Peoria Standard

Village of Mapleton Regular Monthly Board met April 11.

Here is the minutes provided by the Board:

I.Call to Order at 6:31 pm

II.II. Pledge of Allegiance

III.III. Roll Call

Sherry Boswell, Justin Egan, Liz Rench, Alice Dailey, Patti Monks, Mark Brining, Aaron Stone, mayor, Rhonda Hodges, treasurer, William Connor, attorney present. Rhonda Hodges, temp- clerk

IV. Addressing the Board

A. Stan Bersin - Water Report

Stan supplied paperwork showing at 16.06% water loss for the 1st quarter of 2017 which is

2,057,106 gallons. He added a new column for the Fire Department to help with monitoring any losses at the fire station. Stan stated this is a larger increase since last quarter. Also noting that since September, there has been a larger increase. Mark stated that Carolyn ran a report on the water computer and Air Liquide is a 20% difference between our meter and their meter. Stan stated this could very well be the difference and it is very important to get the water meter switched out. Stan stated this needs to be done and we should have something in our ordinances that would allow the Village to have access even though it is private property. Mark Brining stated the problem is not changing the meter, it is the shutting down of the plant and coordinating the water truck for water usage at that time. Mark has continued to play the phone tag game. Mark stated he is not sure if he should just schedule the time and just demand to be given access. Stan said his understanding is they take water as needed to top off their reservoir, then there should not be an issue to replace the meter. If they are a direct feed now, this is a different matter that needs addressed. Stan stated that Walker would have to check things before shutting off the water, but that should not be a problem. Stan supplied additional paperwork for showing trends from 2011 to current. Again, we are showing more of an increase than previous reports.

Liz Rench asked about checking the original water line for leaks. Stan stated there are tools available to check for possible leaks, but he does not have such tools. He recommended we contact IL Rural Water to see if they have equipment available to help with this. Mark stated he is still waiting on IL Rural Water to contact him about the lead testing. Liz stated then contacting them would be a good idea to see if they do have the tools available for checking for leaks.

Stan stated about 3 months after the new water loop was installed, this is where the issues seemed to happen. He stated when he checked the area, he didn't see anything. Stan suggested to put Walker on notice to let them know what we are seeing on the reports and that they need to examine the line since this is still under warranty since there may be a problem. He reiterated, the water losses were going down prior to the installation.

Liz asked about Air Liquide having a metered line and a non-metered line. Mark stated they have a by-pass now. Aaron asked if they have a by-pass, why can't the meter be changed. Mark stated that once you take the meter out, the pressure from the 2 lines could cause an issue. The issue is they have no one certified to work on the lines. Liz stated she feels this should be investigated since this could be causing large losses. Mark again reiterated he has been playing phone tag. Aaron stated just give them a date and set it up. If there is an issue, we can address the situation after the fact.

Stan stated they could flange on each side to secure the line. Mark stated they told Air Liquide it would take them 5 to 6 hours to work on the line and they would want to charge the Village $2000 to $3000. Liz stated she feels that we should give them a date and get this done especially before the weather changes since they use more water during the summer hours.

V. Consent Agenda

All items listed under Consent Agenda are considered routine by the Village Board and will be enacted by one motion with no separate discussion of the items. If discussion of an item is desired, that item will be removed from the consent agenda to be considered separately.

A. Minutes from Regular Board Meeting March 14, 2017

B. Treasurer’s Report

C. Correspondence and Bills

Alice Dailey made a motion to accept the Consent Agenda.

Sherry Boswell seconded the motion.

Motion carried

VI. Old Business

A. Vacating Road (Attorney)

Nothing to report at this time, but Alice may have some things that could affect this.

B. Truck Purchase (Patti) - Vote on purchase price $ 3600

Patti stated she felt the park truck was ideal for the Village. Aaron stated this was already voted on. Mark stated the reason it is being brought up is due to the original agreement was $ 3500 and this is $ 100 more for the new windshield that the cost was split with the park. Alice Dailey asked about the inspection every 6 months and licensing of the vehicle can be a 1 time only M plate license. Alice stated it will need insurance. Fred Rench stated he was concerned about loading the dump truck. Mark stated that you can just have them load at time of pick up. Aaron stated this was why he mentioned it might just be better not to have a truck and a compact utility tractor. Justin asked if this is the same truck the board decided not to go with last month because it wasn't sound. Mark stated this truck is sound. Liz Rench discussed she found a Ranger UTV, which is above budget, at Slates that would need an ordinance change due to use on road. The insurance would probably be cheaper and not need plates. This is a Ranger and cost new is $ 12,767, with extended 5 year warranty available at $1000 with additional accessories that could be purchased at a later date. There are doors available and a metal top, but no heat or air. This would pull the trailer also. Fred was concerned about the trailer hook up. Mark stated an extension could be added for the trailer. Mark stated he did go to the DMV to verify what was needed for the truck and no medical card is required for this truck. Liz stated the ordinance could change to allow ATVs on the roadways and charge a permit fee so they could look at the purchase of the Ranger UTV. Mark asked who was going to chase these ATVs to verify they were permitted and could see this an issue. Aaron stated these are 2 different topics so is there any motions on the floor. Patti stated the vehicle is available now for purchase.

Alice Dailey made a motion to keep the truck purchase from the park with the increase of $ 100 to a total of $ 3600. Patti seconded the motion. Motion carried with Alice Dailey, Patti Monks, Mark Brining and Sherry Boswell voting yes and Liz Rench and Justin Egan voting no.

C. Gate at Water Tower (Mark)

Mark stated he has 2 bids. This will increase the gate opening at the water tower. Hohulin $1687 and Security Fence $ 2100. Liz asked if the truck would fit through the gate and Mark answered yes with gate opening of 18 foot opening with Hohulin and 17 foot opening with Security Fence. Consensus was to go with Hohulin.

D. Mowing (Liz)

Liz presented 2 bids for mowing along with the email Rhonda received from Lawns R Us that stated they do still have openings for the upcoming season for current customers since they are cutting down on their clientele but no bidding information was included. The mowing will be at the hall, 2 corners and the water tower. 1st bid was $35.00 per hour, with mowing as needed with use of personal mower and $10.00 an hour if the Village provides a mower. 2nd bid was $150 per week including mowing, trimming, and blowing with as needed lawn and weed treatment. Alice stated the 2nd bidder was doing work for the church and they were impressed with things since he did all the blowing of the grass from surfaces. Mark stated he is still partial to Lawns R Us. Sherry mentioned there were some complaints last year about Lawns R Us, so she feels someone else should be given a chance this year and it would have been nice to hire employees for this. Alice stated a decision has to be made since the lawns are needing mowed. Fred Rench stated he has mowed the Village lawn on his own without charging recently. Aaron stated that the board might want to have some control over how often mowing is done. Alice Dailey made the motion to accept the 1st bid with adjustment that this also include the blowing off of grass from surfaces and the clerk will decide when mowing is needed. Justin Egan seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Sherry asked about the other areas that need mowed. Liz confirmed it was already discussed that Phillip would be doing bush hogging. She also stated that she would contact Vern Hicks about doing Monks Lane and subdivision since he did a really good job last year. Aaron suggested it might be good to put it out to the public.

VII. Committee Reports

A. Streets and Alleys - Liz Rench

Liz stated that tomorrow West First Street will be closed to crush the culverts and doing clean up closest to highway. When working, one of the big pieces of cement fell down and the other one is not very stable, so they are going to move the concrete to help stabilize it. They are getting things cleaned up ready for the County. Also, she has a to-do list started for the next 4 years because there is no way to do everything in 1 year. She does have Monks Lane on the list to work on the ditch by Sherry Boswell’s home. She is going to put post up with reflectors to notify there is a ditch along with adding the posts to the area across from Rhonda Hodges’ home. Liz also wants to add speed limit signs to Monks Lane and asked what the recommendation was. Justin stated law is 35. Aaron mentioned that Liz had stated earlier about the ATVs and he believes the County road speed limit would need to be lower if those were allowed. Alice asked about the larger boiler tubes. Liz stated she has a farmer willing to take and dispose of the 2 boiler tubes at no charge.

B. Health and Water - Mark Brining

Mark stated that there were 3 shut offs last month but one residence stated she looked up online with the State website and stated we are not following protocol. Mark stated he felt we were doing them correctly. Mark forwarded the information to the attorney and Attorney Connor said it would be best to turn the water back on and give them a due notice which is a 2nd notice and a 48 hour phone call prior to shut off which is listed on the State website even though Mark stated we are not governed by them. The water bills are being changed so the notice is in red but feels we should send out the 2nd notice and the phone call but a script would have to be given to the Water Clerk so no arrangements can be given or this could cause problems. Mark asked if the ordinances would have to be changed and Attorney Connor stated yes you should notate a change in practices. Mark stated we will have an increase in our cost due to cost and time for the Water Clerk to make the calls. Mark also asked the attorney if it could state that water will be shut off for 24 hours. Attorney Connor said that can be stated on the ordinance. Liz also suggested that the shut off notices be cleaned up and match what changes are being done plus have a certain day of the month as shut off day. Mark stated he felt it should be the 1st of the month by 5:00 PM. Rhonda asked how much late fees were. Mark stated it is 10% on late fees and $25.00 for turn on fees. Fred Rench stated maybe a $25.00 shut off fee should be charged and Rhonda said yes maybe increase the penalties to offset the costs. Aaron asked if this cost would go to new water customers, but Liz answered that the $ 25.00 is a turn on fee after the water has been shut off. The costs were discussed and consensus was to increase the water turn on fee to $ 50.00. Mark asked for confirmation that everyone is in agreement with the 2nd notice and the 48 hours phone call. Alice stated it is in the rules and asked who took it out since it used to be in the ordinances. Mark stated he took it out since it was a nuisance because that is where everyone got trapped up with things. Mark reiterated that as long as there is a script for the Water Clerk to read and not make arrangements or chat with the customers. Rhonda also suggested the Water Clerk could tell the resident on the phone that any and all arrangements would have to be made through the Water Chairperson so this would avoid any issues with the arrangement issue Mark mentioned earlier. Consensus was this was a good idea.

C. Zoning-Justin Egan

Justin stated he received a photo of residence at 8622 W First Street, which looks like it has a tarp on the roof and shingle loss but it is hard to tell if it is caving in and picture was passed around for viewing. Justin, Alice, and Patti went to the house at 8707 W First Street with search warrant and the home is in worse disarray than originally thought. The property has overgrown trees and brush, uneven crumbing concrete steps leading up to the residence, wood siding has deteriorated which is severe on the Southwest and North sides, residence has 4 large pieces of plywood hung on the Southside to cover a large hole that is not sealed which leaves access for rodents and varmints, the roof line is severely deteriorated and could collapse, the front door of the residence is secured with a foot and half long chain that hooks around the front door handle and connects to 2 nails and even when shut there is a visible gap in the door frame, the inside of the residence is full of junk and debris, the drywall and the ceiling is falling in or has fallen, the roof on the front porch appears unsound, there are large cracks on the ceiling and walls of the living room and the paint and/ or plaster is pealing, there are large cracks on the ceiling and walls of the North bedroom with paint and/or plaster pealing, there are large cracks on the ceiling and walls of the West bedroom and what appears to be animal feces in the bedroom, the drywall is falling from the ceiling in the bathroom and there appears to be holes above the bathtub and a large hole on the South side of the ceiling where varmints could enter, also a large hole near the front door and other structures on the property are in bad disarray. The attorney’s office has the information and will proceed to the next step. Justin has copies of pictures that were provided to the attorney's office. Mark asked where do we go from here. Attorney Connor stated he will go through the court systems and this has been addressed earlier with the board and demolition seemed to be the consensus at this time. Aaron mentioned that asbestos could be the issue for demolition with inspections and costs and it might be better to have the resident pay for this. Sherry mentioned to let the fire department burn it down for practice. Justin stated it is very unlikely the resident will cooperate because he has tried. Mark and Liz agreed to this statement. Liz asked what the cost would be on asbestos removal and Aaron stated he was not sure of actual costs, but it is very expensive. Justin stated he felt the paint is probably full of lead also. Aaron asked if there was a white tile exterior because that is normally a sign of asbestos. Justin stated he felt that within the year, the roof will collapse itself. Patti also stated there is an open cistern on the property which would need to be filled and covered. Aaron asked the Attorney if he was needing direction on which way to proceed and Attorney Connor stated yes does the board want to demolish the property or seek a court order for her to demolish the property. Justin asked what are the repercussions if the resident fails to comply with a court order. Attorney Connor stated the judge could put her in jail until she frees herself of the contempt, but not likely to happen or judge could authorize the Village to demolish the residence. Liz asked if the resident could sue the Village over this and the Attorney stated she doesn't feel she would have a case. Justin stated resident threaten him with everything she could think of but has since changed her tune asking if we would work with her. Justin explained that even though he hasn't been on the board very long compared to everyone else, but his understanding is the board has tried to work with her for the past 10 years or more so time is up. Justin stated he felt demolish is the way to go since it will resolve the issue, but incarceration of the resident is not going to solve this issue. Aaron asked if there is a way to have an inspection to check for hazardous material to get an estimate. Attorney Connor said the judge has already signed a search warrant once, so probably would sign another one. Mark asked what if we bring in a company for demolition and they inspect it at that point. Rhonda stated the one thing to look at would be to have it inspected first since the board will have to vote on the costs. Liz asked for confirmation if this will be the house only or all out buildings also. Consensus was all structures. Justin asked if the inspection for the asbestos would need to be added to the agenda, answer was yes. Justin asked for this to be added and that he would have options at the next meeting.

Liz presented information to Justin about another home that has had witnesses noticing varmints entering the home. Her understanding is the house is empty and the taxes have been sold. Justin stated he will look into this.

D. Finance-Patti Monks

Nothing to report

E. Liquor - Aaron Stone

Nothing to report

VIII. Mayor’s Report – Aaron Stone

No Report

IX. New Business

A. Acceptance of Ordinance Agreement for 8210 W Vicki Lynn Dr

Liz made the motion to accept the Acceptance of Ordinance Agreement # 17-04-11-001. Mark seconded the motion. Motion carried

B. Ordinance for Annexation of 8210 W Vicki Lynn Dr

Alice made the motion to accept the Ordinance for Annexation # 17-04-11-002. Liz seconded the motion. Motion carried

C. Original 1959 Village limits - Alice/Bill

Alice stated she was asked if they have looked at every record in our office. She found the original minutes and has been reading them along with the ordinances. She found a notation of a dissolution in the minutes. So, she researched the ordinances and found a court order to disconnect the property that was never recorded at the court house. So the boundaries we have is correct. Alice stated she does have a map that she would like to insert into the old ordinances, the map showing what it was and a map showing the disconnect.

D. Water and Garbage Rate Increase- Rhonda

Rhonda provided the letter from TL -Water about the rate increase along with a spreadsheet of where finances would be without an increase and a suggestion for an increase. Discussion was made to have Stan run numbers as he did last time there was an increase from TL-Water. Stan has agreed to do this for the board and have at the next meeting. Rhonda also discussed the garbage rates. Charges are $11.00 per month to residence and $ 10.81 per month from PDC Area Disposal. Audit fees are normally $ 500 per year and the $.19 per residence is not enough to cover this fee. Rhonda suggested a $.25 per residence increase would cover this deficit.

Patti Monks made the motion to increase garbage rate by $.25 beginning July billing.

Alice Dailey seconded the motion.

Motion carried

E. Us Department of Commerce Business Survey - Rhonda

Rhonda read the survey to the board. This is not a requirement, so consensus was not to have Rhonda complete this survey since the 2020 consensus is already in the works.

F. Delinquent Water Accounts Ordinance Changes - Mark

Mark stated this was addressed earlier in the meeting

X. Additional Business (if any)

Liz stated she discussed this with Justin and she feels we should have drug testing. She asked Attorney Connor to let the board know what he had spoken to her about. Attorney Connor stated you can do drug testing for your employees. Aaron stated that there was an ordinance passed which was state mandated about Ethics training but no one has taken the tests.

Alice stated that Carolyn has asked about the census and the Township has asked if she will continue to do this and Alice stated she would like to continue but the Township asked if the Village would have an issue with this. Alice stated that everyone received information about an upcoming Hall, Trager training session and she plans to attend since things have changed. Attorney will offer informational meeting at 5:00 pm before next month regular meeting to discuss things for upcoming new board and mayor and current board.

Alice asked those leaving the board have turned everything in. Aaron stated had turned over all his emails and keys to the clerk. Sherry Boswell has her keys ready to turn in. Rhonda stated she was having a hard time reaching RK Dixon so she called the office in Peoria to see if they could come up with something about the agreement and switching machines.

Rhonda also stated she had contacted the auditor about setting up a time to review everything for the upcoming year and was told that Eric was still available for consulting.

XI. Announcements

Things to add to next meeting.

Attorney informational meeting 5:00 pm - prior to next month's meeting

Drug testing and back ground checks (Liz)

Ethics training

Hall cleaning

Water rates ( Stan and voting )

Inspections for asbestos ( Justin)

Purchase order authorizations thresholds ( Rhonda/Bill )

XII. Adjourn Open Session

Sherry Boswell made the motion to adjourn the meeting.

Liz Rench seconded the motion.

XI. Executive Session

XII. Adjourn Executive Session

http://www.mapletonillinois.com/uploads/1/6/6/9/16699010/minutes_april_11_2017_final.pdf