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Keithsburg City Council Minutes

Held at 302 S. 14th Street August 9, 2010

Mayor Askew Opened the Meeting at 6:30 PM

Alderman Physically Present: Linda O'Brien, Maxine Henry, Davina Logsdon, Neil Nylin and George Askew. Roy Pritchett was absent.

Minutes of last month meeting: Neil made a motion to accept; Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Cash Receipts: Davina made a motion to accept; George seconded, accepted by all.

Cash Disbursements: Davina made a motion to accept; Neil seconded, accepted by all.

Arnold thanked everyone that helped with the levee preparations including sand baggers and everyone who helped with the flood fair.

Levee Repairs: Mercer County Highway Department issued a bill for $4,631.28 (levee work July 24th & 25th for levee preparation). Mayor Askew also explained a bill for 60 loads of sand-$300.00 and rental of the skid loader- $140.00 for a total of $5,071.28. Davina made a motion to accept; Neil seconded, accepted by all except Maxine who abstained.

MSA Professional Services (Engineers): Steve Haring was present and discussed system evaluations on water, levee, storm pumping, and streets. An update on the wastewater will be completed on or after August 18, 2010. Infrastructure study summary can be viewed at city hall. The engineers are working on these evaluations for the emergency flood disaster funding.

Mercer County Hazard Mitigation was approved by FEMA on July 27, 2010. 

Water/Sewer: Steve Nylin explained another water line break has been repaired between 11th & 12th on Main. Mark Hockenberry at 10th & Madison Street had sewer backup in his house and he had to replace some carpet, drywall, etc. Mark is a licensed plumber and made all the sewer main blockage repairs himself and the cost of materials was $477.34, he is asking the city to reimburse him ½ of the material expenses. Maxine made a motion to pay $250.00 out of water sewer checking, Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Water/Sewer: Steve Nylin responded to the engineer's evaluations regarding the following issues: the cost to install water meters would be around $40,000.00 and with the maintenance and meter reading it is not feasible for this town; if we put a 100,000 gallon water tower up we would be loose 40 feet of head unless the tower would be raised higher; filter system for removal of iron and water manganese would be very costly long term; and several years ago it was discussed to replace old water mains a zone at a time to 6-8 inch. Arnold explained if we don't receive the emergency flood disaster funding none of the above items would be followed up on.

Motor Fuel Tax Audit: Davina made a motion to accept; Maxine seconded, accepted by all.

Fire Department: Mayor Askew explained there are not enough people in town that wants to volunteer their time to help the fire department and ambulance crew and therefore, we are looking at switching to a fire district. Bruce Retherford and Mike Sponsler were present from the Aledo Fire Department to discuss the fire district. Bruce explained we have a lot of grey area that would be covered under the fire district, and he would be able to promote additional EMT and first responders. Bruce also explained the first step is to create a fire district which has to be put on the ballot for vote and the ambulance tax and fire tax can be kept separate. Creating a fire district would allow the city to charge a fire district tax and enable the fire department to pay the EMT's and firefighters for their services. Mayor Askew mentioned if all the residents in Keithsburg want to keep the ambulance service and fire protection then everyone needs to get off their couch and start helping to keep the free service. Bruce explained they will be conducting another EMT class in Aledo. George Askew explained years ago the fire department checked into the fire district and there is a large area going to the east and north and but not much going west and south and they estimated $8,000 of income and after paying the insurance and fuel that would not go very far. The district lines could possibly be adjusted to add more of an area to ours. Bruce wondered if the ambulance district could be done without the fire district. Judy Brown explained if all of the existing members of the fire department would just do their part and go on the runs they would not be having issues. 

Police Department: Mayor Askew explained there have been issues with bikes and gas being stolen recently and hopefully it will be taken care of shortly. Linda complained about kids riding bikes late at night with no reflectors.

Marina: Still waiting on the Ike funding grant application.

Zoning: The zoning board held a public hearing on July 29, 2010 and approved a special use permit application for Cory Terrill to operate Family Auto Repair at 1601 VanBuren Street. The council agreed to discuss this matter later in closed meeting.

Zoning: Due to the size of the trailer there will not be a public hearing on the older trailer Jimmie Jackson wanted to move to town at 1409 Main Street.

Kathy Wheeler Zoning Application: Maxine made a motion to accept; Linda seconded, accepted by all.

Zoning Board Members: Chairman Boyd Shaw asked the council to raise the zoning board members pay from $10.00 to $25.00 per diem. Neil made a motion to accept; Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Council Cell Phone Numbers: Linda asked permission to give out council member's cell phone number if they don't have a house phone. The council did not agree to release their phone numbers and commented that everyone knows where they live.

School Shelter at 12th & Short Street (Subdivision): Linda was asked if the city would consider moving the shelter to the park across from Casey's for shade. Arnold will get some prices of what it will cost for everyone to get together and build something around the concrete.

Mercer County Animal Control Contract: Last year .31 @ 714=$221.34 monthly and the new contract is .32 @ 714 = $228.48. George explained they never come to Keithsburg other than if someone calls them. The council wants to pay one more month and request them put a note in the drop box with the date and time they were in town. Neil made a motion to pay one more month; Linda seconded, accepted by all except Maxine who abstained.

Campground: Mayor Askew was upset because after working hard to get the campground cleaned up after the high water he was under the understanding the riverside campsites were closed and he was very upset to show up at the campground to discover campers on the river side. He felt that everyone calls him for every little thing and he felt he should have gotten a phone call prior to opening the campground. Mayor Askew explained that as long as he is mayor when the gates are closed, there better not be any campers beyond the gates or they will be towed. When it is safe for everyone the gates will be open. Elsie was present and she explained she did not know she was not supposed to let any campers beyond the gate. Elsie explained there were no rules given to her and she was not aware she was not supposed to open the gate. When she was hired is all she was told was to keep the campers happy. There was discussion regarding the campsite with the freezer and refrigerator. The council agreed no other campground would allow you to bring them.

Linda made a motion to go into closed meeting to discuss litigation pertaining to Smitty's Revolving Loan Fund and personnel, Neil seconded, accepted by all. .

Special Use Permit: The zoning board held a public hearing on July 29, 2010 and approved a special use permit application for Cory Terrill to operate Family Auto Repair at 1601 VanBuren Street. Linda made a motion to accept; Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Advertise for a Part-Time Police Officer: Maxine made a motion to accept; George seconded, accepted by all.

Maxine made motion to adjourn, Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Time: 8:17pm

Terri Gibson City Clerk

Keithsburg City Council Minutes Held at 302 S. 14th Street 

July 12, 2010

Mayor Askew Opened the Meeting at 6:30 PM

Alderman Physically Present: Linda O'Brien, Maxine Henry, Davina Logsdon, Neil Nylin, George Askew and Roy Pritchett.

Minutes of last month meeting: Roy made a motion to accept; Neil seconded, accepted by all.

Cash Receipts: Roy made a motion to accept; Neil seconded, accepted by all.

Cash Disbursements: Neil made a motion to accept; Roy seconded, accepted by all.

Mayor Askew thanked John Wagner, Dig Wagner, County Highway Department, and the Mercer County Board for all their assistance with the levee repairs in the past months.

Mayor Askew thanked Randy Willits, Carole Willits, and Modern Woodman of America for donating the trees planted at the campground.

Mayor Askew thanked the following Sheriff and Police departments and their officers for the assistance at the campground over July 4th weekend: Henderson County, Mercer County, City of Aledo, and State Police.

Mayor Askew thanked the City of Andalusia and Village of Oquawka for the use of their water discharge pumps.

Grain Elevator Tipping Fee: Last month Roy suggested charging the grain elevator a fee either per bushel or a yearly fee to help with the road repairs that caused by the heavy grain trucks. Roy has checked with other elevators that charge a tipping fee but local elevators do not charge. The council discussed Joy and New Boston is both along a State Highway. The other elevators charge anywhere from $35-$110 per day. Davina talked to Toomey's which a local elevator and they don't pay any tipping fee however; they do pay a portion of the road repairs in both Warren and Henderson counties. Roy will discuss this issue with ADM and report next month.

MSA Professional Services (Engineers): The engineers have completed the infrastructure analysis and are going to be applying for CDBG flood disaster recovery funds through the DR1800"IKE" program (when the application becomes available) for the following improvements: Water system improvements-$1,500,000; Sanitary Sewer System improvements-$400,000; Roadway improvements-$1,600,000; Storm water lift station and pumping system-$250,000 and Levee Restoration-$480,000.

Bike Trail Grant: There is a grant application available to apply for a bike trail through Bikes Belong Grant Program. Up to $10,000 per municipality. Mayor Askew will check into this.

Water/Sewer: Steve Nylin explained that around June 28th the water usage started doubling and since then he discovered a break in a 4" water main at 13th & Jackson street. With the river's water level being so high, it makes digging on Jackson very difficult. It would cost about $20,000 to dewater the hole for the repair; therefore, Steve will schedule the repair as soon as the river level goes down. Steve also reported some problems with the pumps at the lift stations, and there is a lot of extra river water filtration.

Tree Removal: Mayor Askew explained Kenny Tharp has cut down three trees around town and the cost was around $1,200. The tree at the city park across from Casey's was cut down and cleaned up and he dropped the trees at 10th & Main and 9th & Jefferson Street. Mayor Askew has cut down several to save the city money, however these ones were at risk of damaging property. Fire Department: Christopher Huffman Application. Chris lives at 1002 Butternut Street. Davina made a motion to accept; Linda seconded, accepted by all.

Campground: Elsie collected $4,115.00 over July 4th weekend. Mayor Askew helped Elsie with some issues over the weekend and he suggested giving her an extra bonus. Mayor Askew has a list of names and addresses of the ones who caused the trouble and as long as he is Mayor, they are not welcomed at the campground. The council agreed. Maxine made motion to pay Elsie an additional $200.00 rather than the usual $100.00; Neil seconded, accepted by all.

Campground: Maxine explained she received an estimate from Cresent Electric in the amount of $2,187.57 for the electric outlets and wire for the (4) additional campsites on the southeast end of the campground. Other expenses would be the labor to install electric, water lines, hydrants, and the gravel for pads. Steve Nylin explained the water hookups would not be expensive. Roy made a motion to spend up to $2,187.57 and pay out of the campground checking; Linda seconded, accepted by all.

Labor Day Weekend Fish Fry: Numerous volunteers would like to follow through with the fish fry on September 4, 2010. We would be serving catfish fillets, scored carp, potato salad, and chips and asking for a donation for each plate. The city would receive all the proceeds to help recover the expenses and maybe help with the cost of the fireworks. Davina made a motion to spend up to $1,000; Linda seconded, accepted by all except Roy and Neil who voted No. Motion carried.

ATV Parade: Phillip Snelson had talked with Mayor Askew about having an ATV parade with police escort that would start at the north end of the campground out to the city limits on the east end of town. They would like to have a police escort out to the city limits. They would then end at Sandy Oaks. Linda suggested the 4 wheelers would have to be legal.

Marina: Steve explained all of the paperwork for the IKE funding is completed and he will be submitting the application tomorrow. The project is in good running for the IKE funding.

Ballpark Electronic Scoreboard: Kay Yates was present and explained they have a baseball tournament scheduled for August 7, 2010 to raise money for an electronic scoreboard. Kay mentioned Keithsburg has a very nice ball diamond but does not have a scoreboard and the electronic ones costs about $1,500. They are hoping to have (10) ten teams and charging $10.00. Linda suggested donating up to $500.00 after the tournament if they don't have enough and pay out of general fund checking; Roy seconded, accepted by all.

Linda made a motion to go into closed meeting to discuss employment of employees and a revolving loan fund application, Neil seconded, accepted by all.

Joey T's Revolving Loan Fund for $69,296.88: Joey Tharp has applied for $69,296.88 to purchase Smitty's Too, Inc. Maxine made a motion to accept with the stipulations discussed in the closed meeting; Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Joey T's Liquor License Transfer: Transfer the liquor license from 410 Main Street to 311 Main Street. Davina made a motion to accept; Linda seconded, accepted by all.

Emergency Shelter: Norma Gullickson asked "who was in charge of opening the gym in bad weather or power outages"? Mayor Askew explained all of the council members are responsible and have keys to open the facility. Judi Brown explained the spotters were at the fire station during the last bad storm and they had three people show up there.

Maxine made motion to adjourn, Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Time: 7:40pm

Terri Gibson 

City Clerk

Keithsburg City Council Minutes

 Held at 302 S. 14th Street

June 14, 2010

Mayor Arnold Askew opened the Meeting at 6:30 PM

Alderman Physically Present: Linda O'Brien, Maxine Henry, Davina Logsdon, Neil Nylin, George Askew and Roy Pritchett.

Minutes of last month meeting: Neil made a motion to accept; Linda seconded, accepted by all.

Cash Receipts: Davina made a motion to accept; Neil seconded, accepted by all.

Cash Disbursements: Linda made a motion to accept; Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Committees: Mayor Arnold Askew appointed the following committees: Streets & Sidewalks-Roy Pritchett; Emergency Shelter-Arnold Askew, Debi Askew, George Askew, Roy Pritchett, Neil Nylin, Linda O'Brien, Maxine Henry, and Davina Logsdon. Police-Neil Nylin; Ballpark & Parks-Davina Logsdon and George Askew; Finance-Terri Gibson and Mayor Askew; Board of Health/Ordinance and Nuisance-Linda O'Brien; Gymnasium-Arnold Askew; Davina Logsdon and Cindy Diehl; Campground-Maxine Henry and George Askew; Revolving Loan Fund-Arnold Askew; Terri Gibson; Nancy Nylin; Neil Nylin; Maxine Henry and City Attorney. Davina made a motion to accept the committees; George seconded, accepted by all.

Lawnmower Resolution: The council approved last month to spend up to $5,000 out of the campground checking on a lawn mower for the parks and campground; however Mayor Askew found the best deal at Birkley's for $6,600.00. Need a motion to accept the resolution and pay the additional $1,600.00 out of the general fund checking. Roy made a motion to accept the resolution; Maxine seconded, accepted by all.

Campfire Rings for the Campground: The landscaping at the campground was completed right before Memorial Weekend and with the straw everywhere there were concerns about allowing the campers to have campfires, therefore the city purchased (70) campfire rings from Menards on sale for $29.97 each for a total of $2,097.90 plus shipping of $72.95 for a grand total of $2,170.85 to be paid out of the campground checking account. Maxine made a motion to accept the resolution; Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Levee: The city received a bill from Wagner Brothers Clyde & Johnny in the amount of $8,250.00 for 1650 loads of sand at $5.00 per load. The council was under the understanding the sand was being donated and therefore this was not calculated in the expense for the levee work and will have to be paid out of the General Fund Checking. Roy is waiting on a call from Dig Wagner to find out more information about the bill. Linda made a motion to table until next month; Maxine made a motion to pay up to $8,250.00 to be general fund checking but Roy and Arnold are going to speak with Dig first; Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Streets and Sidewalks: Partners in Job Training & placement will be receiving some state funds for the Summer Youth Program (SYP) 2010. There is not a lot of information available at this time, however the city did ask for 3-4 youth 16 or older.

Streets and Sidewalks: Roy suggested charging the grain elevator a fee, per bushel or a yearly fee to help with the road repairs that caused by the heavy grain trucks. Steve Haring from MSA Engineering suggested the city talk with ADM regarding a tipping fee per bushel in which the funds would go toward street repairs. Roy explained the heavy truck traffic is hard on the streets and infrastructure such as the sewer. Maxine made a motion to have Davina and Roy talk with other towns to see what and how they charge; Linda seconded, accepted by all. .

MSA Engineers: Steve Haring was present and mentioned the meeting with US and State legislators concerning funding went very well. Motor Fuel Tax Program was approved by IDOT. They have made significant progress on the infrastructure studies and they are about 50% complete with each one. The land surveying on the levees will be completed this week if the weather permits and they will report to the council next month. The engineers will also be drafting a letter indentifying the city's needs and cost estimates for the IKE Flood Disaster funding in conjunction with the marina project.

Marina Letter of Intent Resolution: Michael Fitzpatrick and Associates had requested a letter of intent for the purpose of development and construction of a marina facility to be known as "Keith's Landing" in the City of Keithsburg. Davina made a motion to accept the resolution; Neil seconded, accepted by all.

Campground: Elsie collected $4,403.00 in camping fees over Memorial Weekend. Neil suggested having all the boats, trailers, plus the visitor's park in the north or south parking area. The council agreed.

Campground: Maxine suggested creating (4) new campsites on the southeast end of the campground. Expenses will include electric, water and gravel for pads, she explained the electric would be $1,000-$1,500 and she would have more information for next month meeting. Neil made a motion to table until next month; Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Labor Day Weekend Entertainment: Maxine has been in contact with John Hamann from J&M Display regarding the fireworks for Labor Day Weekend (September 4, 2010). Last year the city donated $2,500 for fireworks, plus $250 for prizes. J&M will set off the display and carry the liability insurance. Davina also suggested hiring Andy Campbell to play music that evening at the pavilion at the campground and pay him $300. There was some discussion about having a fish fry. Roy is not in favor of spending the money to have fireworks because of the expense and he feels the campground would be full Labor Day Weekend with or without fireworks. Maxine explained having the fireworks is to show appreciation to the campers, plus it brings other people from out of town and the citizens can enjoy them. Neil suggested having a cookout for the campers. Maxine made a motion to accept the one-year fireworks; donating the $300.00 for prizes and hiring Andy Campbell and pay him $300. Roy does not have any problem hiring Andy and paying him to play because he played during the fish fry and was not even going to charge the fire department, however he will not vote for the fireworks therefore we need separate motions. Maxine withdrew her motion and made a motion to donate $2,500 for fireworks to be paid out of the campground checking account. Linda-yes; Maxine-yes; Davina-yes; Roy-no; George-no; and Neil-no. Mayor Askew would have to vote as a result of a tie and he asked the audience for their opinion and their all mentioned it would be nice however, they also realized it was very expensive. Debi Askew explained they did an outstanding job last year. Arnold voted- yes, however he explained that next year the city would have to raise the money through donations in order to continue this tradition. Maxine made a motion to donate the $250 for the prizes and enter the contest the same as last year to be paid out of campground checking account; Davina seconded, accepted by all. Linda made a motion to hire Andy Campbell and pay him $300.00; Maxine seconded, accepted by all except Davina who abstained. Maxine asked if we wanted to try and have a fish fry with what everyone catches. The council did not want to attempt having a fish fry this year maybe next year.

Noise Ordinance: There have been complaints regarding the noise of 4 wheelers and motor bikes being rode on private property. This is a violation of the city's excessive noise ordinance. Arnold has had complaints about people riding dirt bikes and 4 wheelers on the buyout property at 9th & Jackson and 12th & Washington. Arnold will take care of this issue.

Property at 7th & Washington: Mayor Askew suggested putting these lots up for bid. Roy explained the fire department has discussed building a new building at this location. Roy also explained they have a grant writer that has had a 75% success rate writing a grant for a new fire station building.

Prevailing Wage Ordinance: Linda made a motion to accept; George seconded, accepted by all.

Mercer County Hazard Mitigation Plan: The plan has been accepted by FEMA and at this time all the municipalities must adopt the Mercer County Multi-jurisdictional Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan as the City of Keithsburg Multi-hazard Mitigation Plan, and resolves to execute the actions in the Plan. The plan must be reviewed by the Workgroup every year and updated not less than every five years. Linda made a motion to accept; Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Flood Fair- July 31, 2010: The Mercer County Flood Recovery program will be conducting another flood fair for the 2008 flood victims in which they will be giving out bicycles. Mercer County Sheriff Department will be conducting a Bike Safety program during the fair and would like the city police officer involved.

Closed Meeting: Davina made a motion to go into closed meeting to discuss employment, compensation and litigation; Maxine seconded, accepted by all. .

Police Department: Three applications were received: Christopher Defrieze, Daniel Leader and Brian Heymann. Roy made a motion for Neil and Arnold to hire either applicant and pay him $10.00-$10.50; George seconded, accepted by all.

Maxine made motion to adjourn; Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Time: 8:10pm

Terri Gibson City Clerk

Keithsburg City Council Minutes

Held at 302 S. 14th Street May 10, 2010

Mayor Askew Opened the Meeting at 6:30 PM

Alderman Physically Present: Linda O'Brien, Maxine Henry, Davina Logsdon, Neil Nylin, George Askew and Roy Pritchett.

Minutes of last month meeting: Linda made a motion to accept; George seconded, accepted by all.

Cash Receipts: Davina made a motion to accept; Neil seconded, accepted by all.

Cash Disbursements: Linda made a motion to accept; Davina seconded, accepted by all.

AmerenIP Franchise: Robert Buhnerkemper and Jacque Winston were present and explained the standard agreement is for 20 years. They presented the council with a customer list including residential and commercial accounts. The accounts highlighted in yellow are commercial (approximately 28 or accounts). Attorney Rillie mentioned they said it was non-negotiable. If a house and garage have separate meters, the meter for the garage is commercial. Robert explained all communities are being treated the same. Roy explained the citizens would have to pay an extra $10,000.00 per year for street lighting. Attorney Rillie explained Joy did pass the agreement and New Boston has not. Robert explained they are still going to compensate the city. Attorney Rillie explained AmerenIP is simply treating all communities bad. Robert explained most communities are accepting the 20-year agreement and 90-95% are accepting the monthly EF rider rather than raising real estate taxes. If the council does not approve an agreement by May 31, 2010, AmerenIP is going to discontinue the free 50% discount the city is receiving at this time for the streetlights. Attorney Rillie suggested not accepting the agreement and taking it up with the legislature because if we pass the franchise agreement we have nothing to argue. Attorney Rillie suggested the 5-year agreement because of the inflation. The city can add the rider EF at anytime. Neil made a motion to accept the 20- year agreement including the EF Rider per customer base rather than making it higher for commercial; Maxine seconded, accepted by all. Roy voted yes but would rather have voted for the 5 year.

MSA Professional Services (Engineers): Steve Haring was present and explained they have completed the updated estimate on the marina project. The engineers have suggested adding some additional project items that they felt were necessary such as water service, electrical service, parking lot improvements, retaining wall, handicap accessible and paved walkways. The initial dredging-217,100; docking facilities-650,000; riprap-330,000; tree planting-30,000; seeding/plantings-20,000; sidewalk-22,500; retaining wall-150,000; water utility service-40,000- dry stack-232,000; full service repair facility-128,000; crane lift-65,000; contingency-364,000; engineering-145,000. The total estimated project total of $2,328,600 but does not include electrical service, parking lot improvements, or paved walkways. Steve Haring also explained the developers have some concerns regarding the number of slips and the area of freeway. The developer has concerns about the free and easy passing area for the boats.

Preliminary Engineering Update: Steve Haring explained to the citizens that the State of Illinois has 168 million dollars in flood recovery funds in which the city is eligible due to the 2008 flood disaster. The engineers have been working on the preliminary engineering costs to make improvements to the city's water system, sanitary sewer, streets, and levee repairs. In gathering the records, Steve explained they were very impressed with Steve Nylin's record keeping for water and sanitary sewer. They will be doing some surveys around the levees when the weather permits. At this time, the State does not have the application ready. Steve explained the council is working very hard to get ready for the application. The application will possibly be ready by the end of the month.

No Parking Area at 605 Main Street: The city removed the boulevard and rocked the area several years ago for a parking area for trucks and large vehicles. Tim and Lisa Wessell (new property owners) had asked the council months ago to remove the parking area as they intended to put up a mailbox and the postmaster was concerned the vehicles would interfere with their mail delivery. After a "no parking" sign was posted, the Wessell's continued to park in the "no parking" area. Lisa explained she had no problem allowing cars, trucks, boats, etc. but not allow diesel trucks and she had an issue with the grain trucks running up on the sidewalk. Police Officer told her to park in the ditch. They want the city to make them a parking area. Davina suggested leaving the no parking area. Roy suggests having Arnold go and look at the situation. Linda made a motion to have Arnold take care of the situation; George seconded, accepted by all.

Marina: Steve explained he had a conference call on April 30, 2010 with the developers and they want to amend the corps of engineers permit by increasing the space for the marina project. AmeriCorps is redoing the prints and another conference call is setup for May 13, 2010. Steve explained everything is looking very promising. There would be 90 slips. Jenny Garner is also working with the State for infrastructure money through Phil Hares office.

Keithsburg Volunteer Firemen's Fish Fry: June 5, 2010

Campground Playground Area: At the September 14, 2009 meeting, it was suggested to box the south end (east side of road) of the campground in and purchase more playground equipment. The council agreed to purchase larger playground equipment and mix and match with the north end. Then it was tabled until next month and never addressed again. Maxine is getting estimates from Menards on larger playground equipment. Pastor Chuck possibly has volunteers coming later this month and it would be nice if they could assemble the playground equipment. Tabled until next month.

Campground Landscaping Resolution: The resolution approves for Small Town Landscaping to remove the top layer of dirt and sandbur's and putting down seed, fertilizer, and straw on the east side of the campground which will cost $3,944.70. The city will still have 4,237.69 from the 2008 flood money to spend on landscaping after the center section is completed. Roy made a motion to accept; Maxine seconded, accepted by all.

George Lyle Insurance: Nancy Nylin (Treasurer) wrote a letter to the mayor and city council explaining that at the April 12, 2010 meeting, the council agreed to keep George's insurance with the existing company and that George would have a co-pay of $149.13 of the $715.00, which is approximately 20.85%. As of June 30, 2010 his insurance will increase to $857.00 monthly. Nancy suggests the council vote on a percentage rather than a dollar amount. That way the yearly increase would be taken care of by both parties. She suggests George pay 25%. The City's share of the new increase would be $642.75 and George's would be $214.25. Attorney Rillie explained the city council decides what policy. Davina made a motion that George pay 25% of his policy; Linda seconded, accepted by all; except Roy who voted-No. Motion carried.

Flea Market: Joey Tharp suggested having a flea market in the open space area once a year to help with the costs of mowing. Joey is willing to be in charge of organizing and collecting for the event. Joey agreed to Labor Day Weekend (September 4, 2010). Joey agreed to have the venders sign release forms and he would get with Terri on which lots he would be using. George made a motion to accept; Linda seconded, accepted by all.

Battle of the Bands: Joey Tharp was present to ask the council's permission to close a section of Main Street again on June 5, 2010 for a battle of the bands. All the bars and fire department are included. Joey explained there would be at least eight or nine bands and he asked if they could extend closing Main Street a little past Smitty's beer garden because the fire department is going to setup a stand. Linda made a motion to allow them to shut down the streets; Maxine seconded, accepted by all.

Golf Carts and 4-wheelers (all-terrain vehicles): Donald Tippie was present to discuss both issues. Donald Tippie presented the council with a petition (211-yes and 7-no). Shawna Weeks explained even if the city allowed the route a State Trooper or County Sheriff could still issue a ticket if they are not going obeying the rules and she explained to the council that her and her family really appreciated using the route. Shawna suggested taking the rights away from the people who are abusing the route and not from the ones who are using it respectfully. The city cannot afford police protection round the clock. Linda explained the noise is a problem due to some of the mufflers. Cory Terrill suggests charging a fee and once someone has, a certain number of complaints remove that person from using the route. Cory admits he was one of them abusing the route. He also suggests charging a stiff fine for disobeying. Arnold explained the council voted to ban the route last month. Peter Chronos explained there are a lot of campers that bring their 4-wheelers and golf carts here when they come camping because they can use them to go to Casey's along with patronizing the other businesses. He also explained people disobey speed limits and we do not stop everyone from driving. Peter also explained some people were looking at some of his property in town simply because we had a route allowing the riders. Neil explained someone was riding a yellow 4-wheeler the other day. Linda explained the load pipes are a problem and the fact that the Mercer County Sheriff Department would not respond to a complaint because the city had a route. Shawna Weeks suggested sending a letter to the violators. Linda explained she liked some of the suggestions such as having a permit, but she explained that after going over the minutes from the last 3 years there were 9 warning that the route was going to be taken away if everyone didn't start obeying the rules and the complaints always started in April. .

Golf Cart Resolution: The resolution would allow golf carts on all the city streets with the exception of VanBuren Street between 2nd Street and 16th Street, and except Main Street, 10th Street and those portions of the following streets which lay North of Jackson Street, namely: 2nd - 15th Street. The State of Illinois requires the operation of a non-highway vehicle be in compliance with the Rules of 625 ILCS 5/11-1426.1 and such vehicles must meet the minimum equipment requirements of said statues. The statues includes but is not limited to the following: the driver must have a valid driver's license, proof of insurance and the non-highway vehicle must have brakes, steering apparatus, tires, a rearview mirror, red reflectorized warning devices on the front and rear, a slow moving emblem on the rear, headlight that emits a white light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the front, a tail lamp that emits a red light visible from at least 100 feet from the rear, brake lights, and turn signals. Neil made a motion to accept the resolution; Roy seconded, accepted by all.

All-Terrain Vehicles (4-wheelers) Resolution: The resolution would allow 4-wheelers a COURTESY ROUTE to get in and out of town. The State of Illinois requires the operation of a non-highway vehicle be in compliance with the Rules of 625 ILCS 5/11-1426.1 and such vehicles must meet the minimum equipment requirements of said statues. The statues includes but is not limited to the following: the driver must have a valid driver's license, proof of insurance and the non-highway vehicle must have brakes, steering apparatus, tires, a rearview mirror, red reflectorized warning devices on the front and rear, a slow moving emblem on the rear, headlight that emits a white light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the front, a tail lamp that emits a red light visible from at least 100 feet from the rear, brake lights, and turn signals. Roy suggested granting the route and if there are a lot of complaints, he suggests removing it permanently. He asked the citizens to help police the situation. The council explained any police officer can write a ticket but it would be a State Law Violation and there will be zero tolerance for anyone on the levees. Once they are out of city limits they are on their own because they will either be on Township or County roads. Maxine made a motion to accept the resolution; Davina seconded, accepted by all.

George made a motion to go into Closed Meeting to discuss employment, compensation, discipline, and performance or dismissal of specific employees; Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Police Officer Applications: Linda made a motion to advertise that we are accepting applications for a part-time police officer; George seconded, accepted by all. Advertise in the Rock Island Argus and the Times Record.

Purchase Lawn Mower for the Campground and the Parks: Maxine made a motion to purchase another lawn mower for the campground and in the parks and spend up to $5,000.00 out of the campground fund; Linda seconded, accepted by all.

Linda made motion to adjourn, Davina seconded. Accepted by all.

Time: 8:30pm

Terri Gibson

City Clerk

Keithsburg City Council Minutes Held at 302 S. 14th Street

April 12, 2010

Mayor Arnold Askew opened the meeting at 6:30 PM

Alderman Physically Present: Linda O'Brien, Maxine Henry, Davina Logsdon, Neil Nylin, George Askew and Roy Pritchett.

Minutes of last month meeting: Roy made a motion to accept; George seconded, accepted by all.

Cash Receipts: Davina made a motion to accept; Linda seconded, accepted by all.

Cash Disbursements: Neil made a motion to accept; Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Tax Sale on 1005 Jackson Street Property: Maxine explained this is the only property in the block on the north side of Jackson that the city does not own. The council will discuss this issue in closed meeting.

George Lye Insurance: Mayor Askew explained that George's current policy is $715.00 monthly and a similar plan through Blue Cross Blue Shield is $565.87 monthly. He also explained with bcbs there is no guarantee when it would increase and they could drop him at anytime. George Lyle explained he wanted to keep the existing plan and he agreed to pay the $149.13 difference. Linda mentioned he would be paying approximately 20% and that is what most places do. Neil made a motion to keep the existing insurance and George will pay the difference of $149.13 monthly; Davina seconded, accepted by all except Roy who voted no. Motion carried.

AmerenIP Franchise: Jacqueline Winston sent an email explaining the following monthly rates: (15) 150 Watt SV-Class A lights @ $10.19 per light ($152.85 monthly); (153) 100 Watt SV - Class A lights @ $10.19 per light ($1,559.07 monthly); (1) underground Conductor ($8.38 monthly); (2) Riser on Wood Poles ($1.81 monthly) for a total of $1,722.11 monthly ($20,665.32 yearly). The email explained there were two copies attached and there were no attachments. Mayor Askew called to verify the attachments and she explained because they did not know if we wanted 5, 10, 15 or 20 year contract she did not send attachments. Roy explained we did not get all our questions answered. She was supposed to get back with us on the correct amount of business and residential accounts. The email stated she had been to several meetings and in fact, the last meeting she attended was the October 2009 meeting. Mayor Askew is going to ask her to come back next month to answer the questions. Davina made a motion to table this until next month; Roy seconded, accepted by all.

Gym Rental: Mayor Askew explained the TULIP Program covers the liability Insurance that allows the consumption of alcohol on city property. Mayor Askew and his wife Debbie painted the kitchen and he is working on costs for countertops.

Levee Work Resolution: Maxine made a motion to pass the resolution authorizing payment up to $44,239.21 to Mercer County Highway Department and Frieden Excavating for the levee work; George seconded, accepted by all. The city had received $21,113.35 from FEMA for levee repairs incurred from the flood of 2008, and $22,784.15 in miscellaneous funding which could be used for the repairs all of which is in the General Fund Checking Account. The final cost of the project was $45,817.61 for a difference of $789.20. Maxine made a motion to pay the difference out of the campground fund, Linda seconded, accepted by all. Everyone commented on how nice the levee looks.

Executive Session Minutes: George made a motion to pass the resolution approving all the executive session minutes from March 12, 2007 thru July 13, 2009 be filed with the regular meeting minutes and made available for public inspection; Neil seconded, accepted by all. Marina Meeting: Interested parties will be meeting at 2:00pm tomorrow with Mayor Askew and Steve Nylin.

Police Department: Hire Eric Carlson at $10.00 per hour and enroll him in the Illinois Basic Law Enforcement Training which will cost $4,221.00 that includes room, board, and (3) meals a day. The city will pay him 40 hours a week at $10.00 per hour while he attends school. Eric will be required to sign an agreement that he will pay the cost of the schooling back if for any reason he doesn't pass or complete the course, plus he must agree to work for the city for a minimum of (2) two years after the completion of the schooling. Roy suggested we add a minimum of (20) hours a week which is negotiable. Neil made a motion to accept; Maxine seconded, accepted by all.

Streets: There are (2) trees located on the boulevard between 17th & 18th on Jackson Street that the homeowner Catherine Brooks would like to have cut down. Catherine is willing to pay for ½ of the expenses if the city would pay the other ½. Breeden Tree Service bid $1,750.00 and Small Town Landscaping bid $1,400.00. Does not include stump removal. Maxine made a motion to pay ½ on Small Town Landscaping, Roy seconded, accepted by all.

Fire Department: Aaron Ferch Application. Aaron currently lives in Monmouth but is in Keithsburg most of the time and is in the process of moving here. Linda made a motion to accept as an auxiliary and move him to full time when he moves to town; Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Motor Fuel Tax: Steve Haring from MSA Engineering presented the council with the resolution in an amount of $18,000.00 resolution. Roy made a motion to accept; Maxine seconded, accepted by all. The plan is to seal coat (3) blocks on Jefferson; (2 ½) blocks on 13th street; and (1) block on 12th Street.

Strategic Plan: Steve Haring explained the task order for the marina ended up costing $1,900.00 that the city approved last month. This will give people of interest in the project a more realistic cost estimate. They have been contacting venders for boat slips and marina items. They should have the task order completed by the end of next week.

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): Steve Haring (MSA Engineering) attended a Workshop for this grant and spoke with some people from the Illinois finance authority. Steve showed them our strategic plan and they explained the city would be eligible to apply for low interest loans. Steve also met with Mike Jacobs and Pat Vershore and explained some of the needs within the city due to the flooding in 1993, 2001 & 2008 all of which make the city eligible for the CDBG funding. The CDBG funding is $168 million dollars that will only be distributed to designated counties effected by flooding and Mercer County is one of them, plus there are other guidelines such as the low to medium income all of which Keithsburg is eligible for the funding. The application for this funding will be ready late April to mid May and the city needs to have cost estimates and be ready for the application process. The cost for preliminary engineering for levee restoration; water system; sanitary sewer; streets; pumps and downtown buildings would cost $40,000.00. Preliminary studies for everything minus the downtown buildings would cost $31,000.00. The applications are going to be staggered. Roy made a motion to accept the $31,000.00 preliminary engineering and pay ½ up front out of General Fund Checking, Davina seconded, accepted by all. MSA will work out a financial plan with the city rather than us borrowing from a bank.

Zoning: Maxine made a motion to issue a variance to Dusty Terrill that will allow him to build a garage with a 14' foot setback instead of 25' located at 1302 Madison Street. Block 4, AB Sherriff's 2nd Addition. The zoning board held a public hearing on April 8, 2010. Maxine made a motion to accept; Roy seconded, accepted by all.

Campground: Maxine made a motion to allow Paul and Joanne Williams to camp on one of the back lots at no charge as a courtesy for all the years of hard work Paul did as the campground host. Linda seconded, accepted by all except Neil-no and Roy-abstained. Motion carried.

Campground: The council reviewed the list of rules for the campground in which they expect the campground host to enforce. Roy made a motion to accept the rules; Davina seconded, accepted by all. Davina made a motion to have (4) four signs made with the rules and post at each entrance of the campground and a campground host sign to post at the host campsite; Maxine seconded, accepted by all. One of the rules does not allow campers to park alongside the concrete pads therefore Maxine made a motion to pour an additional ½ concrete pad for the campground host, Davina seconded, accepted by all.

Camper Parking: George suggested posting a sign that the campers must be moved at least every (2) weeks or the city will have the camper towed at the owner's expense. The council agreed to keep the courtesy parking at 3rd & Washington Street. Neil made a motion to accept; George seconded, accepted by all.

Semi-Trailer Parking: George explained there are some semi truck drivers dropping their trailers off in the subdivision on 11th & 12th Street and they are chipping the concrete. The council agreed to not allow the trailers to be dropped off. Arnold will talk to Officer Pruett.

Boy Scouts Duck Race: The boy scouts will have their annual duck race on April 24th from 11:00-2:00 and the ducks will be dropped at 1:00pm. Tammy Adams would like permission for the boy scouts to camp in the primitive area free of charge on April 23rd. The duck race will be held from 11:00-2:00 and the ducks will be dropped at 1:00pm. Roy made a motion to accept; Linda seconded, accepted by all.

Crisis Center: Marla Reynolds was present regarding the Champions for Children Walk (2-4 miles) in Aledo on May 8 starting at 9:00am in Central Park. Linda made a motion to donate $500.00, Maxine seconded, accepted by all.

ATV Route Suspended: Mayor Askew explained with the phone calls he has been receiving in regards to the 4 wheelers and the dirt bikes he didn't care if we even allowed them the courtesy of riding any longer. Mayor Askew has been stopping several of them and warning them to ride more responsible and telling them they need to talk to other riders or they would not be allowed to ride anymore. The council agreed this situation was out of hand they are not simply using it as a courtesy route and they are not obeying the speed limit or street signs. After much discussion, George made a motion to suspend the ATV route for 4-wheelers and dirt bikes, Maxine suggested amending the motion by adding that they are not allowed on public property, Linda seconded the motion as amended. George made a motion to resend his motion, no second was made to resend. The amended motion was voted on and accepted by all. Motion carried.

George made a motion to go into closed meeting to discuss the part-time summer help applications and the tax sale for 1005 Jackson Street; Roy seconded, accepted by all.

Part-Time Summer Help: Maxine made a motion to hire Derek King and pay him $8.00 an hour with a maximum of 40 hours per week and if they need additional help, Arnold and George have the authority to hire one of the other applicants; Davina seconded, accepted by all. Derek will be working weekends and possible evenings until he is out of school.

Time: 8:30PM

Maxine made a motion to adjourn; Roy seconded, accepted by all.

Terri Gibson

 City Clerk