North Egypt News

City of West Frankfort City Council met Sept. 10.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

1. Mayor Arview Called The Meeting To Order At 6:03 P.M. Requesting A Roll Call. All Commissioners Were In Attendance Except For Commissioner Stanley. Including, The City Attorney And City Clerk.

2. The Next Item Was Approval To Go Into Executive Session For Discussion Pursuant To 5 ILCS 120/2 (C)(1), 5 ILCS 120/2(C) (5/6) And 5 ILCS 120/2(C)(11) And 5ilcsw 120/2(C)(21). Mayor Arview Stated One Is Employment, Five And Six Are Purchase And Selling A Property. Eleven Is Litigation, And Twenty-One Is Closed Meeting Minute Discussion. I Need A Motion

For Us To Go Into Executive Session. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Howard. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

3. The Next Item Was Approval Of A Motion To Return To Open Session At 7:06 P.M. Where No Action Was Taken. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

4. The Next Item Was Approval Of The Agenda For The City Council Meeting On September 10th, 2024. Mayor Arview Stated I Entertain A Motion To Approve The Agenda For This Meeting. Commissioner Howard Made A Motion For Approval, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

5. Mayor Arview Asked For Approval Of The Minutes From The August 27th, 2024 Regular Council Meeting. Mayor Arview Stated I Entertain A Motion To Approve The Minutes. Commissioner Warren Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Howard. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

6. The Next Item Was Approval Of The Opioid Litigation Update. Mayor Arview Stated We Are Not Allowed To Openly Discuss This Litigation Because It Is An Open Litigation With An Attorney. We Reviewed And Talked About It In Our Executive Session. We Do Need A Motion To Approve The Opioid Litigation Update. Commissioner Howard Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

7. The Next Item Was Approval To Enter Into An Agreement With The Drew Law Group. Mayor Arview Stated We Are Going To Table This One For Now. We Had A Discussion On That And We Have Some Other Things To Work Out. This Item Was Tabled.

8. The Next Item Was Approval Of A Resolution Recommending Executive Session Minutes Remain Closed Because The Need For Confidentiality Still Exists. Mayor Arview Stated We Have Those Dates Listed As June 8th, 2021; June 24th, 2021; May 10th, 2022; December 13th, 2022; August 22nd, 2023; September 26th, 2023; November 22nd, 2023; December 12th, 2023; January 1st, 2024; January 23rd, 2024; February 13th, 2024; February 27th, 2024; March 26th, 2024; March 28th, 2024; April 23rd, 2024; And May 14th, 2024. It May Sound Like A Lot But There Are Several Executive Session Minutes That Are Not On This List Because The Need For Confidentiality Does Not Exist For Those Meetings. For These It Still Does Partially Because The Opioid Litigation, We Have Discussed That In Some Of These Meetings. I Would Entertain A Motion To Approve The Resolution To Keep Those Minutes Closed. Commissioner Howard Made The Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

9. The Next Item Was Approval Of A Proclamation Declaring October 18th, 2024 And October 19th, 2024 As Lion's Candy Days. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

10. The Next Item Was Approval For The Lion's Club To Hold Their Annual Candy Day Fundraiser Roadblock On Friday, October 18th, 2024 From 4:00 P.M. To 6:00 P.M. And On Saturday October 19th, 2024 From 8:00 A.M. To 2:00 P.M. At The Intersection Of Route 149 And Highway 37. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

11. The Next Item Was Approval To Sign A Contract With Sinc To Extend Our Contract For A Three-Year Term At The Cost Of $1,250.00 A Month To Avoid A Rate Increase. Mayor Arview Stated Initially They Had Presented Us With A One-Year Contract But Then We Saw The Three-Year Contract. I Got Ahold Of Them And Found Out It Is A Better Deal For Us And Locks Us In So There Is No Rate Increase Over That Three- Year Term. They Handle Our I.T. Issues. I Would Entertain A Motion To Approve That Contract With Them. Commissioner Warren Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Howard. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

12. The Next Item Was Approval Of The Purchase Up To $1,000.00 Worth Of Decorations For The Downtown Christmas Tree To Be Paid For Out Of The Tourism Fund. Mayor Arview Stated We Have $15,879.47 In The Tourism Fund Right Now. This Would Allow Them To Spend Up To $1,000.00 Or Less. Commissioner Warren Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

13. The Next Item Was Discussion, With Possible Action, Regarding A Donation To Candy Cane Lane Through The Tourism Fund. Mayor Arview Stated That's The Amount We Have Available. Last Year We Gave Them $2,000.00. I Will Leave That To The Council's Discretion On The Amount For That Donation. Commissioner Warren Stated I Would Say That's A Big Draw For Our Town. It's Beautiful, I'd Say Donate The Same Amount Of $2,000.00. Commissioner Howard Stated The Cost Of Things Are Going Up. Commissioner Harkins Stated I Think It's Worth Doubling It. I Make A Motion That We Give Them $4,000.00 This Year. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Howard. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

14. The Next Item Was Discussion, With Possible Action, Regarding The Review And Or Revocation Of A Fence Permit.

Mayor Arview Stated We Discussed This In Executive Session. Commissioner Howard Stated It Does Not Meet Our Requirements. Commissioner Howard Made A Motion To Revoke The Permit, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

15. The Next Item Was Approval Of An Invoice From The American Red Cross Training Service In The Amount Of $2,245.00 For Training In CPR/AED Instructor Certified For The West Frankfort Fire Department. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

16. The Next Item Was Discussion, With Possible Action Regarding The Sale Of The Property At 222 E. Main Street. Mayor Arview Stated We Had Some Back And Forth With The Buyer That We Had Approved Before For The Bid And Agreement. We Have Now Come To A Final Agreement. We Don't Have The Paper Work In Front Of Us But This Would Be

A Motion To Accept That Sale Once We Get The Paperwork Done. Commissioner Warren Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Howard. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

17. The Next Item Was Approval To Accept A Bid From Clinton Electric In The Amount Of $6,358.00 For Connecting New Flood Pump To Power At The WWTP For The Street Department. Commissioner Howard Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

18. The Next Item Was Approval Of Design Engineering Invoice

#4 From Brown & Roberts, Inc. In The Amount Of $9,421.89 For The Downtown Streetscape Project, Section 18-00060-00-Sw. Commissioner Howard Stated That Is Paid Out Of The Grant Fund? Mayor Arview Stated Yes, It's Paid Out Of That Fund. Commissioner Howard Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

19. The Next Item Was Approval For Payment Of An Invoice From Brown & Roberts, Inc. In The Amount Of $42,020.29 Regarding Invoice #34 & Final For Phase 1 Engineering Service For 157 &

Il Rt 149 Interchange Modification Project. Commissioner Howard Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

20. The Next Item Was Approval For The Knights Of Columbus To Hold A Fundraiser Roadblock On Friday, September 20th, 2024 From 4:00 P.M. To 6:00 P.M. And On Saturday, September 21st, 2024 From 8:00 A.M. To 2:00 P.M. At The Intersection Of Route 149 And Highway 37. Commissioner Warren Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins.

Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

21. The Next Item Was The Consent Agenda:

A. Approval To Pay Bills In The Amount Of $209.441.37.

B. Approval Of An Invoice From Midwest Meter Inc. In The Amount Of $1,626.75 For 2" Service Tap For The West Frankfort Water Department.

C. Approval Of An Invoice From Wiggs Excavating, Inc. In The Amount Of $2,700.00 Regarding A Line Bore For The West Frankfort Water Department.

D. Approval Of An Addendum To Update The Vehicle Use Policy In The Handbook For City Employees.

Mayor Arview Stated I Would Entertain A Motion To Approve The Consent Agenda As Presented. I Know We Did Discuss Item D But I Think It Is Pretty Straight Forward. Commissioner Howard Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried

22. Building And Sign Permits ~ Codes Officer Snell Stated We Will Start With The First Four Solar Permits. They Are Roof Mount Permits And They Meet Our Requirements That Are Set In Our Solar Ordinance. I Recommend We Approve These Four Permits. Commissioner Howard Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Harkins. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

The Next Permit Was For Hecks Excavating For Demolition Of 1001 W. Main This Is The Mad Pricer Building. They Have Put In Their Permit And Had All The Utilities Removed. I Recommend We Approve That So They Can Get To Work. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Howard. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

The Next Permit Was A Building At 607 W. Jones Street, It's An Old House. The City Started Pursing Demolition On That But It Was Purchased By Matt Donkin. He Is Going To Pay For The Demolition Of That Building. I Recommend We Approve That Permit. Commissioner Warren Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Howard. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

The Next Permit Was For Josh Joplin At 802 W. Lindell Street For A Garage. I Have Got The Contractor Registered. The Garage Is Being Built To Replace A Building That Was There, A Tree Had Fallen On It. They Are Replacing What Was Already Standing. I Recommend We Approve This Permit. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

The Next Permit Was For J & S Pharmacy, They Have A Storage Building That They Demolished In The Back. They Are Building A Slightly Bigger Building Now. I Have Got Their Stuff Registered. I Recommend We Approve This Permit. Commissioner Howard Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Warren. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

The Next Permit Was For Elizabeth Hayes At 1306 E. Clark Street For A Fence. I Have Reviewed Her Diagram And Measurements On This Permit. Everything Fits Our Fencing Ordinance. I Recommend We Approve This Permit.

Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Howard. Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

The Last Permit Was For Er Brown Furniture For Demolition Of The Building Standing At 105 N. Jackson. It's The Storage Building That Sits Behind Their Store. It Has Become A Safety Concern For Him. He Has Everything Unhooked And His Contractor Is Registered. I Recommend We Approve This Permit. Commissioner Harkins Made A Motion To Approve, Seconded By Commissioner Warren.

Roll Call Vote: All Commissioners And Mayor Arview Voted To Approve. Motion Carried.

23. Officer's Report ~

Fire Report For The Month Of August 2024. Chief Sailliez Reported That They Had 199-Ambulance Calls, 8- Rubbish/Illegal Fires, 1-Brush/Field Fires, 1-Motor Vehicle Accidents, 6-Fire Alarms, 0-Vehicle Fires, 7 - Fire Emergencies; (Gas Leaks, Power Lines Down, Etc.), 3- Structure Fires, 0-Smoke Scares, 3-Mutual Aid Fire Responses, 2-Mutual Aid Ambulance, 5-Ambulance Calls Turned Over To Mutual Aid. For A Total Of 235 Calls During The Month. The Department Used Approximately 22,000 Gallons Of Water. The Department Collected $57,321.52 For August Ambulance Calls.

Police Report For The Month Of August 2024. Deputy Chief Willis Reported Officers Answered A Total Of 1,307 Calls For Service. Of Those Calls 21 Were Traffic Accidents, 1 With Injuries. Officers Responded To 21 Domestic Disputes, 3 Fights In Progress, 8 Alarms, 2 Intoxicated Persons, 6 Burglaries, 22 Reports Of Criminal Damage To Property, 17 Complaints Of Juvenile Problems, 21 Reported Thefts, And 44 Complaints Of Disorderly Conduct/Disturbances. And Officers Made 17 Street Contacts. Officers Conducted 226 Traffic Stops, Where They Issued 38 Citations, 192 Warnings, And 11 Lw-27's. There Were 60 Adult Arrests Made And 2 Juvenile Arrests, Resulting In 78 Criminal Charges Filed.

Dispatchers Answered 1,694 Calls. Of Those, 525 Were 9-1-1 Calls, 130 Were Walk In Requests. 1,307 Were For Police, 235 Were For West Frankfort Fire, 5 Were For Abbot Ems, And 4 For United Ambulance. For The Month Of August, We Collected $1,625.00 In Fines And Fees.

Codes Report For The Month Of August 2024.Codes Officer Snell Reported Permit: 5~Building Permits, 0~Sign Permits. 2~ Solar Permits. Rental Properties: 2~Rental Inspections Performed. Case Activity Report~ 21 Which Includes Doors Tagged Verbal Warnings, Vehicles Tagged, Inspections Of Violations, Inspections, Citations Issued, Letters Sent, Etc.

The Mayor Stated We Have The Water Report And The Treasures Report. As We Have Mentioned Before, The Treasures Report Is Available For Anyone Who Would Like To Come To City Hall And Request It.

24. Mayors Report~

The Mayor Stated I Don't Have A Whole Lot To Discuss. One Thing That Was Mentioned, And We May Find A Way To Post This On The Website For People To Be Aware. I Know A Lot Of People Have Issues With The Water Department As Far As Billing Goes, Paying For Trash Service, And Those Sorts Of Things. We Have A Bill From Benton Water And Sewer Department. The Minimum For Their Water, Sewer, And Trash Is $59.00 Where Our Minimum Is $36.36 And That Includes The $1.00 Per Month For The Trash Can To Be Provided To Residence. That Is Significantly Less Than What Benton Pays. They Have An Infrastructure Fee Of $2.00 And Trash Is $19.77. I Have Had Other People Say To Me Or On Facebook, We Are The Lowest Water Cost In The Area. Other Towns Are Paying More.

Commissioner Reports~

Commissioner Harkins Stated Police And Fire Are Doing Their Job. Everything Is Going Okay; Our Brush Truck Is Getting Close To Being Road Worthy. Chief Sailliez Stated The Plumbing Will Be Done Hopefully By The End Of The Week And Then Some Lighting.

Commissioner Howard Stated What I Have Is Frustration, We Are Still Trying To Get The Audit Done. If I Had Any Hair, I'd Pull It Out. All I Can Say Is That We Are Trying To Communicate With These People And Trying To Get Them What They Need. The Communication Is Not What I Would Like It To Be. Tomorrow I Am Going To Try My Best To Get Ahold Of Them And Talk To Them And Get A Specific List Of What They Exactly Need To Finish This Up. It's Not A Good Thing And I'm Not Happy About It. Commissioner Stanley Is Not Here Tonight.

Commissioner Warren Stated We Have Things Going On At  The Lakes And Our Buildings Are Still Standing. That's All I  Have.

25. Audience Comments: Mayor Arview Stated I Want To Remind Everyone That We Have An Ordinance Regulating The Public Comments. They Are Available On The Podium Here; I'll Give You A Summary Of Them. You Have Five Minutes To Speak And We Ask That You Do Not Go Back And Forth, Say Your Peace, State Your Name, Sit Down, And Give Someone Else A Chance. No Comments From The Audience.

26. With No Further Business To Be Discussed, The Meeting Was Adjourned On A Motion By Commissioner Harkins At 7:37 P.M.

https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4697/CWF/4877983/September_10__2024_CIty_Council_Meeting.pdf