VILLAGE OF SCALES MOUND
Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Stone House
December 26, 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 Tuesday, December 26, 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, Ron Duerr, Dave Carscallen, Kevin Stier, and Jerry Edwards were also present.
Werner moved, Foley seconded that the minutes of the November 27, 2023, regular meeting be approved as read. All voted aye. Werner moved, Foley seconded that the minutes of the December 6, 2023, special meeting open and closed sessions be approved as read. All voted aye.
Foley moved, Werner seconded that the minutes of the – Development Committee Meeting November 21, 2023, and Ordinance and Policy Meeting December 6, 2023, be approved as read. All voted aye.
The Treasurer’s Report was reviewed. Stadel reported that he has the items ready for the auditor for the 2022/2023 audit and Winter will pick up and deliver to auditor. Duerr 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 monthly bills were reviewed. Schueller moved, Duerr seconded that the December bills be approved for payment. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
CITIZENS COMMENTS/COMMUNICATIONS
A) S.M. Chamber – 1) Stadel reported that the Chamber will meet in January and would like to have a joint meeting with the Village board to discuss Christmas lights. The date of the joint meeting is to be determined.
B) Contact Us Submissions – None.
C) Other – 1) Jerry Edwards requested that the meeting minutes be put into the Flash newspaper. The board will submit the approved minutes from the prior month’s meeting to the Flash going forward.
ORDINANCE VIOLATIONS/ADMINISTRATIVE LAW REPORT
1) The Ordinance committee met on 12/06/2023 and sent five (5) letters out for ordinance violations. The board was reminded to send Hillary ordinance violations if identified.
PUBLIC WORKS
A) Monthly Report – 1) Ron Duerr reported that the lift station motor is running. The service line at Nick Schoenfeld’s house was dug up to be able to shut it off. 2) The new plow truck had not been picked up due to a delay in the spreader being delivered. 3) Well House #2 Update – the SCADA system has been placed on hold. Fischer Excavating can finish the project by widening the manhole, replacing the existing pipes, and using the current meter. The quote total was $25,914.19. Duerr moved, Werner seconded that Fischer Excavating proceed with the Well House #2/SCADA project. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
ZONING
A) Report – Zoning Administrator, Dave Carscallen presented that a demolition permit was submitted by The Stier’s for a home located in the Historic District. Village Lawyer, Hailey indicated that the letter provided by the Stier’s which indicated that the house was not structurally sound was not a structural engineer. The policy for the village, if an application is received to demolish a historic structure, is to order an inspection and opinion from the village architect. The applicant is responsible for the cost of all inspections and professional opinions. President Winter asked Stier if he would be willing to sell the building and he declined. President Winter will provide Kevin Stier the quote and available dates for inspection.
OLD BUSINESS
A) Other Stone House Repairs – Update from Scott Ohms – Ohms is still looking into the remaining wiring.
B) Stone House Gutter Purchase – The quote received for gutters was $3,175.80 with an additional option to do an eyebrow across the front for $416.16. The board discussed and posed questions. Winter will follow up and the board will discuss it at the January meeting.
C) Emergency Plan Update – Foley will provide the article for the Visitor to the board.
D) DACRA Update –Warren is taking over the administration from East Dubuque. Warren will charge the DACRA cost of $543.27 monthly. If additional towns join, the cost will go down. Ohms moved, Duerr seconded to proceed with committing to one (1) year of the DACRA system and reevaluate once the year is up. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
E) Montgomery Contract – President Winter received and signed the contract for Montgomery for village garbage.
F) Wage Increase Proposal for Village President and Board Members – The board decided to table this topic until January.
G) Increase ComEd Street Lights – Schueller moved, Foley seconded to proceed with having ComEd increase streetlights in town, especially in locations without any streetlights. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
OTHER COMMITTEE REPORTS
A) Street/Maintenance – None.
B) Sewer/Water – 1) Lead Service Line Update – Ron Duerr will send Clerk Morgensen the most up to date list.
C) Finance – None.
D) Park & Special Projects – None.
E) Public Events & Safety – None.
F) Trees & Sidewalks – None.
G) Ordinance/Policy – None.
H) Other – None.
NEW BUSINESS
A) Addition of Street Mirrors – A suggestion was received to add street mirrors at a couple intersections within the Village in blind spots. The Street/Maintenance committee will set a date to meet to discuss this and research potential cost.
B) ComEd Tree Trimming 2024 – ComEd will be coming to Scales Mound to trim any trees that may impact power lines.
C) Cybersecurity Briefing – A briefing was received that water systems are being hacked. Clerk Morgensen will provide the briefing to Ron Duerr.
D) Mulgrew Oil & Propane Commercial & Ag Diesel Program – A mailing was received to sign up for the program with Mulgrew, but the village board will not be proceeding with the program.
E) Potential Building Purchase – The board was informed of the Lad & Lassie Business building being for sale. President Winter attended a showing of the property. Upon review of the building, President Winter found that the property did not satisfy the intended purpose in its current state.
F) Potential Land Purchase – The board discussed the purchase of the Beebe land with the intention of developing a subdivision. The board also intends to add an access road that connects to Veta Grande to ensure EMS can access the Village in case of an emergency. The TIF lawyer indicated that the Village could use TIF funds to purchase the property. Pepin confirmed that there are various grants available to assist with the project. Schueller moved, Foley seconded to proceed with the purchase of the Beebe property at $17,500 per acre. On roll call vote, all voted aye. John Duerr and Scott Ohms abstained from voting due to residing in the TIF district. President Winter voted aye.
BRAINSTORMING –
A) Foley suggested the finance committee meet to discuss a projection of project and a plan for the audit review.
CLOSED SESSION – None.
ADJOURNMENT – Duerr moved, Werner seconded that the Meeting be adjourned at 8:35. 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.
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Village President
ATTEST: ________________________________________
Village Clerk