Local Government
City Council schedules limb pick-up after storm
Published
10 years agoon
By
Dave A

Travis LaGrone and Cayden Abelhousen, representing DISH One (a subsidiary of DISH network) addressed the Gillespie City Council Monday night, reporting that their company plans to make door-to-door solicitations in Gillespie later this month.
In the wake of Saturday’s damaging wind storm, the Gillespie City Council on Monday night directed the city’s Street Department to pick up downed tree limbs from local residences next week. To take advantage of the free pick-up service, homeowners must have limbs placed on the boulevard in front of their address by Monday or Tuesday. Street department employee Landon Pettit said it will take two to three days for crews to canvas the city.
Workers will remove downed branches. Larger items must be cut into lengths no longer than six to eight feet.
“As long as our equipment can pick it up,” Pettit said. “Otherwise, we’re not taking it.”
The service is being provided for storm damage only. Persons who have hired contractors to trim or remove damaged limbs should insist upon their contractors taking away debris.
City crews also will be working to clean up damage at Gillespie Lake.
[pullquote]Pettit noted that all streets were opened within an hour and 45 minutes of the storm[/pullquote]In related matters, Ald. Jerry Dolliger thanked members of the Fire Department who patrolled streets and removed limbs after the storm hit the community Saturday evening. Pettit noted that all streets were opened within an hour and 45 minutes of the storm. Ald. Colin Mussatto reported that there needs to be improved communication between Benld and Gillespie when personnel go onto the Gillespie-Benld Bike Trail to remove debris. He said he and another individual were stopped briefly by Benld Police when they drove onto the trail for the purpose of removing downed limbs.
In other action during Monday night’s regular meeting of the council, council members approved resolutions authorizing a facade improvement grant program aimed at upgrading downtown business places and setting building permit fees for city residents and business owners. With a 5-1 vote, the council also agreed to hire a seasonal, part-time worker to help with mowing and other tasks, and voted to buy a chassis for the Sewer Department’s jetter at a cost of about $20,000.
SEASONAL WORKER
Ald. Jan Weidner cast the sole dissenting vote against Ald. Steve Kluethe’s motion to hire a seasonal worker, noting the city recently purchased a new mower that was supposed to be more efficient than the one that was replaced. Kluethe said that because of recent wet weather, the Street Department was having trouble keeping up with grass mowing. A Water Department employee that was expected to be a rotating employee to help the Street Department when needed has not been available, he said.
“We need a seasonal worker to keep up with the mowing,” Kluethe said. ‘It’s the only way we can keep up without a lot of back-and-forth between the two departments.”
Mayor John Hicks noted the city should be in a position to afford a seasonal worker and recommended the hiring. Brought to a vote, Wiedner voted “no,” with Ald. Kluethe, Dolliger, Mussatto, Dave Tucker and Frank Barrett casting affirmative votes. Ald. Jim Alderson and Roger Dively were absent.
The seasonal worker reportedly will work on an “as-needed” basis and will be limited to no more than 30 hours per week.
NEW WAVE & DISH COMMUNICATIONS
On a motion by Ald. Kluethe, seconded by Tucker, the council voted unanimously to contract with New Wave Communications to provide internet service for the new police station currently being renovated on Pine Street. Kluethe said the move will save about $220 per month in internet fees over the former provider, Frontier Communications, and he recommended that the city consider switching providers for similar savings.
[pullquote]Kluethe said the move will save about $220 per month in internet fees over the former provider[/pullquote]City Treasurer Dan Fisher said the city currently pays Frontier an average of $800 to $1,000 monthly for internet service.
“Let’s see how it goes with New Wave at the Police Department first,” Mayor Hicks commented, expressing concerns that the city government could be without internet access if both the city and the Police Department had the same provider and service was interrupted for some reason.
Kluethe said the package offered by New Wave for the Police Department will provide more bandwidth and greater speed at less cost. There is no yearly contract, the city can switch to another provider at any time if it chooses to do so.
In other communications action, Travis LaGrone and Cayden Abelhousen, representing DISH One (a subsidiary of DISH network) addressed the council by reporting that their company plans to make door-to-door solicitations in Gillespie later this month. The representatives said those going door-to-door will wear clothing identifying them as DISH Network representatives and will carry an identification badge.
Mayor John Hicks advised the representatives that they will need a solicitation license from the City Clerk’s office prior to soliciting. Police Chief Jared DePoppe asked them to have representatives check-in with him on the days they plan to conduct door-to-door sales so he can answer calls from any concerned residents.
SEWER JETTER
The council unanimously approved Dolliger’s motion to purchase a used truck chassis for the city’s sewer jetting equipment and to have it mounted on the chassis at a cost of about $20,000. Council members considered the option of mounting the equipment on a truck chassis last month but deferred action until Ald. Dolliger could determine the cost of replacing the unit with a used self-contained jetter. Pricing for that option, apparently came back in the neighborhood of $85,000.
“We can afford $20,000 a lot better than we can afford $85,000,” Mayor Hicks noted.
Pettit said since the April meeting of the council, the jetter has developed a leak in the tank that must be repaired before remounting it on another chassis. The cost of the repairs, he said, could boost the final cost of the purchase by $1,000.
Ultimately, the council approved an expenditure of up to $22,000 for the project.
The council tabled until a later date consideration of the purchase of a small F-550 dump truck for the city Street Department at a cost of about $64,950. Pettit reported he had obtained pricing, which includes a blade and spreader unit, from a Morrow Brothers in Carrollton. The pricing, he said, is the pricing the firm offers school districts and is somewhat lower than what the city can get through a state-bid contract.
SIDEWALK REPLACEMENT
Also on a motion by Dolliger, the council agreed to spend about $3,500 from Tax Increment Finance funds to replace a sidewalk on the north side of the Gillespie Caring Center. The Caring Center will contribute $3,000 toward the project, which will include sidewalk replacement and the installation of ramps to service the Food Pantry. The project will utilize TIF funds to conserve funds currently earmarked for sidewalk replacement in areas outside the TIF District.
Dolliger also noted that the Illinois Valley Economic Development Corp.’s Rehabilitation Center has put in a request for new sidewalks for 150 feet to the north and 150 feet to the south of its facility.
Fisher suggested the council consider a more focused approach to sidewalk replacement as an alternative to responding to individual requests from residents.
“What we have is kind of a hodge-podge so you have new sidewalks in front of one house that is kind of like a bridge to nowhere,” Fisher said. “I’d like to see an emphasis put on targeting areas. If one person contacts us, I’d like to see us contact the neighbors to see if we could do a block at time.”
RESOLUTIONS
Council members unanimously approved a resolution implementing a Facade Improvement grant program through which the city will subsidize the cost of improving business facades in the downtown area. Using TIF funds, the program will offer a matching grant of up to $2,500 to qualifying business owners who want to improve the appearance of their storefronts. For projects costing less than $5,000, the city will subsidize half the cost. For projects costing more than $5,000, the business owner would be responsible for 100 percent of the cost exceeding $5,000.
The council also approved a resolution setting building permit fees at a $10 minimum for projects costing less than $1,000 and $25 for projects costing $1,000 to $6,000. Projects costing more than $6,000 would be assessed an additional $2 per $1,000 of construction cost.
Council members voted unanimously to amend the city’s pay ordinance to include an hourly wage for the Building Inspector, as opposed to a contractual fee for each property inspected.
CITY-WIDE YARD SALE
The council took no action on a request from Ruth Loveless for permission to organize a city-wide yard sale event for either June 18 or June 25, noting that no action was required even though the council generally supported the idea. Loveless appeared briefly before the council to present the idea, noting that she was not representing the Coal Country Chamber of Commerce which has organized community-wide yard sales in the past. She said she has been approached by several people wanting to know when the city-wide yard sale would be this year and had decided to organize the event on her own since she has coordinated the CCCC event in the past.
Loveless said she may collect a fee of $5 to $10 per yard sale to offset the cost of advertising, but noted what she takes in probably won’t be enough to print maps showing the locations of individual yard sales.
“I don’t think there’s anything to vote on,” said Ald. Tucker.
Ald. Weidner asked Loveless to notify the City Clerk’s office when she has selected a firm date for the event.
WORK ORDERS FOR SEWER WORK ON PRIVATE PROPERTY
The council took under advisement a draft Work Order document to be used by city workers when they anticipate working on sewer lines that are the responsibility of the private property owners. The issue came up recently when a local property owner alleged there was a problem with the city sewer line causing back-ups into his basement. Upon investigation, it was determined the problem was with the homeowner’s private sewer line between the house and the main. City workers repaired the problem, but no provision was made for the homeowner to reimburse the city for labor costs.
City Attorney Kevin Polo said the Work Order is for the protection of both the city and the homeowner. It requires the homeowner to acknowledge he or she requested the repair and has agreed to pay for it. It tentatively sets a labor rate of $50 per hour. The document also requires city workers to fill out a section describing the scope of the work needed on private property.
“If the problem is clearly on the city’s side, there is no need for this,” Polo said. But if repairs are needed on the homeowner’s side of the system, the Work Order will protect the city and insure it is paid for the work.
The city plans to bill the homeowner whose sewer line city workers repaired earlier even though there is no guarantee he will pay the invoice.
ORDINANCE BOOK UPDATE
The council took no action on contracting with American Legal Publishing to produce updated copies of the city’s ordinance book. The company estimates the cost of the service between $1,700 and $2,300, plus a folio fee of $1.95 per page up to a maximum of $203. The company estimates the revision will run about 72 pages.
Ald. Kluethe said the city could save some expense by updating the ordinance book to eliminate outdated provision, thereby reducing the number of pages. For example, he said, the ordinance book currently contains an entire section devoted to the Fire Department even though the Fire Protection District no longer falls under the control of the city.
“We need a committee to revise the ordinance book because that (the Fire Department section) is not the only antiquated thing in it,” Polo noted.
Since the book does not have to be immediately updated, the council opted to table action until a later date.
Ald. Kluethe reported to the council that he is no longer able to handle ordinance enforcement in all four Gillespie wards due to the amount of time he is required to devote to the Lake Committee and to managing the Police Department’s move to new quarters. Consequently, he asked individual aldermen to resume making contact with residents who are in violation of various city ordinances. He distributed copies of an ordinance violation warning form for the aldermen to use when they visit residents who have ordinance violations on their properties.
CHANGES IN PAY RATES
The council took under advisement a recommendation from City Treasurer Fisher to adjust the pay rates for the City Treasurer and City Clerk to bring them in line with stipends paid to city aldermen.
“You can either raise those rates or lower what we pay the aldermen, but it makes no sense that the aldermen are paid more than the City Clerk and City Treasurer,” Fisher said.
Polo said any changes in pay for elected officials would have to be approved at least six months before the next election, which gives the council until September to act on the proposal if it chooses to do so.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the council:
- Voted to transfer funds from the TIF fund to United Community Bank as property tax abatement for UCB. Fisher said he was unsure of the amount but that the transfer is routine and is about the same amount as last year’s abatement transfer.
- Voted, with one dissenting vote, to pay the Municipal Band $1,260 per concert for upcoming concerts on Memorial Day and for Black Diamond Days. Hicks noted the concerts are the only ones subsidized by the city. Ald. Kluethe voted “no,” indicating that in the past the city paid the band a set amount for each person participating in the concert.
- Agreed to have Ameren-Illinois install a street light on a new utility pole the utility is installing on Pump House Road to extend electrical service to a mobile home at Gillespie Lake.
- Agreed to spend $159 for a battery booster for use by the Public Works Department.
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Community News
Gillespie residents weigh in on trash hauling proposal
Published
1 week agoon
February 27, 2026By
Dave A

A relatively sparse group of Gillespie residents attended a “town meeting” Tuesday night at City Hall to to learn more about the city’s plan to sign semi-exclusive contracts with two trash hauling companies to operate within the city.
The city council is expected to take action next month on whether or not to sign semi-exclusive five-year contracts with Republic Services and DC Waste and Recycling in exchange for the companies providing a city-wide clean-up day.
The proposal on the table calls for Republic and DC Waste to charge customers $24 per month for trash hauling services for the next two years. Both companies agreed to charge $8 for each additional container, and both companies will be responsible for their own billing and collections.
Both companies have their own schedules for senior citizen discounts. DC Waste offers recycling services for an additional $17 per month.
Questions and comments from the eight people attending the town hall meeting focused on recycling services and how the city might enforce a city ordinance requiring trash hauling services for all residents.
For consumers in Gillespie “nothing will change,” Ald. Dona Rauzi told the group. “No one will have to change their contract and no one will have to change companies. But what they’re agreed to is to do a city-wide clean-up.”
The city council had suspended city-wide clean-ups because of the cost of renting dumpsters for the weekend. Under the new contracts, both companies will pick up refuse from the curb on a designated weekend.
Rauzi said dates for the clean-up days have not yet been determined.
Rauzi told the group that the proposed plan emerged over the past five months after residents complained on social media about the lack of a clean-up day in the city.
“Our biggest concern was finding a way to have a city-wide clean-up day,” Rauzi noted.
Several surrounding communities have exclusive trash hauling contracts and add a trash hauling fee to residents’ water bills—a measure Mayor Landon Pettit opposed.
“No one should have their water turned off because they didn’t pay their trash bill,” he said. “That’s just wrong.”
While researching options, Rauzi said she learned the City of Taylorville has a semi-exclusive arrangement with two providers that includes provisions for a clean-up day.
According to Rauzi, there will be some restrictions on what residents can take to the curb for clean-up days. “It doesn’t mean you can clean out grandma’s house, put her refrigerator and stove out there and expect them to take it.”
Generally, for clean-up days, the providers agree to take away refuse that will fit into a defined space. Certain items, like used batteries, household chemicals and construction debris, are excluded.
Mayor Pettit said consumers will see no change in the cost of their trash pick-up service. Residents who have DC Waste and Recycling as their trash hauler will actually see a $2 decrease in the rate for additional containers.
Pettit said the semi-exclusive contract provides the incentive for the two companies offer a city-wide clean-up.
“If they’re charging the same thing, what’s the incentive for them,” Pettit said. “With this they know that they will be the only trash haulers in town for the next five years.”
The $24 rate is locked in for the first two years of the contract. Both providers have agreed to increase their rates by no more than three percent annually over the remaining three years of the contract.
Rauzi dispelled rumors that the city plans to sign contracts with two other waste haulers.
“You can keep your trash hauler for the next five years,” Rauzi explained. “If one of the companies quits, another company could come in as long as there’s no more than two.”
Responding to questions about recycling, Brian Demming of DC Waste said his company offers the service even though it is not a money maker for them.
Recyclables collected on trash day go to a central facility in Hillsboro where it is separated, packaged or baled, and sent on to buyers in Pekin, Bloomington and the Great Lakes.
He said the company’s website has information about what items can be recycled and customers are given a hand-out when the sign up for the service. Currently, about 60 of the company’s more than 830 Gillespie customers have recycling.
Also responding to questions, Mayor Pettit said both companies say they will give the city their client lists which will help the city with enforcing a city ordinance requiring all residents to have trash service.
He said the city understands that some senior citizens households that generate minimal trash have chosen to share trash hauling services. The city will only cite households that have no trash service at all, he said.
“It’s going to take a lot more work and a lot more due diligence to come up with something that’s fair for everyone,” he said.
Cities that have taken on the responsibility for billing and collecting fees for trash hauling have automatically eliminated the possibility of residents evading the trash hauling requirement. However, in those systems, all households pay for trash service even if they share services with neighbors.
Responding to another question, City Attorney Rick Verticchio confirmed the City of Benld, with an exclusive waste hauling contract, charges $23—one dollar less than Gillespie’s rate—because the city saves the waste hauler the cost of preparing and mailing bills, as well as collecting bad debts.
With no public objection to the plan, it is likely the city council will approve semi-exclusive contracts with Republic Services and DC Waste and Recycling at its next regular meeting on March 9.
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Community News
School board accepts non-certificated union contract
Published
1 week agoon
February 25, 2026By
Dave A

Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education on Monday night voted to accept a new three-year union contract covering the district’s non-certificated workers. In other action, the board learned the district may responsible for additional fees in the near future to send students to the South Central Illinois Workforce Training and Innovation Center in Litchfield, and reviewed a tentative calendar for the upcoming 2026-27 school year.
The non-certificated contract approval followed a 40-minute executive session during which board members discussed personnel, collective bargaining and other issues.
The new contract becomes effective on July 1, and bumps non-certificated employees up by one step on the salary schedule, and includes a $1,500 longevity provision for long-time employees who have reached the top tier in the step system. Additionally the contract provides a three percent wage increase for non-certificated personnel in the district’s Birth to Three program.
The contract also includes an additional $150 clothing allowance for cooks and custodians. Custodians are to wear matching polos, while cafeteria staff are required to wear chef’s coats. The new contract now requires six-hour cafeteria workers to hold a food managers license rather than a food handlers license.
With the new contract, the school district will pick up 90 percent of the cost of health insurance premiums for each employee, with the employee being responsible for the remaining 10 percent.
Both certificated and non-certificated employees are represented by the Illinois Federation of Teachers, though both groups have separate contracts. The non-certificated contract includes a sick day buyout and a perfect attendance bonus that matches the contract for certificated employees.
Supt. Shane Owsley told the board the contract negotiations were cordial and productive. He specifically thanked custodian Neil Balzraine, who serves as president of the union local, and paraprofessional Theresa Carter for their professionalism during the negotiations.
“I know it’s kind of a thankless job and a lot of work with no compensation other than the contract,” Owsley noted. “I want to thank you for being respectful and kind, and for being understanding to come up with a contract that not only benefits the employees but also the school district.”
“We are happy to come to terms on a new contract with the CUSD 7 school board,” said Balzraine, reading from a prepared statement. “Our negotiations were cordial, efficient and most productive. We look forward to this atmosphere of negotiations in the future.”
POTENTIAL SCI FEES
Supt. Owsley briefly advised the board regarding the potential for the school district incurring additional fees in the near future to continue participation in the South Central Illinois (SCI) Workforce Training and Innovation Center.
The three-year-old facility, located in Litchfield, was launched with state grant funds but Owsley said those grants are expiring necessitating alternative revenue to keep the facility in operation. With an annual budget of about $624,000, SCI serves students from school districts in Macoupin and Montgomery counties, offering classes in construction trades, automotive mechanics, and other vocational concentrations.
Owsley, who serves as SCI’s Board of Governors Board of Directors, said the governing body has discussed the possibility of charging a per student tuition to send students to SCI or assessing a participation fee for each participating school district. The later option could run in the neighborhood of $16,000 per year.
“I just wanted you to know this may be coming,” Owsley said.
Gillespie High School Principal Jill Rosentreter said nearly 30 students are attending SCI classes this year. She had no estimate regarding the number of students attending SCI over the past three years but she suggested having the option to attend vocational training is important, especially for students who are not college-bound and intend to enter the workforce immediately after high school.
Underwritten by the Laborers Union, SCI’s construction trades course qualifies students for union membership upon completion. Students studying automotive mechanics graduate from the program with the qualifications to work at automotive dealerships or other employers. In addition, SCI offers training in sports medicine and plans to add a sports marketing component in the near future.
DISTRICT FOCUS
During a District Focus segment, the board recognized students Emily Bergen and Lucas Rosenthal, both of whom were recently designated as Illinois State Scholars by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. The recognition is based on academic performance and SAT scores. Only about ten percent of Illinois seniors earn the State Scholar designation.
“This is a very high honor,” said GHS Principal Jill Rosentreter. “They were the only two out of our senior class this year.”
The board also recognized students who won spelling bees at the local level and went onto compete in the Regional Office of Education’s regional spelling bee.
Those advancing to regional competition were Ryder Costello, fourth grade; Charlotte Gotchell, fifth grade; Chaysen Thomas, sixth grade; Gunner Koniak, seventh grade; and Ryan Helmkamp, eighth grade. Costello went on the place fourth in the regional competition.
PERSONNEL
In separate actions, the board voted unanimously to extend the contracts of High School Principal Jill Rosentreter, Middle School Principal Patrick McGinthy and Assistant Principal Tara Cooper by one year each. All three administrators work under a three-year contract, meaning their new contracts will expire in 2029-30.
Supt. Owsley pointed out that Elementary Principal Angela Sandretto was not offered an extension because of her upcoming retirement. With two years left in her contract, Sandretto has announced she will retire at the end of the 2028-29 school year.
Board members voted unanimously to accept the resignation of high school social studies teacher Alex Jasper, effective at the end of the current school year, and to post the position as vacant.
The board also accepted the resignation of Jody Dunn as BenGil Elementary School yearbook editor at the end of this school year, and to post the position as vacant.
The board voted unanimously to update the effective date of title teacher Dana Tieman’s retirement from the end of the 2027-28 school year to the end of the 2026-27 school year.
In other personnel action, the board voted to post positions for an elementary school teacher and a high school special education teacher for the upcoming 2026-27 academic year.
SCHOOL CALENDAR
The board placed on first reading a tentative calendar for the 2026-27 school year. Though subject to change, the calendar schedules teacher institute days on Aug. 11 and Aug. 12, followed by the first day of student attendance on Thursday, Aug. 13. The last day of student attendance could be as early as May 12 if no emergency days are used during the academic year. School would end on May 20 if all emergency days are used, or on May 21 if the General Assembly approves legislation requiring school districts to deem Election Day as a school holiday.
A parent-teacher flex day set for Monday, Nov. 2, also is contingent upon legislation requiring Election Day to be a holiday. If no legislation is passed regarding Election Day, both Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 will be student attendance days.
Otherwise the calendar is similar to past years. There will be no school for any of the major holiday observances—Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Martin Luther King Day and Presidents Day. School improvement days with no student attendance are set for Oct. 23, Jan. 4, and Feb. 12. Winter break is tentatively set form Dec. 23 through Jan. 3. Spring break is anticipated March 25-29.
Early dismissals are set Oct. 21 and 22 for evening parent-teacher conferences, and for the end of the first quarter on Oct. 16, end of the first semester on Dec. 22, and end of the third quarter on March 12. Early dismissals are at 1:45 p.m. The last day of student attendance also will be an early dismissal day.
The calendar is subject to change prior to the start of the 2026-27 school year.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the board:
• Entered into an agreement with public accountants Loy Miller Talley, P.C. at a cost not to exceed $20,250.
• Agreed to declare as surplus and offer for sale for following items: stainless steel single oven; stainless steel double oven; stainless steel range; 88-passenger 2008 Thomas school bus with 152,345 miles; 77-passenger 2008 Thomas bus with 124,897 miles; 77-passenger 2003 Freightliner bus with 152,282 miles; and a 1979 GMC Sierra Grande 35 pick-up truck with 157,985 miles.
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Community News
Benld prepares to sign new electrical rate contract
Published
2 weeks agoon
February 18, 2026By
Dave A
Benld City Council members voted Monday night to authorize Mayor Jim Kelly to accept a bid to supply electricity to city residents at a reduced rate and to sign the Municipal Aggregate Electric contract to lock in the new rates.
The council annually pre-authorizes the mayor to accept the bid and sign the contract because the bid will be confirmed before the next regular council meeting, and the city will have only two to three hours to accept the bid and sign the contract. The program, which offers reduced electrical rates to residential customers, is offered through
The Stone River Group, the broker that secures the electric rate, is able to obtain below standard pricing by representing an aggregate of more than 20 Illinois municipalities representing more than 50,000 residential electric customers. According to data from the company, the aggregate purchasing program saved Benld’s approximately 700 households $21,620 in electric cost last year—an average of about $320 per household.
The program is not available for commercial properties and residents may opt out of the program if the choose. The city government also receives the lower rate for city-owned properties.
POLICE DISTRICT QUESTION
In other action, council members learned that several South Macoupin communities are exploring the possibility of forming a Police Protection District—a measure that would require state legislation to achieve.
City Attorney Rick Verticchio said letters have gone out to area mayors and chiefs of police to set a date for a meeting to discuss the proposal. If implemented, the measure could improve police protection and reduce costs by pooling the resources of several communities. To establish the police protection district, however, the group would have to lobby the state legislature for specific legislation allowing district formation and establishing tax rates to support it.
“You can have a fire district and you can have a water district, but you can’t get a Police Protection District because there’s not legislation for it,” Verticchio said.
Last month, the council briefly discussed the possibility to obtaining increased law enforcement patrol through the County Sheriff’s Department. The city currently contracts with the City of Gillespie for police protection services.
NUISANCE PROPERTY ACTIONS
No specific action followed a 20-minute executive session with the city attorney. In open session, however, Verticchio discussed the status of several complaints against properties located in the city limits.
Ald. John Balzraine alerted Verticchio to an accumulation of unlicensed, inoperable vehicles at 102 South First Street allegedly moved to the property from an address in the 200 block of Fifth Street. Verticchio said the property has been previously cited but that he would send a letter advising the owners the cars must be moved or covered. Also at the Fifth Street address, the city is turning off water service for an unpaid bill after the resident reported he would not be at the residence for the next 28 days.
TREE REMOVAL
The council voted unanimously to accept a bid of $1,250 from Emmons Tree Service, Carlinville to remove two dead or dying soft maples on Park Avenue. Emmons’ bid includes stump grinding.
SURPLUS TRUCK
Mayor Kelly reported the city received no bids for a Dodge truck previously declared as surplus and offered for sale via sealed bids. Since no bids were received, Verticchio said the city could legally sell the vehicle to anyone willing to make a minimum offer of at least $500.
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