With a new city attorney in place, the Gillespie City Council on Monday night voted to draft a resolution dealing with public nuisance properties and heard from a group of Gillespie Middle School students advocating for volunteerism to address community issues. Early in the meeting, Mayor John Hicks introduced Rick Verticchio as his appointment to […]

Members of the Benld City Council on Monday night voted unanimously to accept Derek Tiburzi’s high bid of $30,000 for six lots formerly occupied by First National Bank in the 200 block of East Central Avenue. The two-story brick structure that formerly occupied the site was razed by the city last month. Tiburzi submitted the […]

Members of the Gillespie City Council on Monday night voted unanimously to approve ordinances creating the city’s second Tax Increment Financing District, approved a five percent increase in water rates charged to satellite water customers, and approved a controversial purchase of a Bobcat skidsteer along with new tread tracks for the machine. In separate actions, […]

Members of the Benld City Council on Monday night approved a three-year contract with the Laborers Union covering the city’s three maintenance workers and voted to offer for sale three properties on Central Avenue that are or soon will be in the city’s possession. Without taking formal action, the council also agreed to make Benld […]

The Gillespie City Council took another significant step toward establishing a new Tax Increment Financing district, conducting a public hearing on the issue prior to Monday night’s regular council meeting. The hearing, a required step before formally establishing the district, was scheduled for 30 minutes but Keith Moran of Moran Economic Development, Edwardsville, fielded questions […]

With expected increases in the cost of materials, members of the Benld City Council voted unanimously to seek bids for an extensive sewer improvement project on the city’s east side. The city has been approved for a $505,000 Community Development matching grant administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The city is […]

After months of sometimes acrimonious debate, the Gillespie City Council on Monday night voted 4-3 to reject the Assembly of God Church’s offer to transfer ownership of the deteriorating Canna Theater to the city. Ald. Dona Rauzi cast the deciding vote, saying she was “torn” between accepting or rejecting the offer. Despite the vote, Mayor […]

In a relatively brief meeting Monday night, members of the Benld City Council agreed to pay for a recently completed structural engineer’s assessment of a former bank building at 223 East Central Avenue and to send a notice to the current owner, Real Tax Developers, along with a copy of the engineer’s report. The measures […]

Gillespie City Council members on Monday set a public hearing on a new proposed Tax Increment Financing district for 5:30 p.m., Monday, March 14, at Gillespie City Hall. Keith Moran of Moran Economic Development, participating in Monday’s meeting via phone, said the hearing will collect comments from interested parties, including persons living in the proposed […]

Members of the Benld City Council on Monday night approved a property tax levy of slightly more than $113,000, approved a new ward map, approved a spending resolution for the annual Motor Fuel Tax street maintenance program, and approved a new ordinance to assess fines on persons operating businesses within the city limits without a […]

Members of the Gillespie City Council on Monday night took significant steps toward establishing a second Tax Increment Financing district, the objective of which will primarily be to spur new housing development in the city. Additionally, the council approved a new levy for 2021 property taxes to be collected in 2022, approved lake fee hikes, […]