City of Winchester City Council met April 6.
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
The Winchester City Council held their monthly meeting at City Hall.
Mayor McIntire called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. with the following council in attendance: Lawrence Coultas, Ron Bell, Bill Jacquot, Terry Gregory, Sandy Long, Jeff Pittman, and City
Clerk Teri Little
Also, in attendance were Wanda Cody, City Treasurer; Caleb Handy, Police Chief; John Paul Coonrod, City Attorney; Greg Hillis, Benton & Associates; Carmen Ensinger, Scott County Times; Kayla Latham, John Lawrence, Emma Smith, Dakota Chumley, Joely Dolen, Harlan and Hannah Smith, Kenneth Mayner Jr, Phillip Springer, Chuck Frost, Molly Traw, Kevin Evans.
Sandy Long led those attending meeting in the Pledge of Allegiance. Wanda Cody, City Treasurer presented bills for approval. MOTION: Sandy Long moved, and Lawrence Coultas seconded to pay the bills as presented.
Roll call resulted in all yeas. Motion carried.
Mayor McIntire asked for any corrections for the minutes March 2, 2022 meeting.
MOTION: Bill Jacquot moved, and Sandy Long seconded to approve and dispense with the reading of the minutes of the regular March 2, 2022 meeting. Roll call resulted in 5 yeas and 1 abstain. Motion carried.
Lawrence Coultas, Alderman presented Joely Dolen and Emma Smith with a donation from the city for $100.00 for the Winchester Key Club and announced that the first week of April is declared Key Club Week. The key club is a great asset to the school and community
Mayor Rex McIntire read a thank you card from the Terry Lashmett family.
Library Committee has 3 members that wish to be re-appointed to the library board Rodger Pratt, Andie Fundel and John Coonrod
MOTION: Terry Gregory moved, and Lawrence Coultas seconded to approve the re appointment of Rodger Pratt, Andie Fundel and John Coonrod to the library board. Roll call resulted in all yeas. Motion carried.
Greg Hillis, Benton & Associates presented update on library progress. Brick and cinder blocks have been received. Progress is going well. Still waiting on approval of windows.
Trotter Construction has submitted application for payment for March in the sum of $58,368.60.
MOTION: Bill Jacquot moved, and Jeff Pittman seconded to approve application of payment #4 for Trotter Construction in the amount of $58,368.60. Roll call resulted in all yeas. Motion carried.
City has received portion of grant money in the amount of $46,485.04 from USDA and $64,842.80 will be requested.
The IDNR grant request for payment for the pool renovations has to be resubmitted as the paperwork is not able to be located. Benton and Associates is taking care of that.
The liner has pulled away in places and NATARE will be contacted to check into this issue prior to pool opening
Other updates to report. The second round for the non-sewered area is still not showing available to submit. They are keeping an eye on that so they are able to apply as soon as showing available.
The Downtown Beautification grant has been submitted and waiting on response.
Wanda Cody, City Treasurer passed out the profit/loss statement for the month and the expenses.
Bill Jacquot, Alderman gave pool board committee report. April 29th is the lifeguard applications deadline. Pool rates have not been raised since 2019. Passes have been increased by $25.00, Punch cards increase by $10.00, Daily rates raised by $1.00. Pool parties are being increased by $25.00 as well. Cost of refreshments will be raised and is still being discussed by the board. Further discussion will be done on swim lesson program. It was decided that some of the donation money will be spent on new PA system and to improve and replace lounge chairs.
It was requested that city personnel be responsible for morning inspection of pump house, chemicals, water pressure and acid counts. This will be discussed further with John Simmons
Mayor McIntire reported for John Simmons as he was absent. New tires for the on-call truck have to be purchased. A new steel door is being purchased for the supply room at the park restrooms. The present one has been repeatedly damaged by vandalism.
Monthly report: Locate Tickets - 26; Work Orders – 27; Funerals and Grave Openings - 6; Replaced Gas Meters – 3; Monthly Brush Pick-Up - 2 days; Monthly Meter Readings – 3 days; Monthly Odorant Report; Monthly Sniff Test; Zoning Permits - 3; Gas Leak Calls - 2; Ordinance Violations - 3; Replaced Gas Services – 2.
Jeff Pittman, Alderman reported that one of the upstairs windows need repaired. He has contacted the company and they are going to come and repair it.
With the heavy rains it was questioned if the new roof had stopped the leaks and it appears no leaks have been discovered.
Caleb Handy, Police Chief passed out his monthly report. His report is as follows: Animal Complaints – 1; Arrests – 2; Assist Outside Agency (Police) – 3; Assist Fire Department/Fire Call – 1; Assist Motorist – 1; Attempt to Locate (Warrant) – 2; Burglary - 1; Building Alarm – 6; Domestic Disturbance – 3; Fight – 2; Juvenile – 1; Paper Service – 2; Speak to Officer - 28; Suicidal Subject – 2; Suspicious Person – 1; Accidents – 2; Traffic Stops-Citations – 1; Traffic Stops-Verbal Warnings – 9; Trespassing - 1; Well-Being Checks – 6. Total Vehicle Miles - 1344.
Chief Handy reported that they have a few leads on the break in at the car wash.
Chief Handy introduced Assistant Chief Nate White to the council. He is a big asset to the force and learning quickly. It is requested that the city purchase another desktop computer for Officer White to have at his desk as only having one is making it time consuming for training. When Chief Handy and Officer White are both in the office it is difficult to work with only one computer.
MOTION: Jeff Pittman moved, and Ron Bell seconded to approve the purchase of new desktop computer for the Police Department, not to exceed $1000.00. Roll call resulted all yeas. Motion carried.
Lawrence Coultas, Alderman requested approval for Donation to Winchester Key Club.
MOTION: Lawrence Coultas moved, and Bill Jacquot seconded to approve donation of $100.00 to the Winchester Key Club. Roll call resulted in all yeas and. Motion carried.
Coultas stated that water rates have not been raised in over 7-8 years. The city is wanting to apply for grants for water main repair. There are at least 11 that are a major concern as they have been patched numerous times. To be able to qualify for grants have to have an average bill of $46.88 per person. After checking prior bills, it is very close to that at this point. The city is not wanting to raise rates but it is going to be necessary for the city to be able to maintain the water system. This will be revisited at the May meeting.
Mayor Rex McIntire asked everyone if they had a chance to review the audit and presented for approval.
MOTION: Lawrence Coultas moved, and Terry Gregory second to approve Audit as presented from Pehlman and Dold. Roll call resulted in all yeas. Motion carried.
MOTION: Ron Bell moved, and Jeff Pittman second to approve Audit Bill as presented from Pehlman and Dold in amount of $20,400.00. Roll call resulted in all yeas. Motion carried.
Mowing contracts to be reviewed for the new season. Turf Works provided their contract that shows a basic increase for the year. Last Year was $5,250.00 and increase to $5,500.00 for the year.
Rick Willis stated that each time he mows he uses approximately 27 gallons of gas each time he mows and is 30 hours of mowing the cemetery. He is not requesting an increase on contract but an increase for fuel adjustment.
It was discussed and agreed to keep both mowing services as they do a great job.
MOTION: Bill Jacquot moved, and Terry Gregory second to approve Mowing Contracts for Turf Works with an increase of $250.00 for total $5,500.00. Rick Willis contract will be same as previous with a fuel adjustment to reflect increase of state fuel with baseline from 2019 which was $2.00 per gallon. Roll call resulted in all yeas. Motion carried.
Ordinance 929 presented for Amendment to prior Ordinance 881. This recognizes that we are part of the JREDC Enterprise Zone. The only thing that is being updated is to add map and legal description to include the MacMurray College area in the enterprise zone MOTION: Ron Bell moved, and Sandy Long second to move to approve Ordinance 929. Roll call resulted in all yeas. Motion carried.
May will start budget billing for the year. A letter and copy of ordinance that lists the qualifications for budget billing were sent in the April billings. Customers have thill April 25th to sign up and sign statement that they understand and agree to abide by the rules listed in ordinance.
The federal holiday Juneteenth (June 19) was discussed and decided this was not a holiday that City Hall will be closed.
The electrical Obligation for the City will be supplied by Ameren only. Mayor McIntire spoke with Reg Ankrom and with the rate of electricity they will not be able to offer it to the city any longer.
The mayor wanted to discuss property liens on houses that are without water. There are currently 3 - 4 houses with water disconnected and outstanding bills. There are even people still living in a few that have not water. It was also asked if the city could put a hold or lien on a person's tax refund to be able to collect past due amounts. Attorney Coonrod stated that this could run thru municipal court and that way can put lien on properties.
The city has a 2001 Vermeer Trencher that is worth $10,000 to $14,000 that is not used and wish to sell. Gregory Electric offered $15,000 to purchase this item.
MOTION: Ron Bell moved, and Sandy Long second to approve the Ordinance 930 for sale of surplus property. Selling Vermeer Trencher to Gregory Electric for $15,000. Roll call resulted in 5 yeas and 1 abstain. Motion carried.
Members from 2 of the 3 Business that are requesting liquor license be granted are present to present business plans.
C & C Entertainment of Illinois, Inc. was represented by Kayla Latham. The new business would be located at 26 S Main Winchester. They have demo work partially completed and waiting approval of the plan to continue. They are planning to invest over $100,000.00 into the new business. They have secured a loan for 1/2 of the expenses through Farmers State Bank. They plan to do a balcony between floors with railing, install 2 new bathrooms, small kitchen in back of first level, re-wiring and finish work. The plan is to open an arcade for the kids in town. There will be 16 arcade machines such as Skeet ball, Basketball shooting game, ping pong and other arcade style games. There will be an area for birthday parties and special occasions. Will serve pizza snacks and soft drinks. There will be prizes and a card reader to add game time and tickets. They are requesting a liquor license to be able to serve small amount of beer and wine for parents to enjoy while kids are playing. They will also be adding poker gaming machines to help off set the cost of running the arcade. It was asked if the alcohol intake would be monitored so there is no worry of parents drinking to much while having their children present. Latham stated that would be monitored and they would only be allowed a limited amount. Gaming machines will be blocked off so not visible to children. Concern was raised as per the ordinance states that children cannot be on an establishment that serves alcohol unless with a parent so this will limit access to children to be able to just go to arcade alone. Latham stated that she was not aware of that ruling. She will check further into this. At this time, they plan on having an age limit of anyone under age of 12 has to be accompanied by an adult.
Project Plamor Investment Group was represented by Harlan Smith. The investment group is looking to bring a pizza-based establishment back to the area at 12 E Cross Street. Also, the plan is to have a diner style area as well to serve breakfast and lunch with specials on weekends. With Buck and Jo's closing and the Bowling Alley being the only place to serve breakfast in town there is a need for an additional place to have breakfast. Smith stated that they are looking at serving Rural Cyclery Coffee as well to help out other local business. The business will have a multi sports simulator that will offer an array of sports such as golf, soccer, archery and baseball.
This is showing to be a very popular item in the area with very few close by. It should pull in business from many areas around Scott County. The concept is for a family friendly pizza restaurant and sports bar. They have reached a partnership agreement to serve Pittsfield based Gianni's Pizza. The goal is to create an atmosphere where people feel just as comfortable taking their family out to dinner, as they do meet friends to watch the game and have a drink. There will be extensive renovations needed which will be $175,000 to $200,000. This will include new kitchen, new bathrooms as well as new bar and outdoor beer garden. This will not only contribute to the revitalization of the square but also will create jobs for 5 to 10 full time employees. We are requesting a liquor license to add additional revenue that would be necessary for the business to succeed. Alcohol and gaming provide that additional revenue. Without these 2 components it does not justify the extensive investment into the building. By opening the business and renovating the building it will also help the Odd Fellows with the upkeep and rent of the building.
Tanner Hurrelbrink was not present to present his business plan for a slot machine parlor.
There was very extensive discussion on whether the city wanted to award additional liquor license. There are already 20 gaming machines in town. By awarding the new licenses this would fill 2 empty buildings on the square and bring new possible income to the town.
A motion was put forth to vote on 2 new class f liquor license to be granted by the city. This would be a $400.00 Annual fee and $1000.00 Bond to State of IL. Sales and gaming would be prohibited from 1AM to 7 AM daily
MOTION: Bill Jacquot moved, and Lawrence Coultas second to move to approve Ordinance 931 to add 2 new Class F liquor License. Roll call resulted in 3 yeas and 3 No. The tie was broken by Mayor McIntire with a Yes Vote. Motion carried
John Paul Coonrod, City Attorney presented Ordinance 932 Routine and Anticipated Purchases for Fiscal year 2022-2023 for approval.
MOTION: Bill Jacquot moved, and Jeff Pittman second to move to approve Ordinance 932. Roll call resulted in all yeas. Motion carried.
Attorney Coonrod has received word back from North Tower on the monthly rental fee that had not been received. It appears that they were sending the monthly fee to a wrong account. They are getting this corrected.
Municipal Court will reconvene the Third Friday in May.
Animal Control Officer, Leigh Winner, had requested that we create an ordinance for not allowing dogs in the town square if 20+ people are present. It was discussed and decided that at this time it is not something that the city will approve. It would be too difficult to police this kind of process.
The project manager has been in contact and referred to John Simmons for the Zoning Permit.
Molly Traw, Pool Board Member asked to verify the actual true name of the swimming pool. There are several versions and they were wanting to verify the actual name. Per Attorney Coonrod looks as though was originally called City Swimming Pool. There is no real official name. She discussed asking the city employees to check the pool every morning. This was previously discussed and will be referred to John Simmons. She went over the donations and what they will be used for as stated earlier in the meeting. They are looking at having fundraisers to raise money to help assist in getting the items wanted for the pool. She is in the process of applying for a grant that will help in purchasing several sun shades for the pool. These will be used in the concession area and a place also for people to get in out of the sun such as babies and small children. The high school are redoing the benches and the tables.
No public comments.
MOTION: Ron Bell moved, and Jeff Pittman second to move to closed session. Roll call resulted in all yeas. Motion carried.
MOTION: Bill Jacquot moved, and Jeff Pittman second to move out of closed session. Roll call resulted in all yeas. Motion carried.
MOTION: Lawrence Coultas, and Terry Gregory second to approve a $1.00 raise to all city employees (except ones on Probationary status) effective May 1, 2022. Roll call resulted in all yeas. Motion carried.
MOTION: Lawrence Coultas, and Jeff Pittman second to hire Josh Miller to the Winchester City Street Dept at $15.00 an hour to start as soon as available. Roll call resulted in all yeas. Motion carried.
MOTION: Lawrence Coultas, and Jeff Pittman second to hire Jeff McIntire to the Winchester City Street Dept at $17.50 an hour on May 1, 2022. Roll call resulted in all yeas. Motion carried.
MOTION: Jeff Pittman moved, and Ron Bell second to adjourn at 11:45 pm. Roll call resulted in all yeas. Motion carried.
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