
Oil & Chipping (Stock photo)
Thanks to road oil bids that came in lower than anticipated, the City of Benld will be able to expand its motor fuel tax maintenance program for city streets this year. Council members voted unanimously Monday night to accept a bid of $1.48 per gallon for 9,450 gallons of bituminous seal coat from Macoupin County Asphalt, Carlinville.
The total bid was for $13,986–more than $6,000 below the engineer’s estimate of $20,317.50.
The bid is a lot cheaper this year than in years past–almost 50 cents difference
“The bid is a lot cheaper this year than in years past–almost 50 cents difference,” said Adam Gerstner, an engineer with Henry, Meisenheimer and Gende Consulting Engineers, Carlyle. HMG had estimated bids would be in the neighborhood of $2.15 per gallon this year. Gerstner said he had discussed the bids, which were opened last Tuesday, with Ald. Jim Kelly and suggested “maxing out” the $20,317 engineer’s estimate approved by the Illinois Department of Transportation in order to take advantage of the lower price and add more streets to this year’s maintenance program.
Macoupin Asphalt’s bid was identical to a bid submitted by JTC Petroleum, Maryville. On a motion by Ald. Peyton Bernot, seconded by Kelly, the council voted unanimously to accept the bid from the most local vendor. One other bid was submitted by Mike A Maedge Trucking, Highland, for $1.561 per gallon, for a total bid of $14,751.45.
In other action, on a motion by Ald. Brian Frensko, seconded by Kelly, the council voted to expend $2,102.40 for Madison Communications to upgrade the city’s phone system. The upgrade, which includes the cost of new phones, will enable the city to take advantage of expanded services and a monthly rate that is about $76 lower than what the city formerly paid for service from Frontier Communications.
The council voted in February to switch its phone service to Madison Communications, but later learned the city’s outdated phone system would have to be replaced to receive service from Madison. Last month, Mayor Gloria Sidar reported to the council that Frontier also had said the phone system needed upgrading and offered of bid of $3,000 three years ago for such an upgrade.
Justin Waldrop, representing Madison Communications, told the council Monday night that the new system will be the “latest and greatest” and will provide all the features the city requested, including call forwarding, caller identification, conference calling and voice mail. The system will tie all of the city’s buildings together and will offer an option for an automated attendant. The system also has the capacity for call forwarding in the event internet service to city hall is disrupted for any reason.
“It’s a very sophisticated phone system,” Waldrop noted.
The council approved the upgrade unanimously on a motion by Frensko, seconded by Kelly. The city’s monthly bill for phone services will drop to $665.23.
COAL SEVERENCE TAX RESOLUTION
In other action, the council unanimously approved a resolution of support in favor of imposing a five percent severance tax on the value of coal mined in Illinois. Copies of the resolution will be sent to State Sen. Andy Manar and State Rep. Avery Bourne who represent districts in which Benld is located.
Representatives of the Community Futures Initiative, an arm of the Eco-Justice Collaborative, presented details of the proposal at last month’s meeting of the council.
If the new tax becomes law, it will generate about $141.5 million in new revenue annually to be divided equally among the state General Fund, local communities where coal is mined and a trust fund to finance economic development and recovery from environmental impacts left by coal mining activities. Communities such as Benld conceivably could benefit from the trust fund for dealing with mine subsidence events.
ATRAZINE FUND REIMBURSEMENT
On the recommendation of Mayor Gloria Sidar, City Attorney Rick Verticchio was directed to draft a proposed resolution directing a percentage of revenue collected through a sewer maintenance fee charged to consumers to replenishing the city’s Atrazine Fund. The city expects to tap the Atrazine Fund for the $108,875 cost of replacing the so-called Shehorn Lift Station in the 200 block of Park Avenue. Sidar indicated the city should take steps to replenish the Atrazine Fund to maintain a reserve for future projects.
“When something happens, we don’t want to be running around looking for grants that aren’t out there or, as a result of that, not make repairs that need to be done,” Sidar said. Replenishing the fund, she said, will ensure money is available when the city needs it for sewer related repairs.
In a related matter, Ald. Kelly reported the lift station replacement is completed and in operation. The final bill includes $7,000 for Ameren-IP to run a power line to the facility. Kelly said he is withholding final payment to Haier Plumbing and Heating, Okawville, until “we make sure all the neighbors are happy.”
Kelly also reported he had secured a quote of $1,500 to $2,600 from the Illinois Rural Water Association to conduct video surveys of sewer lines in areas of the city affected by mine subsidence in the event those sewer lines begin to malfunction in the future.
“As of right now, the old girl is working so we are going to leave her alone,” Kelly said.
If problems do arise, the city presumably hopes to have enough cash in the replenished Atrazine Fund to do necessary repair work.
DERELICT PROPERTIES
Verticchio briefly addressed a request submitted last month by Robert McClain asking the city to designate him as the exclusive contractor to raze derelict properties the city has acquired. McClain had offered to do the work free of charge in exchange for salvage rights for materials removed from the sites.
“I have some concerns,” Verticchio said. For liability purposes, he advised against making McClain an agent of the city. “You don’t want him to be an agent, you want him to be an independent contractor. If he’s an independent contractor, you need to determine whether it needs to be competitively bid.”
If you can pull it off for zero dollars, you are going to win every bid
Since McClain offered to do the work for free, Verticchio said he should have no problem being chosen as the low bidder. “If you can pull it off for zero dollars, you are going to win every bid,” Verticchio told McClain, who attended Monday night’s meeting of the council.
If the council picks McClain for contractual demolition work, Verticchio said, the city would then need to get documentation that he is properly and adequately insured, as well as documentation that any waste materials are being deposited in a certified landfill.
An alternative for McClain, according to Verticchio, would be for him to buy derelict properties from the owner before the city takes legal action to acquire the deed.
“In the future, when we have a property in the city that needs to be knocked down, we can let Mr. McClain know,” Verticchio said. “Maybe he will buy it and we can give him six weeks to clean it up.”
Mayor Sidar reported she is waiting to hear from representatives of the Corderra family regarding a small brick building currently owned by the city and located west of the Benld Library. The family reportedly wants to buy the building back for $10,000 and offer it back to the city on a long-term lease with a token fee.
“All we have to do is part a plaque on the wall saying it is from the Corderra family,” Sidar noted. Current plans for the building are to use it as a storage facility for the library.
In other city property action, the council voted unanimously to accept a bid of $1,005 from Paul and Linda Rasmussen to buy one lot in the 700 block of North Eighth Street that was previously acquired by the city in a nuisance action.
Verticchio reported that two nuisance lots on South Seventh Street should be sold to a private buyer before the council’s next meeting and the new owner will have started cleaning up the property.
TANK INSURANCE ISSUE
After several minutes of discussion, Mayor Sidar said she would contact the city’s insurance carrier to find out what, if anything, needs to be done regarding children climbing on a military tank displayed in small park next to the railroad tracks off Central Avenue.
Verticchio recommended contacting the insurance company after Sidar expressed concerns about liability if a child is injured while playing on the tank.
“This speaks to the issue of what’s known as an ‘attractive nuisance’,” Verticchio said. While the tank is not designed for children to play upon or meant for that purpose, it can be argued that it is attractive for them to do so. The alternatives, he said, are to check with the insurance company to see if additional coverage needs to be added, putting a sign on the tank prohibiting climbing, or “put a fence around it, in which case, why even have it?”
CIVIC CENTER TABLES
After hearing a report from Norm Emmons, representing Build Benld, the council voted to buy four new tables for the Civic Center. Emmons had reported that the Italian-American Club had decided to buy three new tables to add with three new tables the Build Benld organization plans to donate. Cost of the tables is about $80 each. Ald. Mickey Robinson, who moved to make the purchase said he would check with the vendor to see if there might be a quantity discount for buying all 10 tables in one transaction.
Emmons also reported that Build Benld plans to donate to the Police Department’s efforts to raise funds to buy body cameras for its full-time officers, though the amount of the donation has not yet been determined.
In other matters, Mayor Sidar announced that the annual city-wide clean-up is set for June 4, rather than June 11 as announced at last month’s meeting of the council.
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