Village of Ladd Village Board met Jan. 10.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The Ladd Village Board met in regular session on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, in the Village Hall. Village President 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, Atty. Pat Barry, Superintendent Doug Englehaupt, & Engineer Adam Ossola
Nelson motioned/Martin second to accept December 27, 2022, regular meeting minutes as presented. Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Martin, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski – Motioned carried 6-0
Thrasher motioned/Margherio second to authorize payment of the bills in the amount of $73,995.86. Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Martin, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski – Motioned carried 6-0
Correspondence: Heidi Templeton was in the audience but requested that the board be provided pictures and a conversation she sent to the Village of Ladd. She is concerned about the building to the south of her building. Black paper from the roof has been littered all over her property and also on Main Avenue and the trees on Main Avenue. Templeton has been picking up this roofing material for the past year and she is frustrated with the lack of accountability by the building owner. Templeton is sympathetic to the owner but it would be nice if they offered help in picking up the mess or offering garbage bags for pickup. Templeton feels the board would have been more aggressive if it were her building making this mess. This building has been a conversation at many meetings but the Village has been in contact with the owner. The owner is working hard to find someone to tear down the building. She is also considering selling the building as is. The Village is aware of the situation and is looking for a possible grant to take the building down.
Public Comment: None
Committee Reports: The burning ordinance change is raising a buzz. Bezely had a call from a business regarding the burning ordinance. Bezely was advised to reiterate the ordinance has not changed just the days burning is allowed. Burning is ONLY allowed on Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday.
Engineer’s Report: Ossola reviewed the quotes provided by Superior Excavating to replace the fire hydrant and reconnect the water service at Tee Group. 3 quotes outline cost based on the depth of the installation. Manning motion/Martin second to move forward with the quote up to $21,650.00 based on the necessary depth of installation of a new fire hydrant & installation of water service at Tee Group.
Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Martin, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski – Motioned carried 6-0 Ossola stated this may be done as soon as the end of next week.
Superintendent’s Report: New Business: Cost Study for Utilities to Route 80 Englehaupt discussed the possibility of getting costs for interested businesses to locate near route 80 properties. Englehaupt explained the situation in detail and it was suggested to get a rough idea from one of the companies we’ve worked with in the past. We had asked in the past for an idea of the cost to bring sewer out there and water is nearby. The question is do we use the State right of way or request easements from property owners to bring it out there? Englehaupt feels an aerial run would be the cheapest and best-case scenario but we would have to get approval from the private landowners. Atty. Barry didn’t feel the landowners would be at all interested unless there was a firm commitment from a business. It doesn’t hurt to speak to landowners because this will make their property more marketable to have the utilities planned out to route 80. Englehaupt explained to the board that we just want an approximate cost for businesses we are trying to attract to Ladd. Bezely stated she was hoping to contact the truck stop she’s been talking with and show them the locations they’ve discussed and the approximate costs associated with each location to provide utilities. Manning explained to everyone if we get a commitment from a truck stop we will work hard to get grants to help with the costs to bring utilities out to route 80 properties so the businesses don’t have to pay 100% of the cost. Englehaupt will call to get a budgetary number from previous contractors we’ve used for the cost to bring out electricity to these properties.
Main Avenue Holiday Decorations: Thrasher told the council she will form a committee to decide on Holiday Decorations going forward. Bezely got pricing on the existing wreaths. There was talk about possibly changing out the wreaths. Englehaupt reminded Thrasher and her committee that a 2nd bracket needs to be purchased to hang the decorations on their trailer. The less they are handled the nicer they stay. Englehaupt will count how many we need if we change the type of decoration we get.
Police Chief: Chief Frund told the council that he’s working on Lexipol every day. Mentioned there are a lot of questions regarding the Safe T Act and Frund is trying to understand the Act and keep up with the changes and eventually hopes to be able to answer questions on this Act. He informed the council that the State Police has done some redistricting. What was District 17 is now renamed and runs from Marseilles to the Iowa border? Frund thanked the board for having a police department. It is imperative with the reduction in the number of state police coverage. He informed the board the police have been busy with calls. The sheriff's department covers a lot of towns without a police department and they are very pleased with Ladd’s police department. Village President feels Ladd is very thankful for the police and all the coverage we have had. The board thanked Chief Frund.
Building Inspector: Absent
Village Attorney: Colin Barry told the board that as of 1/1/2023 there’s been a change in Illinois State Law. It gives employees up to 10 days of unpaid time off when certain parameters of the new law take place. This information is being kept in the Clerk’s Office for employee reference. Barry stated that this is over and above what the Village ordinance allows.
Chicken Ordinance Change: No action was taken. This was left on the table indefinitely. They reconsidered the ordinance and are not in favor of any change to allow chickens in Ladd.
Donation to IVCIL: Council members feel this is a service many people get help from. Martin motion/Nelson second to donate $50.00 to IVCIL.
Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Martin, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski – Motioned carried 6-0
Itron Maintenance Agreement: Manning motion/Urbanowski second to approve the new maintenance agreement for hardware and software for the Itron from 4/1/23 to 3/31/24
Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Martin, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski – Motioned carried 6-0
Announcements: Margherio asked for an update on the property on N. LaSalle Ave. Atty. Barry sent a letter. Bezely called the owner regarding concern about no gas usage. He came down and checked his pipes. They did not burst. He also received the letter that our attorney sent him a letter regarding the dilapidated condition of his house and porch. He said he would get this fixed. He asked for names and numbers of contractors in the Ladd area. Bezely informed the board 1/1/23 minimum wage increased to $13/hr and mileage reimbursement increased to .655 cents per mile. There was a party at the community center this past weekend. A person attending the party is offering a floor buffer for our floors for free. He used to buff floors for a living and no longer does so he would like to donate 1 to the Village of Ladd. The board was thankful and agreed to accept the donation. We will look to hire someone to buff the floors. A few people's names came up that used to buff the floors when it was the church hall. We will reach out to them when ready. Margherio asked if the 336 S. Main Ave. sale was complete. Atty. Barry told the board it was complete. Bezely asked again about the need to go out for bids on non-union health insurance. Bezely spoke with the current insurance agency and reviewed how insurance gets quoted. She was again told that they use our zip code and size. With only 3 people in the health insurance plan, the cost is very cut and dry. I also spoke with a resident who has worked with insurance her whole life. She told Bezely 3 people would not lend to any savings. She cautioned on making a change because a “new” company may increase the deductible since they don’t have a prior working relationship and don’t know we pay our bills very timely. The resident told me she would come to the meeting and explain things to the board but I told her I would relay her information and go from there. The board agreed that there really isn’t a need to go out for a bid. We are happy with our current insurance provider and no cost savings are likely. Bezely thanked the board for understanding.
Urbanowski motioned/Nelson second to adjourn.
Ayes: Manning, Margherio, Martin, Nelson, Thrasher, Urbanowski – Motioned Carried 6-0 The meeting adjourned at 7:35 pm
https://www.villageofladd.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-01-10-MINUTES.pdf
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