VILLAGE OF SCALES MOUND
Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Stone House
June 29, 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, June 29, 2026.
The members present were Nicole Winter, Ruth Foley, Deven Morgensen, Josh Altfillisch, Janet Werner, Kristy
Hesselbacher, Tami Koons, Village Clerk, and Marissa Marquith, Village Treasurer. Also present was Chet VanRaalte,
Zach Winter, Ron Duerr, Jerry and Fran Edwards.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES – Regular Meeting May 26, 2026 – Werner moved; Foley seconded to approve the minutes
from the Regular Meeting May 26, 2026, to be approved as read. All voted aye.
TREASURERS REPORT
The Treasurer’s Report was reviewed. Morgensen moved; Werner seconded to approve the Treasurer’s Report as read. All
voted aye.
APPROVAL OF BILLS
The monthly bills were reviewed. Foley moved; Altfillisch seconded that the May 2026 bills to be approved as presented.
On roll call, all voted aye, except Hesselbacher abstained.
CITIZENS COMMENTS/COMMUNICATIONS
A) Citizens Comments – Jerry Edwards asked whether anyone has ordered additional flag poles, as the Village has lost
32 flags during the last couple of storms with an additional six more damaged in the most resent storm. He also
requested that a notification be sent asking residents who find flags or broken flag poles to return them to the Stone
House. The Village will replenish its inventory to ensure replacements are available as needed.
B) SM Chamber – None.
C) Contact Us Submissions – None.
D) FOIA Requests – The Data Branch – All FOIA requests were responded to on time.
E) Other – The Franklin Street railroad crossing will be closed from July 13–17, 2026, for railroad work. Traffic will be
detoured, and motorists should allow additional travel time.
The Village will post notices on Facebook and in the Visitor, as well as at the Grocery Store, Post Office, and Bank, to
help keep residents informed. Unfortunately, the Village was not notified in advance by the railroad. Nicole Winter
contacted the railroad to request information; however, as of the meeting, no response has been received.
ORDINANCE VIOLATIONS/ADMINISTRATIVE LAW REPORT – Ordinance violations were discussed and follow
up letters will be sent out. Nicole will be attending a DACRA Meeting on Wednesday 7/1/2026 10 am – 12 pm. Nicole will
be learning more about issuing parking tickets.
PUBLIC WORKS
A) Monthly Report – Chet reported that Melissa Dittmar inquired about painting diagonal parking lines at the front of the
Grocery Store on North Ave. A Tree by the Playground is rotting and limbs are falling off with every storm that we
should consider removing. Randy Goodwin was asked about having the drain in front of the funeral home excavated.
Chet purchased a trailer for $100.00 to transport road closed signs and other items around the Village. The drain on
Dorothy Hammer’s property on Schuyler ditch gets clogged frequently, it is the understanding from previous
administration that the issue is not a Village issue but that it is a homeowner responsibility. The Village board will
look into this further on who the responsible party is to fix the issue. Morgensen moved; Altfillisch seconded to
approve to reimburse Chet $100.00 for the Trailer. On roll call, all voted aye.
ZONING REPORT
A) Monthly Report – Zach Winter reported a zoning compliance form for Josh Winter, a permit for a roof on Frankin St.
from Rudy Beliz. Zach also expressed he has heard concerns about vehicles being parked on the street in front of
Havens.
OLD BUSINESS
A. INI Cross Connection –Surveys were sent out and we are still missing 83 resident survey responses. The deadline
for the Village to have these completed is July 15, 2026, to the IEPA. Please reach out to the Village a member of
the board or email the Village Clerk at scalesmoundclerk@gmail.com to request a new copy of the survey.
B. Environmental Survey – Phone call was cancelled for June; President Winter is hopeful to have an update at next
meeting.
OTHER COMMITTEE REPORTS
A) Street/Maintenance – None.
B) Sewer/Water – None.
C) Finance – None.
D) Park & Special Projects – None.
E) Public Events & Safety
1) Spring Clean-up – Another Successful event we collected 3 dumpsters full and received several requests to
have another event in the fall.
2) Garbage Cans – If you have garbage cans that need to be replaced, please reach out to Montgomery at (815)
777-0672
F) Trees & Sidewalks – None.
G) Ordinance/Policy – None.
H) Development – None.
NEW BUSINESS
A. IML Conference – The IML Conference will be held September 17–19. As an IML member, the Village is
eligible for one complimentary registration for attendees. Nicole Winter and Deven Morgensen will be attending,
and additional Board members may also attend if interested. Werner moved; Altfillisch seconded for Morgensen
and Winter to attend the IML Conference in September 2026.all voted aye. This agenda item will remain on future
agendas to allow for the approval of any additional trustees who choose to attend the conference.
B. Preliminary Appropriation Ordinance – Nicole Winter emailed the Appropriation Ordinance to the Board for
review prior to this meeting. As there were no objections to the Appropriation Ordinance presented, the ordinance
will be presented for approval at the July 2026 board meeting.
C. New Resident Packet – Morgensen created and emailed the New Resident Packet to the board for review.
Hesselbacher moved; Werner seconded to approve the New Resident Packet on the Scales Mound Village
Website, all voted aye.
D. Mayor Meeting Update – Nicole Winter attended the meeting last week, where the guest speaker was Steve Buss,
Mayor of Lena. He discussed the community’s response to the tornado disaster, including what worked well, the
challenges they encountered, and the ongoing process of working with the insurance company.
E. Other –
a. Ron Duerr requested that we add gravel to the alleys as they continue to wash out every time it rains.
b. Nicole Winter reminded the Trustees to include Tami Koons, Village Clerk, on all correspondence related
to Village business, including requests for quotes, agenda items, and any questions or matters requiring
follow-up.
BRAINSTORMING – Foley shared that Thiesens has a Grant that we could us for fixing up the Jail house, she will apply
for this grant.
CLOSED SESSION – None.
ACTION FROM CLOSED SESSION – None.
ADJOURNMENT – Altfillisch moved; Werner seconded that the meeting be adjourned at 7:22 pm. All voted aye.
These Minutes were prepared by Village Clerk, Tami Koons.