Donna Boelen, Mayor Pro Tem - Ward 2 Council Member | City of Bloomington
Donna Boelen, Mayor Pro Tem - Ward 2 Council Member | City of Bloomington
City of Bloomington Township Board of Trustees met Oct. 28.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The Board of Trustees for the Town of the City of Bloomington convened in regular session in the Government Center Boardroom at 5:30 P.M., Monday, October 28, 2024. The meeting was called to order by Trustee Mwilambwe who led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Roll Call
| Attendee Name | Title | Status |
| Mboka Mwilambwe | Trustee, Chair | Present |
| Jenna Kearns | Trustee | Present |
| Donna Boelen | Trustee | Present, Remote |
| Sheila Montney | Trustee | Present |
| John Danenberger | Trustee | Present |
| Nick Becker | Trustee | Present |
| Cody Hendricks | Trustee | Present |
| Mollie Ward | Trustee | Present |
| Kent Lee | Trustee | Absent |
| Tom Crumpler | Trustee | Present |
Trustee Ward made a motion, seconded by Trustee Becker, to allow the virtual attendance of Trustee Boelen due to illness.
Trustee Mwilambwe directed the clerk to call roll:
AYES: Mwilambwe; Kearns; Montney; Danenberger; Becker; Hendricks; Ward; Crumpler Motion carried.
Trustee Ward joined the meeting at 5:32 P.M.
Public Comment
No in-person or emailed public comment was received.
Consent Agenda
Items listed on the Consent Agenda are approved with one motion; Items pulled from the Consent Agenda for discussion are listed and voted on separately.
Trustee Hendricks made a motion, seconded by Trustee Danenberger, to approve the Consent Agenda.
Item 5.A. Consideration and Action to Approve the Minutes of the September 23, 2024, Regular Session of the City of Bloomington Township Board Meeting, as requested by the Township Clerk. (Recommended Motion: The proposed Minutes be approved.)
Item 5.B. Consideration and Action to Certify the September 2024 Statement of Funds for the General Town Administration Fund, General Assistance Fund, and Cemetery Fund, as requested by the Township Supervisor. (Recommended Motion: The September 2024 Statement of Funds be certified.)
Item 5.C. Consideration and Action to Approve the October 28, 2024, General Town Fund Request for Payment, as requested by the Township Supervisor. (Recommended Motion: The October 28, 2024, Request for Payment be approved.)
Trustee Mwilambwe directed the clerk to call roll:
AYES: Mwilambwe; Kearns; Boelen; Montney; Danenberger; Becker; Hendricks; Ward; Crumpler
Motion carried.
Regular Agenda
The following item was presented:
Item 6.A. Consideration and Action to Finalize and Set an Ordinance for Compensation for the Township's Elected Officials, including the Township Board of Trustees, as requested by the City of Bloomington Township.
Trustee Mwilambwe gave a brief overview of the Ordinance and procedures.
Trustee Crumpler made a motion to approve Year One of Next Term, May 1, 2025 - April 30, 2026, be increased by 2.5% for Township Supervisor and Year One of Next Term, January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026, be increased by 2.5% for Township Assessor.
Motion died due to lack of a second.
Trustee Montney expressed her appreciation for the compensation discussions. She commented on the compensation rates of other municipalities and other opportunities for efficiency. She was hesitant to set an increase as over the past few years, the Board sought opportunities to explore alternative options and resource sharing.
Trustee Montney made a motion, seconded by Trustee Hendricks, to keep the compensation rates flat with no increase for Year One of the term for both positions.
Trustee Hendricks echoed Trustee Montney’s comments on the compensation rates of other areas and opportunities for expansion of the roles.
Assessor Scudder and Trustee Hendricks discussed the efficiencies maintained by the Township and opportunities to reduce costs.
Supervisor Skillrud clarified the 2.5% increase would be over the average of the past three years.
Trustee Mwilambwe and Assessor Scudder discussed the increased salary costs of supervised staff due to employee turnover.
Trustee Hendricks and Assessor Scudder discussed a stipend bonus if certain metrics were met annually.
Trustees Montney and Mwilambwe and Supervisor Skillrud further discussed rate increases and procedures.
Trustee Boelen commented to the total compensation of the positions.
Trustee Mwilambwe confirmed with Supervisor Skillrud that the rate was kept flat for the past two terms.
Trustee Ward expressed her belief that the salary increase for non-elected employees did not contribute to the current discussion. Assessor Scudder expressed his belief that the staff could be paid more than the elected Township officials who supervised them.
Trustee Mwilambwe directed the clerk to call roll:
AYES: Kearns; Boelen; Montney; Danenberger; Becker; Hendricks; Ward
NAYES: Crumpler; Mwilambwe
Motion carried.
Item 6.B. Consideration and Action to Finalize and Set an Ordinance for Compensation for the Township's Elected Officials, including the Township Board of Trustees, as requested by the City of Bloomington Township.
Trustee Montney further expressed interest in keeping the rates flat.
Trustee Montney made a motion, seconded by Trustee Becker, to keep the compensation rates flat with no increase for Year Two of the term for both positions.
Trustee Mwilambwe directed the clerk to call roll:
AYES: Kearns; Boelen; Montney; Danenberger; Becker; Hendricks; Ward; Crumpler
NAYES: Mwilambwe
Motion carried.
Item 6.C. Consideration and Action to Finalize and Set an Ordinance for Compensation for the Township's Elected Officials, including the Township Board of Trustees, as requested by the City of Bloomington Township.
Trustee Hendricks made a motion, seconded by Trustee Montney, to keep the compensation rates flat with no increase for Year Three of the term for both positions.
Trustee Mwilambwe directed the clerk to call roll:
AYES: Kearns; Boelen; Montney; Danenberger; Becker; Hendricks; Ward; Crumpler
NAYES: Mwilambwe
Motion carried.
Item 6.D. Consideration and Action to Finalize and Set an Ordinance for Compensation for the Township's Elected Officials, including the Township Board of Trustees, as requested by the City of Bloomington Township.
Trustee Hendricks made a motion, seconded by Trustee Montney, to keep the compensation rates flat with no increase for Year Four of the term for both positions.
Trustee Mwilambwe directed the clerk to call roll:
AYES: Kearns; Boelen; Montney; Danenberger; Becker; Hendricks; Ward; Crumpler
NAYES: Mwilambwe
Motion carried.
Item 6.E. Consideration and Action to Extend the Contract with Soaring Eagle Cleaning Services, LLC as the Township Building Cleaning Services for Calendar Years 2025 and 2026, as requested by the City of Bloomington Township.
Trustee Boelen made a motion, seconded by Trustee Becker, to approve the Item as presented.
Trustee Mwilambwe directed the clerk to call roll:
AYES: Kearns; Boelen; Montney; Danenberger; Becker; Hendricks; Ward; Crumpler; Mwilambwe
Motion carried.
Item 6.F. Consideration and Action to Approve the Estimated Fiscal Year 2025 Tax Levy for Tax Year 2024, as requested by the Township Supervisor.
Trustee Boelen made a motion, seconded by Trustee Montney, to approve the Estimated Fiscal Year 2025 Tax Levy for Tax Year 2024 of $2,351,600.
Trustee Mwilambwe directed the clerk to call roll:
AYES: Kearns; Boelen; Montney; Danenberger; Becker; Hendricks; Ward; Crumpler; Mwilambwe
Motion carried.
Reports by Elected Officials
The following item was presented:
Item 7.A. Presentation and Discussion of the Township Supervisor's Report, as requested by the City of Bloomington Township.
Supervisor Skillrud reported an incident where gas was smelled in the server room that was resolved after Nicor Gas arrived.
Item 7.B. Presentation and Discussion of the Township Assessor's Report, as requested by the City of Bloomington Township.
Assessor Scudder reported the County Board of Review would be on November 15, 2024. He shared where residents could find complaint forms on the County website for assessment relief if they did not agree with the market value of their property.
Adjournment
Trustee Hendricks made a motion, seconded by Trustee Ward, to adjourn the meeting. Trustee Mwilambwe directed the clerk to call roll:
AYES: Kearns; Boelen; Montney; Danenberger; Becker; Hendricks; Ward; Crumpler; Mwilambwe
Motion carried (viva voce).
The Meeting Adjourned at 5:58 PM.
https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/cityblm/a6e0290c-5bc4-11ee-ae13-0050569183fa-25f8393c-f902-415c-9a53-6de9db1e0779-1732286603.pdf
Alerts Sign-up