The Carmi City Council met Tuesday, August 15, 2023, at 5:15 p.m. in the Council Room of the Municipal Building, 225 East Main Street for a public hearing regarding rezoning of 602 West Main Street. Mayor Pollard turned the meeting over to Nikki Farny Edwards of NFE Realty. Ms. Edwards stated the house had recently been renovated and she was interested in purchasing it for NFE Realty. The Council had no additional questions and the public hearing was closed out at 5:20 p.m.
Prior to opening the regular council meeting at 5:30 p.m., Mayor Pollard asked Alderman Winkleman to give the invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Mayor Pollard presided with the following Alderperson’s present: Steve Winkleman, Mark W. Blake, Tracy Nelson, Lacey Bradshaw, Mike Knight, Doug Hays, and Sheila Headlee. Absent: Jeremy Courson.
The minutes from the August 1, 2023 council meeting were presented. Motion was made by Alderperson Hays and seconded by Alderperson Winkleman to approve the minutes as presented. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderperson present answering “yes.”
The July 2023 Financial Reports for the City of Carmi and Light & Water Departments were presented for approval. Alderperson Headlee made a motion to approve the July 2023 Financial Reports for the City of Carmi and Light & Water Departments. The motion was seconded by Alderperson Blake. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderperson present answering “yes.”
The August 2023 vendor invoices for the City of Carmi and Light & Water Departments were presented for approval. Alderperson Winkleman made a motion to approve the August 2023 vendor invoices. The motion was seconded by Alderperson Headlee. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderperson present answering “yes.”
For council consideration, discussion, and possible approval
A. Ordinance No. 1605; Amendment to zoning ordinance #778 for the City of Carmi, Illinois 602 West Main Street. Alderperson Nelson made a motion to approve Ordinance No.1605. The motion was seconded by Alderperson Bradshaw. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderperson present answering “yes.”
B. Possible purchase of an Evapar Generac 150 kW Diesel Generator and 600 Amp ATS in the amount of $59,550.00. Mayor Pollard informed the council that plans had been underway for some time to have a generator installed at City Hall in order to be a command center in case of a catastrophic event in our area as well as Carmi Light and Water being functionable in a power outage. However, with the recent storm system that caused a power outage for some individuals up to 72 hours, this issue was being made a higher priority than previously. Mayor Pollard stated “If we would have had the generator already installed, we could
have opened up the Council Room for people with medical conditions that required electricity.” The generator would also be large enough to run the entire Carmi Light and Water in case of an outage. A discussion was held regarding the cost of the generator as well as the size of the machine. Mayor Pollard said Rick Marshall from Marshall Electric had done some schematics and felt this size generator would be able to serve the needs of City Hall as well as being able to maintain operations of Carmi Light and Water. When asked where the funds to pay for this would come from and if this was an approved budgeted item, Mayor Pollard stated, “We will take some money out of the reserve fund as well as the approved projects account as this was something that had not been budgeted for.” To obtain the generator will take approximately 18-24 weeks; then work will begin to get the unit installed. After the discussion, Alderperson Hays made a motion to approve the purchase of an Evapar Generator in the amount of $59,550, which is a reasonable cost, for the Carmi City Hall/Light and Water Building due to the time sensitive nature of the City being able to operate as an emergency command center during an emergency situation. The motion was seconded by Alderperson Headlee. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderperson present answering “yes.”
C. Pay Request: Brown & Roberts, Inc. Job 2023-072; Rt 1 Sanitary Sewer & Watermain replacement C&O for $11,521.18. Alderperson Winkleman made a motion to approve the above pay request to Brown and Roberts, Inc. The motion was seconded by Alderperson Blake. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderperson present answering “yes.”
D. Pay request: Brown and Roberts, Inc. for Burrell’s Woods Park Roadway Construction Engineering. Invoice #2 – Billing period 7/1/2023 to 7/26/2023 in the amount of $8,063.39 (payable from MFT funds). Alderperson Headlee made a motion to approve the pay request to Brown and Roberts, Inc. for the Burrell’s Woods Park Roadway Construction Engineering for $8,063.39. The motion was seconded by Alderperson Bradshaw. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderperson present answering “yes.”
E. TIF Façade Agreement with HD Beans Jewelers in the amount up to $5,000.00 for exterior work. Mayor Pollard discussed the plans for HD Beans Jewelers. With no further discussion, Alderperson Hays made a motion to approve the TIF Façade agreement with HD Beans Jewelers in the amount up to $5,000.00. Alderperson Blake seconded the motion. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderperson present answering “yes.”
F. Payment Request for Burrell’s Woods Park to Sierra Bravo Construction, LLC in the amount of $224,561.33 (Payable from MFT). Alderperson Winkleman made a motion to approve the above pay request to Sierra Bravo Construction, LLC. The motion was seconded by Alderperson Knight. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderperson present answering “yes.”
G. Ordinance No. 1606; A replacement of ordinance 1584 and 1602, Illinois Municipal Utilities Association, City of Carmi Illinois, Net Metering Policy 2023. Mayor Pollard stated the Illinois Municipal Utilities Association had made some changes to the policy which we required to make as well. With no further discussion, Alderperson Headlee made a motion to approve Ordinance 1606. The motion was seconded by Alderperson Hays. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderperson present answering “yes.”
Reports and/or updates from Mayor Pollard
Mayor Pollard reminded residents that school is back in session so please be aware of the school zones and watch for children.
Reports from Standing Committees
Alderperson’s Nelson and Bradshaw stated College Boulevard is looking really nice.
Business or Comments from Visitors
None.
Closed Session to discuss personnel with no action to follow:
At 5:51 p.m., Alderperson Headlee made a motion to enter into closed session to discuss personnel with no action to follow. Alderperson Hays seconded the motion. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderperson present answering “yes.”
Adjournment
At 6:27 p.m. Alderperson Hays made a motion to exit closed session, return to regular session and adjourn. Alderperson Bradshaw seconded the motion. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderperson present answering “yes.”
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Cynthia J. Attebury, City Clerk
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Jeff Pollard, Mayor
