Village of Ladd Village Board met Oct. 25.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The Ladd Village Board met in regular session on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, in the Village Hall. Mayor Frank Cattani called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm and led the pledge of allegiance to the American flag.
Roll Call: Present: Trustees Jim Manning, Dave Margherio, Jan Martin, Dan Nelson, Molly Thrasher, and Mike Urbanowski (6)
In attendance: Clerk Bezely, Treasurer Julie Koch, Asst. Superintendent BJ Liebe, Atty. Pat Barry & Engineer Adam Ossola
Nelson motion/Margherio second to accept October 11, 2022, regular meeting minutes as presented. Ayes: Margherio, Martin, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski, Manning - Motion carried 6-0
Thrasher motion/Martin second to authorize payment of the bills in the amount of $175,156.16. Ayes: Martin, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski, Manning, Margherio - Motion carried 6-0
Margherio motion/Nelson second to accept the Treasurer's Report for September 2022 Ayes: Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski, Manning, Margherio, Martin - Motion carried 6-0
Correspondence: None
Public Comment: None
Committee Reports: Nelson asked if we could notify the residents to stop burning leaves for Sunday and Monday, October 30 & 31st. The council requested no burning on Sunday, October 30th or Monday, October 31st to keep Halloween activities in the Village pleasant and safe. Burning wet leaves or garbage is never allowed per our ordinance. We will put this request on Facebook, NC Bank electronic sign, and place posters at the post office, bank and library along with the Clerk’s office. We will also send a BCR Alert.
Engineer’s Report: Ossola updated the board on the water main job. The contractor will begin boring under route 89 starting Wednesday. They will be boring under the RR next week. Ossola anticipates a request for an extension beyond November 18, 2022, by Superior to get the pipe in the ground and operational. Next meeting we will need to decide if we are going to give them an extension of time. They have until June 2, 2023, to complete the entire project.
Superintendent’s Report: Nelson told Liebe good job on restoring his neighbor's power a week ago. Martin asked when Englehaupt will be returning. Bezely stated his next appointment is October 28th. Englehaupt may return after being seen.
Police Chief: Chief Frund mentioned a complaint about a pine tree on the corner of Lincoln and Locust. It is obstructing the view of traffic. Property pins will be located by public works and a determination will be made. If it is on Village property we would like to remove it. Chief Frund will contact the homeowner if it is on Village property before having it cut down. Chief Frund told the council we don’t have possession of cannabis or paraphernalia ordinance in place; now that the state law has changed. The state’s Attorney is not filing this type of charge. If the Village passes an ordinance a fine can be implemented. Chief Frund reported their policy manual is old and outdated. The Safe T Act is bringing many new policies. Frund would like to implement Lexipol. Many area agencies have this – Spring Valley, Putnam County, and Bureau County to name a few. Lexipol updates policy and provides training for officers. This would ensure all officers would be aware of all changes. $1,886.00 annually is the cost associated with Lexipol. We will revisit this next meeting after getting pricing and speaking with Spring Valley Police. Chief Frund stated that President Cattani told him to move forward with issuing warnings and then fines for anyone parked across the sidewalk. Chief Frund also mentioned many complaints about burning. He suggested possibly having only certain days to allow burning to help decrease the number of times a week burning is allowed.
Building Inspector: None
Village Attorney: None
Old Business: Sidewalk Replacement Rules: After a lengthy discussion, it was decided to leave the sidewalk replacement rules as they are. Currently, anyone interested in replacing their sidewalk can contact the Village. If time permits, the public works department will remove the existing sidewalk. The resident is responsible for having the new sidewalk formed and finished and the Village will pay for the concrete. Applications are available on the Village website or at the Clerk’s office.
Leaf Removal: After a lengthy discussion no change has been made to the Village code. Burning is still allowed at this time. Possible “non-burning” options were mentioned by President Cattani to the council. Contact Spring Valley to rent their leaf vacuum. Give out paper bags for residents to fill and dump in a roll off that we locate in the Village. Bezely mentioned residents can pay Republic Services $10.00 in March to allow them to have yard waste picked up. They must place yard waste in biodegradable bags and put them out with regular garbage. This service runs from April 15 – November 15. Residents can bag leaves and take them to the Village burn pile. Call the Clerk’s office for directions. NO GRASS, commercial trimmings, or root balls may be placed on the Village burn pile. Residents can mulch them with their mowers. Chief Frund told the council if burning is still allowed people will likely take that option.
Laptops for Clerk’s Office: A second quote from Connecting Point Computers was obtained and reviewed. Discussion ensued. There was concern about private information being in our homes. It was stated this is an option when one of us is sick or if a child is sick and we can’t come to work. This would allow us to work from home.
Nelson motion/Margherio second to purchase (1) Dell laptop from DC Technology for $500.00. Ayes: Thrasher, Urbanowski, Margherio, Martin, Nelson – Motion carried 5-0
Nays: Manning
New Business: Donation Request Project Success: Urbanowski motion/Nelson second to donate to Project Success/Hall Township Food Pantry 4 baskets for Thanksgiving and 4 baskets for Christmas for a total of $320.00.
Ayes: Urbanowski, Manning, Margherio, Nelson - Motion carried 4-0
Abstain: Martin, and Thrasher due to their positions on the board.
Adopt Resolution for Internal Code Section 125 Plan as IMRF Earnings for Village Employees: Bezely explained that the Village recently underwent an IMRF Audit. This resolution was one thing that was not in place. Employees with AFLAC have their premiums deducted pre-tax and to be able to do that you must have a resolution on file.
Nelson motion/Martin second to Approve the Resolution for Internal Code Section 125 Plan as IMRF Earnings for Village Employees.
Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Martin, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski - Motion passed 6-0
Barracuda Renewal: It was explained that this is an onsite backup device. It is felt that other options won’t cost as much. We will obtain a 2nd quote from DC Technology. We will obtain a 2nd quote and place this on the next agenda.
Executive Session 6 Month Review: Atty. Pat Barry stated he reviewed the 3 executive session minutes in question. Barry explained his thoughts to the council.
Manning motion/Urbanowski second to Approve Executive Session Minutes from 8-24-21, 7-26-22, 8-9-22.
Ayes: Margherio, Manning, Martin, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski – Motion carried 6-0 Manning motion/Urbanowski second to Release the Executive Session Minutes from 8-9-22 Ayes: Margherio, Martin, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski, Manning – Motion carried 6-0
No Action was taken on the Veterans Tribute ad for the News Tribune.
Archive Social: Bezely explained in detail that if we have social media and a website we must comply by archiving it 24/7. LKCS does not Archive any information on our website. Facebook states they save content but there is no way to see how much they save. If items are deleted or edited this will be captured in the archiving. This is an expensive investment. It is $499.00 per month which is $5988.00 every year. We will have IT look into this and also include a way to archive all emails. After much discussion, this will be placed on the next agenda to discuss possible other options. It was mentioned that the Village might consider not allowing comments on any posts.
Announcements: Bezely informed the board that she provided them with the budget worksheet which shows last fiscal year’s total spent, this fiscal year’s projected budget, and this fiscal year's amount spent year to date. Bezely told the council if they would like to attend the NCICG annual meeting to let her know so she could RSVP for them. Bezely stated that she received Charro Taco’s & Bakery Inc. liquor license this morning. This will be placed on the next agenda for approval. Save Our Soldier has had approximately $1,500.00 in donations thus far. Chris P. Chicken is losing his paint. Gregg & Chris Ripka and Curt & Sue Frund have volunteered to help Bezely repaint and seal the chicken to keep him colorful. Bezely questioned if the Bureau County Board has a say in farmland being annexed by the City of Peru. The reason this was asked is the Ladd Fire Department is losing tax money due to the properties in the Ladd Fire District being annexed into Peru Fire District. Atty. Barry stated that the City of Peru controls its borders. It is believed that the Bureau County Board has no say in the annexation. Manning complimented Bezely on the preparation of the budget. Bezely told the council that the budget worksheet will help them know how to move forward with upcoming decisions.
Nelson motion/Martin second to adjourn.
Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Martin, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski - Motion carried 6-0
The meeting adjourned at 7:45 pm
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