City of Lexington City Council met Dec. 10.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
The regular meeting of the Lexington City Council was called to order at 7:00 P. M. by Mayor Spencer Johansen in the City Council Chambers at City Hall.
Mayor Johansen led the council in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Roll call was taken to find the following physically present: Mayor Johansen, Alderman Schreiber, Alderman Stover, Alderwoman Wilson, Alderman Franklin, Alderman Richard and Alderman Colclasure, Members of the staff and public present were: Chief Belvery.
It was moved by Alderwoman Wilson and seconded by Alderman Colclasure to approve the minutes of the November 26, 2018 regular City Council meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
It was moved by Alderman Stover and seconded by Alderman Franklin to approve the Treasurer’s Report in the amount of $17,194.45. Motion carried unanimously.
Public Input: None Old Business: None New Business:
Discussion/Vote on Cancelation of December 24, 2018 City Council Meeting
There was discussion that this was Christmas Eve and the meeting could be cancelled or moved to a different day. There did not appear to be anything coming up on the agenda so it was decided to cancel this meeting.
Motion was made by Alderman Franklin and seconded by Alderman Colclasure to cancel the December 24, 2018 City Council Meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Discussion/Vote on 2019 Calendar
The 2019 calendar was presented for approval. The calendar contains the Council meeting dates and the holidays.
Motion was made by Alderwoman Wilson and seconded by Alderman Franklin to approve the 2019 City Council Calendar. Motion carried unanimously.
Committee Reports:
Mayors Report: Mayor Johansen talked with Fred at the brewery two weeks ago. He has had a copy of the contract that the City has drawn up and has given that to his attorney and as of Thursday he has not heard anything yet. Mayor Johansen contacted him and told him it needed to be signed by the meeting tonight and Fred said he called his attorney but he did not return his call. There is no signed contract at this time. The goal was to get a signed contract and start getting some of our money back. The City will not issue a liquor license until we get a signed contract.
Mayor Johansen will follow up with City Attorney Tom Shields as to what other avenues we can approach if the contract is not signed such as putting a lien on the building. This will probably be on the January agenda to see how we want to pursue this.
Alderman Fosen and I proposed to him that of the $30,000, the $10,000 that he has put in the building and the windows and improvements, we would waive that, and set up the remaining $20,000 on a note. Which he agreed to verbally but he wanted to send it to his attorney. The work he has done is good work, but from a timeline standpoint it is going to be hard for us to know what to expect, and when he will open. He needs a liquor license to open. He will not get the license without a contract. With a federal license he can brew beer but he cannot sell. There will not be a problem issuing the license once the contract is signed and we start getting some of our money back.
Everyone else that we have loaned money to has started paying back as agreed.
Fred says that this is all he is doing. He does not have other employment although he did get his heating and air conditioning license. He is doing quality work up there and the Tasting Room is really going to be nice when he gets it done.
Lavender and Lili is pleased with everything and so is Mayor Johansen. He thinks her business is off to a good start.
Mayor Johansen though Christmas on The Prairie was a huge success despite the weather. All the restaurants had record days. Daffodil Lane had her best day ever. Castle Gardens had 350 people tour there home. The school was packed. Other businesses reported good sales. People were in town spending money.
Mayor Johansen talked with Casey’s last week. The contract is now back with Hanson. Hopefully we will hear something on that soon. Casey’s have been out there surveying.
There is some interest in an existing local business expanding, looking for five acres to build a new building.
Police: None
Building/Insurance Alderman Stover told the Council that there is now a flex spending plan for the employees. They need to get signed up by the end of the month. It should be done and ready to go by January 1, 2019. It is a 125 plan. Everyone seems to be happy with it.
Finance/TIF:
None
Water/Sewer/Sanitation: Alderwoman Wilson talked about her conversation with Billy DuBois about the old Water Treatment Plant. The tanks need to be removed and they will need to be emptied out. There is one person in the state that can do it. We decided to do it this year. The estimate was $11,000 and Billy could pull $10,000 from his budget so $1,000 will need to be found. It was decided the City needed to do this before we sold the buildings and even if we tear the building down we still will have to do it. It was felt we are better off to do it and pay for it before we sell the building than to tear it down.
Mayor Johansen says that the EPA says we have to do it and it has to be someone licensed to do it. It is the sediment that has built up in the bottom of the tanks and there are four tanks.
Street/Alley: None
There being no further business, motion was made by Alderman Richard to adjourn at 7:19 P.M. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
https://www.lexingtonillinois.org/images/Dec1018.pdf
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