MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE STAUNTON CITY COUNCIL, HELD IN THE RALPH & JOSEPHINE OLTMANN COMMUNITY CENTER, 101 W. PEARL ST., STAUNTON, ILLINOIS ON MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020
I. CALL TO ORDER:
Mayor Craig Neuhaus called the Staunton City Council Meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. on Monday, August 10, 2020
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
Mayor Craig Neuhaus led the Pledge Allegiance to the Flag.
III. ROLL CALL:
Prior to roll call being taken, City Clerk Stiegemeier announced that tonight’s City Council Meeting was being conducted remotely and was being recorded due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
City Clerk Stiegemeier called roll with the following persons:
ATTENDING: Aldermen Maria Bodner, Brooke Wallace, Rick Johnson, Randy Hanks, Ryan Machota, Chad Plenske, John Moore and Jeff Scanzoni, Mayor Craig Neuhaus, City Clerk Dennis Stiegemeier, City Treasurer Cindy Pirok and Public Works Director Mike Kuethe.
ELECTRONIC ATTENDANCE: Police Chief Jeff Doerr and City Attorney Phil Lading.
IV. CONSENT AGENDA
Johnson moved, seconded by Bodner to approve Consent Agenda with the following items:
Minutes
Regular Meeting – 07/27/2020
Collector’s Report
Madison Communications (Franchise Fee)--$3,867.22
State of Illinois (Rebuild Illinois Bond Grant Installment #2)--$56,446.72
State of Illinois (Personal Property Replacement Tax)--$2,598.91
Staunton Police Department (Reports)--$10.00
Staunton Police Department (Finger Printing)--$20.00
Staunton Police Department (Ordinance Violations)--$300.00
Macoupin County Treasurer (Real Estate Taxes)--$261,219.15
Macoupin County Treasurer (Real Estate Taxes – Library)--$32,164.10
Macoupin County Treasurer (Downtown TIF Distribution)--$18,130.31
Macoupin County Treasurer (Interstate TIF Distribution)--$19,159.19
Ameren Illinois (Utility Tax)--$17,535.04
Ill. Counties Risk Management (City Hall Roof Insurance Reimbursement)--$20,252.55
Macoupin County Circuit Clerk (Fine Disbursement)--$418.97
Macoupin County Circuit Clerk (Arrest Agency Fee)--$164.00
Macoupin County Circuit Clerk (E-Citation Fee)--$10.00
Staunton Area Ambulance Service (July Dispatch Fee)--$500.00
Staunton Super 8 Motel (Hotel / Motel Tax)--$1,540.00
Applications
Rodney Hellinger (Any Public Works Department)
Ethan Martin (Street Department)
Monthly Reports
Distributed by Bookkeeper
Claims
August 10, 2020
Business Licenses Issued
Main Station Liquor & Wine (Video Gaming License)
Roll Call Vote
AYES: Wallace, Johnson, Hanks, Machota, Moore, Scanzoni, Bodner.
NAYS: None.
ABSTAIN: Plenske
ABSENT: None.
Motion declared carried.
V. GUESTS
Jim Wallace addressed the Council regarding concerns with the Ginseng Creek drainage project on Main Street. Mr. Wallace is concerned that the contractor has not put any barricades in place to ensure the safety of the project area. There is only a safety tape up, and this does not make the job site very secure. The area looks bad and he would like to see the contractor to be held accountable in securing the project site and cleaning up the entire work area.
David Manning addressed the Council regarding his Zoning Variance request that is on the agenda tonight for approval. Mr. Manning is planning to open a Thrivent Financial business at his residence, which is located at 225 S. Hackman Street. This business would offer everything from insurance to financial planning. He just resigned from being principal at Zion Lutheran School for 10 years, and is looking forward to bringing this business to town. Alderman Hanks asked Mr. Manning if it would “make or break” his business if the Council didn’t waive the 1st reading on his request this evening and then pass the Ordinance in two weeks. Hanks understands the hearing process, but he feels that all city residents, not just the neighboring residents, should have the opportunity to voice their opinions on situations such as these. He felt that the Council was being made to hurry up and vote on the matter without having the first reading. Manning stated that he was at the mercy of the Council. Mayor Neuhaus called upon Zoning Administrator Ailee Taylor, who was attending tonight’s meeting, to give an explanation as to what has taken place with this particular Zoning Hearing. Mrs. Taylor stated that a Zoning Hearing was held on July 9th and there were no neighbors, who would have received a certified letter informing them of the hearing, present at the hearing. She explained that there is a 60 day process involved with these zoning requests, and due to the fact that the Zoning Hearing Attorney failed to get the Facts of Findings ready for the last City Council Meeting, this put a delay on the first reading of the ordinance. Ailee stresses that she was not trying to hurry the process, she was just trying to stay on the time line that have been set up regarding the zoning hearings. In the future, Mrs. Taylor will also make sure that Aldermen in the respective wards of the zoning hearings would be notified of the hearing taking place.
VI. CORRESPONDENCE
Received an email from Mt. Olive Turner Hall notifying the City of their intentions to plan an organized bike ride on Sunday, September 20, 2020. Due to IDPH guidelines, an exact route has not been finalized, but it is anticipated that the ride will go through part of the City limits of Staunton. As soon as final routes have been determined, they will be sharing that information with the City.
VII. TREASURER’S REPORT
The following investments were recently cashed in at Bank of Springfield. Original issue date was March 22, 2019 at 2.42% interest:
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