Kankakee Times

City of Gilman City Council met March 8.

Here is the minutes provided by the council:

The regular meeting of the city council was called to order by Mayor Theesfeld. Council responding to roll call were: Eimen aye (via telephone), McGehee aye, Kraft aye, Bachman aye, Elliott aye, and Fancher aye. Clerk Morris was also present. Treasurer Johnson was absent.

Moved by McGehee         Seconded by Elliott

to approve the minutes from the regular meeting held on February 8, 2021. All aye.

Moved by Fancher         Seconded by Elliott

to approve the transfer of $16,000.00 from the general fund to the road & bridge fund. All aye.

Resident Robert Kramer stated his opinions regarding the lift station pumps, city police, and the city’s website.

Mayor Theesfeld again advised the council that the two large pumps for the lift station near Cargill that handles sewage for the far south side of town are 40 years old and in need of replacement. The rails have disintegrated. The EPA’s lifetime estimate on a system such as that is 20 years. After some discussion about the work to be done, Mayor Theesfeld recommended accepting the proposal of E.R. H. Enterprises, Inc. dated February 9, 2021, as E.R.H. is familiar with the city’s system and has proved to be trustworthy to do good work and provide quality parts.

Moved by Elliott         Seconded by McGehee

to accept the bid of $67,300.00 of E.R.H. Enterprises, Inc. to rebuild the life station near Cargill, without competitive bidding. All aye.

Due to Mr. Kramer’s comments to the council, a brief discussion regarding the status of the proposed agreement with Iroquois County to provide police services was had.

Mayor Theesfeld discussed the Water & Sewer Committee meeting held on March 2, 2021 with Mike Bell of Midwest Meter, Inc. regarding the city’s water meter reading software and equipment. The Orion endpoints that the city currently uses are no longer in production, the laptop is becoming dated, and Badger Meter is changing from client-based software to cloud-based software. The current system has been used since 2011. Midwest Meter provided a quote of $21,074.00 on February 8, 2021, which includes 48 encoder/endpoints. To qualify for the discounted rate for the software, 48 endpoints must be part of the order, but Mayor Theesfeld believes that the city will not need that many endpoints and Midwest is willing to restock them.

Moved by McGehee          Seconded by Bachman

to approve spending up to $15,000.00 for the software, equipment and training. All aye.

Eimen discussed the need for a golf cart ordinance, as unlicensed drivers of golf carts were a problem last year. No fee is necessary, but owners should register and follow the rules of the road. Their golf carts should be equipped with working headlights, turn signals, etc. The issue will then be who enforces registration. After some discussion, it was decided to have a proposed ordinance prepared for the next meeting.

Alderman Bachman had nothing to discuss.

Alderman Elliott had nothing to discuss.

Alderman Fancher had nothing to discuss.

Alderman Kraft had nothing to discuss.

Alderman McGehee had nothing to discuss.

Alderman Eimen had nothing to discuss.

Moved by Fancher         Seconded by Eimen

to approve the bills as they were presented, and to approve the Balance Sheet, and Profit and Loss Statement dated March 8, 2021 as presented. All aye.

Moved by McGehee         Seconded by Fancher 

to adjourn the regular meeting at 7:58 p.m. All aye.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f87nJQEZ_loy51Lqey82Xf61sDkgB20F/edit