-0
Item #9: Approve Replacement of Missing Street Signs
A motion was made by Sean Wilkey to table this item until the next meeting. A second to the motion was made by Tiffany Gentles.
Motion Carried: 4-0
Item # 10: Update on Meadow Lane Drainage Problem
Kurt Karcher stated he will be reaching out to the developer regarding the drainage issue on Meadow Lane to try to get the issue resolved.
No Action Needed.
Item # 11: Set Date and Time for Community Cleanup Event
A motion was made by Tiffany Gentles to set the date of May 1st, 2021 at 9:00 AM for the Dix Village Community Cleanup Event. A second to the motion was made by Brandy Mount.
Motion Carried: 4-0
Item # 12: Approve New Street Light for East Street
Kurt Karcher stated there is a need for a new street light on West Street close to Yellin Helen's due to the increased traffic at the business.
A motion was made by Brandy Mount to had a new street light placed on East Street close to the Yellin Helen's drive. A second to the motion was made by Judy Bronson.
Motion Carried: 4-0
Item # 13: Approve Contacting Township for Boom Mowing at Overpass for the Upcoming Mowing Season
A motion was made by Brandy Mount to approve contacting the Township to have them provide the boom mowing at the Interstate 57 over pass for the upcoming mowing season 2021. A second to the motion was made by Tiffany Gentles.
Motion Carried: 4-0
Item # 14: Approve 911 Address for 620 Duncan Lane
A motion was made by Tiffany Gentles to approve the 911 address for 620 Duncan Lane. A second to the motion was made by Brandy Mount.
Motion Carried: 4-0
Item # 15: Ordinance Violation Report
Kurt Karcher stated on March 23, 2021, 23 letters were sent out for Ordinance Violations at 19 properties. Kurt has seen a lot of progress on some of the properties and will review all properties again prior to next month's Village Board meeting.
Darrell Hungate stated if there are some elderly or handicap individuals on the list for some of the violations that he would volunteer to help out a couple of them as his time allows with mowing, etc.
No Action Needed.
Item # 16: Miscellaneous
Kurt Karcher stated that beginning in November 2021, there will be extensive construction on Interstate 57 near Dix. He stated the construction will take place over a several year time frame and the southbound-ramp would be closed during 2022 and the northbound-ramp would be closed during 2023
A motion was made by Brandy Mount to adjourn the meeting. A second to the motion was made by Tiffany Gentles.
Motion Carried: 4-0.
Meeting adjourned at 8:20 pm.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bXNEmQUJ1lguNpykmbvaHURNp4c0jOegH_S8_XjdkR0/edit
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