Galesburg Reporter

Village Williamsfield Village Board met May 6.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

The Williamsfield Village Board met in regular session on May 6, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. in the Village Hall. Present were Trustee Connie Wight and President Lee Wight until new officers were sworn in, Trustees Trudy Self, Stanley King, Ryan Smith, and Stuart Hickerson. Also present were Mickey Gray and Matt Tonkin. Trustee Pam Courson was absent. Also present were Susan and Mark Ott, Abby Ott, Jim Blake, Jordan Newell, LuAnn Smith, Teresa Doubet, Treasurer Mary Rice, Tom Rice (R/O Plant), Village Clerk Tori Courson. Chief Robertson joined the meeting part-way through.

Motion by Trustee Self and seconded by Trustee Smith to approve the minutes of the April 2019 meeting as presented with the exception of the edited water rate increase of out of town residents for minimum charge/first 1,000 gallons $48.25 instead of $52.25. Roll Call Vote - Self-yes; C. Wight- yes; King-yes; Smith-yes; Hickerson-yes. All in favor. Motion carried.

Village Clerk Tori Courson swore in newly elected and re-elected Officials: new President Matt Tonkin, continuing Trustee Self, new Trustee Gray and continuing Trustee Smith. The Board thanks Lee and Connie Wight for the time they served as Trustees.

New Bills: The following bills were presented for approval.

Motion by Trustee Smith and seconded by Trustee Gray to approve the new bills as presented. Roll Call Vote - Self-yes; Gray-yes; King-yes; Smith-yes; Hickerson-yes. All in favor. Motion carried.

President Tonkin reviewed financial statements for the month. All were in order. Motion by Trustee Gray and seconded by Trustee Smith to approve the financial statements. Roll Call Vote - Self-yes; Gray-yes; King-yes; Smith-yes; Hickerson-yes. All in favor. Motion carried.

Public Comment- Luann Smith and Teresa Doubet representing the Parks Association presented the Board with plans and upgrades to Veteran's Park with a "railroad" theme. Some changes include replacing the bandstand with a new pavilion like the old railroad depot, cut down the dead Ash trees, put up park benches, trees and a caboose that is currently up for bid at Peoria Parks District. The Board discussed the pros and cons; stating there would be concerned residents if the bandstand were to be torn down and not replaced; there were some suggestions of having parts of the bandstand preserved and used in the new pavilion. Trustee Gray voiced his concerned with getting the monument plaques updated as there are inaccuracies and incomplete information. The Parks Association stated the Village would only be financially responsible for taking down the dead Ash trees which had been estimated at $2,100. Motion by Trustee Hickerson and seconded by Trustee Self to support the Park Association in putting a bid on the caboose and then later discussing updates to Veteran's Park. Roll Call Vote - Self-yes; Gray- yes; King-yes; Smith-yes; Hickerson-yes. All in favor. Motion carried.

Correspondence-The Williamsfield Library sent the Village a thank you for the donation for the Easter Egg Hunt.

Street Report-Trustee Smith stated they are installing a new ditch on Gale Street to help with drainage. The sidewalk may also need to be raised to help with drainage. Trustee Smith hasn't heard when West Gale Street water/sewer break will be cleaned up. He said the Maintenance Department might have to move forward with the cleanup. Most streets will not get rocked and chipped this summer because of the streets getting ripped up during the water line update. They will focus on potholes, sidewalks and the road that leads to the cemetery.

Police Report- Chief Robertson has been working on unsightly properties. The following calls for service were handled by the police department for the month of April:

Park Report-There was lots of activity in the park during April. They discussed ideas for improvements at Veteran's Park; the donor board is ready to be put up at Doubet-Benjamin Park. The high school will hold their Spring Music Concert in Veteran's Park on May 17 at 6:30. Due to weather, the Julie Strom Frisbee Toss was postponed until May 18th • The Parks Association work day will be held June 1. They will mulch, paint the mini golf hut, clean flower beds, sow more wild flower seed in the butterfly garden, put more river rock at the bridge area and paint the railings on the gazebo. The Spoon River Shootout disc golf tournament will be held June 9th

Water Report-Tom Rice stated Russell Galbreath has started to put the tin on the water house.

Maintenance Department-Trustee King stated they have been mowing, replacing belts and sharping blades on the mowers.

Old Business- Jordan Newell representing Massie and Quick LLC is in attendance regarding the Ott/Village Land Swap in executive session. Big Trash cleanup day will be May 10th and the paint and electronic recycle day will be held on June 1st. The food pantry passed the last inspection and is projected to be open in 2-3 weeks.

New Business-Chief Roberston asked for a $2 an hour rate increase for the 6 Village Police Officers that have been at the same rate for 4 1⁄2 years. There was $22,000 budgeted for their wages for 2019-2020 year; James stated he would stay under budget. Since James took over as Chief, he and his co- workers have brought in $11,600 in revenue for the Village. Motion by Trustee King and Trustee Gray to increase the police staff wages $2 an hour. Roll Call Vote - Self-yes; Gray-yes; King-yes; Smith-yes; Hickerson-yes. All in favor. Motion carried.

CPS Sidewalk repair gave an estimate of $700 to repair sidewalks on Gale and Poplar Streets. There is $24,700 in Motor Fuel Tax that can be used to repair or replace sidewalks since chipping and tarring the roads will be minimal. The sidewalk near the school needs attention.

Motion by Trustee Gray, seconded by Trustee Smith to go into executive session with Jordan Newell at 8:40 pm to discuss the Ott/Village land swap. All in favor.

Motion to exit executive session at 9:09pm by Trustee Smith and seconded by Trustee Hickerson.

Motion by Trustee Smith to return to regular session and seconded by Trustee Self.

Motion by Trustee Smith to hold a Public Hearing on June 3rd at 6PM to discuss the matter of the land swap between Mark and Susan Ott and the Village of Williamsfield. There will be a one hour limit and each individual will be limited to 2 minutes of speaking.

Motion by Trustee King, seconded by Trustee Smith to adjourn the meeting. All were in favor.

The next meeting will be held on June 3, 2019.