The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
June & July Meetings
At the June 7, 2016 meeting of the Oquawka Board of Trustees the following action was taken:
A trash dumpster will be put down by the boat docks for the summer.
The mayor suggested having a work session instead of committees so all would be there to discuss Village matters before they are presented at board meetings. This led to a motion by Trustee Nancy Bundy for the Board to meet at 6:30 p.m. on the 3rd and 4th Thursdays of the month, when necessary, these sessions would not be considered regular or special meetings. They would be open to the public.
Trustee Kubersky raised the issue of complaints he had received regarding spray painting by Kevin Moore of Hot Wheels in front of his business as opposed to in an enclosed area. He was informed by attorney Youngquist that this is not a village issue.
The Prevailing Wage Ordinance #874 was passed by the board
It was also voted to have Tri-States Water replace sand filters and valves at the Village swimming pool at a cost of $6699.50. In addition the board approved purchase of 2 rescue tubes and 2 swim belts.
Street and Water Superintendent Peterson reported 2 pink slips and 1 water shut off. He pumped out the pool and repaired some holes. He also reported that a 6 inch pump has a crack and needs to be repaired. He had three bids for the work. The Board approved hiring Ernie Darnell to make the repairs to the 6 inch pump for $400.00.
Police Chief DeJaynes reported $1817.04 fine money collected.
The Board approved the annual Oquawka drinking report. Nancy Bundy reported that there will be no Catfish Cook Off this year due to lack of interest. Instead, Chicken and Fish will be served on Saturday, July 2nd at the same location as the cook off had been held.
The parade is scheduled for July 2nd with line up at 9 a.m. The parade will start at 10 a. m. This year's theme is United States - AmeriCans.
Chief Jern reported that the Fire Department has been working hard to become a fire district.
At 7:45 p.m. the board went into Executive Session to discuss pending litigation regarding the Schuyler St. project. At 8:20 a.m. the board returned from the Executive session and gave Attorney Youngquist full negotiation powers with all appropriate parties involved in the litigation over the Schuyler street project.
The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
The July meeting of the Village of Oquawka Board was called to order at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday July 5th. Public Comments were asked for following the pledge of allegiance.
The council voted to adopt the annual appropriations ordinance, #875. Attorney Youngquist noted that the appropriation ordinance is "An exercise to standardize procedures. It sets spending caps. It does not impel spending but it allows for it."
For his part Attorney Youngquist has gotten the papers on the pay out for the Munson incident. He has sent Mr. Munson a letter in an attempt to collect the out-of-pocket amount of $1000. There has been no response from Mr. Munson. Chief DeJaynes will continue to attempt this collection. The back hoe is now off
Street and water superintendent Jeff Peterson reported 7 water locates, 30 pink slips, and 5 water shut offs. He took down a tree at Cannon Park; He swept Main Street and placed trash cans for Nancy Bundy.
Four zoning permits were approved for the month.
Report of police activities for June 2016 is as follows: Criminal, 1 battery, 1 possession of meth, 1 possession of cannabis, 1 possession of drug paraphernalia and 1 unlawful use of weapons. There were 4 ambulance assists and 3 county assists. There was 1 welfare check, 6 civil disturbances 2 tavern calls, 44 ordinance violations, 4 golf cart inspections, 1 stop sign violation, 3 speeding tickets, I ticket for operating an uninsured vehicle, 1 violation for no tail lights, and one violation for operation relating to possession of titles and registration. There were 52 other calls. Two warrants were served. Total fines paid were $1,043.95. Fuel used during the month was 120.8 gallons. Mileage was 1,364.
Under new Business there was a discussion of why the semis had been re-routed to Pike St. Both Dawn Hartman and Dopher Thompson suggested the traffic along Pike Street was a hazard, and made the request that the board deal with it. Not satisfied with the councils response they left the meeting.
Bruce Ruber demanded that the council enforce the weed ordinance, specifically citing the weeds on Nanette Torrence's property. After a heated exchange with the council, during which he demanded the council take action and enforce the weed ordinances, he left
At 7:20 p.m. the council went into Executive Session to discuss continuing legal issues with the Lavadiere case.
In addition to council members and staff there were 12 others present at the meeting.
The next meeting will be Tuesday, August 2, 2016