McLean County Times

City of Lexington City Council met Nov. 11.

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 Colclasure, Alderman Richard, Alderman Franklin, Alderwoman Wilson and Alderman Stover. Members of the staff and public present were: Don Cavallini, Dennis Pignotti, Dottie Pignotti, Barb Harms, Judy Thomas, Eva Ann Beasley, Linda Benedict, Lori Leake, Megan Kemp, Jon Kemp, T. J. Powell, Nancy Powell, David Cheever, Joe Kemp, Officer Bryan Schultz, Scott Davis, Caryn Davis, Jason Lindbom and Kenneth Sours.

It was moved by Alderman Colclasure and seconded by Alderman Franklin to approve the minutes of the October 28, 2019 meeting. Motion carried unanimously.

It was moved by Alderman Stover and seconded by Alderwoman Wilson to approve the Treasurer’s Report and pay bills in the amount of $67,304.26. Motion carried unanimously.

Public Input: Barb Harms had a written statement which she read: According to the Chicago Tribune, DuPage County Board says no to recreational pot sales! Some of our surrounding counties have also voted no. So why do we want it in Lexington?

She tried to do a survey of municipalities around but of course today a lot of towns were closed and she couldn’t get ahold of anyone. She doesn’t have that specific information of what towns or counties around here have voted against it.

The legislation signed into law by Governor Pritzker allows villages, cities and counties to opt out of marijuana retail sales. This gives communities the opportunity to limit drug traffic by saying “no” to the retail presence of a federally classified Schedule 1 drug, which is a dangerous intoxicant that the DEA deems has “a high potential for abuse.”

On the pro side of the dispensary an investor told me, “I do not use it, I won't use it, but it will bring a lot of revenue to town.” But, at what cost? According to a report published by the Centennial Institute, a Colorado Christian University's think tank, they said, “for every dollar gained in tax revenue, $4.50 is mitigated to the effects of legalization of marijuana. The cost of pot is not worth the costs to families, communities and lives.

That same think tank, the Centennial statistics, state, in the six years since marijuana was legalized in Colorado, the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes who tested positive for marijuana has doubled. There have been increased rates in marijuana-related emergency room visits, hospitalizations, increased use in every age category, and higher rates of violent crime.

She was just listening to a presentation, and she has included some websites that can be delved into and get more information about this,t by Jo McGuire, director of the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association and she stated in Colorado in the first three years of legalized recreational marijuana there were 1,516 fatality accidents, attributed to marijuana use, those fatalities alone cost the state 2.12 billion dollars, while the best income from marijuana was 104 million. More cost and income. We cannot underestimate the “unknown” cost of bringing this to our community.

“Big pot is big business, and the push to sell it here in Lexington is really all about profit, despite inconvenient facts. Drug policy should be based on hard science and reliable data. And the data coming out of Colorado points to one and only one conclusion: the selling of marijuana in our town is a terrible public policy.

According to an expert, today's high-potency marijuana, which can be up to as much as 97% pure, is linked to increases in additional, psychosis, schizophrenia and violence. States that have legalized it have seen increases in users, addicts, unqualified employee candidates, intoxicated drivers, work-place accidents, disabilities, homelessness and social welfare dependency.

We have been talking to a lot of Lexington residents and she just wanted to share with the council some of the comments that they have taken the time to share with us. Their personal comments.

The following are comments written down by citizens of Lexington:

Don't need this in our town (several times), Please vote no, will do no good, Totally against this, is good for no one, Keep our reputation sterling, Not needed in Lexington, Very much against it, Don't want it in our neighborhood or town, Do not subject our children to this, Don't let the possibility of money to influence our morals, It will bring the wrong kind of people to our town, I do not think this is the right way to bring money into our town, Negative in every way, Not in Lexington, keep our town clean, Not in our town (several times), We are so against this in our town, We are nice now no in our town, I know of someone affected for the rest of their life by using this.

The above words are from concerned people right here in Lexington would you please listen to their voices? NOT IN OUR TOWN!

She noted a couple of websites that you can go on and educate yourself about negativity of legalized pot or allowing it in our town.

Amazing information: Please look at these web sites for more information

NoWeedIllinois.com IllinoisfamilyInstitute.org

Linda Benedict stated that she and Barb Harms wanted to get some public opinion so they were taking a petition around to different people who we saw around town, out raking leaves, and talked to them about it. We really haven't got a good start yet and they have a 160 signatures against it. She asked them, have they talked to you about it, have they sent you a letter, have they called? Most of them are uniformed. They don't get the paper so they didn't know about it. Not these people, most of these people knew. They think it's not out there about what's happening. And she didn't know why we couldn’t publicly have a referendum or a vote so those who are uninformed would know what's happening. And why are we trying to push it through? Do we have a deadline? And there were other questions out there. One that came up several times. if Jon's got the money to do this why isn’t his business finished? And she doesn't know that but she told them that she would ask. The other side of his business and she doesn’t know that. The other question that she had was this is a cash business? Is she right on that? This money can't be put in the bank because that would be money laundering? Does anyone know the answer? I've been told by an attorney that and I don't know what happens to the money. My brother has a friend in Colorado whose son got his very early on and they went to visit him. He has money all over the place because he can't put it in the bank because he would be tried for money laundering. Is this right or wrong? Is this a cash business? And where's the cash going to go?

Mayor Johansen stated that at this point the council was not going to engage on the public comments but would comment that the Feds are loosening the restrictions on it.

Linda stated they are loosening it but that is not now.

Linda thinks that there needs to be a way to inform the city's residents better. She would like to know how many votes they need. They are willing to town to town, house to house.

Judy Thomas wanted to know if the ordinance had already been written and does it have a number?

Mayor Johansen responded that it had been written but not assigned a number. He does not know what was decided at the other meeting yet. As soon as he knows it will be made public.

Judy had a question about the petition, and wanted to know if it was the Mayor’s job to listen to us? To which the Mayor responded yes. And if you could present a petition to us will take it under consideration.

Alderman Wilson responded that the petition would need to have registered voters. They would need to take it down to the county and get it approved. We can't just take somebody's word for it.

Mayor Johansen is in the office most everyday. Call him or come in and talk and he will answer as many questions as he possibly can.

Old Business:

Discussion/Vote Douglass Drive Bid

Mayor Johansen started the discussion by referring to the letter that they got from Farnsworth. They opened the bids last Wednesday and they were considerably higher than what we had estimated, what the county had estimated for us. Stark was in with the low bid of $410,964.42. Rowe Construction was $638,438.01. He does not understand what the big difference between the two is.

We are working on another plan now. He talked to John Colclosure, head of the street committee, briefly, and they will get a committee meeting together, hopefully this week to discuss it. Then we'll bring something back to the council. He thinks we do have something figured out on how to do this at the number that we discussed earlier.

Alderman Colclosure has reviewed these figures and we are not able to build a road for the estimated cost of the bids

Motion was made by Alderman Colclosure and seconded by Alderman Stover to reject both Douglas Drive bids. Motion carried unanimously.

New Business:

Jon Kemp Business Proposal

Jon Kemp presented his business proposal to the Alderman and stated that it was the same packet he had passed out to the Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals. As of January 1st cannabis is being legalized in the State of Illinois. They are really issuing 75 adult recreational cannabis licenses in the State of Illinois. The breakdown map that you got in your packet showing where the dispensaries are going and the number by county, they are called BLS Regions, that went on the census. The Town of Normal has a medical marijuana dispensary already. They are allowed to have a second license come January 1 due to them already being in compliance with medical marijuana dispensary. So there will be two in Bloomington already. There will be one license in McLean and DeWitt County. That is the license that we would be going for. Thus giving the BLS region three total.

The application that we have to submit is over 230 pages. It has about 15 different exhibits. It is graded on a 200-point scale, with every exhibit being worth a different amount of points. There's a non-refundable application fee, therefore they are not telling you how many applications are in the stream.

He is hired Canna Advisors out of Boulder, Colorado. They are a consulting firm in the cannabis industry. They have helped obtain applications in Missouri, Michigan, Oregon, Washington, Texas and Ohio. They consist of a team of writers and lawyers that can each exhibit and break it down and then weave the legal writing into it and their stories because basically they will be telling the story of the business we will be running. Compliance the backstory and background checks. With that we have a 10% chance of actually getting a license. Canna is thinking that the break down is going to be 25-30 applicants In this region and we have a 10% chance of actually obtaining a license in this region. That is one of the reasons we hired Canna. To assist us and give us that edge and the best chance of obtaining a license.

The business location is already zoned for business at 112 North Cedar. Floor plans were given, that is just a rough floor plan, which is information with what the state has on regulation. That is just a rough draft of it. Canna can also give you a floor plan. We own that building currently. We also own the beer garden behind it, we're thinking of taking half of that and rehabbing it into the building to give us extra square footage for the project. There can't be any people in the apartment upstairs, that is state-mandated. The building has to be alone just for the cannabis. One of the reasons is that we like the location is we like the proximity to other businesses. The type of clientele that is coming to this these dispensaries is the same type of clientele that is eating Kemps, Kelly’s and the Shake Shack, shopping at Clothe and Pallet and Lavender and Lily. A dispensary can have a snowball effect not only on the sales tax but the extra 3% for City of Lexington, plus the state sales tax also the sales tax, of the foot traffic of the people shopping in town on top of that. That impact we cannot say how much that will be. There are some people that are going to dine in the same places and keep coming back to town, thus generating more money for everyone.

The potential snowball effect, there will never be another time in the State of Illinois history where we are able to tax one entity of a product where a few municipalities will benefit from. That is one of the reasons we want to bring it to Lexington. In 2025 the State of Illinois mandated $15 minimum wage. You are going to be hard pressed to find a lot of small businesses that can stay open and sustain in small towns with $15 an hour minimum wage. We are going to use this to bring more people to town for those businesses. That was mandated by the governor as well. As a small business owner, I don't think Kemps is going to pay minimum dollars and employ 35 people, we're not going to be able to sustain that. But we're taking these measures now to bring other businesses to town and change our business so we can go through with that, and sustain that, and hopefully keep our business in Lexington and keep Lexington thriving.

John wants to open a high-end dispensary. There's been talking of bringing bad people to town, trash to town. Cannabis will be taxed 40% by the State of Illinois. With that being said, the product is going to be twice the price of what people who are already doing it are paying. No one is going to pay double the price plus 40% tax on top of that, and then drive to Lexington and come to town to hang out. There will be no consumption on site that's mandated by the State of Illinois. We look to sell products that are created by cultivation centers and extraction facilities in Illinois. He has to buy all his product from cultivation centers and extraction centers in Illinois.

The State of Illinois kind of did it backwards, they're granting dispensary licenses yet the applications for the cultivation centers and the extraction facilities aren't available until February 2020. The application is due January 2, 2020. They're going to take 5 months to grade them. The first that anybody would know is May 1st who got the license in the BLS region. The first anybody could open up after they got that word would be July 1st. You have 180 days to get a floor plan, to get a physical address with that and plans that you are in compliance with their code and security measures that they have mandated in that application. You have to buy within Illinois, you cannot grow product, you cannot make any product. All product comes prepackaged just as it does at Kemps right now. We receive beer in it’s package, it’s coded, it’s inventoried. You have to keep your inventory. We have run a compliant, highly regulated industry for over 15 years with no mishap from the state. This is even going to be more highly looked at from the state with a seed to sale process. There are two PLSs with the state for license from the state right now. Once that seed goes into the ground it gets a serial code number, that goes to a delivery service that is licensed by the State of Illinois. So it can be tracked from the seed, to the delivery, to the dispensary. Also, once it is sold it goes with a name and serial code number. The reason they do that is a number of reasons, it is easy to track and also if there is a recall they can pinpoint it right away which is far more than the FDA can do for a foodborne illness right now. So they can track that all the way through.

He has run a highly state regulated business for 15 years. He knows how to operate a clean upscale business. We offer good service and product in our other business. Kemp’s Upper Tap. We are not here to bring something to town that is going to be trashy and look like crap in our town. Jon grew up here and has a business for 15 years. It’s going to be clean, it is going to look like an upscale coffee shop. The signage is mandated by the State of Illinois. The state is very strict on the signage and how close it can be to a park, the size of it. They regulate all of that. You cannot just put up any sign.

The tax revenue you guys passed is a 3% direct tax to Lexington, that is on top of the sales tax that will be available from the state. On top of that we would like to donate 1% of our net profit back to the city to use for the Police Department, Main Street Improvement and overall wellness of Lexington giving that an ultimate tax of 4% added to the three the municipality has passed. On top of that, we are going to donate 2% back to organizations within Lexington, once again spreading the wealth around for those organizations in Lexington as a way to give back to Lexington.

We are looking to employee 10 plus people from the Lexington area, that is 9 more than Breakthru Beverage currently employees right now at their facility.

Security is a huge part of this application. It is over 50 pages. Contracts have to be signed by state licensed security firms, locksmiths and private alarm companies. A Bloomington police officer was on the Bloomington Cannabis Task Force and when asked about the cash business, was he worried about all that cash being in their town? His response was “He couldn’t believe the measure of security. He wished that the state mandated banks had to go through that much scrutiny and security. It would make their job a lot easier.” With that being said, high definition cameras, 24 hour monitoring.

As far as people being worried about kids getting into the dispensary, you actually have to get your ID scanned at the door. That does two things. No one under 21 can actually get into the facility and no one trying to use a fake ID can get into the dispensary. Kids will not even be allowed to get into the waiting area because we have these ID scans. With this not being open to kids it takes them out of the process. People don’t have a problem with alcohol being on the shelves in the stores in Lexington and the kids walking by literally being able to go up and possibly take it. This is a highly regulated industry

It must be purchased from one of the cultivation centers. We will make a relationship with them as we make with the brewers now. You are not just buying from someone you are getting told from the state. You get to choose from that. There are seven cultivation centers right now. The state is going to give 21 more licenses, bringing the total to 28 cultivation centers. With those cultivation centers you would have to purchase from them and also with the extraction facilities you would have to purchase products from them.

A word about candies, cookies or edibles being marketed to children. With the State of Illinois and any other state that has passed this cannabis law. Nothing can look like wrappers or can be packaged like candy. There were a number of different extraction facilities in Denver that actually bought all their product, all their wrappings, all their boxes, everything, thousands of dollars of inventory they had to throw away because one of them had a small cookie on it or one looked like it should have been gummy bears. The state is very, very serious about it not being marketed towards children.

We are not looking to ruin the reputation of this town. The last thing we would do after the investments that we have made in this town is trying to ruin the reputation of the community that we live in and run a business in and employee 35 people in. This is the last thing we would try to do to our business. You can only create good product by hiring outstanding employees and making a product and running a business that employees can be proud of. Jon thinks he has done a very good job of that at Kemps and that will continue on at the other business of how we conduct ourselves, how clean it is and how we run in compliance with the State of Illinois.

We also want to create a product that people will travel for. That is one thing we have created for Kemps. We have 90% out of towners on the weekends. People are coming to town to spend money. That same clientele will shop at that type of dispensary.

One of the articles in the Lexintonian referred to Delavan, Illinois. There is one of the seven cultivation centers in Delavan, Illinois. Jon reached out to the mayor to see how the center had affected her community. If there were naysayers or if there was a negative on the community, if the community was going down because of it, if people weren't moving to town because of it. She said the cultivation center was in the TIF District, it had 75 employees, it was the second largest employer next to the school. It is going to double in capacity January 1 because they can expand just as medical marijuana can expand, they can expand their cultivation center and not be counted as one of the new 21 that are going to get new licenses awarded in February. She says they are actually bringing more business to downtown, more businesses have opened up in the business district. When asked about the impact on her community, she said “ absolutely huge.” They are also working to open up other facilities and other dining cafes other businesses in downtown to generate more money for that downtown.

In 2025 it is going to be $15 an hour minimum wage and you are going to be hard pressed to find all the businesses that want to come open up on Main Street. If we can bring something new to town that can generate business instantaneously that it is better for everyone in the long run.

Jon enclosed a Q n A in the back of the packet that he handed out that address comments and questions that have been brought up at the other Council Meetings by other people. That is his response to those comments and questions. About a lot of the health concerns, children, security, that was the reason for the Q n A in the back of your packet. We wanted to give his explanation for it and not stand up every time.

We are not a flash in the pan. This is not a business we are going to open up and then try to sell it within a one or two year period. We have made a huge investment in downtown already. Your question why Lexington, our answer why not Lexington? Why not bring it into the community where you can benefit from it in a positive healthy way?

As far as the cash with that. Canna is advising us on how to go about that. One of the reasons the security measures are so stringent is because of that. And with that Canna is teaching us how to use that and how to safely run a business with that. The Safe Law Act has passed the House and is going to the Senate and they are supposed to vote on it before 2020. That would make interstate commerce federally ok when it comes cannabis transactions. With the holidays it will probably not pass the Senate before January 2020.

Alderman Colclasure wanted to know if Jon really believed that 90% of out of town clientele were going to shop at the other shops in town, Lavender and Lily, the hardware store?

Jon replied maybe not the hardware store, they are not on Main Street but at the other stores. He had zero doubt.

Alderman Colclasure has looked and the State of Illinois has 47 dispensary licenses in Cook County and surrounding counties, that leaves 28 throughout the rest of the state. Jon replied yes the state break down was in the packet he provided.

Knowing Illinois, using my background in Bloomington, when I started in 1969, we had about 25 liquor licenses. That made those liquor license valuable to anyone who purchases a business that was run down or retired. The changed that and now there are over 100. Normal at that time was dry. They are not dry now. He believes, knowing the State of Illinois and what we have seen thus far, that if there are 1000 applicants for dispensaries, and they each pay $1,000 deposit they are going to vote for that dispensary in Lexington with council approval. He thinks it is a slam dunk. Do you really believe that those people that come up here are going to go to Shake Shack, the grocery store, and Lavender and Lily. Jon replied probably not the grocery store. They probably are not going to come to Lexington to shop, but the foot traffic for Lavender and Lily, Clothe and Pallet, Shake Shack and any other business that is coming to town he has zero doubt that they are.

That is what we do at Kemps now. We set ourselves apart. It’s the product you have inside your doors is the only thing you can control. You have a good product, you have good employees, you have a clean place. People will travel for a good product. That’s how you set yourself apart. That’s why we have boutique shops. A lot of boutique shops like Clothe and Pallet and Lavender and Lily they have stuff that you can't walk in Meijer or Walmart and get, plus you make that personal connection with the owners of those establishments. In a day and age when people are doing more and more internet shopping there is not that personal connection. When you can come up to stores like that in small town America you get that personal connection, actually knowing the owner that picked out the fabric or picking out the coffee. It’s that personal connection that can set a business apart and he thinks that Lexington does a good job on all their businesses. People don’t have to come to Lexington, it’s the businesses in town already that create that want. That’s why he says “Why not Lexington?”

We have that mentality for people to come to town. Make your product better, make you establishment better by having great service, by having great employees, by keeping riff raff out. He has not had a problem for 13 years and the first two years was because they wanted to test a 22 year old to see if they could get away with something. It is what you bring to town will help all the businesses in town. He does think those people would come and shop at the other businesses in town.

Alderman Franklin wanted to know if the licenses were transferable. Jon replied that they are transferable but the person would have to go through the same application that Jon is going through. The same background check, give the same security plan. So basically he would have to fill out the same application and then get a license from the state. If Jon does get a license and he would want to get out in 10 years, put it in the ordinance that the city votes on who gets the license, that way you don’t have big business coming to town and trying to buy it or something of that nature. That’s how you can get around that and have a say as to who opens up. That’s the same as a liquor license, the liquor commissioner can deny year to year, technically if they want to.

Mayor Johansen stated that they would be required to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Jon went on to say that you need to be a State of Illinois resident, and you need to show tax returns, sales tax returns. They are trying to avoid people opening up and selling to big companies which has happened in different states. That goes for the cultivation houses as well.

Mayor Johansen remarked about the talk of the dangers of cannabis basically out on the street right now. What is going to be the difference after January 1 when these dispensaries open of the product compared to what is out on the street? Jon replied that the cultivation houses will have to get tested every two weeks. They have to send their results into the state and the state comes out and tests the opposite week, so almost every other week it is getting tested. In our proposal it is a bonus section we use a third party tester, so we are testing on top of the cultivation house is testing on top of what the state is testing. You are not getting a lot of the stuff out there today that you hear causes schizophrenia because it is laced with something. People aren’t dying from pot. Nobody has died from pot in 10,000 years. There is evidence of that. Has someone died from smoking a joint? Absolutely because it is laced with fentanyl. People are dying and they are arguing that they are dying from cannabis because of what it is laced with. People aren’t testing stuff on the street. That’s bad business for them because they are trying to get rid of product but this is from seed to sale. It’s tested at the cultivation center and then tested by the state and then tested once it is in the dispensary. No other industry has that type of testing, three tier testing before it actually gets into the consumers hands. So that’s different and that’s also how they can regulate where, say you have someone who has chronic back pain, they just want something low dosage. That is exactly how they can do it, because it is tested the level of THC. You have chronic back pain, you would normally go with this then. The pharmacy would give you a 100 pills and say take two a day until the pain is gone but this is regulated on actual THC levels of that and that’s how it is tested now and will be tested going forward. That is how medical marijuana is tested now.

Mayor Johansen asked if the dispensary will be held to the same standards as the medical marijuana dispensaries? Jon replies yes, they are all the same marijuana come January l. With that being tested there is a code so you can trace where it comes from and where it goes.

Alderman Colclasure wanted to know if it was 97% pure higher grade or something? Jon replied that it depended on what you are growing. If someone was having back pain or suffering from cerebral palsy, it focuses on the THC. Each plant is tested. It would be similar to corn yield. Different plots would have different yields. It is graded like that. It is tested and listed so we know it is. Whoever is selling also has to be certified by the State of Illinois so they know what they are selling and have ongoing education. The stuff that people are getting on the streets and getting sick from you are literally buying a bag or whatever it comes in. You have no idea what's in it. What we sell looks like medicine and has all the information on the package of what the levels are. It is actually telling you and showing you and people who are licensed by the State of Illinois are the workers there that have to pay the licensing, on going education and had to keep up on all their other licenses. There are multiple licenses that you can get. I just can’t hire you and on Monday you start working. You have to go through a number of different trainings to get licensed to do that. You can’t just walk in and start working there. That is one of the things to work there, you also have to get a background check, you also have to get fingerprinted and you also have to pay to get educated and registered by the state. And there has to be a certain amount of workers working in the facility, so it is not like you have one person working day and that is also regulated by the state. That is the same with liquor. If you are not in compliance with liquor they will shut you down. It is highly regulated.

Mayor Johansen reminded everyone that the Zoning Board of Appeals will meet November 18 and the council will wait for a decision by both committees.

Proclamation Nurse Practitioner Week (Dates Forthcoming)

Alderman Colclasure reminded the council that November 10-16, 2019 was National Nurse Practitioner Week and part of his role as public relations here he came up with a proclamation by the mayor proclaiming this week to be Nurse Practitioner Week. In essence we are recognizing the over 270,000 NPs in the United States, providing primary, acute and specialty care to patients of all ages and walks of life, and

Whereas, more than five decades of research demonstrates the high quality of care provided by NPs; and

Whereas, better utilization of NPs through modernized state laws and improved system policies creates better health through a more accessible, efficient, cost-effective and higher quality health care system; and

Whereas, 22 States, the District of Columbia, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands have implemented Full Practice Authority for NPs, granting patients full and direct access to the outstanding care offered by these health care providers; and

Whereas, leading governmental and policy entities including the National Academy of Medicine, National Council of State Boards of Nursing, National Governors Association and Federal Trade Commission have taken notice of the benefits of NP Full Practice Authority and have endorsed such a regulatory model; and

Whereas, The City of Lexington, Illinois is proud to recognize and honor the service of NPs in our state; and especially Jean-Marie Tyner, Nurse Practitioner, Advocate Medical Group, 307 West Main Street, Lexington, Illinois.

Be it Resolved, therefore, that I Spencer Johansen as Mayor of the City of Lexington, Illinois hereby declare November 10 - 16 2019, as National Nurse Practitioner Week in The City of LEXINGTON, ILLINOIS

PROCLAMATION

In recognition of the countless contributions NPs have made over the past half-century and will continue to make to the health and well-being of citizens in our state.

Motion was made by Alderman Colclasure and seconded by Alderwoman Wilson to approve the proclamation making Nurse Practitioner Week November 10-16, 2019. Motion carried unanimously.

Committee reports:

Mayor’s Report: Mayor Johansen had a Checkers update. He had been out there on Sunday and they were putting the ceiling tile in. They are waiting on the equipment. The question was asked if they are going to have breakfast. Mayor replied that the Checkers chain did not offer breakfast but they left it up to the owner and he is thinking about doing something out there. Kelly’s is open for breakfast now on Saturdays. Checkers is still planning to open around Thanksgiving.

Casey’s has had a question about their liquor license and he has sent them an application. He explained to them where we were at as far as the road goes and that we are working on something. They are moving forward with all their stuff. As he said at the last meeting, we have reviewed the plans and they were sent back. They have applied and paid for a building permit. Things look pretty positive there. He would like to say they are going to start construction tomorrow but unfortunately it will probably be spring or early summer.

Billie DuBois and Mayor Johansen went and looked at a leaf vac up at Chenoa. He would really like to look at doing something in next year's budget. They are quite expensive. Billy is getting some prices on some used ones. But if not, he would like to look at a bagging system where we supply the bags to the home owners and we pick them up. I think they come in rolls of 10. We give the homeowner 10 and then we schedule a day to pick them up. We do get complaints about the leaf burning. It is hard to breathe on some occasions when everybody is burning leaves. What we would do is like the recycling schedule for the garbage. If you are on that recycling schedule for that week that is when we would pick up for the leaves. We are still trying to work out the details. We talked about it last year and I would really like to consider it in next year's budget.

The question was asked what the city would do with the leaves. Mayor Johansen replied that ISU was willing to take them. They will use them for compost.

The question was asked how many days of the week did Chenoa use their vac or did they have a certain schedule. The answer was that they went out when there was leaves. Mayor Johansen did ask about using theirs but they have a smaller one and he felt we would have to go with something a little bigger. Billy is getting some prices on some used ones. He was hoping to try it out but it is getting too late in the year.

Police: Alderman Richard reported that there are four candidates for the part time police officer. They will have the interviews done by the next council meeting.

Building/Insurance: Alderman Franklin reported that the health insurance is in the process of being renewed with a 5% increase. We did get quotes from other carriers and they were quite a bit higher. On the lot on Cedar Street, we had to post that for sale. We had an offer already but we had to post it for sale.

Finance/TIF: Alderman Stover will be putting the levy together after we get that ordinance out. He has a couple of TIF related meetings that are going well.

Mayor Johansen says they are working with two different businesses coming to Lexington and he and Alderman Stover are working with them. They will know more in the next couple of weeks.

Water/Sewer/Sanitation: None

Street/Alley: Alderman Colclasure reported over the course of the last two weeks, the street department has devoted a great deal of time and resources in regards to the turning lane at P. J. Keller and Douglas Drive. In addition, reviewed the bids that have been received concerning the work that needs to be done out there. It is hopeful that some work can be done prior dependent upon weather conditions.

Preparations have been on-going to meet the expectations of a nasty winter and ensuring that the needed materials and equipment are ready to go when those events occur.

Some equipment has been repaired and stored away for spring and summer work. It should be noted that some of our rolling stock is nearing the end of its expected use and will need to be replaced. An example is a tractor that is approaching 15 years of age and should be replaced according to the replacement schedule.

There being no further business a motion was made by Alderman Franklin to adjourn at 7:55 p.m. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

https://www.lexingtonillinois.org/images/minutes_November_11_2019.pdf