Galesburg Reporter

City of Knoxville City Council met Aug. 15.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

Call to Order: Mayor Myers called the regular Council Meeting to order at 7:00 PM. All rose to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Roll Call: Present: Aldermen Eiker, Gruner, Hillier, Moore, Reed and Taylor; Mayor Myers, Treasurer Barnum, Chief Poyner, Attorney McCoy, and City Clerk Wilt. Absent: Alderman Hope. Also present: Mr. Uttkarsh Patel, Ms. Penny Flesner. Officer Patrick Hayes joined the meeting at 7:50 PM.

Public Comments: **See Minutes following New Business Item #3.

Approval of Minutes: Alderman Eiker moved to approve the Minutes of the August 1, 2022 City Council Meeting. Alderman Hillier seconded the motion which passed by voice vote with no dissent.

GENERAL REPORTS

Attorney Report: No report.

Engineer Report: Mayor Myers reported for Engineer Cooper that the bids for the annual oil and chip street maintenance program had come in over estimate, but that the appropriated amount would still cover the project, so no additional action is needed.

Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Barnum reported that she will be moving $400,000.00 from the Town Fund checking to the Town Fund Money Market account.

City Clerk’s Report: No report.

Payment of City Bills: Alderman Gruner moved to approve payment of the City Bills. Alderman Hillier seconded the motion which passed with six (6) Yes votes and one (1) Absent.

INFORMATION ITEMS

• Mayor Myers noted that the monthly departmental operating reports were available in the online Council packet.

OLD BUSINESS

1. Bid Opening – Sale of 207 E North St: There were no bids received for the sale of this property.

2. Draft Ordinance for Sale of 207 E North St: As no bids were received for this property when a $10,000.00 minimum bid was required, a lower minimum was discussed. Alderman Moore moved to approve Ordinance 2022-10 Sale of 207 E North St with a minimum bid of $3,000.00 required. Alderman Eiker seconded the motion, which passed with six (6) Yes votes and one (1) Absent.

3. Police Taser Replacement: Alderman Moore moved to purchase seven (7) tasers for the Police Department from Axon Enterprise Inc for $24,448.20, payable over seven years. Alderman Eiker seconded the motion, which passed with six (6) Yes votes and one (1) Absent. This payment schedule allows for possible other funding avenues besides just the Police checking account.

NEW BUSINESS

1. Ordinance Amending Limitation on Number of Liquor Licenses: Gopi Hospitality 108 LLC, doing business as America’s Best Value Inn, 757 Knox Hwy 10, has applied for a Class D Liquor License. There is currently a limitation of zero for this class. Alderman Hillier moved to approve Ordinance 2022-11 Amending Limitation on Number of Liquor Licenses, changing the limitation of Class D from zero (0) to one (1). Alderman Eiker seconded the motion, which passed with six (6) Yes votes and one (1) Absent.

2. Draft Ordinance – TIF Intergovernmental Agreement with Knoxville School District #202: At the May 2, 2022 Council meeting, it was voted to purchase and donate playground mulch to Mable Woolsey Elementary School, up to a cost of $2,000.00. Since then, the school district has purchased the mulch themselves and is requesting repayment. Alderman Hillier moved to approve Ordinance 2022-12 TIF District Intergovernmental Agreement with Knoxville School District #202 to repay $2,000.00 for playground mulch. Gruner seconded the motion, which passed with six (6) Yes votes and one (1) Absent.

3. James Knox Park Fence Removal: The old chain link fencing around the former skateboard park area at James Knox Park needs to be removed to blacktop the area for a different use. Alderman Eiker moved to remove the chain link fence around the former skateboard park area at James Knox Park and to sell the fence for scrap. Alderman Gruner seconded the motion, which passed by voice vote with six (6) Yes votes and one (1) Absent.

**At this point, it was noted that the call for Public Comments had been inadvertently missed at the beginning of the meeting. Mayor Myers apologized for the oversight and asked for Public Comments.

Public Comments: Ms. Penny Flesner, Public Library Board President and part time Library Associate, addressed the Council concerning a letter of complaint she filed citing claims of discriminatory comments made during the meeting about the future composition of the members of the Library Board at their November 7, 2021 meeting. She was installed as Board President in June 2022, and has been asked to make a choice to either remain on the Library Board or to retain her part time Associate position. She reminded the Council of her 21 years of service to the Board prior to that installation, plus her part-time library employee status since 2016. She stated she is the only part time Library employee at this time with the flexibility to back up for the Librarian’s absences. She claims this perceived conflict of interest is in retaliation to her earlier letter. Ms. Flesner stated she values her service to both the board and the library and does not plan to resign either position. She also stated that any decision of that nature would need to be made by the City Council. The matter of hiring additional part time Library Associates will be placed on the September 6, 2022 Council agenda.

4. Review Public Library Board Article XI – Board of Trustees: The Public Library Board has been updating their bylaws. Mayor Myers asked Ms. Penny Flesner, Library Board President, to submit proposed changes to Article XI – Board of Trustees for the next Council Meeting.

5. Police Auxiliary: Chief Poyner reported that state requirements for police auxiliary officers have changed and that these officers must complete Police Training Institute requirements. As this is not cost effective for the City, and state training requirements can no longer be met, Chief Poyner recommended dissolving the Auxiliary. Alderman Moore moved to disband the Knoxville Police Auxiliary, effective immediately. Alderman Eiker seconded the motion, which passed with six (6) Yes votes and one (1) Absent.

Mayor’s Report:

• Utility Employee Sam Pemberton has resigned from his full time position, effective August 26, 2022. He has offered to still work some part time hours if needed.

• The initial quote for the storage building roofs is $62,000.00. As this amount is more than double the amount appropriated, the item will be placed on the September 6, 2022 meeting agenda.

• The wastewater treatment plant solar project is still progressing.

• There are multiple ceiling tiles in the new City Hall Annex that are water damaged due to condensation issues. Contractors worked earlier today to re-insulate the ductwork.

• The 2013 Ford Explorer, formerly a police squad vehicle that was most recently being used in the Street Department, was sold for $750.00.

• There is a meeting scheduled for August 16, 2022 concerning the private funding already raised to install a handicap-accessible play area at James Knox Park. There is potential for an additional grant, plus this project is TIF eligible.

• Engineering firm Bruner, Cooper, and Zuck reported that a spreadsheet error had been discovered, and the sewer lining project estimate was actually two million dollars instead of the original estimate of one million. An IL EPA loan could help with this expense.

• The next regularly scheduled Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 at 7:00 pm.

Committee Reports

• Administration: Alderman Hillier reported that Big Catz BBQ has requested to use the City owned lot behind their building for parking during an event on Saturday, August 20, 2022. As this type of request has been approved in the past, by general consensus, the request was allowed.

• Cemetery: No report.

• Economic Development: No report.

• Parks: No report.

• Police: No report.

• Sanitation: No report.

• Streets: Alderman Eiker reported that there is work continuing on ditches and culverts to avert water drainage issues.

• Water/Sewer: Alderman Gruner reported that communications with wastewater treatment plant provider BOCK Inc have improved and are ongoing.

Adjourn: At 8:07 PM, Alderman Gruner moved to Adjourn the Meeting; Alderman Eiker seconded the motion, which passed by voice vote with no dissent. The meeting was adjourned.

https://kville.org/wp-content/uploads/minutes-agendas-newsletters/Minutes_2022-08-15.pdf