City of Centralia City Council met July 12.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
This meeting was conducted and attended as a full hybrid meeting. The City Council for Centralia, Illinois met in person with a video conference option. Mayor Kuder called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Present: Mayor Kuder, Councilman Castellari, Councilman Smith, Councilman Griffin, & Councilman Jackson
Absent: None
Staff Members Participating Physically at City Hall: Forrest Langenfeld, Interim City Manager; Bill Agee, City Treasurer; Derek Sherman, Economic Development Director/Assistant City Manager; Gayla Harting, Community Development Director; Chief Lynch, Fire Department and Chief Dodson, Police Department, Michelle Liggett, Finance Director; Luke Behme, City Attorney and Kim Enke, City Clerk
Staff Members Participating Electronically: None
PRAYER & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Kuder led the Pledge of Allegiance and Vernell Burris led the prayer.
AMENDMENTS AND/OR ADDITIONS TO AGENDA
None
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Vernell Burris addressed the Council in regard to considering to raise taxes in order to continue to provide services in the community. He stated that that the water plant has been an issue for 26 years and the past Council has not taken any action. He stated that Council needs to address the issue. He also asked if the City Manager would address the pension issues that were discussed in the newspaper recently.
Steve Coleman addressed the Council in regard to golf cart, motorcycle and motorized bicycle speeds and his concerns for safety on the city roadways.
CONSENT AGENDA
A Motion was made by Councilman Castellari and seconded by Councilman Jackson to Approve Items 1- 7 of the Consent Agenda.
1. Approval Of The Minutes Of The June 28, 2021 Work Session
2. Approval Of The Minutes Of The June 28, 2021 City Council Meeting
3. Approval Of The Minutes Of The July 6, 2021 Special City Council Meeting
4. Approval Of Payrolls And Vouchers In The Amount Of $728,422.37
5. A Resolution Approving the Temporary Closure of a Portion of S. Sycamore St. For A Community Event on July 25, 2021
6. An Ordinance Waiving The Speed Limit On Raccoon Lake For Participants In The 2021 Boat Races
7. A Resolution Approving A Landlord’s Estoppel Certificate For A Mortgage In Reference to Lake Lease Site J-14/K-14
Ayes: Councilman Castellari, Councilman Smith, Councilman Griffin, Councilman Jackson, and Mayor Kuder
Nays: None
A majority of the Council voting aye, the motion carried.
REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
Mr. Wyett Colclasure presented information regarding the Smithsonian Institution combined exhibition with Voices and Votes and the Illinois Freedom Project. He stated that he had met with Councilman Jackson at the Juneteenth Celebration and wanted to share more information with the City Council. He explained that the exhibition was made possible by a grant in 2020 and will be open beginning August 28th thru October 2nd at the Bryan-Bennett Library in Salem with no admission charge. He stated that this event will be in six locations throughout the state. A flyer was provided to the Council and available to the meeting attendees. He stated that the average attendance is 2500 people and he hopes that it will be more in Salem and it will also drive tourism to the area. He stated that the exhibit will be open for school tours and they were actively seeking teachers and schools to participate. He also noted that the Salem Historical Society opened their museum recently with a large collection of William Jennings Bryan items.
The City Clerk explained that there were three applications for Class A liquor licenses. Two of the applications were for two new businesses named Lucky Larry’s Slots and Lady T’s gaming. One of the applications was to convert a Class C license to a Class A license due to a change in the business operation. She stated that if the Council would vote to increase the number of Class A liquor licenses available, then the Mayor could approve the license applications. She noted that currently there are 23 Class A licenses available and 23 are issued. Attorney Luke Behme stated that the Mayor is the Liquor Commissioner for the City. He stated that when an application is submitted and a vacancy and the application meets all of the statutory requirements, the Mayor doesn’t have as much discretion in the approval process. He stated that the number is controlled and if there isn’t an opening it can’t be approved. He stated that when there is an application that comes in that the Council wants to approve, they can do so by amending the code to increase the number of licenses available. He stated that if this would be increased, then at the next meeting an ordinance could be approved to decrease the number of C licenses available. A motion was made by Councilman Jackson and seconded by Councilman Castellari to Approve An Ordinance Amending The Centralia Municipal Code Regarding An Increase In The Number of Class A Liquor Licenses.
Ayes: Councilman Castellari, Councilman Smith, Councilman Griffin, Councilman Jackson, and Mayor Kuder
Nays: None
City Clerk Enke reported there have been several meetings scheduled outside of the regular meetings including this Wednesday the 14th and next Monday the 19th and Tuesday the 20th in order to review the potential candidates for City Manager position. Also, there will be a public informational meeting prior to the next council meeting starting at 5 p.m. concerning the Gragg St. improvements.
City Treasurer Agee reported that the draft audit for fiscal year 2020 was received on June 30th. He stated that he is unsure when to expect the final copy but hopes to have it prior to the next meeting.
Interim City Manager Langenfeld discussed the purchase of vehicles for the public works and fire department to replace part of an aging fleet. He noted that most of the vehicles are over 20 years old. He stated that it was shopped locally but due to the local companies having difficulty getting vehicles it has resulted in relying on a national leasing company. City Manager Langenfeld also made a mid year budget summary report stating that revenues are slightly above expectations.
He stated that the expenses are on pace and noted that this budget is one of the smallest budgets approved. He stated that in 2018 the General Fund expenditures were over 12M and this year the budget was 11.2M. He stated that currently the city is at 43%. He stated that there are some expenses in the second half that will make an impact. He stated that the Police and Fire budgets are both under budget. He stated that unfortunately the Police Department it is partially due to the injuries and vacancies in the department which is also causing some overtime expenses. He also noted that an area where the City is over budget is on public property repairs. He stated that there were two roof repairs including one repair at the yards, which some insurance reimbursement was received for, and the repairs to the roof at the Emergency Operation Center. He referred to Vernell Burris’ questions about the pension expenses and unfunded mandates. He explained that as of right now the City is spending 81 cents of every dollar of property tax collected to pay for the pension shortfalls which leaves 19 cents of every dollar for city expenses. He stated that he concurs with Mr. Burris that the Council is going to have to look at increasing the property tax levy and there is no way around it. He stated that it has been let go and avoided for several years and unfortunately it will need to be done. He also reported that there will be 8 grant applications in the next 60 days. He stated that some are economic development projects for companies in the community, some are public park projects to benefits things in the community, and one for a water line replacement project and the housing grant for rehabilitation of homes. He explained that the housing grant will possibly lead to new housing and demolitions. He stated that this year will lead to a break even year with expenses and revenues but explained that there is no improvement to the balance sheet which doesn’t include a reserve for large capital expenses. He stated that the Raccoon Lake Restoration fund does have a reserve which the bond company did take into account and prevented the City from dropping another bond level. He stated that it is important to build the reserves up. He stated that the American Rescue Plan Act has not been formally requested from the State of Illinois and it has not been provided to smaller communities such as Centralia. He stated that the funds will go thru the State and passed to cities through the State Treasurer’s Office. He stated that the IML thought that it may be available between mid-July and Labor Day but he stated that he received a notice that the State still has not requested the funds. Mayor Kuder stated that the IML correspondence he received stated that Illinois is the 8th largest state in the United States as far as funds being requested but they haven’t sent a request. City Manager Langenfeld stated that larger cities such as Chicago, Springfield and Rockford have received their funds since they are entitlement communities but smaller cities that are not entitlement communities like Centralia have not received their money. He stated that 1.6M will be available and it will need to be spent in specific ways. He stated that part of the funds need to be put aside for reserves and also need to be spent to benefit the community. He stated that Labor Day is more than likely the earliest that it would be available but he has reached out to Brad Cole at the IML to offer any assistance or letters of support. He stated that there is a multitude of residential and commercial surplus property throughout the City that needs to be evaluated and before he leaves there will be a full report on them. He added that converting as many of the assets as reasonable to cash needs to be the goal. He stated that there have been sacrifice by the city employees that have had minimal raises and many below the cost of living including the unions. He stated that there is going to be increased expenses, so getting the finances in order is important. He stated that Driscoll’s Boxing was at the last meeting and there is work being done by a Centralia facility to host a big event for them and he will also be reaching out to the State to get some marketing money to help with the event. He stated that honoring the children and their accomplishments is a great thing going on with the City Council and there are a lot of people working to make it possible.
Councilman Smith congratulated Riley Martin, a graduate of Salem High School and student at Quincy University, who has been drafted by the Chicago Cubs. He also wished his daughter a Happy Birthday.
Councilman Castellari reminded residents that the golf carts and UTVs are on the roadways so he urged resident to be vigilant and cautious.
Mayor Kuder mentioned the upcoming Career Expo and encouraged businesses to contact the City to sign up to participate in the event that is to be held at Castle Ridge. Mr. Sutton stated that the event on is August 20th and 21st. He stated that there is interest from many businesses throughout the region and there is more marketing being planned in the next few weeks. He stated that they have a goal of 100 businesses and community-based businesses and goal of 1,500 job seekers. Mayor Kuder stated that the Centralia Summer Market is set for July 24th downtown that will include a lot of vendors and food trucks. Mayor Kuder also noted that the Centralia Chamber is still looking for Balloon Fest sponsors and urged anyone interested to contact Marcus at the Centralia Chamber. Mayor Kuder offered condolences to city employee, Brandon Burleyson, after the recent loss of his mother.
ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made by Councilman Smith and seconded by Councilman Griffin To Adjourn The Meeting. Ayes: Councilman Castellari, Councilman Smith, Councilman Griffin, Councilman Jackson, and Mayor Kuder Nays: None
A majority of the Council voting aye, the motion carried, and the meeting was adjourned at 6:34 p.m.
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