VILLAGE OF SCALES MOUND
Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Stone House
October 30, 2023
7:00 P.M.
The Regular Meeting of the President and Board of Trustees was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, October 30, 2023. Members present were Nicole Winter, John Duerr, Ruth Foley, Garrett Hillary, Scott Ohms, Kristy Schueller, and Janet Werner. Also present were Deven Morgensen, Village Clerk, Steve Stadel, Village Treasurer, Ron Duerr, Dave Schmit, Cory Ritterbusch, Jason Van Hemert, and Hailey Wills.
David Schmit from Northwest IL Economic Development presented with his partners Cory Ritterbusch and Jason Van Hemert regarding opportunities for development within Scales Mound.
Hailey Wills, Village Attorney, introduced herself and provided her email as the best form of communication.
Werner moved, Foley seconded that the minutes of the September 20, 2023, regular meeting be approved as read. All voted aye. Foley moved; Schueller seconded that the minutes of the Ordinance and Policy Committee, Water and Sewer Committee, and Finance Committee open and closed meeting minutes be approved as read. All voted aye.
The Treasurer’s Report was reviewed. President Winter recapped changes to alleviate audit finding surrounding the Treasurer’s Report. Effective immediately, the Treasurer will provide a monthly Profit and Loss statement via email to the Village Board. Treasurer Stadel suggested the Village move funds into CDs. Schueller moved, Ohms seconded to accept the Treasurer’s Report as presented and to place it on file and to move funds into CDs. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
The monthly bills were reviewed. Treasurer Stadel reported that he paid the garbage bill from another fund as directed by the auditor. Duerr moved, Werner seconded that the October bills be approved for payment. On roll call vote, all voted aye. Delinquent utility bills were discussed. Schueller moved, Duerr seconded that the Village move to 60 days past due utility bill resulting in shutoff effective January 1, 2024. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
ACTION ITEMS
The board discussed hosting an Electronic Recycling Event and for the Village to cover the fees for items with screens on behalf of Village residents. Ohms moved, Schueller seconded to host the Electronic Recycling Event and for the Village to over the fees. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
CITIZENS COMMENTS/COMMUNICATIONS
A) S.M. Chamber – 1) Christmas Party will be held on November 26, 2023. Music Fest will be held June 8, 2024.
B) Contact Us Submissions – None.
C) Other – None.
ORDINANCE VIOLATIONS/ADMINISTRATIVE LAW REPORT
Court dates were pending for 11/15/2023. Some warnings have been issued on additional violations.
PUBLIC WORKS
A) Monthly Report – 1) Ron Duerr reported that the EPA Lab testing is moving to an annual fee rather than every six (6) months and the fee of $2,831.62 must be paid by November 20, 2023. Duerr moved, Foley seconded to pay the annual fee to EPA Lab. On roll call vote, all voted aye. 2) Ron Duerr reported that the estimate to complete repairs to pump house 3 totals $13,367.00. Duerr moved, Schueller seconded to move forward with pump house 3 repairs. On roll call vote, all voted aye. 3) Ron Duerr reported that they removed the cement by the pump house. 4) Ron Duerr reported that he attended the OSHA presentation at the conference and suggested the Village Board update the emergency plan. 5) Ron Duerr reported that the truck’s front axel seal needed to be replaced.
B) Operation/Maintenance/Streets Committee – None.
C) Sewer & Water Operations Committee – None.
ZONING
A) Report – Zoning Administrator, Dave Carscallen was not present at the meeting, but informed President Winter that there were no new applications.
OLD BUSINESS
A) Front Porch on Stone House – Update from Ruth Foley – Foley reported that the estimate for materials to update the porch would be roughly $15,000. The Board discussed looking at adding gutters instead of remodeling the front porch.
B) Other Stone House Repairs – Update from Scott Ohms – Ohms repaired one light upstairs of the Stone house and is still looking into the remaining wiring.
C) Lights and Electrical at Park Pavilion – Ohms indicated there is a plan in place for previously discussed concerns, but he needs to get it written out. The lights and electricity at the park pavilion will be revisited in the spring.
D) Annual TIF Meeting – President Winter and Clerk Morgensen will work together to send out the letters and hold the meeting.
E) Display Plaque for outgoing President Davis, Clerk Townsend & Zoning Administrator Lee – The shelves have been hung and the plaque has been displayed in the Stone House.
OTHER COMMITTEE REPORTS
A) Street/Maintenance – None.
B) Sewer/Water – A list of outstanding Lead Pipe forms will be distributed to the Village Board.
C) Finance – The finance committee provided a recap of their meeting. The finance committee suggested the removal of signing authority on checks from Treasurer Stadel as he is the holder of the checks. Ohms moved; Foley seconded to remove signing authority on checks from Treasurer Stadel. On roll call vote, all voted aye. The finance committee suggested that Treasurer Stadel pay the Visa bill as it comes to avoid monthly late fees as Visa will not move the due date back to align with the regular monthly Village meetings. The Visa bills should be merged and set up on auto pay. Schueller moved; Hillary seconded to pay Visa bills as they come in, merge them, and place them on auto pay. On roll call vote, all voted aye. These suggestions were made in an attempt to alleviate audit findings surrounding separation of duties.
D) Park & Special Projects – None.
E) Public Events & Safety – None.
F) Trees & Sidewalks – 1) Resident Deb Gartner requested the two (2) trees near her home be trimmed as they are rubbing against her gutters. 2) The sidewalk in front of the Stone House was disrupted by the removal of the tree and will need repaired. 3) A new tree has been planted to replace the old tree in front of the Stone House.
G) Ordinance/Policy – None.
H) Other – None.
NEW BUSINESS
A) Emergency Plan – President Winter provided updated Emergency contacts to Foley who will bring the updated plan to the next meeting. Duerr indicated that per OSHA the Village should also have a plan for bad weather and active shooters in the Emergency Plan.
B) DACRA Meeting Update – President Winter attended a meeting with East Dubuque and other surrounding Villages regarding the DACRA system. East Dubuque expressed that they no longer want to administer the program. East Dubuque provided the totals to administer the program with minimal supporting documentation. The Villages requested East Dubuque gather answers to their questions and another meeting can be set. The DACRA invoice provided was for $250 monthly per Village.
C) Recommended Changes from the Finance Committee Due to Audit Findings – The changes proposed by the Finance Committee were discussed above.
D) Montgomery Contract – The Board discussed the renewal of the Montgomery Contract. The renewal of the contract will consist of a five (5) year term with the normal annual increase as well as garbage and recycling bins with a bar code assigned to each residence. Mongomery can also provide a glass recycling container and would charge $150 each time they empty it. The Village Board will continue to brainstorm where the glass recycling container would be placed. Foley moved; Ohms seconded to renew the waste contract with Montgomery. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
E) Electronic Recycling Event – The details of the Electronic Recycling Event were discussed above.
F) Security Camera Suggestion – Foley suggested adding security cameras around town in places such as but not limited to the Sewer, Stone House, and Pump Houses.
BRAINSTORMING –
A) Foley suggested adding a Village Committee for the development discussions. The committee will consist of Garrett Hillary, Ruth Foley, and Janet Werner.
B) Animal Control sent a letter to the Village requesting membership. However, the Board did not proceed as Animal Control will only pick up caught animals rather than assist with catching them. The Board did not feel this service would be beneficial to the Village residents at this time.
CLOSED SESSION – None.
ADJOURNMENT – Duerr moved, Werner seconded that the Meeting be adjourned at 8:52. All voted aye.
These Minutes were prepared by Village Clerk, Deven Morgensen.
These Minutes are subject to approval at the next Regular Board Meeting. Minutes are also available online at www.scalesmound.com.
______________________________________
Village President
ATTEST: ________________________________________
Village Clerk