City of Salem City Council met March 15.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
I. Call to Order
The regular meeting of the Salem City Council was convened at 6:00 pm in the Council Chambers of Salem City Hall. The meeting was called to order by Acting Mayor Nicolas Farley.
Council members present:
Councilman Jim Koehler
Councilman Nicolas Farley
Councilman Craig Morton
Councilman Jacob Hockett
Council members absent: None.
Others present:
City Manager Rex Barbee
Public Works Director Annette Brushwitz
City Clerk Bev Quinn
Chief of Police Sean Reynolds
Finance Director Keli Barrow
Economic Development Director Tabitha Meador
Code Enforcement Officer Dave Lusch
Members of the Public and Media
II. PRAYER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Councilman Koehler offered the opening prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
III. PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS/PUBLIC COMMENTS – None.
IV. MAYOR’S REPORT AND PRESENTATIONS
1. Swearing in of new police officer Mason McMeen
Acting Mayor Farley administered the oath of office to Patrolman Mason McMeen and congratulated him on his appointment.
2. Proclamation for Salem Lions Club 85th Anniversary
Acting Mayor presented a proclamation to the Salem Lions Club, congratulating them on their 85th Anniversary and thanking them for their service to the community.
Acting Mayor Farley indicated the City Attorney has had knee replacement, and is doing well post-surgery, and is home recovering.
IV. CITY COUNCIL ACTION
1. Consent Agenda
a. City Council Minutes - request approval of March 1, 2021 minutes
Motion was made by Councilman Koehler and seconded by Councilman Hockett to approve the minutes of March 1, 2021, as written. Roll call vote: AYES Councilman Morton, Councilman Hockett, Councilman Koehler, Acting Mayor Farley. NAYS: None. Motion carried.
2. Request Approval to Borrow Low Interest Funds from Illinois Finance Authority
City Manager Barbee indicated the City suffered from a severe winter storm on Monday Feb. 15th with a large amount of snow and a long cold spell. One of the casualties of the storm was the higher usage of natural gas by the City’s customers and also the higher pricing on the open market to purchase larger than expected quantities of natural gas. The State’s Illinois Financing Authority is accepting applications for a low interest loan at 1.0% for a loan term of 3 years. The City would like to borrow the cost of the gas incurred in February in the amount of $680,000 and spread the payments out over a three-year period. Requesting authorization to participate in the low interest loan program. Mr. Barbee added that there is some action pending regarding the price gouging that took place during this time and we may get a refund of some of those dollars. Finance Director Barrow added that the increase is being passed on to customers over a several month period, and regular residential users will hardly notice the increase. Bills WILL be higher across the board, primarily due to high usage. Public Works Director Brushwitz added that Ron Ragan of UGM and Darin Houchin of USDI were tremendous help to the city in navigating this issue, and that Mr. Ragan is confident the City will receive a refund, but it might be six months to three years from now. Motion was made by Councilman Koehler and seconded by Councilman Hockett to approve Ordinance 2021-04, authorizing an installment purchase agreement with the Illinois Finance Authority for the purpose of paying the cost of purchasing natural gas for the City of Salem in the amount of $680,000 Debt Certificate, Series 2021. Roll call vote: AYES: Councilman Hockett, Councilman Koehler, Councilman Morton, Acting Mayor Farley. NAYS: None. Motion carried.
3. Presentation of proposal for FY22 General Fund Budget
City Manager Barbee presented the proposed General Fund budget for Council review, followed by general discussion. The remainder of the budget will be presented at the April 5th Council meeting.
4. Presentation of Accounts Payable for February 12-March 12, 2021
Following discussion, motion was made by Councilman Hockett and seconded by Councilman Morton to approve the Accounts Payable as presented. Roll call vote: AYES: Councilman Koehler, Councilman Morton, Councilman Hockett, Acting Mayor Farley. NAYS: None. Motion carried.
VI. CITY MANAGER REPORT WITH DEPARTMENT HEAD UPDATES
City Manager Barbee indicated staff has received a number of unique phone calls this past week, and offered a “hats off” to those who handled the calls. Barbee added that SCHS will be allowing attendance at their football and volleyball games, with a maximum attendance of 600. SCHS will also be holding its annual prom, but not until after graduation.
Public Works Dir. Brushwitz indicated the Cemetery will be doing its annual spring clean up on Monday, March 22nd. All flowers and decorations need to be removed before then, but can be placed back on the graves on Tuesday, March 23rd. The leaf vac is scheduled to run for a couple of weeks beginning Monday, March 30th. The large oak tree was removed by Shelter 5, and the Public Works guys were able to install the lights in the park for about $2000 instead of having them installed for $6,000 - $8,000.
Economic Development Director Meador indicated she is working with Bill Poss on booking acts for the July 4th events.
VII. CITY ATTORNEY REPORT – No report.
VIII. CITY COUNCIL REPORT
Councilman Koehler indicated Bryan Park looks great, and it was good to see kids playing in it. Koehler added that the Bryan Bennett Library will be hosting the Smithsonian display “Voices and Votes” in September, and they will be holding month-long events The Historical Commission is working with them to provide some events, and they are trying to get other entities involved.
IX. ADJOURNMENT
As there was no further business to discuss, motion was made by Councilman Morton and seconded by Councilman Hockett to adjourn the meeting at 6:55 pm. Roll call vote: AYES: Councilman Koehler, Councilman Morton, Councilman Hockett, Acting Mayor Farley. NAYS: None. Motion carried.
https://www.salemil.us/sites/g/files/vyhlif1161/f/minutes/cc_-_2021_03-15_0.pdf
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