The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Oquawka Village Hears Proposal From Chief Police

by Sally Day, The Quill

A proposal for offering Village Ordinances, instead of Illinois State originated traffic tickets was made by Police Chief Todd Miller at the Monday night, December 5 meeting of the Oquawka Village Board.

Miller noted the proposal would benefit both the village and the recipient of the ticket.

A person receiving a ticket would be required to pay a lesser fine ($100.00) and the ticket would not go on their driving record.

The monies generated by these tickets would go directly to the village.

Currently, the village only receives a small percentage of ticket money, with the majority of said money going to the state.

In addition, Miller requested monies generated from these tickets go in to a specific fund for the police department.

Village Attorney Mike Neff will go over this proposal with the State's Attorney and the Circuit Clerk before voting on it next month.

Community member Roberta Robbins was on hand to request the board open up a study for a sewer system. She asked this on behalf of economic development and said she was advocating for an increase in population, which would assist businesses and give young people a reason to stay in Oquawka. Board member Todd Shinberger noted the village had opened up a study for a sewer system and the main reason the study had been tabled was due to its enormous cost, a proposed $13 million. He continued on saying, "Why not? We are the largest town in Illinois without a sewer system."

Board member Nancy Bundy said she specifically remembered the person who was in charge of a recent sewer study; Susan Nash from the Western Illinois Regional Council. The board will contact Nash to ascertain more information about the survey.

In other business:

• Approved Mayor Harold Henshaw to submit a request to the Midwest Bank of Oquawka for a loan for the Schuyler Street Project, as part of a grant loan, in the amount of $286,000.
• Agreed that all board members will read the Code Book for Ordinances for the village and make any necessary changes. Attorney Neff will then read and word those changes in a legal manner to send back to the board for approval.
• Accepted a bid of $1,275.00 to Southeast Iowa Garage Door Specialists to repair the garage door opener on the building next to village hall.
• Heard from Les Van Dolah, who was inquiring about a small parcel of land. The board told Van Dolah that they would need to publish this in the paper and put it up for bid.
• Agreed that the board needs an ordinance for Mutual Aid.
• Set the date for the Christmas Lighting Contest as December 18. Police Officer Blake Fox will escort those judging.
• Approved the Boy Scouts could make copies at the village hall if necessary.
• Approved the minutes, bills, and treasurer's reports for last month.
• Established dates for the next year's meetings, submitted by Village Clerk, Sandy Huff. Those 2012 dates are as follows: All on Mondays: January 2, February 6, March 5, April 2, May 7, June 4, July 2, August 6, September 10, October 1, November 5 and December 3.