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Dana Carr Skinner, 52, of Gillespie has announced her candidacy for Macoupin County Circuit Clerk. She will be on the November 5, 2024, General Election ballot.

Dana, a lifelong Macoupin County resident was born and raised in Wilsonville by her
parents, Barb and Van Baker. She graduated Gillespie High School in 1990 and attended SIUE
before starting her family. She has raised eight children all of whom graduated college or attended trade school. Dana is married to Todd Skinner.

Dana is currently a public servant, serving the people of Illinois as a paralegal. She has
over 25 years legal experience with 15 of those years being directly in the courtroom. She has
worked in law firms that practiced in all areas of the law from probate, family, civil, traffic,
criminal and real estate. After working several years in the legal field, Dana went back to college and obtained a paralegal degree.

Dana is running for Circuit Clerk because, “It is time for me give back to my community
and the residents of Macoupin County. Lee Byots Ross has done an amazing job as our current Circuit Clerk and I want to continue the work that she has accomplished. My adult life has been focused on my family and my children, and they are now grown. My focus now, would be to demonstrate to the residents of Macoupin County that I can and will do an excellent job as
Circuit Clerk,” Dana said.

The Circuit Clerk is responsible for establishing, maintaining and keeping all records of
the court, as well as several administrative, financial and public services.

“There are employees in the office now that have worked there a number of years, and I will be committed to them and their opinions, as well as the people the Macoupin County. I will learn from the current employees if I am elected in November and I believe that I have the experience, the knowledge and the work ethic that would make me an asset to the Circuit Clerks Office’s team,” Dana said.

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While some aldermen remained reticent, Benld City Council members generally agreed Monday night to explore the feasibility of moving City Hall from its current quarters to the former First National Bank building on Central Avenue, which the city recently purchased.

Last month, the council authorized Mayor Jim Kelly to bid up to $100,000 for the building, located at 218 East Central Avenue and offered for sale via online bidding through Aumann Auction Service. The city’s final bid was $95,700, including a 10 percent auction fee.

Mayor Kelly said the 4,000 square foot building is an ideal location for city hall.

“It gives us a lot of opportunities and room for expansion,” Kelly said, adding that the former bank’s drive-up facility could be used to accept payments from citizens for water, sewer, and trash pick-up. “I think we should let the people of this town know that if we bought it, we’re going to use it.”

Ald. Jerry Saracco said he wasn’t opposed to moving city hall, but urged the council to take its time with the decision.

“I think we need to slow down a little,” Saracco said. “We need to get it cleaned and we need to get a furnace guy in there.” He also suggested that 4,000 square feet is too much space for what the city needs.

“I’m not opposed to putting City Hall over there,” said Ald. John Balzraine, “but we don’t have to be in a hurry.”

Kelly said the current City Hall is too small for the city’s needs. The relatively cramped council chamber, he said, is not conducive to hosting large numbers of guests. When large numbers of guests are anticipated, the council often moves its meetings to the Civic Center, where acoustics make it difficult for guests to hear what’s being discussed. Moreover, Kelly said the city currently has files archived upstairs, in a back room, and at the former Police Station down the street.

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Apart from providing additional space for the council, city clerk and for storage, Kelly said the building could accommodate a Police Department if the city ever decided to restore the Benld City Police.

“I don’t think you’ll ever see a Police Department here again,” Ald. Lance Cooper commented.

“I agree we’ll never have a Police Department,” Saracco said, “not because we can’t afford the salaries but because we can’t afford the benefits the guys get. I’m not criticizing them but we don’t have the money for that.”

While generally agreeing the city will never reconstitute a police department, City Attorney Rick Verticchio indicated there may be some movement in the future to establish a policing district, similar to the CUSD 7 Fire Protection District or the Gillespie-Benld Ambulance District. The City of Mount Olive, where Verticchio also serves as City Attorney, is exploring entering into a cooperative agreement for police services. That could end up being an agreement between Mount Olive and Gillespie or between Mount Olive and Benld to create their own policing service. In either case, Verticchio said the new building would have the space to establish a police substation where officers can complete paperwork or be on call.

Verticchio commented that Mount Olive’s municipal complex is relatively new and is a source of pride in the community.

“I think having a reasonably efficient City Hall that looks nice when people come in is not a bad thing,” said Verticchio.

City Clerk Terri Koyne said she had drawn a tentative floor plan for the clerk’s office that would allow her to serve walk-in customers and the drive-up windows. She discounted concerns about not being able to keep up with demand, saying she sometimes has up to eight people in line for services in her current office space.

“I’m not opposed to it,” Saracco reiterated, “but I would want to see the layout.”

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Aldermen concerned about the size of the building suggested the possibility of leasing half of the it to another entity, but Verticchio warned that leasing any part of the building will negate the city’s tax-exempt status for the entire building.

While no immediate action was taken, the council generally agreed to continue to investigate the feasibility of moving City Hall to the newly acquired building.

KEELY DEMOLITON BIDS

The council tabled action on accepting a bid to demolish and remove the Keely Building in the 100 block of North Main Street. The council voted last month to seek bids to raze the condemned two-story brick structure.

Bids ranging from $49,850 to $110,025 were opened prior to Monday night’s meeting, but council members declined to accept any bid over concerns about whether or not each of the bidders understood the scope of work. Mayor Kelly said demolishing the building will involve not only taking down the building and removing the debris but also meeting EPA requirements regarding asbestos mitigation and properly filling and compacting the hole left by the building’s basement.

GreenTrac, LLC, Bunker Hill, offered a bid of $49,850. Kamabulski Excavating and Grading, Granite City, provided a bid of %52,140. A bid of $94,300 came from Schaefer Excavating, Pontoon Beach, and J.P. Solutions, Benld, provided a bid of $110,025.

BALZRAINE PUTS LANDLORDS ON NOTICE

After asking Verticchio to send letters to the owners of nine properties with ordinance violations, Ald. Balzraine said he wanted to crack down on the owners of a rental residents who neglect their properties.

“We shouldn’t have to go after these landlords,” Balzraine said. “They should check their own properties. The city is getting tired of it. People don’t want to live next to that (neglected properties) and they shouldn’t have to.”

Properties Balzraine asked Verticchio to cite included:

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• 714 Rose Street, junk dryer outside.
• P.O Box 188 South First Street, tall grass and collapsed building.
• 512 South First Street, neighbors complaining about junk, trash and diapers.
• 203 South Second Street, tall grass and old sofa outside.
• 304 South Second Street, old refrigerator outside.
• 404 Park Avenue, junk car in back.
• 214 Park Avenue, tires, collapsed garage and tall weeds.
• 201 North Seventh Street, remodeling project.

Three of the properties are owned by Cornerstone Rentals, owned by Tim Loveless, Gillespie. One is owned by Brian Komanesky, also of Gillespie. Both men own numerous rental properties in Benld.

In addition to the property Balzraine cited, Komanesky reportedly owns an 306 Park Avenue, which was the target of ordinance violations related to property maintenance. The tenant, Bonnie Kirk, appeared before the council Monday night to report the yard has been cleaned up. Saracco said brush in back of the residence also is in the process of being removed.

Balzraine said Komanesky was sent a letter about the property’s condition but “nothing was done.”

Kirk said she got little cooperation from her landlord regarding physical repairs.

Balzraine said her difficulties with the property owners didn’t come as a surprise. “You have to understand the reason I’m involved is I get calls from the neighbors,” he said. “People don’t want to live next to (derelict properties).”

Kirk also discussed a complaint about the number of cats at her residence. She said only three of the five cats around her home were actually hers. The others, she said, were neighborhood strays. Both Balzraine and Koyne reminded Kirk of the city’s leash law, saying her cats would be subject to being picked up if they are roaming free. She also was advised it is unlawful to feed feral cats.

Kirk told the council that she plans to move out of the house by the end of the month because of issues with her landlord and the fact the house is too big for her.

Koyne asked Verticchio to send a letter to Komanesky to ensure he has the house inspected before renting to another tenant and to ensure the water and sewer service is in the name of the tenant, not the property owner.

In a somewhat related matter, the council approved paying an $840.52 bill to Macoupin County Animal Control, with the provision that the city would no longer be responsible for charges incurred when Animal Control responds to calls from private citizens.

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“People in town are calling them willy-nilly and we’re getting the bill for it,” Mayor Kelly said. “I don’t mind paying when we are the ones who call them.”

PROPERTY REPOSSESSION

The council voted unanimously to have Verticchio send a letter to Robert McLain advising McLain that the city plans to take possession of property at 217 South Seventh Street that the city sold to him three years ago.

“We sold the house with the agreement he would either tear it down or fix it,” Mayor Kelly said, alleging McLain had not made adequate progress on abating the nuisance property. “My opinion, we should take it back.”

McLain offered a successful bid of $500 to buy the property from the city in August 2021.

Council members also agreed to offer Monte Oberman $7,500 to purchase a residence at 215 East Central Avenue that previously was declared a nuisance. Overman reportedly agreed to sell the property to the city in lieu of abating the nuisance.

NEW HIRE

On the recommendation of City Clerk Koyne, the council approved hiring Gier Perkins on a 90-day probationary basis as an office worker in the City Clerk’s office.

AIR CONDITIONING REPAIR

Council members voted unanimously to accept of bid from McGhee Heating and Cooling, Mount Olive, to update air conditioning for the DeStefane Events Center (Civic Center). The bid includes $1,923 to update the thermostat system and $1,581 to replace one air conditioning unit.

LIBRARY BOARD APPOIINTMENTS

The council unanimously approved the Mayor’s reappointment of Denise Cadmus, Norman Emmons and Cindy Saracco to three-year terms on the Frank Bertetti Benld Public Library Board.

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After several minutes of discussion and debate, the Gillespie City Council on Monday night adopted a resolution that enables the city to collect a $100 late fee for lake lot lease payments that come in after the April 1 deadline. Council members also endorsed a privately funded program proposed by two sisters to purchase and display banners on Macoupin Street to recognize individual local military personnel.

Lake lot lease-holders are required to pay their $750 annual lease payment on April 1. Under the new policy, the city will impose a $100 late fee. If the lease remains unpaid after May 31, the city will terminate the lease.

Debate centered on whether or not a new leaseholder would be responsible for the unpaid late fee. City Attorney Rick Verticchio wrote the resolution to attach the fee to the lot rather than the lease-holder, meaning a new owner would have to redeem the late fee to rent the lot. Ald. Janet Odell-Mueller, however, said such a policy would be unfair to the new lease-holder.

Verticchio said he wrote the resolution to prevent families or friends from transferring lots from one to another without paying for the previous year’s lease. He said a person could conceivably default on a year’s lease, transfer the property to a family member or friend who could do the same thing a year later. “This is to prevent ‘sweetheart deals’,” Verticchio said, where a group of friends or family members could retain a lot indefinitely without ever paying for a lease.

Ald. Landon Pettit pointed out, however, that lease-holders are required to pay a deposit equal to a one-year lease. Meaning the city will get the lease payment when the lease-holder forfeits the lease. At that point, Odell-Mueller said, the lease-holder would not be transferring the lease. Instead, the city would have control of the property.

Verticchio said he was not aware of the deposit issue and suggested he could reword a portion of the resolution to indicate that in the event the lease is terminated the deposit would be applied to the balance due and the penalty would be waived. Essentially, the penalty applies only if the delinquent lease-holder chooses to retain the lease by paying the penalty plus the annual lease.

At one point, Mayor John Hicks suggested referring the resolution back to committee to hammer out the final language, Ultimately, however, the council voted unanimously to adopt the resolution with the changes Verticchio suggested.

MILITARY HEROES BANNERS

On a motion by Ald. Wendy Rolando, the council voted unanimously to give permission to Jennifer Carter and her sister, Jodi Carpani, to purchase and place banners honoring local military personnel on Veterans Day. Carter said the women hope to have the banners on Macoupin Street in time for Veterans Day this year.

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“We would like the city council’s permission to recognize our community heroes,” Carter said, addressing the council, “and we would like permission to ask the community to join us in honoring them sponsoring a banner.”

Carter said there are 20 brackets currently available on Macoupin Street to mount the banners. The banners are two-sided, meaning the pair could honor up to 40 veterans at the moment. She said the number of banners could be expanded if some of the broken brackets are replaced.

The banners cost $80 each, and the sisters plan to seek the support of community members to pay for them. Carter said they will not profit from the project.

“We will bear the responsibility to organize and solicit our community to sponsor a local veteran with a hometown heroes banner to be hung every year on Veterans Day,” Carter said. “My sister and I will be responsible for hanging and removing the banners each year.”

She said the banners will be similar to those currently displayed in Wilsonville, Edwardsville and Bunker Hill. The project will not interfere with Miners flags that are displayed on Macoupin Street during football season.

“My fear is that we will have more people wanting banners than we have brackets for,” Carter said. She said they will approach the Benld City Council for permission to hang banners in that community if a significant number of people want to honor Benld veterans.

Mayor Hicks noted that there will be more poles available for displaying banners when the city’s Streetscape project is finished. 

Last month, Ald. Rolando received the permission of the council to solicit donations to buy new American flags for Macoupin Street. She said she can work with the sisters to see if the banners can be displayed on the same pole with the flags, or possibly have the flags on alternate poles along the Main Street.

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WATER BILL POLICY

After a lengthy discussion, Mayor Hicks asked the Public Works Committee to work on establishing a policy for collecting delinquent water bills when a residence is sold to a new owner. The discussion stemmed from concerns voiced by Jack Taylor who recently purchased a vacant home with the intention of renovating it for resale. After closing on the real estate, he learned there was a $200 delinquent water bill he was required to pay before having the water turned on.

“Had he come up to city hall and asked them to check that address, they would have told him about the outstanding bill,” Verticchio said.

Taylor complained that he had a title search completed but the city had not placed a lien against the property. “If someone buys a house, they’re going to do a title search. No one is going to come up here and check the water bill,” he said. “I’m just saying it’s unfair to the buyer.”

Verticchio said filing a lien on a $200 water bill would not be practical. The city would have to pay him for his services plus a $81 filing fee. “At that point you’ve doubled the bill,” he said. “All of sudden, $200 is $400.” Most municipalities, he said, do not file formal liens until the delinquent bill reaches $500.

City Treasurer Dan Fisher said the city cannot waive delinquent water bills because of money the city received from USDA for its water infrastructure project completed two years ago. “We have a loan with the federal government. Under the terms of that loan, we have to collect all bills,” he said. “We have to be able to collect that money to uphold our end of our agreement with the federal government.”

Fisher recommended that the Water Department shut off water service for delinquent customers sooner so excessive bills do not accrue.

Hicks recommended that the Public Works Committee work on a policy regarding delinquent water bills. One possible solution, he said, would be to remove water meters from vacant homes with delinquent bills.

“That way, the buyer would have to call the Water Department to have the water turned on, and they would tell them that there’s a bill against it,” he said.

He told Taylor he would look at the bill and see if there were late fees or interest that could be waived. 

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STOP SIGNS

The council approved an ordinance to place stop signs at the intersection of LJ Avenue and Oak Street to facilitate rerouted bus traffic resulting from Community Unit School District 7’s decision to convene and dismiss school at the same times for all its buildings.

Ald. Odell-Mueller questioned whether the safety of elementary students crossing the road would be jeopardized by the rerouted buses.

Fisher responded that the school district is working with the city to apply for a safety grant to install sidewalks in the area of BenGil Elementary School to address safety concerns.

OTHER ACTION

In other action, the council:

• Ratified the Mayor’s appointment of Dave Tucker, Kelley Hatlee and Katie Drummond to the Gillespie Public Library Board of Directors.
• Agreed to accept a bid of $15,500 from Cahokia Township for the purchase of a surplus dump truck, and a bid of $5,000 from Kinney Construction for a surplus vacuum truck. No bids were received for a street sweeper that also was declared as surplus property last month.
• Accepted a total bid of $760 from Jim Feeley to remove trees in the 800 block of Frey Street, the 600 block of Adams Street and at Big Brick Park.
• Voted to establish a separate checking account for funds generated from the city’s second Tax Increment Financing district.

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