Kankakee Times

Village of Clifton Board of Trustees Met Nov. 9.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

Call to Order / Pledge- 7:00pm

Roll Call

X Andrew Winkel, Village President    X Sandy Tammen, Treasurer

X Chris Sifrit, Trustee                          X Tracy Mitchell, Trustee

   Randy Gigl, Trustee                            Paul Hess, Trustee

X Mike Benscoter, Trustee                  X Joe Kolosky, Trustee

Other Attendees

● Tim Kent -- Maintenance

● Jim Lehmkuhl -- Police Department

● Kathy Washington -- The Advocate

● Taylor Panozzo, Village Clerk (Telephone)

Approval of Minutes

● October 12, 2020

● Chris Sifrit made a motion to approve the minutes from October 12, 2020. Tracy Mitchell seconded the motion

● On a call for votes,the motion passed 4-0

Public Questions and Comments

There was a citizen question in regards to where fence can be placed and how close to the property line a shed may be installed.. Tim informed the board that fences may be placed on the property line and, depending on the zoning of the lot, sheds may be no closer than 10% of the width of the property. If the lot width was 50 feet, then the shed could not be placed closer than 5 feet from the property line.

Planning Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals

NA

Maintenance Department

● Tim informed the board that with his last day been (11/06), there are certain tools he recommends the village purchase for the maintenance department. In the past Tim either had access to these tools or used his personal ones:

○ Portable LED Worklight ($200)

○ Cordless powertool set ($1,000)

○ Rotary hammer ($430)

○ Cut-off saw ($1,500)

● Andy acknowledged that Tim completed his last day with the Village of Clifton and expressed gratitude and appreciation for everything Tim has done for the village throughout his time as maintenance director.

Building and Zoning Department

NA

Police Department

NA

Streets and Alleys Committee

● Tim informed the board that there are two areas he knows need to have road patch repair work done before plow season:

○ 600 block of East Sixth Avenue

○ Center Street

● Tim let the board know he just turned in bills for spray patching and the dump truck and will continue to turn in anymore if any are sent to him directly

Water and Sewer Committee

● Tim informed the board about the water meters approved to buy earlier this year. With the first batch of water meters bought, Verizon was the cell service used and worked without a problem. The second batch had AT&T cell service and some have issues reading. Recently Badger has revised the meters to read Verizon and AT&T for only $15 more than the AT&T meters. Tim suggested ordering the remaining ones needed with the double cell service feature. All the details are on the maintenance computer and Tim offered to help when ordering the next batch of meters.

Budget and Finance Committee

NA

Police and Public Safety Committee

● Joe Kolosky made a motion to renew a contract with Ashkum for joint policing 5% increase for a new amount of $37,800 per year for 3 years. Chris Sifrit seconded the motion.

○ Joe Kolosky- Y     Mike Benscoter- Y

○ Chris Sifrit-Y         Tracy Mitchell- Y

○ Role Call to Votes 4-0

● Joe Kolosky made a motion to request an IMRF Cost Study not to exceed $700.

Tracy Mitchell seconded the motion. The fee would cover cost analysis to see what the costs or benefits would be for Clifton to participate in the Illinois

Municipal Retirement Fund, which could be beneficial for attracting or retaining employees. The analysis is not a commitment and participation requires a binding, irrevocable resolution by the village.

○ Joe Kolosky- Y      Mike Benscoter- Y

○ Chris Sifrit-Y          Tracy Mitchell- Y

○ Role Call to Votes 4-0, motion passed.

● Joe Kolosky made a motion to purchase a new taser and accessories not to exceed $1500. Chris seconded.

○ Joe Kolosky- Y      Mike Benscoter- Y

○ Chris Sifrit-Y          Tracy Mitchell- Y

○ Role Call to Votes 4-0, motion passed.

Ordinance and Zoning Committee

NA

Local Improvement Committee

● Andy let the board know he has not heard anything on the Santa house currently

Treasurer’s Report / Payment of Bills

● Chris Sifrit made a motion to approve the Treasurer's Report as presented.

Tracy Motion seconded the motion. On a roll call of votes, trustees voted

○ Joe Kolosky- Y      Mike Benscoter- Y

○ Chris Sifrit-Y          Tracy Mitchell- Y

○ Role Call to Votes 4-0, motion passed

● Joe Kolosky made a motion to approve the payment of Bills as presented. Chris

Sifrit seconded the motion.

○ On a roll call of votes, trustees voted

○ Joe Kolosky- Y      Mike Benscoter- Y

○ Chris Sifrit-Y          Tracy Mitchell- Y

○ Role Call to Votes 4-0, motion passed.

Village President

● First Read Ameren Franchise Agreement

● Andy presented the board with a first read of a revised franchise agreement for Ameren and asked trustees to look it over before the December meeting.

Previously the agreement was from 1971-2021. One major change is that Ameren will pay a set amount based on population rather than providing free electricity for street lighting. The new term amount can be 20-30 years. The attorney has a copy of the agreement and will hopefully be at the December meeting to answer any questions. The current agreement expires in January.

Concluding Public Questions and Comments

● Interviews start for the Maintenance position this week.

● Tim Kent volunteered to be available in case of either an emergency or even for some of the daily tasks since November 13 is the last day for Travis Albright as a maintenance employee, and after that, there will be no one to handle maintenance tasks.

Announcements / Adjournment

● Joe Kolosky made a motion to adjourn at 7:52 pm. Chris Sifrit seconded the

motion. On a call for votes, the motion passed 4-0.