McLean County Times

Village of Downs Board of Trustees met April 6.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

1. Mayor Mike James called the April 6, 2023, Regular Board of Trustees Meeting to Order at 7:00pm.

2. Roll Call was taken. Trustees present were Maureen Roach (via zoom), Anna Milliken, Peggy Keylin, Sarah Gassaway, Toby Twyford and Brian Warfel. There was a quorum to do business.

3. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

4. A Motion to Approve Agenda and Order was made by Keylin and seconded by Milliken. Approved 6-0

Discussion –

• Resolution 2023-R14 Authorizing and Approving the Law Enforcement Policies and Procedures for the Village of Downs Police Department was removed from Consent Agenda and moved into Old Business and no action will be taken on this item

5. Presentations

Liz Moss – Village resident wants chickens allowed in the village.

• Discussion through email with trustees and Moss was entered into public record. – See Exhibit B

• Her presentation was put into record – See Exhibit A

• Moss would like to allow the ability to own 6 hens and no roosters.

• She proposed a one-time fee for a special use license.

• A Facebook survey was conducted, and she only received one “no”.

• Gassaway stated some of the cons would be special use policing and they attract fox.

• James read a letter he received from the McLean Health Department. They are not in favor of having chickens in the county, citing disease as the main reason. – See Exhibit C

• James said various Mayors in the McLean County Mayors Association are from municipalities that allow chickens and they wished they hadn’t allowed it. Other Mayors indicated their villages are not interested in allowing it. No Mayor was for allowing chickens.

• Chief said is concerned with having the ability and staff to inspect chicken coops.

• Noise and smell complaints would fall into the nuisance section.

• Chief says we will need some time to figure this out.

• We contract our police services for Arrowsmith. They are against allowing chickens.

• Gassaway said buildings would make the coop inspections.

• Bloomington allows 4 hens per specific lot size. More chickens are allowed if the lot size is bigger. There are setbacks to the property.

Wil McNeeley- Eagle Scout Candidate.

• McNeely is doing his project at the Village Market.

• He is going to build a stage for entertainers during the market season.

• His projected cost is $2000-2500.

• The structure will be on skids so it can be moved.

• Mayor James signed off on his project

MLD benefit Jessica Miskulin and Lexi Worth

• Miskulin was the primary spokesperson for Lexi Worth who was unable to be in person.

• Worth is seeking out Dooley Park as a venue for the benefit.

• Years prior, the benefit was held at the Windjammer. This venue is not big enough and not family friendly.

• They are asking for a special use permit to sell alcohol in the park.

• Their event is scheduled for 8/19/2023 from 1-6pm.

• Keylin said we have had fundraisers in the park before and they have worked out well.

• The village would not need to obtain DRAM shop. The liquor provider would need to have that.

• The area with alcohol could be contained and sectioned off down at the basketball courts.

• If approved, James said he would be the one to issue special liquor license and would want a current liquor license holder within the village to handle all aspects of alcohol for the event.

6. Village Market Committee by Eric Thompson

• Thompson reported this year they would be having Fundraiser Levels.

• The Station and Busey Bank in Leroy are sponsors.

7. Events Committee Report

• James reported we had 88 people at the Easter Breakfast which was held at The Station.

• This year’s breakfast was probably the best one we have had.

• John Coontz, The Station owner, donated his time in cooking.

• We appreciate them helping us out.

• The egg hunt had 72 kids this year. That number was down. But the weather wasn’t ideal, and it was during Tri-Valley’s spring break.

8. Engineer & Development Report

1. Down Water Plant Improvements

• BNWRD approved a no-cost Connection Permit for the Village.

• The bidding schedule is below:

o Bid Advertisement March 22, 2023

o Pre-Bid Meeting April 19, 2023

o Bid Opening May 2, 2023

2. Downtown Streetscape and Parking Lots design

• Congressional funds from Congressman LaHood’s Office. Guidelines for the grant have been provided by the Department of Housing & Urban Development. MSA is reviewing the guidelines and sat in on the first webinar from HUD. The next steps for the funding are below:

o McLean County Highway Department Meeting

▪ MSA and the Village met with McLean Co HWD about timing, coordination and details relating to Seminary St. work.

▪ McLean Co HWD Seminary re-construction and re-surfacing to occur in 2024.

• Submit the grant agreement and required forms.

▪ Project scope/narrative and budget need to be finalized for agreement. (Complete)

• Finalize environmental review to HUD standards

▪ MSA has worked on an environmental review to IDOT standards.

▪ MSA is now starting HUD environmental permitting.

• Funding announcement is expected in the Spring of 2023.

3. Downs Crossing Watermain Extension

• James reported he has been filling out a bunch of documents for new timelines for phase one and phase two for the watermain extension and tower.

• They need Resolutions approved. However, they are not on the agenda.

• James asked for a Consent Resolution.

4. S. Lincoln and Colleen Lane Water and Sewer Extension

• Gasvoda & Associates is fabricating the pre-packaged Lift Station currently. Barnes pumps, Crane station, Gasvoda controls. MSA to update Village on shipping/delivery schedule.

• Hoerr Construction, Goodfield is providing a bid for the Lift Station install and direction drill costs for the Village.

5. S. Lincoln, Colleen Lane, and Hillard Court Road Projects – Nothing new to report.

6. Other Engineering or Development Updates - Nothing new to report.

9. Mayoral Report

• CIRA Opposition Resolution

o This is the 3rd time they have tried to sneak this through.

o CIRA is trying to abolish their 4% cap.

o They want to increase their boundaries (all of McLean County).

o McLean Co Mayor’s association is fighting this as they did back in 2017 and 2018.

o The expansion would increase our property taxes and provide a higher property tax cap

o This bill has passed the Senate. It is in the House, but they are in recess.

o James had a conversation with Rep Sharon Chung.

o She had asked them if they had held any Public Hearings, and they had not.

o She was not happy, and neither was Senator Koehler (Senate Bill sponsor).

o The majority of the ridership comes from outside McLean Co.

• IDOT response

o James met with IDOT at the village hall concerns about road and intersection concerns.

o All our concerns were denied.

o James asked about a potential roundabout in the downtown area. The request was denied. Citing there was not enough traffic even with Roanoke coming.

• Downs history

o James gave everyone a little history of Downs.

o 1867 Priceville was born after moving Delta to the top of hill and closer to the RR

o June 7, 1902 - Village of Downs became the new name after petition was filed in April of 1902. Changed from Priceville.

o Oct 28, 1916, 62 people of ~300 residents submitted petition to incorporate the Village of Downs into the State of IL

o Dec 19, 1916 - Court set election date of Jan 6, 1917, at the Knights of Pythias Hall in the village for approving the incorporation

o Jan 6, 1917 - It was voted by residents 53-33 to be incorporated into State of IL as the Village of Downs, which was certified on Feb 13, 1917

o March 26, 1917 - the court set the election date of April 17, 1917, for Village President, Clerk and 6 Trustees at the Knights of Pythias Hall from 7 am - 5pm

o April 17, 1917 - the first election for Village president, clerk and 6 trustees was held - J.D. Downs was Village President

o April 19, 1917 - the court declared J.D. Downs was elected President with 42 votes

o Fast forward to the year 2023. This year there was 140 votes for Village President.

10. Trustee Reports

1. Building Report

• Gassaway reported we approved 2 new building permits.

• We will have a couple commercial projects coming soon.

• The Kickapoo Tea Room will be opening soon.

• Gassaway said the building committee will need to meet. We need to make changes to the inspection process.

2. Water and Sewer Report

• The public works department finished hydrant flushing.

• The office staff is researching a notification service.

• There was a water main fix on N. Gadwall.

• We used a hydrovac machine. The bill is $600.

• Frontier is putting in fiber. James is making sure we protect our utilities as much as possible.

• Our chlorine water samples went missing in January. We had issues with PACE. We will have to send out another notification.

• They were experiencing employee turnover and they didn’t mail our bottles to collect samples.

3. Police Report

• Training is going well with Officer Thornton.

• The department is alternating hours of operation.

• They had 2 fraud cases.

• There was a cruelty to animals case last month.

4. Streets Reports

• Streets department had a culvert inspection.

• Summer mowing started today.

• They are working on doing street repairs and fixing pot holes.

• They would like to make a couple of machine purchases in the next year (spray patch machine and sprayer).

5. Parks, Community Center and Food Pantry Report

• The electric stove has been installed in the pavilion along with a 220 volt power line to serve it.

• Trimming, pruning, and flower bed clearing have been done in Dooley and Kickapoo Parks. We’ll be planting flowers and bushes this month. We’re cleaning the pavilion and clearing out the storage shed. We’re clearing brush around the Huff Street entrance to Kickapoo Park.

• We’re looking for a more secure type of garbage can at that entrance to stop people from dumping. We discussed possible sites, designs, and materials for a stage sponsored mainly by a gift from the Girl Scouts. This would be a great Eagle Scout project.

• We made plans for our upcoming Earth Day Breakfast Fundraiser set for Saturday, April 22 from 7-10 am in Dooley Park Pavilion. We went over menu supply needs and talked about coverage of cooking and activities.

• We’ll offer a “Build a Bird Feeder” activity for kids of all ages and have informational flyers and posters featuring DIY non-toxic cleaning products and local recycle-reuse opportunities. We hope to have a survey to see how residents “go green” in Downs. The committee discussed having speakers during the event. We hope to have speakers talk about residential solar panel experiences, residential solar panel installation, and, possibly, getting local energy from solar farms.

• We’re researching several topics: heat pump size, price, and compatibility for replacing the furnace and air conditioner in the Food Pantry, information on how to apply for U.S. Forest Service Grants to help with debris removal in Kickapoo Park, and types of bushes that would work as a fence row in our growing zone.

• The Food Pantry plans on distributing 20 special Easter boxes this month. The weekly backpack program that is a collaboration between the Pantry and Tri Valley Honor Society will continue till the end of the school year.

• We remember and honor Lenny Jones, a great Pantry volunteer, who passed recently. He generously gave his time, labor, and good humor to help the Pantry meet its goals. He will be greatly missed.

6. Finance and Services Report

• BTP

o There are several “not to exceed line items” on the BTP.

o Our annual legal fees bill is on the BTP. Wall said it was higher this year because of the work she put in on the Roanoke Concrete case.

o There is a bill for the work done on the Public Safety building for the water heater’s electrical.

o Funds transfers

o Utility Services bills for the water tower rehab project

o TIF payment to Tri-Valley

• Budget

o The General fund

▪ Donations was adjusted to $750.

o Water fund

▪ The Utility Services bill was removed as a potential expenditure in FY24.

▪ The hydrovac machine was added to budget 60/40 to water/sewer.

o MFT fund

▪ The IDOT resolution is on the agenda for tonight.

o Streets fund

▪ The possible purchase of a spray patch machine was added.

o All funds has deficit of $220,000.

o FY2023 budget revisions

▪ We are getting a significant amount of interest in our accounts.

▪ Taxes are all coming in higher.

▪ Legal fees went up $10k. The overage is from the Roanoke Concrete lawsuit.

▪ Insurance was higher because we had to pay the overage of workman’s compensation.

▪ Employee compensation was higher because we added full time employee.

▪ ARPA was just one payment.

▪ Utilities went up in the water fund.

o Bakewell said we will be meeting with a lady from the State to help us with records management review.

11. Discussion

1. Other

o James said we have been installing more cameras in the village. There is another camera in the billing office, inside and outside of the public works building.

12. Public Comment

o There were several comments on Zoom that were pro chickens in the village.

13. A Motion to Approve Items Contained within the Consent Agenda was made by Twyford and seconded by Gassaway. Approved 6-0

14. A Motion to Approve Consent Agenda was made by Twyford and seconded by Gassaway. Approved 6-0

1. Motions

a. Motion to Approve the March 9, 2023, Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Minutes

b. Motion to Approve Village of Downs Regular Board of Trustees Meeting Location, Dates and Time for FY2024

c. Motion to Approve Village of Downs Regular Parks Committee Meeting Location, Dates and Time for FY2024

d. Motion to Approve Donation to the McLean County Show Bus of $150 

2. Ordinance

a. Ordinance 2023-09 Approving the Revised FY2023 Budget Under the Budget System for the Village of Downs

b. Ordinance 2023-10 Approving the FY2024 Budget Under the Budget System for the Village of Downs

3. Resolutions

a. Resolution 2023-R11 Authorizing and Approving the FY2024 Proposed Program for Maintenance of Streets and Highways

b. Resolution 2023-R14 Authorizing and Approving the Law Enforcement Policies and Procedures for the Village of Downs Police Department – Removed from Consent Agenda

15. New Business

1. Motions

a. A Motion to Approve Appointment of Julie James as Village Clerk to Serve a Term to Expire 4/30/2025 was made by Gassaway and seconded by Warfel. Approved 6-0

b. A Motion to Approve Donation to the Baby Fold of $500 was made by Keylin and seconded by Milliken. Approved 6-0

Discussion – We will donate at the Contributor level and will be listed as a donor and get a sponsorship sign.

2. Ordinances

3. Resolutions

a. A motion to approve Resolution 2023-R14 Opposing the Proposition to Expand the Funding Base of the Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority to Include McLean County and the Village of Downs was made by Twyford and seconded by Warfel. Approved 6-0

b. A motion to approve Resolution 2023-R16 Authorizing and Approving the Amended Development Agreement Between the Village of Downs and Roanoke Concrete Co. for the Project Located at S. Lincoln and Colleen Lane in the Village of Downs, Illinois was made by Gassaway and seconded by Warfel. Approved 5-1 (Keylin)

16. Old Business – There was no action in Old Business.

1. Motion to Reconvene the Village of Downs Regular Board of Trustees Meeting on _____________ @ 7 pm at the Village Hall

2. Resolution 2023-R__ Authorizing and Approving Intergovernmental Agreement Between Tri-Valley School District and the Village of Downs

3. Resolution 2023-R__ Authorizing and Approving Agreement Between PJ Hoerr, INC. and the Village of Downs for Directional Boring

4. Resolution 2023-R14 Authorizing and Approving the Law Enforcement Policies and Procedures for the Village of Downs Police Department – Removed from Consent Agenda

17. A Motion to Approve Payment of Bills was made by Gassaway and seconded by Twyford. Approved 6-0

18. Motion to Enter Executive Session – Executive Session was not entered.

19. Action on Executive Session Items – There was no action.

20. Other Business

• Keylin thanked everyone for help and advice over these years.

21. A Motion to Adjourn at 9:59pm was made by Gassaway and seconded by Warfel. Approved 6-0

https://media.rainpos.com/1071/Meeting_minutes_2023_04_06.pdf