Village of Dwight Board of Trustees met March 14.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
PRESENT: Paul Johnson, Village President; Marla Kinkade, Trustee; Randy Irvin, Trustee; Jenny Johnson, Trustee; Chuck Butterbrodt, Trustee; and Pete Meister, Trustee
ABSENT: Justin Eggenberger, Trustee
Other Village Officials in Attendance: Kevin McNamara, Village Administrator; Police Chief Mike Nolan, EMS Chief Mike Callahan, Austin Haacke, Finance Director, Cory Scoles, Sara Tutterow and Whitney Scott, Village Clerk
Village President Paul Johnson called the meeting to order at 6:30PM and asked for a Roll Call. EMS Chief Michael Callahan and Chief of Police Michael Nolan were sworn in by the Village Clerk.
The Village Board Minutes from February 28, 2022 were presented for approval. Trustee Kinkade made a motion, with a second from Trustee Butterbrodt, to approve the minutes as submitted. Roll call. All voted aye. Motion carries, 5-0.
FINANCIAL REPORTS
Payment of the March 14, 2022, bills in the amount of $116,462.71 were presented for payment from the various funds. Trustee Johnson made a motion, with a second from Trustee Kinkade, to pay the bills as submitted. Roll call. All voted aye. Motion carries, 5-0.
Finance Director Austin Haacke presented a Fund Transfer request of $196,476.00 from the General Fund (01) to the Water Fund (51) for the purpose of transferring ARPA Funds to cover qualified infrastructure Repairs (breakdown immediately following) Trustee Kinkade made a motion, with a second from Trustee Meister to transfer the funds as requested. Roll call. All voted aye. Motion carries, 5-0.
• $34,500.00 Riser Downtown Tank
• $20,800.00 Media Removal Filtration Plant
• $8,669.00 Filtration Plant Sand Removal
• $9,600.00 Nozzle Replacement Filtration Plant
• $10,246.00 6PPV Clay Valve
• $27,400.00 Water Treatment Filter Vessel
• $39,545.00 Replace Air Wash Headers/Laterals
• $45,716.00 Media Installation
Finance Director Austin Haacke also presented a Fund Transfer request of $11,000.00 from the General Fund (01) to the Sewer Fund (52) for the purpose of transferring ARPA Funds to cover qualified Infrastructure Repairs; $11,000.00 Manhole Repair at Mazon Ave and Chicago St. Trustee Kinkade made a motion, with a second from Trustee Johnson to transfer the funds as requested. Roll call. All voted aye. Motion carries, 5-0.
PUBLIC FORUM:
Christian Kobel addressed the board, inquiring if there was any update on the status of the St. Louis Street repairs. President Johnson thanked him for the inquiry and confirmed that the Village had just received Distribution Payment #5 from IDOT, and that the Village is waiting final approval from IDOT before it goes out to bid. He assured Mr. Kobel that this work is still scheduled to be completed in the FY23 Budget.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT:
President Johnson reported that he and Kevin, as well as Cory and Sara, are working on several grants. President Johnson is working on the RAISE Grant, and recently met with Ryan Hansen and Adam Dontz to ensure the Village is carefully planning infrastructure, including roadways, as well as water and sewer needs. He also has a meeting Thursday morning with the North Central Illinois Council of Governments (NCICG) to discuss how the Village could qualify and utilize any available grants that are 100% funded for rural communities. President Johnson also advised that Village Administrator Kevin McNamara is working with Sara Tutterow and Cory Scoles on a Sewer Grant from USEDA Economic and a grant from USEPA to reduce lead services and Wastewater Treatment Efficiency Plans.
President Johnson also confirmed that Congressman Adam Kinzinger advised that the Village would be awarded $250,000 for a new ambulance.
VILLAGE REPORTS:
Village Administrator Kevin McNamara advised that the E-911 Board would be meeting Wednesday, March 16, and that he hoped to have updated rates to share with Odell after this meeting.
Public Works Director Cory Scoles said that they had begun clean-up work on the Gooseberry Creek near the old root beer stand. They also received the park mower back, with a new motor, and it’s running great. Cory shared a reminder that stick pick-up begins April 1st and that his crew has already started spring clean-up for Renfrew Park. Cory also said that a new backstop had been installed at the baseball diamond in Renfrew Park. Cory also advised that the interviews for the three new Public Works Employees will be completed by the end of March.
EMS Chief Callahan shared call totals for February. He also stated that both ambulances were running all month, expressing his thanks to Coleman & Son Garage, and confirmed numbers for mutual aid provided and mutual aid received. Callahan confirmed that he was able to replace the AED Machine in the hallway with Grant funds and that he’s finalizing the ComEd Grant Paperwork for ballistics vests and will have that submitted prior to the March 25, 2022, deadline.
Police Chief Nolan advised that police testing had begun last week; there were 29 applicants, with 12 taking the physical testing and then 8 taking the written portion. He confirmed that they’re now down to 5 candidates for interviews. PTI training is scheduled to begin April 24th, 2022.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS:
ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE COMMITTEE met March 8, 2022, at 5:30 pm
PRESENT: Village President Paul Johnson, Trustees Irvin, Johnson, Meister and Butterbrodt Other Village Officials in Attendance: Kevin McNamara, Mike Nolan, Gary Beier, Michael Callahan, Cory Scoles, Sara Tutterow, Austin Haacke, Whitney Scott
Village President Paul Johnson called the meeting to order at 5:30PM. and asked for a Roll Call. The purpose of the meeting was to continue the review the proposed budget for April 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023.
An increase to the Ambulance billing to $1,900.00 per call across the board was discussed. Trustee Irvin made a motion, with a second from Trustee Johnson, to recommend to the Board increasing the ambulance billing to $1,900.00 per call effective April 1, 2022.
Trustee Irvin made a motion, with a second from Trustee Kinkade, to increase the ambulance billing to $1,900.00 per call. Roll call. All voted aye. Motion carries, 5-0.
The committee discussed Retiree Medical Insurance Options and Health Savings Accounts. Trustee Butterbrodt made a motion, with a second from Trustee Irvin, to recommend to the board that a self funded Health Savings Account be established for all Village Employees. Roll call. All voted aye.
Trustee Kinkade made a motion, with a second from Trustee Butterbrodt, to establish a self-funded Health Savings Account for all Village Employees. Roll call. All voted aye. Motion carries, 5-0.
Trustee Irvin made a motion, with a second from Trustee Meister, to recommend to the board that an additional Retiree Medical option for an HSA be added. Retirees meeting the necessary qualifications (both age and years of service) would have a one-time option to choose to have the maximum eligible contribution at retirement age deposited to an HSA each month from the date of Retirement until Medicare, in place of the Village paying the employer-paid portion of insurance towards carrying the Village insurance from date of Retirement until Medicare age. Roll call. All voted aye.
Trustee Butterbrodt made a motion, with a second from Trustee Johnson, to add the additional Retiree Medical Option for an HSA as outlined above. Roll call. All voted aye. Motion carries, 5-0.
Water/Sewer Rates for the 2022 – 2023 FY were reviewed, and it was unanimously agreed to follow the existing ordinance, increasing the rates 5% for the 2023 FY.
230 ILCS 40 Section 65 Video Gaming License Renewal Fees were reviewed, the state statute has changed to allow non-home rule communities to increase video gaming terminal licenses from the current $25 up to $250 maximum. Trustee Irvin made a motion, with a second from Trustee Butterbrodt, to recommend to the Board that the Video Gaming License Fees be increased $250 per terminal. Roll Call. All voted aye.
Trustee Kinkade made a motion, with a second from Trustee Irvin, to increase the Video Gaming License Fee to $250 per terminal. Roll call. All voted aye. Motion carries, 5-0.
Funding and the need for the Village ESDA Department was questioned. After discussion the Committee recommends disbanding the village ESDA Department effective April 1, 2022. All voted aye
Trustee Kinkade made a motion, with a second from Trustee Irving, to disband the Village ESDA Department effective April 1, 2022. Roll call. All voted aye. Motion carries.
Cory Scoles asked to clarify the Salaries budget for the Street & Alley department; stating that Public Works is needing to hire three new employees; with the loss of one employee last fall, and the upcoming retirement of another in April, and his position not filled last spring. Austin Haacke advised that the current budget only reflected replacing the two employees. Increasing the budget to account for a third employee was discussed. Trustee Meister made a motion, with a second from Trustee Butterbrodt that the proposed budget be increased to allow for three new Public Works employees to be hired. Roll call. All voted aye.
Trustee Johnson made a motion, with a second from Trustee Meister, to increase the proposed budget and allow for three new Public Works employees to be hired. Roll call. All voted aye. Motion carries, 5- 0.
The Committee further discussed the hiring process and determined that for any regular staffing needs, the Village Administrator along with the Department Director and Committee Director be directly involved in the interviewing process, with Mayor Johnson and any additional trustees being invited as “optional attendee” so as not to slow down the hiring process trying to accommodate schedules. It was clarified that any Director position would be interviewed by the full board.
The final item of business was discussion of the 2022 – 2023 Liquor License Renewals and Fees. The Village Clerk explained that she had mistakenly sent the wrong discounted pricing schedule out with the original renewal applications – not realizing that the 2021-2022 rates had been adjusted for several classes to reflect impacts of COVID Restrictions. The Clerk sent an updated Renewal Letter, apologizing for the error, with the correct pricing schedule.
The committee discussed Rhonda Branz’s request for a partial reimbursement on a pro-rated schedule, for her 2021 – 2022 Liquor License, as she didn’t receive it until January 18th, 2022, and didn’t realize it was scheduled to expire March 31, 2022, until after she had already paid for it. It was also determined that Rhonda had paid the full $1,100 for the permit, rather than the discounted rate of $550 that all other Class C License paid in renewal fees. The Committee determined that License Fees are not pro rated, but that the Village should refund $550 to her. Trustee Butterbrodt made a motion, with a second from Trustee Johnson, to recommend to the board that a $550 refund be issued to Rhonda Branz / Dwight Pizza & More. Roll call. Trustees Irvin and Meister abstained, Trustees Johnson and Butterbrodt, as well as President Johnson approved. 3-0-2
Trustee Kinkade made a motion, with a second from Trustee Butterbrodt to refund $550.00 to Rhonda Branz / Dwight Pizza & More. Roll call. Trustees Meister and Irvin abstained, Trustees Kinkade and Butterbrodt, as well as President Johnson to ensure a majority vote, approved. Motion carries, 3-0-2.
Trustee Irvin made a motion, with a second from Trustee Butterbrodt to adjourn the meeting at 7:06 pm. All voted aye.
ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE COMMITTEE met March 14, 2022, at 5:00 pm
PRESENT: Village President Paul Johnson, Trustees Irvin, Johnson, Meister, Kinkade and Butterbrodt Other Village Officials in Attendance: Kevin McNamara, Mike Nolan, Michael Callahan, Cory Scoles, Sara Tutterow, Austin Haacke, Whitney Scott
Village President Paul Johnson called the meeting to order at 5:30PM. and asked for a Roll Call. Village Administrator Kevin McNamara advised that the IEPA Loan Program is scheduled to close soon and that if the Village is interested in applying, the funding nomination form is due March 31, 2022. The Committee discussed the Wastewater Plant Project, estimated at $5 Million, and the West Side Sewer Interceptor Project, estimated at approximately $2.2 Million. Kevin also confirmed that there is no obligation to accept the funds if the loan is approved, especially if these projects are awarded grants. The current rates are at 1.1% for either a 20- or 30-year term. Trustee Kinkade made a motion, with a second from Trustee Meister, to recommend the Board submits the Funding Nomination paperwork. Roll Call. All approved.
Trustee Kinkade made a motion, with a second from Trustee Irvin, to submit the necessary Funding Nomination Paperwork. Roll call. All approved. Motion carries, 5-0.
President Johnson confirmed that Phoenix Investors had purchased the LSC property. President Johnson explained that the Board would need to have future discussions regarding adding the property to a TIF. Village Personnel Policy updates were reviewed. The Committee reviewed the Probationary Period and unanimously agreed to increase the probationary period from six (6) months to twelve (12) months effective immediately.
Trustee Kinkade made a motion, with a second from Trustee Butterbrodt, to increase the probationary period from six (6) months to twelve (12) months for all new employees, effective immediately. Roll call. All voted aye. Motion carries, 5-0.
The Employee Reimbursement Policy was also reviewed. Trustee Kinkade made a motion, with a second from Trustee Meister, to revise APPENDIX C and D, Police Officer and Employee Reimbursement Policies, Sections 2 and 4, from twelve (12) months to 24 months. All voted aye.
Trustee Johnson made a motion, with a second from Trustee Meister, to amend the Appendix C and D, Police Officer and Employee Reimbursement Sections 2 and 4, from twelve (12) months to 24 months. Roll call. All voted aye. Motion carries, 5-0.
The Committee then continued the review the proposed budget for April 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023. President Johnson advised that future budget discussions should include cannabis dispensaries and gaming cafes as potential new revenue sources.
The Committee discussed the need for a new squad car for the Police Department and it was determined that because there is an 8-month minimum waitlist, this expense would be removed from the 2022-2023 Budget and moved to next year’s budget.
The Committee also discussed increasing wages for non-union Village Employees. A 2.5% raise for those 8 employees was unanimously approved and the budget numbers will be updated for the next review. The Committee also discussed increasing the wages (pay scales and steps) for Public Works employees; Kevin, Austin, Sara, and Cory will review and provide updated numbers for the next budget review meeting.
With no further new business, the Committee unanimously agreed to adjourn the meeting at 6:10PM.
OLD BUSINESS:
None
NEW BUSINESS:
Tina Butterbrodt submitted a request on behalf of “CHAMPS” St. Jude Run Team to host a Bucket Brigade at the Intersection of Rt. 47 & 17 on April 29th from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm and April 30th from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon. Trustee Johnson made a motion, with a second from Trustee Kinkade, to approve the request. Roll Call. Trustee Butterbrodt abstained, Trustees Irvin, Johnson, Kinkade and Meister approved. Motion carries, 4-0-1.
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
Trustee Kinkade made a motion, with a second from Trustee Meister, to enter into executive session at 7:20 PM to discuss Section 2(c)(1) Personnel and Section 2(c)(2) Collective Bargaining.
The Board came out of Executive Session and re-entered Open Session at 7:39 PM.
From executive session discussions, Trustee Irvin made a motion, with a second from Trustee Johnson, to terminate Brandon Tenerelli, effective immediately, for violation of Village/Department Policies. Roll call. All voted aye. Motion carries, 5-0.
Trustee Kinkade made a motion, with a second from Trustee Irvin, to approve the proposed amendments to the 3-Year Collective Bargaining Agreement with Metropolitan Alliance of Police, Dwight Police Chapter #636. Roll call. All voted aye. Motion carries, 5-0.
Finding no further new business, President Johnson asked for a motion to adjourn. A motion to adjourn was made by Trustee Johnson, with a second from Trustee Kinkade to adjourn the meeting at 7:41 PM, all voted aye.
http://www.dwightillinois.org/Board%20Minutes/2022/VBM-22-03-14.pdf
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