Members of the Benld City Council on Monday night approved resolutions to declare two properties as public nuisances, hired a third Maintenance Department employee, and reorganized the Zoning Board to purge city aldermen from membership. But it was an extensive, sometimes heated, debate about cutting trees that took center stage. Ald. Jim Tilashalski objected to […]

The much-anticipated vote on whether or not to take possession of the former Canna Theater was tabled until next month by the Gillespie City Council on Monday on the advice of City Attorney Dan O’Brien. Late in the meeting, O’Brien said his advice took into consideration the absence of Mayor John Hicks and the possibility […]

An ad hoc committee appointed by Gillespie Mayor John Hicks to investigate whether or not the city should accept donation of the 100-year-old Canna Theater building is expected to recommend taking ownership of the building when the full council meets Monday night. Even if the full council concurs, however, what the city does with the […]

The Benld City Council on Monday night authorized a local yoga instructor to use the Civic Center to offer community yoga classes, voted to return a $900 donation to the donor, and voted dedicate upward of $193,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for water system maintenance and improvements. Council members voted 5-1 to […]

The Gillespie City Council on Tuesday night approved an ordinance authorizing a sewer rate hike and heard a presentation on city finances from City Treasurer Dan Fisher. But it was a lengthy discussion regarding the Canna Theater that took center stage during the council’s regular monthly meeting. The meeting was scheduled for Tuesday because of […]

The Gillespie City Council on Monday night authorized upward of $58,000 in contracts to replace the roof on the Police Department building and make long-awaited repairs to the roof of the city hall/civic center complex. In other action, the council discussed possible problems with building inspections and building permits, approved trick-or-treating dates and times, and […]

The Benld Civic Center may be in line for a major facelift, members of the Benld City Council were told Monday night during the council’s regular monthly meeting. Appearing before the council, retired Community Unit School District 7 administrator Ed Saracco said he recently was contacted by Rick DeStefane, who grew up in Benld and […]

Members of the Benld City Council on Monday night voted unanimously to approve an ordinance calling for an update to the city code regarding mobile homes located within the city limits and approved a resolution committing local funds for construction costs associated with a proposed sanitary sewer project. The ordinance to amend the city code […]

The Gillespie City Council on Monday night voted unanimously to offer a one-year dispatching services agreement for the Gillespie-Benld Ambulance Service at a cost of $12,000. The measure is subject to approval by the Ambulance Service Board of Trustees later this month. If approved by the Ambulance Board, the council could finalize the agreement as […]

Members of the Gillespie City Council voted unanimously Monday night to adopt a new appropriations ordinance to govern spending during the current fiscal year. Though not a budgetary document, the state-mandated annual appropriations ordinance sets spending ceilings for specific line items for the fiscal year. This year’s ordinance authorizes expenditures of $7.2 million, compared with […]

The Benld City Council on Monday night saw the swearing-in of recently re-elected aldermen and officers but otherwise dealt with routine business during a relatively brief monthly meeting. City Attorney Rick Verticchio, asking officeholders to place their right hands on his mother’s Bible, administered oaths of office to newly re-elected Mayor Jim Kelly, City Clerk […]

A newly seated Gillespie City Council on Monday night got its first glimpse of a proposed ordinance to govern the use of fireworks within the city limits. The draft ordinance is a response to numerous complaints last year regarding allegedly irresponsible fireworks displays, some of which endangered private property. Additionally, the council awarded several facade […]