North Egypt News

City of Benton City Council met Aug. 26.

Minutes Of The Regularly Scheduled Benton City Council Meeting Held Monday, August 26, 2024 At 5:00 P.M. In Court Room A Of The Cambpell Building Located At 901 Public Square, Benton, Illinois 62812.

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

Commissioner Kays Made A Motion To Waive The Reading And Approve The Minutes Of The August 12, 2024 Regularly Scheduled City Council Meeting Held In The Benton Municipal City Hall Located At 1403 South Main Street, Benton, Illinois. Second By Commissioner Cockrum. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Kays, Commissioner Garavalia, And Mayor Messersmith. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Kays Made A Motion To Waive The Reading And Approve The Minutes Of The Special Called Benton City Council Meeting Held Monday, July 29, 2024 At 8:15 A.M. In The Benton Municipal City Hall Located At 1403 South Main Street, Benton, Illinois. Second By Commissioner Cockrum. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 4. Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Kays, Commissioner Garavalia, And Mayor Messersmith. Nays: 0. Commissioner Storey Abstained.

Mayor Messersmith Asked Officer Zackary Andrews To Come Before The Council. Mayor Messersmith Swore In Officer Andrews. Chief Funkhouser Stated That Officer Andrews Had Just Completed His First Shift For The Police Department. The Council Welcomed Officer Andrews To His New Position.

Commissioner Garavalia Stated She Only Had Updates For This Meeting. Commissioner Garavalia Stated That The Street Light That Has Been Out On Michael Drive Has Been Fixed. She Also Stated That She Is Seeing A Lot Of Signs Placed Around The City In Places That Are Against Ordinance. Commissioner Garavalia Also Updated The Council On The Situation At 1403 South Main Stating That Mold Testing Is Ongoing And She Has Made Appointments With Helitech And Woods Basements For Bids On Fixing A Leaking Wall In The Basement. Commissioner Garavalia Also Stated That The Air Quality Has Been Tested In Certain Areas And More Results Are Being Waited On.

Commissioner Cockrum Made A Motion To Approve Purchase Order #000993 To Enaqua For 120 UV Lightbulbs For The Wastewater Treatment Plant In The Amount Of $10,200.00. Second By Commissioner Storey. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Kays, Commissioner Garavalia, And Mayor

Messersmith. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Cockrum Made A Motion To Approve Pool Adjustments For 201 South

Mckenzie Street And 127 West Webster Street As They Meet The Criteria Set Forth In The

Ordinance. Second By Commissioner Storey. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 4. Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Garavalia, And Mayor Messersmith. Nays:

0. Commissioner Kays Abstained.

Commissioner Cockrum Made A Motion To Approve A Lake Lot Lease Transfer Of Lot #7 From Blake Hall To Michael Kathalynas. Second By Commissioner Storey. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Kays, Commissioner Garavalia, And Mayor Messersmith. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Cockrum Made A Motion To Table Item (D) Discussion And/Or Approval Of Resolution For The Annual Homecoming Parade. Second By Commissioner Storey. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Kays, Commissioner Garavalia, And Mayor Messersmith. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Storey Made A Motion To Approve Purchase Order #00419 To Dave Schmidt Truck Service For A Total Rebuild Of Detroit Deisel Engine On Fire Engine #803 In The Amount Of $34,319.90. Second By Commissioner Cockrum. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Kays, Commissioner Garavalia, And Mayor Messersmith. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Storey Made A Motion To Allow The Merit Board To Begin The Process Of Testing To Form A New Policer Officer Eligibility List. Second By Commissioner Cockrum. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Kays, Commissioner Garavalia, And Mayor Messersmith. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Storey Made A Motion To Approve The Intergovernmental Agreement For Standby Ambulance Service Between The City Of Benton And BCHS. Second By Commissioner Garavalia. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Kays, Commissioner Garavalia, And Mayor Messersmith. Nays: 0.

Commissioner Kays Made A Motion To Approve Payroll For August 16, 2024 From The General Fund In The Amount Of $85,686.53 And For The Water And Sewer Fund In The Amount Of $22,141.31 For A Total Payroll Of $107,827.84. Second By Commissioner Garavalia. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Kays, Commissioner Garavalia, And Mayor Messersmith. Nays: 0.

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

Mayor Messermsith Stated That A Lot Of Stuff Has Happened With The Findings Of Mold At City Hall. He Thanked Everyone For Being Patient With Us As We Navigate What Our Next Steps Will Be.

Mayor Messersmith Stated That He Had No Purchase Orders For Approval At This Time.

Mayor Messersmith Stated That He Was Recently Approached By A Landowner In Town

Who Wanted The Council To Reconsider The Fee Scale For Inspections. Mayor Messersmith

Stated That He Has Looked Into This Matter And The Fees Have Not Been Increased Since

Being Put Into Place Many Years Ago. Mayor Messersmith Also Stated That He Has Looked

Into Other Communities And He Feels That Our Fee Scale Is In Line With Numerous Other Communities. No Further Action Was Taken On This Matter.

Mayor Messersmith Stated That With The Ongoing Issues At 1403 South Main, He Would Like A Motion To Allow Zoning Administrator Brian Calcaterra To Obtain An Appraisal On The Property. Commissioner Cockrum Made This Motion. Second By Commissioner Storey. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Kays, Commissioner Garavalia, And Mayor Messersmith. Nays: 0.

Mayor Messersmith Asked For A Motion To Approve The Request For Donation In The Amount Of $500.00 From Passion To Action Volunteer Group For Help With Their Fall-O- Ween Event To Be Held At Capital Park. Commissioner Storey Made This Motion. Second By Commissioner Cockrum. Vote Was Taken. Yeas: 5. Commissioner Cockrum, Commissioner Storey, Commissioner Kays, Commissioner Garavalia, And Mayor Messersmith. Nays: 0.

No Miscellaneous Business.

No Old Business.

No New Business

In Matters From The Public Audience, Mr. Tom Carter Addressed The Council. Mr. Carter Stated That He Has Seen An Appraisal On 1403 South Main That Was Completed When District 47 Owned The Building. He Stated That The Building Appraised For $280,000.00, But The City Council Paid $500,000.00 For The Building Back In 2016. Mr. Carter Stated That Since Purchase The Building Has Required A New Roof, New HVAC, And Creation Of New Offices Amoung Other Improvements. Mr. Carter Stated That He Believes The City Should Sue Former Finance Commissioner Dennis Miller For His Part In The Purchase Of 1403

South Main Street. Mr. Carter States Tat He Believes This Council Should Take Responsibility For Actions That Have Been Done By Previous Councils. He Stated That The Airport Was Running "Illegally" For Many Years, But That He Helped Take That Board Down And Correct The Issues. Mr. Carter Also Stated That The Previous Council Paid $1,000,000.00 For New Water Meters When There Was No Need As There Was Plenty Of Manpower Employed By The City To Do The Meter Reading. Mr. Carter Asked Mayor Messersmith Why The I-57 Interchange Was Stopped After All The Money That Has Been

Spent On The Design Phase. Mr. Carter Stated That If The Design Phase Had Been Completed The Project Could Have Been Completed And Shelved For Later Use. He Also Questioned Why Mayor Messersmith Didn't Put A Stop To It While He Was Street Commissioner. Mayor Messersmith Stated That He Did Voice His Opinion As Street Commissioner, But That He Was Not Asked To Sit At The Table Where The Decisions Were Being Made. Mayor Messersmith

Stated That If Mr. Carter Would Like To Discuss This Further He Can Come To Our New

Office. Mr. Carter Stated That The Sewer Plant Was Initially Supposed To Cost $14,000,000.00, But Half Of That Was Forgiven. He Stated That It Has Been Almost 20 Years Since It Was Built And If We Only Owed $7,000,000.00 It Should Be Paid For By Now.

In Other Matters From The Public Audience, William McPherson With The Franklin County Gazette, Asked What The Status On The I-57 Interchange Project Currently Is. Mayor

Messersmith Stated That It Has Been Officially Suspended.

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

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