VILLAGE OF SCALES MOUND
Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Stone House
October 27, 2025
6:30 P.M.
The Regular Meeting of the President and Board of Trustees was called to order at 6:30 pm on Monday, October 27, 2025.
The members present were Ruth Foley, Nicole Winter, Janet Werner, Joshua Altfillisch, Deven Morgensen, Village Clerk,
Tami Koons. Kristy Hesselbacher, entered at 6:33 pm. Village Treasurer, Marissa Marquith was absent. Also present was
Chet VanRaalte, Jerry and Fran Edwards, Jennifer Robinson, Tammy Hesselbacher, Sandy Frank, Eva Koehn, , Zach
Winter entered at 6:56 pm and Dave Fosler was absent.
PRESIDENT PRO-TEM
Foley moved; Morgensen seconded to appoint Nicole Winter as President Pro-Tem. All voted aye.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES – Regular Meeting September 29, 2025, Open and Closed – Altfillisch moved; Werner
seconded to approve the regular and closed meeting minutes from September 29, 2025, to be approved as read. All voted
aye.
TREASURERS REPORT
The Treasurer’s Report was reviewed. Werner moved; Altfillisch seconded to approve the Treasurer's Report as presented
and to place it on file. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
APPROVAL OF BILLS
The monthly bills were reviewed. Foley moved; Altfillisch seconded that the October bills be approved for payment as
presented. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
CITIZENS COMMENTS/COMMUNICATIONS
A) Citizens Comments – None.
B) SM Chamber –Winter reached out to Melissa Dittmar to see if they are still planning on setting up the Nativity scene
and decorating the tree for the Christmas party. Nicole has not heard back from Melissa yet.
C) Contact Us Submissions – None.
D) FOIA Requests – None.
E) Other – Werner was approached by a resident regarding open burning within the Scales Mound village limits. She
subsequently spoke with the individual who was conducting the burn to clarify the Village’s policy on the matter.
ORDINANCE VIOLATIONS/ADMINISTRATIVE LAW REPORT
A) The court date for Nathan Wills, regarding Wills Garage, was scheduled for October 15, 2025. Nicole Winter
attended the hearing; however, Nathan Wills did not appear. As a result, the judge ruled in favor of the Village of
Scales Mound and approved the imposition of the fines as presented. The judge also authorized the Village of
Scales Mound to issue additional citations to Wills Garage. Humphry’s Towing will be towing vehicles as tagged
if not moved.
PUBLIC WORKS
A) Monthly Report – 1) Chet VanRaalte reported that with mowing season winding down, he has shifted focus to other
tasks including continued work on the shed, water shut-off maintenance, pond area weeding, street sign replacement,
tree removal, and clearing out dead plants and flowers.
a. JULIE training is scheduled for November 13, 2025, in Galena to cover updated regulations. Chet is
confirmed to attend.
ZONING REPORT
A) Monthly Report – 1) Zach Winter reported that one permit application was received for Todd Keifer for a garage.
2) The Board extends its congratulations to Zach Winter from the Zoning board on the arrival of his new baby.
OLD BUSINESS
A) Water Main Replacement – No updates have been received at this time; this has been tabled util next meeting.
B) MFT Audit Fiscal Year 2023 – There is no new update currently; however, the Auditor is setting up an exit meeting
for the audit.
C) Utility Rate Ordinance – The new Utility Ordinance was reviewed but not approved due to a dollar amount still being
present. The board would like to remove dollar amounts from the ordinance to avoid revision charges in the future. The
item has been tabled until the next meeting for further review.
D) Village Shop Repairs – VanRaalte added a couple lights to the shop and the roof has been finished.
E) Davis New Water/Sewer Connection – No new update currently, as the Board is awaiting a response from Bobby
Hahn with Louie’s Trenching.
F) Digital Speed Signs – The board tabled this topic until next month to obtain additional quotes.
G) Unemployment Benefits Appeal – The Illinois Department of Employment Security initially ruled in favor of the
Village of Scales Mound. However, an appeal had been submitted. As of October 15, 2025, the agency has up to 120
days to review the case and issue a final determination.
H) Water Tap – Well House vent is scheduled to be installed by Kloss-Winter Electric next week.
OTHER COMMITTEE REPORTS
A) Street/Maintenance – None.
B) Sewer/Water – A Committee Meeting is scheduled for November 6, 2025, at 6:30 pm to discuss water grant funding
opportunities. Nicole Winter attended a mayoral meeting on October 23, 2025, where County representatives addressed
rising tax concerns. During the event, Nicole also spoke with State Representative Tony McCombie regarding statewide
issues and potential new grant programs. Additionally, Nicole consulted with Jill Pepin from CFPS to explore next steps for
securing grant funding for local water infrastructure projects. All residents are encouraged to attend the Water and Sewer
Committee Meeting on November 6, 2025, at 6:30 pm to learn more and participate in the discussion.
C) Finance – None.
D) Park & Special Projects – None.
E) Public Events & Safety – None.
F) Trees & Sidewalks – None.
G) Ordinance/Policy – None.
H) Development – None.
NEW BUSINESS
A) Village Policy Book – Werner moved; Altfillisch seconded to approve the policy book as presented. On roll call vote,
all voted aye.
B) Approval of Audit – Due to delays in finalizing the corporate tax returns, Don Morrow, the Village’s Financial
Auditor, has filed for an extension. The Board plans to invite him to an upcoming meeting to present the relevant
details as part of the audit review.
C) Other – The Village of Scales Mound has been awarded a $650,000 grant from the Illinois Department of
Transportation (IDOT) to construct an emergency access road, intended to address delays caused by train blockages for
emergency response vehicles. Construction must begin within two years, with excavation required to start no later than
2027. Preliminary route considerations include extending from North Veta Grande Road to either Schuyler Avenue or
Calhoun Street. The project may require the acquisition of a small portion of land to facilitate the proposed access. The
board is working closely with IDOT to launch this project.
BRAINSTORMING – 1) VanRaalte will begin preparations for installing the solar-powered Christmas lights. 2) It was
suggested that VanRaalte repaint the no-parking zones near stop signs and entry points and refresh the paint on poles with
mounted mirrors.
PRESIDENT CANDIDATE’S COMMENTS – Each candidate was allotted three (3) minutes to share their interest in
serving as Village Board President for Scales Mound:
A) Nicole Winter highlighted her leadership experience, qualifications, past accomplishments, and strong interest in the
position.
B) Jennifer Robinson expressed her deep appreciation for the Village of Scales Mound and shared a few areas she believes
could benefit from improvement. She also conveyed her interest in serving as Village President.
CLOSED SESSION – Werner moved; Foley seconded to go into closed session at 7:25 pm to discuss personnel. On roll
call vote, all voted aye.
Foley moved; Werner seconded to come out of closed session at 7:34 pm. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
ACTION FROM CLOSED SESSION – The Board appointed Nicole Winter as Acting Village President of Scales
Mound, effective immediately. Per the Illinois Municipal League, “in villages with a population of less than 5,000, if each
trustee either declines to serve as acting president or is not elected by a majority of the trustees then holding office, the
trustees may elect any other village resident who is qualified to hold municipal office to serve as acting president. When an
alderperson or trustee is appointed acting mayor or acting president, the appointee still votes in their aldermanic or trustee
capacity and no vacancy is created for the appointee’s seat unless the appointee resigns that seat. They are not, however,
entitled to a second vote as acting mayor or acting president.” The Board also acknowledged Jennifer Robinson’s interest in
the presidency and expressed appreciation for her willingness to serve the community. The board encouraged Jennifer to
consider joining the Zoning Board of Appeals and/or shadowing current board members to gain further insight into the
responsibilities and operations of the Village.
CLOSED SESSION – Werner moved; Foley seconded to go into closed session at 7:44 pm to discuss personnel. On roll
call vote, all voted aye.
Hesselbacher moved; Werner seconded to come out of closed session at 8:02 pm. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
ACTION FROM CLOSED SESSION – None
ADJOURNMENT – Altfillisch moved; Foley seconded that the meeting be adjourned at 8:02 pm. All voted aye.
These Minutes were prepared by Village Clerk, Tami Koons.