Kankakee Times

The Village of Manteno Finance Committee met Thursday, May 19.

The Village of Manteno Finance Committee meets at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month in the Village Hall Conference Room, 98 E. Third St.

Here are the meeting minutes as provided by the Village of Manteno Finance Committee:

Finance Committee

Thursday, May 19, 2016

7 a.m.

Village Hall Conference Room

Attendance

Committee Members:

Timothy Nugent, Mayor X

Joel Gesky, Trustee X

Timothy Boyce, Trustee X

Diane Dole, Trustee X

Sam Martin, Trustee X

Wendell Phillips, Trustee X

Other attendees:

Jim Hanley

Donna Kiedaisch

Chris LaRocque

Janice Schulteis

Bernie Thompson

A motion was made by Tim Nugent, seconded by Tim Boyce, to approve the minutes of the April 14, 2016 meeting

as written; motion passed by voice vote.

Second Street Project/TIF Expenses

Mayor Nugent talked about design plans/ideas received from Hitchcock and mentioned that we are applying for a two million dollar state grant which, if received, could be used toward this project. It is felt that chances are slim to receive the grant and a decision needs to be made whether to pursue the project work, if we do or do not receive the grant. The committee discussed possible phases for the project, feeling the first phase could be $1,000,000 to $1,750,000. We feel the project as designed is too large and too costly to complete and then discussed the possibility of borrowing funds, checking with Joe Cainkar concerning interfund borrowing. Bernie discussed some improvements, mostly parking, curb and street work, screen the apartment building, etc. but nothing with park work for now. This would basically just be infrastructure for future improvements. Mayor Nugent is seeking ideas as to how far we can or want to go at this time, and suggested we proceed as we did with the Main Street plaza: after ground/street work is done, we seek bids for various improvement ideas at a set price limit. It was the committee’s consensus to get AN engineering bid for infrastructure/groundwork for streets and curb work first, then continue with further quotes next fall. Or, we could put the whole project on hold for this year. It was suggested, however, that we proceed with the screening by the apartment building this summer to clean up the area. Trustee Martin will look into the situation and offer suggestions.

Swale & Trail Financing

A funding source is yet to be determined for this project and Jim Hanley reported that ComEd still needs engineering information to confirm that different locations throughout the Village can be connected. Jim is consulting with Tyson Engineering on where the walkway could go where it is not on Village owned property and also the best time to do this work.

Review of Administration Expenses

The issue of salary for the mayor and clerk was discussed and it was decided to get an idea of salaries for surrounding municipalities to see what their range is. It was also suggested that we obtain the same information concerning a Finance Committee police chief and village administrator, and whether it should be two positions or combined into one, due to the impending retirement of Bernie Thompson. It was felt that any salary decisions should be set at least six months prior to the next election. Also, Janice will check with the auditor to see if the garbage expense/revenue should be in a fund other than General Fund administration expenses where it is now.

Another discussion of this nature was concerning the Park Commission vs. the Park Committee, and whether there is a need for both. Trustees do not get paid for commission meetings and it was asked if we can designate the commission as a committee for payment on attendance. Also, is it possible for the trustee to receive a stipend for attending the golf course meetings for the purpose of reporting actions and discussions back to Village Board? Janice will consult with Joe Cainkar to see how this can or should be handled.

Extension of Auditor Contract

We received a proposal from Groskreutz, Abraham, Eshleman & Gerretse, LLC, our auditor for the last five years, for an extension of their contract for another five years. With all involved stating their approval of our association with them, the committee agreed to a five year contract extension.

Expenses for Cooperative 6000 Interchange Study

The Bourbonnais mayor contacted Mayor Nugent regarding our association with the interchange study committee.

When it was first proposed to us, we were informed our portion of the study cost would be a one-time fee of approximately $25,000 and we told them the funds were not in our budget at the time. The rest of the group went ahead with the study and have included Manteno in meetings to keep us up-to-date on any information received or presented; they are now asking if we would reconsider being included in the funding. Mayor Nugent feels it would show good will on our part and also spoke of the valuable uses for this information. He says we could participate, using funds from TIF#3 when those are available, but for now, we might use Aqua money, to be repaid upon availability of TIF#3 funds. This might involve a resolution covering the interfund transfers of this nature and will consult with the attorney.

Month-end Financial Reports

Fiscal year-end looks great, according to Janice, but feels she will have a “better report” for next month.

Miscellaneous

Mayor Nugent noted the group of articles in the Journal lately with very positive public relations for Manteno. The position for event planner/Chamber executive director has now been filled with the candidate signing the letter of an offer. Also, as a joint venture with the Chamber, Comcast will be airing a number of commercials advertising Manteno. Another item of interest from Mayor Nugent is that Plochman is talking about a possible expansion in Manteno, mainly because of the railroad spur we recently obtained.

The meeting adjourned at 8:14 a.m. The next regularly scheduled meeting will be Thursday, June 9, 2016, at 7 a.m. in the Village Hall conference room.

Donna Kiedaisch