Macoupin County is a finalist in the nonpartisan U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence inaugural cohort of Centers for Election Excellence, a recognition that Macoupin is committed to leadership in election administration and looking to develop even more resilient, trustworthy, and voter-centric election administration practices. As a Center for Election Excellence, Macoupin County will have an […]
Benld Council approves $90,000 MFT street maintenance resolution
Members of the Benld City Council on Monday night voted unanimously to approve a motor fuel tax resolution authorizing expenditures of up to $90,772.65 for next summer’s street maintenance program. The vote followed a brief presentation by Doug Ratermann of HMG Engineers, Carlyle. The new resolution exceeds last year’s by about $16,000, and is subject […]
Holiday Sparkle returning to downtown Gillespie; Council approves $410,000 ARPA spending plan
Holiday Sparkle, an annual Christmas season tradition until the Coal Country Chamber of Commerce dissolved about five years ago, is returning to downtown Gillespie this year through the efforts of several local business owners. During the regular monthly meeting of the Gillespie City Council Monday night, city aldermen agreed to waive the rental and cleaning […]
McGartland captures County Treasurer office, Incumbent re-elected as County Sheriff
For the first time in 50 years a Republican will hold an executive office in the Macoupin County courthouse. Lilian Amber McGartland, Republican candidate for County Treasurer, toppled Democrat Roger Anderson’s bid to be elected to the office to which he was appointed following the retirement of long-serving treasurer Ann Boehm, also a Democrat. McGartland […]
Benld city officials host open house, dedication for newly remodeled events center
With upward of 50 local residents attending, Benld city officials hosted an open house and dedication for the newly remodeled Benld Civic Center, now renamed the DeStefane Events Center, on Saturday afternoon at the renovated facility. Benld native Rick DeStefane, 64, Creve Couer, Mo., who financially subsidized the project, was a guest of honor. “I […]
School board approves GMS A/C project, signs off on annual financial report
Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education on Monday night approved a $1.8 million project to replace the heating, ventilating and air conditioning system at Gillespie Middle School, contingent upon the State Board of Education releasing funds to pay for the project, and voted to accept the district’s annual financial report. […]
Benld Council eyes water tower painting project, sets open house for newly renovated civic center
Members of the Benld City Council voted unanimously Monday night to enter into a contract not to exceed $40,025 for HMG Engineering to develop bidding specifications and supervise work associated with a project to repaint the city’s water storage tower located north of City Park. Justin VonderHaar, an engineer with HMG, told the council his […]
IDNR announces state and federal sites open for 2022 youth waterfowl hunting seasons
SPRINGFIELD – Numerous Illinois state parks, state fish and wildlife areas, state conservation areas, and state recreation areas will be open to youth waterfowl hunting across the state in 2022, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced today. The sites are dispersed throughout the North, Central, South Central, and South waterfowl hunt zones. All sites […]
Gillespie Council eyes bids for sewer re-lining project
Members of the Gillespie City Council on Wednesday night gave Mayor John Hicks power to act on accepting a contractor’s bid to re-line sewer mains in downtown Gillespie as a first step toward an extensive streetscape project to improve the appearance of the business district and stimulate economic growth. The council also approved new contracts […]
Benld will seek $600,000 grant for park development
Meeting in special session Wednesday night, the Benld City Council approved a resolution to apply for a $600,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant to develop an 11-acre park on the former site of Benld Elementary School. OSLAD is a federally-funded grant program administered at the state level by the Illinois Department of […]
School board adopts $18.5 million budget, votes to ban parent from school functions
Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education members voted on Monday night to adopt an $18.5 million budget for the fiscal year that began July 1, and voted unanimously to ban a local parent from attending extracurricular activities on school property for the remainder of the 2022-23 academic year. The board voted unanimously to […]
Benld Council eyes lagoon maintenance, votes to accept annual audit report
Benld City Council members voted unanimously Monday night to spend more than $11,000 to determine the volume of sludge settled at the bottom of the city’s sewage lagoon and determine the best course of action to deal with it. The council also voted to accept the annual city audit following a brief meeting with the […]
Gillespie Council accepts $100,000 bid for fencing
After years of delay, the Gillespie City Council on Monday night accepted bids totaling more than $100,000 to erect fencing around the city’s water treatment plant and adjacent solar panel field. Collins and Herman Infrastructure Solutions, St. Louis, was the sole bidder for the projects. On a motion by Ald. Wendy Rolando, the council voted […]
Gillespie voters will consider supporting retirement plans for city workers
Gillespie voters will vote on whether or not to pay a higher tax rate to fund a retirement plan for city employees but the referendum will be next April instead of this November, and the question will be whether or not to fund a retirement plan for all city employees covered by collective bargaining agreements […]
Benld Council hires new sewer operator, increases rental rates for city facilities
The Benld City Council on Monday night ratified the Mayor’s hiring of Ethan Martin as the city’s sewer system operator and voted to approve adjustments to rental rates for city facilities. The action to hire Martin followed a 35-minute executive session to discuss personnel, legal issues and contracts. Martin will replace Randy Gross, who resigned […]
Gillespie Council approves FOP contract, considers tax-supported police pension plan
Gillespie city aldermen voted unanimously Monday night to authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to sign a new contract with the Fraternal Order of Police which authorizes substantial wage increases for city police officers. Additionally, the council set a special meeting for 6 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 16, to vote on whether or not to submit […]
Benld Council adopts $2.1 million appropriation for fiscal year
Members of the Benld City Council voted unanimously Monday night to adopt an annual appropriation ordinance limiting expenditures for the current fiscal year to $2,144,662. The appropriation for fiscal 2023 is nearly double the typical appropriation for the City of Benld primarily because of a $640,000 sewer improvement project expected to get underway later this […]
County mails over 1500 notices to ensure voters registration is correct
The Macoupin County Clerk’s office is making routine and legally required updates to the Macoupin voter file in order to ensure that the county has the most up-to-date voter information. “Election security is my top priority,” County Clerk Pete Duncan said. “Accurate and up-to-date voter rolls are vital to secure elections. The notices my office […]
Gillespie Council, Police cite young crime stopper
While concerns about water quality dominated Monday night’s meeting of the Gillespie City Council, the council dealt with a number of items including a Certificate of Appreciation award presentation to Zavier Allen Hogskins, a young boy who told his parents about suspicious activity when he saw a male subject stealing a bicycle in his neighborhood. […]
Residents seek water quality answers from Gillespie City Council
With upward of 60 residents crowded into the Gillespie Civic Center, city officials tried to allay concerns over the city’s water supply and warned that correcting the issues will take time. The hour-long confrontation took place during the regular meeting of the city council on Monday night. Residents complained about discolored water coming from their […]
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