North Egypt News

City of West Frankfort City Council met Dec. 14.

Here are 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 Were In Attendance Except For Commissioner Warren. The City Attorney And City Clerk Were Also Present.

2. Mayor Jordan Asked For Approval Of The Minutes From The

November 23th, 2021 Council Meeting. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Simpson. 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 $248,592.27. Commissioner Simpson Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Stanley. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

4. The Next Item Was Approval Of An Ordinance Making The Annual Tax Levy For The City Of West Frankfort, Illinois For The Fiscal Year Commencing On The First Day Of May, 2021 And Ending On The Last Day Of April, 2022. Commissioner Simpson Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Stanley. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

5. The Next Item Was Approval Of An Ordinance Establishing A Building Code For New Non-Residential Construction. The Mayor Asked The City Attorney; We Raised The Fee Rate On Construction, Correct? The New Fee Will 1. Residential: A) Single & Multi Family Structures: $0.15 Per Square Foot With $100.00 Minimum Fee. B.) Accessory Buildings: $0.15 Per Square Foot Or $15.00 Minimum Fee. 2. Commericial And Industrial Progressive Rates: Up To 50,000 Square Feet: $0.12 Per Square Foot, 50,001 To 200,000 Square Feet $0.10 Per Square Foot; 200,001 Square Feet And Over $0.08. The Mayor Stated He Has The Codes Officer And The City Attorney Updating The Codes And Will Be Changing Some More Things In The Coming Months. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Stanley. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

6. The Next Item Was Approval To Publish 2022 Meeting Dates For City Council, Planning Commission, Lake Committee, Police And Fire Pension Boards And Police And Fire Merit Board. The Mayor Stated We Has To Publish These And If Anything Needs To Change Then We Will Have A Meeting To Approve Those Changes. Commissioner Simpson Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Stanley. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

7. The Next Item Was Discussion, With Possible Action, Regarding Approval Of Applications For License To Sell Alcoholic Liquors At Retail. The First One We Had On The Agenda For Last Council Meeting Is From Sarah's Hair Salon. Sarah Mcvicker Is The Owner; She Has Purchased The Rissi Building And She Is Going To Put In A Beauty Parlor. She Would Like To Serve Alcohol And Have Gaming As Well. Our Requirement For A Gaming License Is You Have To Invest In The Community. They Are Going To Do A Lot Of Work On That Structure And Turn It Into A Hair Salon. It's The Mayor's Recommendation As Liquor Commissioner That The Council Approve This Request. Commissioner Simpson Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Stanley. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

The Second One Is From Eric Gayer He Lives In Plumfield. He Has Purchased The Casino Tavern And Has Requested A Liquor License. The Mayor Spoke With Mr. Gayer On The Phone He Owns The Tstreet Restaurant In Christopher As Well As The S&S Tavern. The Mayor Thanked Him For Wanting To Invest In Our Town. I Asked Him What His Plans Were For The Casino And He Said He Would Like To Have An Establishment That People 50-65 Could Come To Enjoy That's Not Loud Or A Biker Bar. It Was The Mayor's Recommendation That The Council Approve This Request. Commissioner Simpson Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Stanley. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried. For The Record Stated The Mayor We Are Not Increasing Our Gaming. The Vfw Is No Longer Has A Gaming License And They Are Not Going To. The Number Of Gaming Licenses In Our Community Will Remain The Same. The Casino Will Be Using The License It Had When It Was Open With The Previous Owners. And Sarah's Will Be Getting The Vfw One.

8. The Next Item Was Approval Of Financing For The Purchase Of The 2022 International Hv507 Dump Truck For Street Department. The City Clerk Angela Baker Deaton Stated That Banterra, Is The Cheapest At 2.15% For 5 Years. Commissioner Stanley Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

9. The Next Item Was Discussion, With Possible Action, Regarding A Proposal For Repairs And Painting Of The Public Safety Building. The Mayor Asked Chief Allen To Go Over, Chief Allen Stated That There Are Two Bids. The First One Was From Fager-Mcgee Painting Will Be $32,860.00 And The Repairs To The Building Will Cost $10,965.00 For A Total Of $43.825.00 The Second Bid Was From Evrard Company For A Total Cost Of $74,000.00 For Everything Needed. We Tried To Get A Third Bid But The Individuals Never Showed Up. Fager Mcgee Will Fix The Overhead Doors, Gutters Etc. We Are Also Going To Paint The Brick And Metal. We Will Decide On The Colors With A Group That We Have Put Together. It Was Agreed By Commissioners That They Would Take The Lower Bid From Fager-Mcgee. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Stanley. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

10. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay An Invoice From Intact Specialty Solutions In The Amount Of $4,364.01 Regarding Government Risks Deductible Insurance Claims. The City Clerk Stated We Have A Couple Claims So We Need To Pay The Deductibles. Commissioner Stanley Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Simpson. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

11. The Next Item Was Approval To Process Pay Estimate #2 To H.E. Mitchell Construction Co., Inc. In The Amount Of $38,537.52 For Eda Award 06-01-06132 Contract 1. The Mayor Stated This Is Work They Have Completed At The Mall. Commissioner Stanley Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins, Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

12. The Next Item Was Approval To Process Pay Estimate #2 To Samron Midwest Contracting, Inc. In The Amount Of $139,278.17 For Eda Award 06-01-06132 Contract 2. Commissioner Stanley Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Simpson. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried

13. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay An Invoice From Brown And Roberts, Inc. In The Amount Of $25,518.07 For Professional Engineering Services Regarding Eda Award Contract 2. Commissioner Stanley Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Simpson. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

14. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay An Invoice From Samron Midwest Contracting, Inc. In The Amount Of $43,106.90 Regarding Dceo Rlf Sidewalk Project. The Mayor Stated This Is The Last Estimate To Pay For The Sidewalks In The Downtown Area. Commissioner Stanley Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Simpson. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

15. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay An Invoice From Brown And Roberts, Inc. In The Amount Of $1,976.76 Regarding Dceo Rlf Sidewalk Grant Administration, Commissioner Stanley Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Simpson. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay An Invoice From Brown And Roberts, Inc. In The Amount Of $1,299.15 Regarding Dceo Rlf Sidewalk Construction Observation. Commissioner Stanley Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Simpson. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

17. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay An Invoice From Brown And Roberts, Inc. In The Amount Of $9,765.26 Regarding The 157 &Il149 Interchange Modification. Commissioner Stanley Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

18. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay An Invoice From Brown And Roberts, Inc. In The Amount Of $88,000.00 Regarding Preliminary Engineering Invoice #11 & Final For Eda Award 06-01-06132. Commissioner Stanley Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Simpson. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

19. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay An Invoice From Locis In The Amount Of $8,100.00 Regarding The License Support Agreement. Commissioner Stanley Made A Motion For Approval, 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 Estimate From Sander Electric Company, Inc. In The Amount Of $8,431.22 Regarding Repairs To Flygt Pump Lift Station On Route 37 South For The Sewer Department, Commissioner Stanley Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

21. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay An Invoice From Derksen Brothers In The Amount Of $21.056.00 Regarding Sludge Land Application For The Sewer Department. Commissioner Stanley Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Simpson. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

22. The Next Item Was Approval To Pay An Invoice From Jwc Environmental In The Amount Of $6,206.40 Regarding A 5hp Motor For The Sewer Department. Commissioner Stanley Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Jordan Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

23. Officer's Report ~

Fire Report For The Month Of November 2021. Chief Allen Reported They Had 170-Ambulance Calls, O- Rubbish/Illegal Fires, 1- Brush/Field Fires, 5 Motor Vehicle Accidents, 6 Fire Alarms, 2 Vehicle Fires, 3 Fire Emergency; (Gas Leaks, Power Lines Down), 5 Structure Fires And O Smoke Scares. 6 Mutual Aid Calls.

For A Total Of 198 Calls During The Month. The Department Used Approximately 95,500 Gallons Of Water. The Department Collected $40,635.00 For Ambulance Calls.

Police Report For The Month Of November 2021. Chief Prudent Reported Officers Answered A Total Of 998 Calls For Service.

Of Those Calls 29 Were Traffic Accidents, 2 With Injury. Officers Responded To 20 Domestic Disputes, 3 Fights In Progress, 10 Alarms, 4 Intoxicated Persons, 12 Burglaries, 12 Reports Of Criminal Damage To Property, 14 Complaints Of Juvenile Problems, 31 Reported Thefts, And 66 Complaints Of Disorderly Conduct/Disturbances And Made 17 Street Contacts.

Officers Conducted 105 Traffic Stops, Issued 32 Citiations, 80 Warnings, And 4 Lw-27's.

There Were 38 Adult Arrests Made And 5 Juvenile Arrests, Resulting In 52 Criminal Charges Filed.

Dispatchers Answered 1,290 Calls.

Of Those, 605 Were 9-1-1 Calls, 91 Were Walk In Requests. 998 Were For Police, 198 Were For West Frankfort Fire, 9 Were For Thompsonville Fire/Ems, And 12 Were For Abbott Ems, And 2 For United Ambulance. And For The Month Of November, We Collected $700.00 In Fines And Fees.

Codes Report For The Month Of November 2021.

Permits: 1-Building Permits, O-Sign Permits.

Rental Properties: 3~New Rental Properties Registered, 20-Rental Inspections Performed.

Nuisance Complaints: 21~ Nuisance Complaints Taken, 0~Nuisance Complaints Resolved By Property Owners, 0~Nuisance Complaints Resolved By The City, 4-Active Nuisance Complaints.

Vehicles:8~Inoperable/Unlicensed Vehicles Tagged, 8~Inoperable/Unlicensed Vehicles Resolved By Owner, 1~Inoperable/Unlicensed Vehicles Towed By City Ordinance. Citations: 3-Citations Issued; O Citations Paid.

24. Building And Sign Permits ~ There Were No Building Or Sign Permits This Time.

25. Mayor's Report The Mayor Stated That He Is Grateful That He Was Not On Cnn Or Fox News Talking About Tornado And Or Storm Damage. He Can Not Imagine What Mayfield Kentucky Is Going Through. He Asked That You Pray For

These Towns And People, If You Can Contribute In Some Way, Please Do It. Its Just Amazing What Damages These Tornado's Can Do To A Small Community. Im Just Grateful That Our Little Community Did Not Have Any Damage Like That Even With The Small One We Had.

The Mayor Also Stated That Our Employees Showed Up Big Time. We Had City Hall Open By 11pm When The Power Went Out. All The Departments Showed Up Ready To Do Their Job.

I Also Want To Say Their Was A Lot Of Stuff On Social Media About The Sirens Or Warning System. We Have Discussed This With Ryan Buckingham, Of Ema. The Mayor Stated The Reason The Tornado Sirens Did Not Sound Was That The Tornado Came Through Seven Minutes Before The Alert Went Out About The Tornado. And At That Time The Power Was Already Out So We Did Not Have The Ability To Blow The Sirens. Its No One's Fault That They Did Not Get Set Off. The Weather Meterologist Stated That Tornados Can Just Drop Out Of The Sky Without Enough Notice To Warn People. That Is Why You Get The Warnings Early So You Can Decide When You Feel Its Time To Go To Your Safe Space. Everyone Was Alerted Earlier In The Day Of The Warnings And Kind Of What Time The Storms Would Affect Us.

26.Commissioner Comments:

Commissioner Harkins Stated That He Is Thankful For The Police And Fire Department And The Personel That We Have. As You Can Hear They Don't Sit Around With Their Feet Up On The Desk. They Both Stay Busy Taking Care Of This Town And Community, And I Am Thankful For Them.

Commissioner Simpson Stated That She Thinks Chris Veteto Needs To Be Praised For All His Hard Work On The Annual Tax Levy. She Stated He Does An Excellent Thorough Job And Mike Simpson Would Have Been Proud.

Commissioner Stanley Stated That He Is Thankful For The New Truck His Department Received This Week. He Needs To Brag On The Street Department Guys, They Were Out Sunday Night And Worked All Thru The Night Until Late Monday Afternoon. They Worked All Thru The Storms And Rain. Then Worked Another 3 More Long Gets Trying To Get The Worst Of The Limbs Picked Up Around Town. Then Started Working On The Storm Drains To Get Ready For This Weekends Rain That Was In The Forecast. The Street Guys Did A Wonderful Job And The Water Guys Even Came In To Help Us. Everyone Worked Together And Did A Great Job.

Commissioner Warren Was Absent.

27.Audience Questions Or Comments: Mrs. Heyder Stated Her Phone Did Go Off But By Then It Was Too Late It Had Already Went Through. Chief Allen Stated The Tornado Sirens Were Meant To Notify People That Were Outside At The Park Or In The Yard At Home To Let You Know That You Need To Get Indoor And Take Cover. Even When They Get Turned On, They Are Very Hard To Hear Inside Your Home So We Do Not Need To Rely On Those To Alert Us Of A Tornado. Everyone Needs To Make Sure To Have Either A Weather Radio, Nixle On Your Cell Phones Or Some Way Of Receiving Notification Of Incoming Bad Weather.

A Gentleman In The Audience Asked Is There An Alternative Way To Turn The Sirens On In Case They Happen To Lose Power Again? The Mayor Stated There Has Already Been Talks About This. Right Now, The Only Place To Turn Them On Is Police Dispatch. And The Police Dispatch Was Out Of Service, There Was No Power And No Way To Activate Them. The Problem With Those Sirens They Have A 100 Hp Motor That Will Spin That Siren Enough So That You Can Hear It, Battery Backup Is Not Really An Option But, We Are Going To Talk About That And Explore All Our Options. Again, Chief Allen Said It Best "That Was A System That Was Designed 50 Years Ago, To Alert People That Were Outside, Not In Your Homes." The Mayor Also Stated That Jim Rasor Said You Have The Warning With A Radio Or Tv Inside Your House, You Have Alerts On Your Phone, You Also Have The Tornado Sirens. The Mayor Said We Only Blow That Siren If A Tornado Is “Seen” In Franklin County. But This Will All Be Revisited.

28. Mayor Jordan Asked For Approval To Go Into Executive Session To Discuss Contract Negotiations, Personnel, Land Acquisition And/Or Pending Litigation, With Possible Action. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Stanley. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners Along With The Mayor Voted Yes. Motion Carried. The Council Went Into Executive Session At 6:35 P.M.

29. The Council Returned To Open Session At 7:02 P.M. On A Motion By Commissioner Harkins, Seconded By Commissioner Stanley. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners Along With Mayor Jordan Voted To Return To Open Session. Motion Carried.

30.With No Further Business To Be Discussed, The Meeting Was Adjourned On A Motion By Commissioner Harkins At 7:03 P.M.

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