VILLAGE OF SCALES MOUND
Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Stone House
November 27, 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, November 27, 2023. Members present were Nicole Winter, John Duerr, Ruth Foley, Garrett Hillary, Scott Ohms, Kristy Schueller, and Janet Werner. Deven Morgensen, Village Clerk, Steve Stadel, Village Treasurer, and Ron Duerr were also present.
Duerr moved, Ohms seconded that the minutes of the October 30, 2023, regular meeting be approved as read. All voted aye.
The Treasurer’s Report was reviewed. Werner moved; Schueller seconded to accept the Treasurer’s Report as presented and to place it on file. On roll call vote, all voted aye. The Tax Levy Ordinance was reviewed. Werner moved; Ohms seconded to accept the Tax Levy Ordinance as presented. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
The monthly bills were reviewed. Duerr moved, Hillary seconded that the November bills be approved for payment. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
CITIZENS COMMENTS/COMMUNICATIONS
A) S.M. Chamber – 1) Stadel reported that the Christmas Party was a success with an outcome larger than prior years.
B) Contact Us Submissions – None.
C) Other – 1) An anonymous complaint was received regarding an ordinance violation at Sarah Hesselbacher’s house in relation to unlicensed vehicles. The Ordinance Committee will meet to discuss current ordinance violations. 2) Agenda items should be emailed to Village Clerk Morgensen in advance. 3) President Winter addressed appropriate usage of email per the Open Meetings Act.
ORDINANCE VIOLATIONS/ADMINISTRATIVE LAW REPORT
1) President Winter will contact Arty to send out new letters for violations. 2) The November 15, 2023, court date resulted in Wares paying their fine and having an additional thirty (30) days to comply. Petche and Wills did not pay their fines nor appear in court. The fines for Petche and Wills will increase, and their next court date is set for December 15, 2023.
PUBLIC WORKS
A) Monthly Report – 1) Ron Duerr reported that the large tubes at the pump house have been disposed of.
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 Ohms that there is one pending permit inquiry, but no application has been submitted. It was also noted that a demo permit may be submitted as well.
OLD BUSINESS
A) Other Stone House Repairs – Update from Scott Ohms – Ohms is still looking into the remaining wiring. The gutters will be quoted on November 28, 2023.
B) Annual TIF Meeting – The Annual TIF Meeting was set to be held on December 1, 2023, at 1:00 PM.
C) Emergency Plan Update – President Winter has designated contacts and job assignments for the Emergency Plan. Next, the rest of the plan will need to be reviewed and updated.
D) DACRA Update – East Dubuque extended the deadline for them to cease managing the DACRA program. While it is still in negotiations, Warren will likely take over managing the system.
E) Montgomery Contract – President Winter followed up with Montomery whom indicated their lawyer is drafting the new contract. Montgomery indicated the measurements of a glass recycling container would be 8 feet by 20 feet.
F) Electronic Recycling Event Outcome – Duerr indicated that an invoice would be coming for the items that required fees.
OTHER COMMITTEE REPORTS
A) Street/Maintenance – The board discussed ComEd adding lights in areas that lack lighting. This topic has been tabled to discuss at the December regular meeting.
B) Sewer/Water – 1) Lift station is too damaged to rebuild and there is a back up one in its place now. The parts required to fix the lift station are low in stock and/or are no longer produced. Ron Duerr will be getting an update on which parts are still available. 2) At the wellhouse, the chlorine and fluoride lines need to be run through the manhole, but the manhole is not wide enough. Fishers can remove and put in a 6ft wide manhole. Ron Duerr is waiting on the price from Fishers. 3) A Lead Service Line list will be provided to the board to follow up on missing forms.
C) Finance – None.
D) Park & Special Projects – None.
E) Public Events & Safety – The Easter Party has been set for Saturday, March 23, 2023.
F) Trees & Sidewalks – 1) Resident Curtis Cook would like a replacement tree where one was removed.
G) Ordinance/Policy – The ordinance/policy committee will set a date to meet.
H) Other – None.
NEW BUSINESS
A) Annual Christmas Bonuses – Foley moved, Schueller seconded to pay Scales Mound Chamber Bucks as follows: Ron Duerr – $250.00; Steve Stadel – $200.00; Deven Morgensen – $200.00; Margaret Townsend – $100; Dave Carscallen – $50.00; Joe Lee – $25. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
B) Wage increase proposal for Village President and Board Members – President Winter provided research on other local Villages and how they pay their Village Present, Village Clerk, and Village Board Members. This topic has been tabled to discuss at the December regular meeting.
C) Scales Mound Post Prom Letter/Request – Hillary moved, Foley seconded to approve a donation to the Post Prom Party in the amount of $100.00 in Chamber Bucks. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
D) Scales Mound Fire Department Letter/Request – A solicitation was received from the Scales Mound Fire District for a donation to their annual fundraiser which will be a Euchre Tournament. No action was taken.
E) Request to purchase new American Flags for the Village – Schueller moved, Foley seconded to approve the purchase of new American flags totaling approximately $850. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
F) Village Plow Truck – The current plow truck can be fixed. The village has had the current truck for six (6) years. The board discussed a couple vehicle options as well as a potential replacement plan in the future. Ron Duerr will contact Monroe Truck for a quote to build with a municipal discount. Ron Duerr will also take the current truck in for a quote for trade. A special meeting will be held if further information is obtained prior to the December regular meeting. Duerr moved, Schueller seconded to approve having the current truck fixed. All voted aye.
BRAINSTORMING –
A) The board discussed if the attorney should be at all meetings and decided that the attorney should only be present when necessary and if we do have her present, she will be at the top of the agenda.
B) The board discussed bar time surrounding New Years Eve since it falls on a Sunday. The Ordinances indicate the bar time to be 2 AM.
C) A request was made for the board to receive a copy of the agenda further in advance.
CLOSED SESSION – Duerr moved, Hillary seconded to move into closed session at 9:01. On roll call vote, all voted aye. Duerr moved, Werner seconded to move out of closed session and back to open session at 9:43. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
ADJOURNMENT – Ohms moved, Schueller seconded that the Meeting be adjourned at 9:46. 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