North Egypt News

City of Benton City Council met May 23.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

Minutes Of The Regularly Scheduled Benton City Council Meeting Held At 6:00 P.M. In The Council Room At 1403 South Main Street Benton, Illinois, 62812.

Mayor Kondritz Called The Meeting To Order. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz Were Present For Roll Call.

Commissioner Garavalia Made A Motion To Approve The Minutes Of The Regular City Council Meeting Held On Monday, May 9, 2022. Second By Commissioner Storey. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

Mayor Kondritz Asked Attorney Malkovich If There Were Any Updates Regarding Item (C) Under The Public Affairs Report, Discussion And/Or Approval Of Airport Ground Lease To Grueninger Aviation. Attorney Malkovich Stated That There Were No Updates At This Time And Requested That This Item Be Tabled. Commissioner Messersmith Made A Motion To Table This Item. Second By Commissioner Cockrum. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

Mayor Kondritz Asked Zoning Official Brian Calcaterra To Address The Council Regarding Item (D) Discussion And/Or Approval Of Vacating An Alley Located Within The Corporate Limits Of The City Of Benton. Mr. Calcaterra Stated That He Had Received A Petition To Vacate A 20-Foot-Wide Alley Running North And South A Distance Of 352.5 Feet That Is Situated West Of Lots 102 Through 108 And East Of Lots 109 Through 115 In Crisp, Copple, And Martin’s Addition To The City Of Benton, Situated In Franklin County, Illinois And That All Fees Associated With This Had Been Paid. Commissioner Storey Made A Motion To Approve Vacating This Alley. Second By Commissioner Garavalia. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

Mayor Kondritz Stated That He Would Like To Commend The Council For Acting On The Items They Have Been Presented With Over The Past Few Months. Mayor Kondritz Stated That Over The Last Few Years He Feels That The City Of Benton Has Been Overlooked, But He Feels That The Construction Of The New Courthouse Really Has Set Benton Off And He Feels We Are On Our Way To Better Opportunities.

Mayor Kondritz Stated He Had No Purchase Orders.

Commissioner Cockrum Stated He Had No Purchase Orders.

Commissioner Cockrum Stated That He Had No Lake Lot Lease Transfers.

Commissioner Cockrum Presented His Department Report. Between May 1, 2022 And May 23, 2022 There Were Service Leaks On Bowling Alley Road, South Mcleansboro Street, Pope Street, Fifth Street, Ninth Street, Sheridan Drive, Fourth Street, And Commercial Street. There Were Water Main Breaks On East Main Street And Spani Street. There Was One New Service Put In At Lake Moses. There Were Sewer Issues At The Hospital (3 Times), Sink Hole On First Street, Sewer On South Mcleansboro Street, Lift Station On Clearview, Sewer Sink Hole In The 200 Block Of Mitchell Street, And Sewer At Juvenile Detention Center (5 Hours). General Work In The Water And Sewer Department Consisted Of The Monthly Shut Off List, 76 Julie Calls Marked, And Cleaned Out 13 Meter Pits For Meter Repairs.

Commissioner Cockrum Stated That He Had Received A Request From David Booker For An Increase In His Payment For Mowing At Twin Oaks And The Benton Municipal Airport. Mr. Booker’s Requested Stated He Was Asking For An Increase Of $25 At The Airport Per Mow And $20.00 Per Mow At Twin Oaks Due To Fuel Prices Reaching Over $5.00 Per Gallon. Commissioner Cockrum Stated That Since The Bid Had Been Accepted, The City Has Sold Two Pieces Of Property Included In The Twin Oaks Mow And Therefore He Did Not Feel The Twin Oaks Increase Was Warranted. However, Commissioner Cockrum Stated That He Had No Problem With Giving An Increase In The Airport Price. Commissioner Cockrum Made A Motion To Increase Payment To David Booker To $225.00 Per Mow For The Airport Property. Second By Commissioner Garavalia. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 2. Commissioner Garavalia And Commissioner Cockrum. Nays: 3. Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz.

Commissioner Cockrum Stated That He Had Received A Request To Permit A Camper To Sit On The North Side Of Twin Oaks On June 6, 2022. Commissioner Cockrum Stated That He Did Not Feel That The Council Should Allow This. Mayor Kondritz Stated That He Did Not Understand Why There Was An Issue With This As It Had Been Done In The Past And Felt That The Council Should Allow It. Commissioner Cockrum Made A Motion To Not Allow A Camper To Park On The Property At Twin Oaks. Second By Commissioner Garavalia. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Cockrum, And Commissioner Messersmith. Nays: 2. Commissioner Storey And Mayor Kondritz. City Clerk Clarified That The Motion Was To Not Allow The Camper To Park On The Property.

Commissioner Messersmith Stated That He Had No Purchase Orders For This Meeting.

Commissioner Messersmith Presented The Report For His Department. Commissioner. The Report Stated That There Was Concrete Work Done On The Sidewalk On The First Block Of Joplin Street And A Driveway Poured Back On Whisper Way From Repairing A Water Leak. There Was A New Tile Placed On Mitchell Street. A New Traffic Control Light At The Intersection Of Route 37 North And Illinois Avenue. Commissioner Messersmith Stated That To Date 40 Ton Of Cold Patch And 20 Ton Of Bam Have Been Used. The Street Department Spent Four Days Weed Eating And Cleaning The Main Parade Route. The Mechanic Has Completely Redone The Water Department Dump Truck, Completed Service On Three Of The Backhoes, And Done All The General Maintenance On The Other Vehicles. The Mower Is Being Ran Every Day. For The Remainder Of The Month Of May, The Street Department Will Be Patching Holes Left From The Wet Winter And Spring As Well As Working On A Major Drainage Issue Behind The Apartments On Lincoln Drive.

Mayor Kondritz Asked Commissioner Messersmith If He Could Find Out Why The Island Beside Us Bank Has Not Been Mowed. Commissioner Messersmith Stated That He Would Look Into This And Get An Answer For The Mayor.

Commissioner Storey Presented Purchase Order #0057 To Thin Line Public Safety Equipment For Equipment For Two New Police Suvs In The Amount Of $11,658.65. Second By Commissioner Messersmith. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Storey Made A Motion To Approve Purchase Order #00058 To Lawman For Annual Software Maintenance And Subscription In The Amount Of $950.00. Second By Commissioner Cockrum. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Storey Presented The Fire Department Report. For The Month Of April, 2022, The Fire Department Responded To 8 Fires, 1 Overpressure Rupture/Explosion/Overheat (No Fire), 27 Rescue And Emergency Medical Services, 5 Hazardous Conditions (No Fire), 5 Service Calls, 3 Good Intent Calls, And 4 False Alarm/False Calls. This Came To A Total Of 53 Calls Responded To By The Benton Fire Department.

Commissioner Storey Made A Motion To Remove Paid On Call Firefighter Cody Shockley Due To Changes In His Work Schedule. Second By Commissioner Messersmith. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Storey Made A Motion To Add Andrew Cairel To The Paid-On Call Firefighter Roster. Second By Commissioner Cockrum. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Storey Made A Motion To Hire Matt Warren As A Fulltime Firefighter On A 60-Day-Temporary Appointment At A Rate Of $15.00 Per Hour With No Benefits. Second By Commissioner Garavalia. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Storey Made A Motion To Increase The Rates For “Treat No Transport” And Mileage For The Fire Department Calls. Currently “Treat No Transport” Is $0.00 And It Would Be Raised To $300.00 And Mileage Is Currently $12.00 Per Mile And Would Be Increased To $18.00 Per Hour. Second By Commissioner Messersmith. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Garavalia Stated That She Had No Purchase Orders Or Monthly Bills For This Meeting.

Commissioner Garavalia Made A Motion To Approve Payroll For May 13, 2022 For The Police And Fire Departments In The Amount Of $44,635.15 And All Other Departments In The Amount Of $54,648.26 For A Total Payroll Of $99,283.41. Second By Commissioner Cockrum. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Garavalia Made A Motion To Approve Construction Of A Drive-Up Tube System For The Benton City Hall In The Amount Of $17,656.00. Second By Commissioner Storey. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Garavalia Made A Motion To Approve Construction Of A Drop Box For Water Bills At City Hall In The Amount Of $1,603.80. Second By Commissioner Cockrum. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Garavalia Made A Motion To Request Bids To Replace The Fencing At Malkovich Park. Second By Commissioner Storey. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Garavalia Stated That She Would Like To Cease Providing Insurance For City Council Members As Of June 1, 2022. Attorney Malkovich Stated That He Recommended The Council Discuss This In Executive Session Before A Decision Was Made.

Commissioner Garavalia Made A Motion To Adopt A Bad Debt Write Off Policy For The City Of Benton. Second By Commissioner Storey. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Garavalia Made A Motion To Adopt A Suspension And Debarment Policy For The City Of Benton. Second By Commissioner Messersmith. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

City Attorney Thomas Malkovich Stated That He Had No Updates For This Meeting.

No Miscellaneous Business.

No Old Business.

No New Business.

In Matters From The Public Audience, Mr. Tom Carter Stated That He Was Glad The Council Did Not Increase The Pay For Mowing As It Would Be A Bad Practice To Increase A Low Bid. Mr. Carter Stated That He Would Love To See The Council Members Attend A County Board Meeting.

Also, In Matters From The Public Audience, Jason Seddon Of 1215 Grayson Stated That The Benton Square Looks Wonderful. However, Mr. Seddon Asked If The Council Could Do Something About His Neighborhood Where There Is Excess Trasn, A Permanent Yard Sale, And Cooper Burns Along With “Meth And Crack Problems”. He Also Stated That There Are Mosquito Problems And A Lot Of Speeding. Mr. Seddon Asked That He Is Very Happy That The Downtown Area Looks Nice, But Asks That The Council Not Forget The Rest Of Town.

Matthew Harrison, Airport Manager, Stated That The New Sign Has Been Placed At The Entrance To The Airport.

Commissioner Garavalia Made A Motion To Go Into Executive Session For Item (C) Discussion Of Possible Appointment, Employment, Compensation, Discipline, Performance, Or Dismissal Of Specific Employees Of The Public Body Or Legal Counsel For The Public Body, Including Hearing Testimony On A Complaint Lodged Against An Employee Of The Public Body Or Against Legal Counsel For The Public Body To Determine Its Validity. Second By Commissioner Messersmith. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

6:55 P.M.

Commissioner Messersmith Made A Motion To Return To Regular Session. Second By Commissioner Garavalia. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

7:45 P.M.

Commissioner Garavalia Made A Motion In Reference To Item 7(E) Under Accounts And Finance To Cease All Insurance Benefits For Elected Officials Effective June 1, 2022. Second By Commissioner Messersmith. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Storey Made A Motion To Adjourn. Second By Commissioner Messersmith. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Garavalia, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Messersmith, And Mayor Kondritz. Nays: 0.

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