VILLAGE OF SCALES MOUND
Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Stone House
February 24, 2026
6:30 P.M.
The Regular Meeting of the President and Board of Trustees was called to order at 6:30 pm on Monday, February 24, 2026. The
members present were Nicole Winter, Ruth Foley, Deven Morgensen, Josh Altfillisch, Janet Werner, Kristy Hesselbacher, Tami Koons,
Village Clerk. Also present was Chet VanRaalte, Zach Winter, and Jerry and Fran Edwards. Marissa Marquith, Village Treasurer and
Dave Fosler were absent.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES – Regular Meeting January 26, 2025. Hesselbacher moved; Werner seconded to approve the minutes
from the Regular Meeting January 26, 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. The Motor Fuel Tax Certificate of Deposit is scheduled to mature on February 28, 2026. Winter
recommended renewing $180,000 for a five-month term at an interest rate of 3.66%. Morgensen moved; Altfillisch seconded to approve
the renewal of the Motor Fuel Tax CD in the amount of $180,000 for five months at 3.66%. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
APPROVAL OF BILLS
The monthly bills were reviewed. Late payment notices for delinquent water accounts were delivered this month. Hesselbacher moved;
Werner seconded that the February bills be approved for payment as presented. On roll call vote, all voted aye.
Audit Presentation – Auditor, Don had a meeting come up and was unable to attend but is available by phone if anyone has questions.
CITIZENS COMMENTS/COMMUNICATIONS
A) Citizens Comments – None
B) SM Chamber – Meeting 3/2/2026 is set to discuss Music in the Park.
C) Contact Us Submissions – None
D) FOIA Requests – FOIA request received from NW Illinois News. The village responded to this request appropriately.
E) Other – Nathan Wills reached out to Winter and asked if the board would be interested in purchasing his POD for $4,500. The
board discussed and decided the village does not have a use for a POD at this time. Hesselbacher was approached to see if the
village had a need for an internship for maintenance community services.
ORDINANCE VIOLATIONS/ADMINISTRATIVE LAW REPORT
A) Nathan Wills did not attend court last week and was found liable for the fines. Per the ordinance violation letter and ticket sent to
Nathan he had until February 26, 2026, to remove the POD before the Village towed it at the owner’s expense. The POD was
removed prior to the deadline. Vernon Wills has not paid any fines yet.
PUBLIC WORKS
A) Monthly Report – 1) Chet reported that Jody Glasgow will be seal coating Lincoln Ave this Spring and inquired if the Village
would like to seal coat the Village owned portion of the street while the company is there. The Village is redoing all streets next
year, but since the company will already be working on Lincoln Ave, Jody thought he would inquire if we were interested in doing
that street sooner. 2) Christmas tree that Kevin Steir donated said he would take it back if the village wanted to get rid of it. 3) Chet
reported that he picked up all the garbage out of the south pond, but the north pond was still frozen over. 4) All filters and oil
changed in the skid loader. 5) Chet requested the original invoice for the truck purchase as the taillight issue is under warranty. Chet
paid for this and will need to be reimbursed. 6) Chet cut brush at the four corners, and the lights need to be replaced. 7) Chet
reported that the flagpole broke again. 8) J&R Open House on March 18, 2026, and Chet plans to attend. 9) Ceiling all done on the
shed and the furnace is in.
ZONING REPORT
A) Monthly Report – Zach Winter reported that there were two (2) permits issued. 1) The Grocery Store Roof Permit. 2) Todd Kieffer
Building/Garage Permit.
OLD BUSINESS
A) Davis New Water/Sewer Connection – Proposal with quotes should be in by next month.
B) Approval of Audit – 2025 Audit and TIF Audit Winter emailed out to the board for review. Morgensen moved; Altfillisch
seconded to approve the Audit and the TIF audit.
C) Well House Door – Waiting on a quote.
D) 5 Year Comprehensive Plan – Tabled.
E) Mitigation Plan –Winter forwarded the updated forms to the board, and after reviewing it, the board agreed to submit it once she
completes the additional updates.
F) Engineering Firm Contracting – Development committee met and discussed to end contracts with Origin currently. Winter will
have Hailey Wills, Village Attorney, draft a letter asking for all our documents be returned. Morgensen moved; Altfillisch seconded
to move forward on terminating contracts with Origin. On roll call, all voted aye.
G) Mike Sproule – Septic Waste Request – Waiting on Fehr Graham to provide answers to a few questions the village board members
had regarding this request.
OTHER COMMITTEE REPORTS
A) Street/Maintenance – None.
B) Sewer/Water – None.
C) Finance – None.
D) Park & Special Projects – None.
E) Public Events & Safety
a) Set Easter Party Date – Easter party date set for March 29, 2026, from 4-5 PM.
b) Easter Party Planning – Morgensen, Werner, and Foley will meet to plan and prepare for this event.
F) Trees & Sidewalks – Gephart’s tree was removed. Still waiting on Exquisite-Scapes to come back and grind the stump.
G) Ordinance/Policy – None.
H) Development – Winter, Hesselbacher, Altfillisch, and Morgensen attended the County Board meeting regarding the funding request
for the access road. Scales Mound was then invited to the Public Works Committee meeting for further discussion about help funding the
Scales Mound access road.
John Creighton later contacted Nicole to discuss a potential form of assistance that Jo Daviess County might be able to offer, though it
will still require board approval. John recommended putting together a formal proposal after speaking with the township and fire
department. Once the proposal is complete, John will ensure we get on the county board agenda to present it.
NEW BUSINESS
A) Review Closed Session Minutes from the Past 6 Months/Recordings from 18 Months – Werner moved; Altfillisch seconded to
keep all the closed session minutes closed and recording for the last 18 months. All voted aye.
B) Approval of Liquor Licenses – The following liquor licenses are due for renewal: 1) Country House Grocery Store, 2) Pop-A-Tops
Bar & Grill, 3) Southside Bar & Grill, 4) Old School Saloon, and 5) Scales Mound Recreation Association. Hesselbacher moved;
Altfillisch seconded to approve all five (5) of the liquor licenses. All voted aye.
C) Bid Opening for Safe – No bids have come in for the safe. Will extend for another month.
D) Bid Opening for Ranger – Four (4) bids for the ranger were received and opened at the meeting. Altfillisch moved; Werner
seconded to approve the bid for the ranger to the highest bidder, Jeff Bader at $3,100. On roll call, all voted aye.
E) Lawn Mower for approval – Winter sent four (4) quotes from Sloan and Roeder to the board for review. The existing mower is
better suited for flat terrain and has been sliding and tipping on the steep hills that must be mowed by Chet. The board discussed that
Sloan would be the best choice for the purchase for the new lawn mower. Hesselbacher moved; Altfillisch seconded to approve the
purchase of the new lawn mower from Sloan for $17,190 minus the trade in of our current mower valued at $5,000. On roll call, all
voted aye, with the exception of Foley, who voted nay.
F) Set TIF Meeting date – We have received the final documents and are waiting for Matt Keegan’s approval letter to mail out the
TIF packets to the taxing bodies. The TIF meeting will be held right before the next regular board meeting on March 30, 2026. At
that time, Marvin Schultz will also be removed as the TIF at‑large member. Winter will contact residents within the TIF district to
see if anyone is willing to serve as the new TIF at‑large member.
G) Other – None.
BRAINSTORMING – None.
CLOSED SESSION – None.
ACTION FROM CLOSED SESSION – None.
ADJOURNMENT – Altfillisch moved; Werner seconded that the meeting be adjourned at 7:55 pm. All voted aye.
These Minutes were prepared by Village Clerk, Tami Koons.