VILLAGE OF SCALES MOUND
Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Stone House
January 29, 2024
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, January 29, 2024. Members present were Nicole Winter, John Duerr, Ruth Foley, Scott Ohms, Kristy Schueller, and Janet Werner. Village Clerk Deven Morgensen, Village Treasurer Steve Stadel, Ron Duerr, Dave Carscallen, Kevin Stier, Hailey Wills, Josh Altfillisch, and Jerry Edwards were also present. Trustee, Garrett Hillary was absent.
Duerr moved, Schueller seconded that the minutes of the December 26, 2023, regular meeting be approved as read. All voted aye. Duerr moved, Schueller seconded that the minutes of the January 10, 2024, Finance Committee meeting minutes be approved as read. All voted aye.
The Treasurer’s Report was reviewed. Schueller moved; Werner 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. Stadel indicated that Ron Duerr’s cost of living increase will be reflected in February. Foley moved, Schueller seconded that the January bills be approved for payment. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
CITIZENS COMMENTS/COMMUNICATIONS
A) Citizens Comments – Josh Altfillisch introduced his plans to apply for a building permit if he purchases the land on the corner of Washington and North Avenue. The board did not present any issues so long as the plans align with the ordinances.
B) S.M. Chamber – 1) Stadel reported that the Chamber will meet on January 31st 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. Stier suggested the Village invest in another shipping container for Christmas light storage. Stadel reported that the Friday night spaghetti dinner and Saturday morning breakfast for Scales Mound and Glenbard West basketball teams would be held at the Town Hall.
C) Contact Us Submissions – The board discussed the contact us submissions received in January.
D) Other – None.
ORDINANCE VIOLATIONS/ADMINISTRATIVE LAW REPORT
1) Ohms moved; Schueller seconded that the board approves accepting an agreement between the Village and Petsche for an ordinance violation which will allow one (1) year for project completion. Haily Wills will finalize the agreement. 2) President Winter is checking on the Ware building continued violations. 3) Will’s Garage tickets were dismissed in court due to the court not receiving the photos that the Village provided to East Dubuque. President Winter and Wills will be present at the next court date. 4) The board discussed new violations that need to be addressed.
PUBLIC WORKS
A) Monthly Report – 1) Ron Duerr reported that he picked up the new truck and was able to use the plow a little bit. Duerr requested that residents be mindful of moving their vehicles from the street in the event of snow for the plow to properly remove the snow.
ZONING
A) Report – Stier indicated the inspector verbally indicated that the structure has had a significant amount of damage done and that there did not appear to be anything to save. However, the board will not act on this until it is received in writing from the Inspector.
OLD BUSINESS
A) Other Stone House Repairs – Update from Scott Ohms – Ohms is still looking into the remaining wiring.
B) Stone House Gutter Purchase – Foley moved; Duerr seconded to proceed with having the gutters added to the Stone House for $3,175.80. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
C) Emergency Plan Update – Foley will provide the article for the Visitor to the board.
D) Wage Increase Proposal for Village President and Board Members – The board decided to table this topic until February.
E) Increase ComEd Street Lights – Ohms reported that he will meet with the ComEd rep, David to go over the street light plan.
F) Addition of Street Mirrors – Duerr moved; Schueller seconded to have street mirrors installed at Brayman and Franklin, Provost and Franklin, Clark and Main, and South and Franklin. 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 – Committee to meet soon to discuss the Easter Party.
F) Trees & Sidewalks – None.
G) Ordinance/Policy – None.
H) Other – None.
NEW BUSINESS
A) Statement of Economic Interest – Clerk Morgensen advised that board trustees who do not have a statement of economic interest on file with the County will receive one in the mail to complete.
B) Review Closed Session Minutes from the Past 6 Months/Recordings from 18 Months – Foley motioned; Werner seconded to keep the closed session minutes from the past 6 months closed and to destroy the closed session recordings from 18 months ago. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
C) ComEd/Jo-Carroll – Residents have expressed their frustration with ComEd services. President Winter advised that she contacted Jo- Carroll who advised they’d be willing to buy the service, but ComEd is not willing to sell it. As outages occur, President Winter is in frequent contact with the ComEd representative assigned to Scales Mound. The Village will continue to offer the Fire Department as a safe location during outages.
D) Physical Ordinance Books – Clerk Morgensen requested village board members return their physical ordinance books if they do not use them. Physical copies will be redistributed to Zoning board members.
E) IML Handbook Purchase Request – Clerk Morgensen requested board approval to purchase an updated version of the IML Handbook. Foley moved; Ohms seconded to approve the purchase of an updated version of the IML Handbook. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
F) UTV Resolution – The board trustees signed a resolution supporting the passage of Jo Daviess County ordinance number 02024-1, an ordinance allowing for the operation of non-highway vehicles on county owned roads.
G) Social Media – The board discussed addressing social media complaints and appropriate responses.
H) Water/Sewer/Garbage Rates – The board discussed the rates for water, sewer, and garbage as the current total billed out does not cover what the village is paying out for the service. The Water and Sewer Committee to meet to discuss the fees and evaluate that all bills being sent out are accurate.
I) iFiber Contract – iFiber sent a renewal request, but the board does not have a contract with them anymore. No action taken.
J) FEMA – OHS – Local Fire Departments and Mayors scheduled to meet to establish a response plan for if there are asylum seekers in Jo Daviess County.
K) Other – A) Contract has been sent to Beebe for the purchase for their lawyer to review. Fehr Graham is working on a proposal for the subdivision and looking at grants.
BRAINSTORMING –
A) President Winter addressed the attendance of Village board members at the Stier inspection.
CLOSED SESSION – None.
ADJOURNMENT – Duerr moved, Ohms seconded that the Meeting be adjourned at 9:10. 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