The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
The Oquawka Village Board held its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday July 2nd, 2024. Present were Village Trustee’s Don Rice, Brock Miller, Tammy Bundy, Troy Jern, Scott Ray, Shawn Hurt; Village President Lori Lipes; Village Clerk Callie Thacker-Matsko; Village Water Clerk Carey Thacker; and Village Attorney Andy Youngquist.
A resident addressed the board to complain about a property on north 4th street. They explained they couldn’t go outside without the person who resides there yelling and screaming at them, and they are afraid to go outside with him there. Bundy asked the resident if they had called with the Sheriff’s Department. The resident answered they had called the Sheriff’s department, the police Department, and they have a call in to the Henderson County Health Department because the property is full of trash, and they had found bags of human feces in their yard from the person in question. The board asked Police Chief Tim Edwards if he could comment on the situation. Edwards explained the person has been cited for criminal trespass. He went on to explain the subject says he has permission to be there, but the property owner says they want him gone. Edwards told the subject he had to be gone by June 24th. Since then, he had started to clean the property up by pushing the trash in to a pile. Edwards explained he has been told he cannot write another state citation until the subject has been to court on the first one. The court date for the pending citation is scheduled for July 3rd. Edwards went on to say that his hands are tied because of the Illinois Safet-T Act and before the Safe-T Act he could have taken the subject to jail and a judge could have set bail but now that is no longer possible. Edwards suggested the complainant file for an order of protection against the subject. Rice suggested they talk with the State’s Attorney to see if there was anything else that could be done.
Resident Bruce Ruberg addressed the board about two different issues. He said he was in favor of bringing wheel tax stickers back in order to bring some extra revenue to the Village. Bruce went on to say that every month the Police Chief gives a report on how many ordinance violations were ticketed but they never hear how many of those tickets end in convictions. He stated it seems like the tickets are always dismissed. He gave an example of someone who received three tickets for burning down his garage and all three were dismissed. Attorney Andy Youngquist responded that was not true because the subject has not been to court yet. Bruce went on to say we have a police officer in the Village that we’re paying and when he writes tickets, they all get thrown out. Youngquist again stated that was simply not true. Youngquist went on to say if Bruce wants to see what happens with ordinance violations and if he wants to see how the system works then come to court and watch what happens. Bruce stated he knows how the system works. Youngquist retaliated, saying no you very much don’t by all of your comments here tonight. Youngquist said you’ve stated things that are simply untrue, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Lipes thanked Bruce for his comments.
Lipes stated she had ordered a handrail for the food pantry for $80.00.
Youngquist stated court dates for ordinance violations are held on the 1st Monday of every month at the courthouse at 9am. He went on to explain the process for ordinance violations. He explained a ticket is not the same as a summons. If a person gets a ticket, it will have a court date on it. If they do not show up for that court date, then he has to ask the judge for a summons to issue. The judge then grants the summons to issue. Then he (Youngquist) drafts the summons with the court date to be (probably) the next 1st Monday of the month. Then, he sated, the key to the whole thing is to be able to find the subject in order to serve them with the summons. If, after the subject has been served with a summons, he fails to appear in court then a body attachment would be issued, which is the same thing as a warrant for the subject’s arrest. Youngquist stated that since the Safe-T Act went into effect, he hasn’t had anybody arrested on a body attachment so he doesn’t know how the judges will treat a body attachment, but his feeling is the subject would not be held. He went on to explain that a judge can only issue a monetary fine for ordinance violations. A judge cannot order someone to clean up their property under an ordinance violation process. Youngquist stated that what he has always done through every step of the ordinance violation process is tell the person who is in violation if you get the property cleaned up, he will dismiss the case. He stated they would only get $20 out of the conviction after fees, etc. and the point of the exercise isn’t about making money, it’s about getting the property cleaned up. He noted his toolbox to get that done is not very big.
Rice stated he felt Laverdiere Construction should be recognized for helping the Village workers fix a water leak that occurred in the street next to a home that was hosting a large gathering of people. Streets Supervisor Jeff Petersen agreed saying the galvanized line started leaking in the road and Laverdiere drilled in a new line across the street, saving them from having to dig a large hole in the road during the gathering. Petersen said the problem was fixed by noon. Rice stated everyone did a good job.
Phase 2 of the proposed water project includes drilling a new back up well on the same property as the Oquawka Pool. The current back up well near the river will not pass current guidelines and will be capped after the new well is installed. Because the pool is considered commercial, the EPA will not issue a permit for the new well. Because it would be very expensive to drill the well at a different location, the most economical solution is to remove the pool’s septic tanks. It has been decided that, in order to speed the permit and construction process along as much as possible, the tanks will be removed shortly after the pool closes for the summer. The pool cannot remain open without a septic system. A few ideas have been discussed but the only viable option seems to be to install a lift station at the pool and then run a pipe from there to the area of the horseshoe pits near the ball diamond and install new tanks and leach field there.
After discussing a few different used trucks, the board voted unanimously to enter into a purchase agreement to buy a white 2006 pick-up truck with snowplow.
Thacker informed the board the base rate for water had risen $6.50 per Village ordinance. The base rate will now be $38.75. Thacker stated they haven’t started charging for consumption over 1000 gallons yet but that will change. The change in billing has been noted on water bills and the Village Facebook page.
Police Chief Edwards presented the board with a proposal for E-Citation devices for the police vehicles. The cost will be $1165 for each of the two vehicles. Motion by Rice to purchase the E Citation devices. Second by Ray. All approved.
Bundy informed the board that she has had people talk to her about children driving golf carts. Edwards said he’s going to start cracking down on it. Bundy stated, otherwise, she’s ready to go back to requiring inspections and stickers for golf carts and UTVs. Hurt agreed saying he thought they should. Ray stated they would have some control over what was on the road. Rice disagreed, saying they had done away with the inspections and stickers in 2019 because out of town riders were deterred from patronizing our businesses. Edwards stated he’s heard more people say they want the stickers back than say they don’t. Bundy said she agreed because it’s out of control. Youngquist explained just because there’s no sticker required doesn’t mean there is no required equipment on these vehicles. Ray asked if hand signals could be used in place of lighted turn signals. I answered they had written turn signals in to the city ordinance. I explained that in order to get a sticker, I had to install turn signals on my machine. Youngquist answered that if it is in the city ordinance that he drafted then it’s because it’s in the state law and federal regulations, so if there is a turn signal requirement then no you cannot use hand signals. Tim noted some of the requirements for golf carts and UTVs are insurance, must be 16 years of age, valid driver's license, brake lights, head lights. Rice noted offroad motorcycles are not part of the ordinance and are illegal on Village streets. Edwards stated he has stopped several minibikes and given them warnings saying if he sees them again, they will be towed and ticketed.
Miller presented the board with an estimate from Bigger Electric for extra lighting at the baseball field and horseshoe pits. Lights and installation will cost $7962.66. Rice made a motion to purchase the lights. Second by Ray. All approved the motion.
Pool Manager Breck McVey stated they averaged 28 people per day during the month of June. She stated they closed early twice due to weather. She explained they passed a state health inspection on June 24th. She went on to say she had been approached by the owner of Dame Fine Coffee to ask if they could sell his products in the concession stand. Breck thought the profits would go to the pool and that Dame Fine was trying to help the pool because one of his employees works there as a lifeguard. The board agreed to allow Dame Fine products in the concession stand.
It was noted during the appropriations discussion that the payment for phase 1 and phase 2 of the water project would be approximately $4600/month
Meeting adjourned.
Jeff Tee
River Rat News
“Just the facts, Ma’am”