Village of Orion Village Board met April 16.
Here is the minutes provided by the Board:
The regular meeting of the President and Board of Trustees was held at 7:00 p.m., April 16, 2018, at Village Hall, 1202 4th Street, Orion, Henry, Illinois. The following members were present: Cooper, Peterson, Mitton, Lawson, and Drucker. Absent: Newman and Hancock.
The meeting was called to order by President Cooper, who led the board in the Pledge of Allegiance.
It was moved by Drucker, seconded by Lawson to approve the minutes of the meeting held April 2, 2018. It was noted the motion for approval of the minutes of March 19, 2018 listed Mitton as seconding when he was in fact absent. Clerk Sampson checked her notes and said Lawson seconded the motion. The minutes of April 2, 2018 will be corrected accordingly. Ayes: Peterson, Mitton, Lawson, and Drucker. Noes: None. Absent: Newman and Hancock.
It was moved by Lawson, seconded by Drucker to approve bills for the month: General Fund-$31,228.09, Recycle-$2,213.25, Water O&M-$2,157.29, Water Depr.-$2,060.00, Sewer O&M-$4,665.21, Sewer Depr.-$7,056.33, Sewer Cap. Impr.-$7,453.70, MFT- $1,147.00, Special Tax Allot.-$22,500.00, C.R. Hanna Trust-$372.50, Band Shell Preservation-$260.00 & Fines-$360.50. Ayes: Peterson, Mitton, Lawson, and Drucker. Noes: None. Absent: Newman and Hancock.
Annie Cox and Hayley Vorhees were present to request the use of Love Park baseball diamond outfields for flag football on Monday nights. Flag football is currently played on a field in the Quad Cities. Cox and Vorhees, administrators of the Orion program, said the program has grown and they intend to offer it to more age groups, requiring more space and a lighted area when shorter daylight presents a problem. The group will utilize a practice field at Orion High School on most occasions and the Love Park field will be a backup. President Cooper said the board would need time to consult with its attorney regarding insurance coverage. The board will review the issue at its May 7th meeting.
Mr. & Mrs. Mike Dunlap, 103 11th Ave. Crt. W, were present to request relief from regulations preventing them from keeping a permanently installed basketball post and hoop on village right of way. The Dunlaps, and Mr. & Mrs. Jeremy Jungwirth, 104 11th Ave. Crt. W, were cited for installing basketball posts/hoops in concrete directly behind the curb and facing the street. The Dunlaps said playing in the street was handy for the neighborhood children who would otherwise have to cross over Route 150 to access village parks. Mr. & Mrs. Nathan Sadofsky, 1010 2nd St. Crt. W, were present and said they also want to install a permanent basketball hoop on village right of way, facing the street. Two of the driveways were deemed to be sloped, making play difficult on private property, as described by one of the property owners. President Cooper thought the board would be willing to have a conversation about the request, since it is a fairly unique situation. It will be put on the next village board agenda for discussion and possible action.
It was moved by Lawson, seconded by Mitton to approve the purchase of a 2018 John Deere tractor/backhoe. Prior to a vote Trustee Drucker asked that the equipment be used to its fullest extent. Trustee Lawson agreed but reminded the board the village doesn’t own a ditch box for deeper digging projects. He also noted three buckets were included in the purchase price. The motion was called for a vote. Ayes: Peterson, Mitton, Lawson, and Drucker. Noes: None. Absent: Newman and Hancock.
Flushing of hydrants is planned to begin April 30th.
Bathrooms have been opened in both village parks. In other park business, it was noted Mr. Zachary Kline received front money from the Orion Fall Festival to purchase necessary supplies to upgrade Central Park benches. He will seek $50 sponsorships for each bench so the seed money can be reimbursed.
Discussion was held about a foul pole at a Love Park baseball diamond installed in the wrong area due to location pins being moved by an unknown person. The pole will be moved to the correct spot as soon as possible. Also, President Cooper said construction of the crow’s nest is progressing. He painted a portion of it red and black. When construction materials are delivered they will be stored at the enclosed rock yard at the end of each work day.
It was noted cracks have developed on the tennis court surface and the court edges are flaking. A topcoat was applied last year through a project by the Orion Lions Club. President Cooper notified Mr. Ray Parrish of the Lions Club.
Trustee Peterson said the flag pole light, just replaced three weeks ago, was broken by vandals. The public was asked to notify authorities if they see anything suspicious in the village parks.
President Cooper reported receipts of $276.01 from the C. R. Hanna Trust.
The city of Silvis is offering an incentive for new construction in the amount of $10,000 per lot, according to President Cooper, and he said Orion should meet with city leaders to learn how the program is structured. The sale of lots in the Prairie Knoll subdivision has stagnated and the board talked about some type of incentive to spur construction. The board would also expect the developer to participate in the incentive. The village attorney will calculate the benefit of financial incentives, and the board will move forward with the extension of the TIF district.
It was moved by Drucker, seconded by Mitton to enter executive session at 7:42 p.m. to consider the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees. Ayes: Peterson, Mitton, Lawson, and Drucker. Noes: None. Absent: Newman and Hancock.
President Cooper reconvened the meeting in open session at 7:59 p.m.
It was moved by Drucker, seconded by Mitton to set the part-time police wage at $16 per hour for FY 2019 and consider a possible reward for long-term part-time officers. Ayes: Peterson, Mitton, Lawson, and Drucker. Noes: None. Absent: Newman and Hancock.
It was moved by Drucker, seconded by Peterson to adopt the FY 2019 budget totaling $1,776,393. Trustee Drucker said $5,000 was added to park expenditures as a result of a recently received grant for Christmas decorations from the Coulter Trust. The motion was called for a vote. Ayes: Peterson, Mitton, Lawson, and Drucker. Noes: None. Absent: Newman and Hancock.
There being no further business to come before the meeting, it was moved by Mitton, seconded by Drucker to adjourn. Ayes: Peterson, Mitton, Lawson, and Drucker. Noes: None. Absent: Newman and Hancock.
http://orionil.org/government/meetings/2014-03-09-05-52-59/977-minutes-2018-04-16-pdf/file
Alerts Sign-up