The Gillespie City Council on Monday night approved $455,291 property tax levy for 2025 taxes payable in 2026 but, following a 30-minute executive session, took no action on a pending collective bargaining agreement with city employees.

The new levy compares with last year’s levy of $434,028. Because of a Property Tax Extension Limitation Law approved by Macoupin County voters in 1995, the city is limited to increasing the levy by no more than five percent or the Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is less. This year’s CPI, essentially representing the current rate of inflation, is estimated at 2.9 percent.

The levy approved Monday night represents a slightly less than a five percent increase over last year’s tax extension (the amount the city actually received in property tax revenue). Like most other taxing bodies in the county, the City of Gillespie typically levies for more than what it can actually receive, relying on the County Clerk to adjust the final levy to generate the maximum amount of revenue to which the city is entitled.

The newly approved levy ordinance requests $74,674 for Corporate purposes, compared with $71,186 last year; $32,149 for Police Protection, compared with $39,648 last year; $43,558 for Streets and Bridges, compare with $41,524 a year ago; $12,441 for Emergency Services and Disaster Administration, compared with 11,860 last year; $72,599 for Liability Insurance, compared with $69,208 a year ago; $18,665 for Parks, compared with $17,794 a year ago; $4,146 for the Municipal Band, compared with $3,955 last year; $130,682 for Social Security, compared with $124,578 last year; and $66,374 for the Public Library, compared with $63,275 last year.

Property tax revenue reportedly accounts for about 10 percent of the city’s annual expenditures.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

The council took no action following a 30-minute executive session to discuss a pending agreement with the Laborers Union, which represents Street Department, Water and Sewer Department and Lake employees. The current contract expires in January. The last collective bargaining agreement, approved two years ago, provided city employees with a $1 per hour wage increase.

The council reportedly plans to convene a special meeting to take formal action on the contract.

STREETSCAPE ISSUES

As a result of lengthy discussion about issues pertaining to the ongoing Streetscape Project, Mayor Landon Pettit directed city personnel to reach out to area contractors from whom portable, temporary streetlights can be rented. Pettit said he had contacted one contractor himself who had one unit available at a cost of $1,095 per month. Ethan Martin, who is overseeing the project on behalf of the city, said he would contact Stutz Excavating, the general contractor, to see if they had lighting units to deploy.

“We can’t wait anymore,” Pettit said, citing safety issues. “We’ve got to do something.”

Downtown has been without streetlights for more than a month and delivery of backordered lights has been pushed back to Jan. 6. Ald. J.Q. Halteman suggested installing wooden posts with lights attached, but Pettit said Ameren has not yet run wiring through the underground conduit associated with the project.

The temporary lights will operate off diesel-powered generators. City personnel will start the generators at dusk and turn them off during the day. Lights will be strategically positioned to avoid disturbing downtown apartment dwellers.

Pettit also reported he has received complaints from businesses who say the project has impacted their sales.

“We have a couple of businesses, one in particular, that have been pretty affected,” Pettit said. “They’re afraid they may have to go out of business” unless the city can provide financial relief for business loss. He said he looked into the possibility of using Tax Increment Fund monies to compensate businesses but found the city cannot legally use those funds for that purpose.

Several council members voiced concerns about setting a precedent that could quickly spiral out of control.

“I don’t know of any way we can legally compensate them,” said Ald. Wendy Rolando. “The best thing we can do is keep working to get the project done.”

Miners Restaurant reportedly incurred business loss as while the sidewalk in front of the business was torn up. Martin said the contractor is tearing out one side of the sidewalk at a time to cause minimal disturbance to local businesses. During construction a sidewalk of at least four feet in width has been accessible, and a temporary walkway was provided between the remaining sidewalk and the front door.

Martin told the council that no business has been deprived of access to their front doors. “They may not have been able to park in front,” he said, “but they’ve all had access to their front door.”

According to Martin, sidewalk work in the 300 block of South Macoupin has been stymied by unexpected cold weather. Pouring concrete in freezing weather is not ideal for curing. The contractor expects to pour the sidewalk as soon as weather allows and has pledged to complete work in the 300 block of South Macoupin before moving on to the next block. Assuming the sidewalk can be completed before the end of the year, plans are to suspend construction until early spring.

Pettit said there also have been complaints about a “lip” associated with an ADA ramp at the intersection nearest the Illinois Coal Mining Museum. Martin said the museum plans to move its main entrance to align with an ADA ramp, which will alleviate the problem. In the meantime, city workers plan to mark the potential tripping hazard with yellow paint.

PLUM STREET PROJECT

Council members unanimously accepted a revised engineer’s estimate for the Plum Street reconstruction project. Brian Kulick of Juneau and Associates Engineers, Inc., Granite City, provided paperwork putting the project’s overall cost at $420,000. Additionally, the council approved a Motor Fuel Tax estimate for the project totaling $341,407. That document will be submitted to the Illinois Department of Transportation to secure authorization for using MFT funds for the project.

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Juneau and Associates was hired in October as the city’s engineers after the city’s previous firm allegedly botched the submission of paperwork to IDOT, delaying the start of the project until spring 2026. Community Unit School District 7 has committed about $190,000 in Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) grant funds to the project, expecting to release those funds when work begins.

Plum Street between LJ Avenue and Kelly Street began to seriously deteriorate after the school district rerouted school bus traffic onto the street to facilitate coordinating start times at all three attendance centers. The project will include milling and resurfacing, reconstruction of the roadway base, grading and shaping ditches, driveway aprons and storm sewer improvements.

LIFT STATION PUMPS

Speaking as the city’s Sewer Department manager, Martin advised the council it should anticipate replacing several lift station pumps in the near future. At a lift station near Hickory Street, both pumps have failed, and are being rebuilt by Vandalia Pump and Motor. In a lift station at the lagoon, one of the two pumps have failed.

The Hickory Street pumps were installed in 2024 at a cost of about $50,000 each. The pumps are not subject to warranty. Martin said he is seeking prices on replacing the pumps.

For the lagoon lift station, Martin said he has a spare pump but is waiting for someone come to install it.

For the future, Martin said the council should consider buying new pumps to bring both lift stations up to date.

“In my opinion, any pump in the sewer system needs to be a chopper/grinder pump,” Martin said. The failing pumps in both lift stations are not chopper/grinder units. As long as the city relies on regular pumps, Martin said, “they’re just going to continue to burn out.”

The mayor referred the issue to committee for further consideration. He said the Sewer Department has a couple of outstanding loans that will be paid off soon, freeing up some cash flow that could be used to purchase new pumps.

“Let’s put in the right pumps so we don’t have to keep replacing or rebuilding pumps every year or so,” Pettit said.

PROPERTY SALES

The council agreed to sell six acres of surplus property located at the end of Hickory Street near the former site of the city’s sewer plant to Erik Fisko for $18,000. Fisko was the only bidder for the property which was declared surplus and advertised for sale last month. Fisko owns adjoining property. The city will retain an easement for a sewer line running under the six-acre parcel.

With one dissenting vote, the council also agreed to sell two lots in the 600 block of Spruce Street to Mike Bellovich, a developer who plans to build duplexes on the property. The property generated no bids when it was first declared as surplus and advertised for bids two years ago, enabling the city to sell it without seeking additional bids.

“My opinion is that $4,000 for two lots is too cheap,” said Ald. Dona Rauzi, who cast the sole “no’ vote on the sale.

“We’ve had this property for several years and no one wanted to bid on it,” Mayor Pettit said. “He wants to build on it, so it will be generating revenue instead of us spending money to maintain it.”

On the advice of City Attorney Rick Verticchio, the council opened a bid from Phil Kaduk for 57 acres of wooded property adjacent to Gillespie Lake but took no action on it because the bid was submitted after Friday’s deadline for bids.

Verticchio said that since the parcel has been offered for bid and no bids were accepted, the council “can sell it for whatever you want with a three-fourths majority.” Kaduk offered $230,000 for the acreage, which the council may or may not choose to accept at a later date.

DERELICT PROPERTIES

After a brief discussion regarding derelict properties in the city, Mayor Pettit directed aldermen to canvass their own wards to report potential nuisance properties.

Mayor Pettit reported that a contractor has completed demolition and clean-up at a nuisance property at the intersection of Spruce and Shelby streets, and that the city should soon receive a bill for the work. He said the court granted permission to the city to enter the property and clean it up.

Verticchio reported that the property owner for a nuisance property in the 400 block of Baker Street has been ordered by the court to testify regarding damage at the residence.

“The insurance company has a right to take sworn testimony from the insured,” Verticchio said. Such testimony is expected to show whether or not the damage is covered. “If you had a fire and it turns out you started fire, then the insurance company is not going to pay.”

Verticchio said the property owner has evaded giving a sworn statement, resulting in the court issuing a subpoena to compel his testimony. “The city’s interest is that there is money in the policy for clean-up,” Verticchio said.

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CITY CREDIT CARDS

After a lengthy discussion, the council agreed to apply for a city credit card, and acquire a Habor Freight credit card.

“There are a lot of things we can get cheaper online, but we have no way doing that other than have an employee pay for it out of pocket and wait two weeks or more to be remimbursed,” Pettit said.

Pettit said a credit card would be preferable to a debit card because the debit card draws from a specific bank account. With the credit card, the city clerk can assign purchases to the proper accounts when paying the monthly bill. According to Pettit, department heads will have authority to approve purchases. Once approved, the employee can get the card from the city clerk, use it and return it.

In separate actions, the council voted to acquire a credit card, and open accounts with Amazon and Harbor Freight.

Pettit said most of the purchases will be items the city currently buys from suppliers at significantly higher prices.

“It’s not things we can buy locally,” he said. Additionally, having a credit card, Amazon account and Harbor Freight account in the city’s names means the purchases will be tax-exempt. Under the current system where employees buy items and seek reimbursement, the city is obligated to pay sales tax.

DC WASTE

The council briefly heard from Brian Demming, owner of DC Waste, one of two trash hauling companies offering services in the city. Deming said he had received a Request For Proposals to offer city-wide trash removal, and urged the council to keep local businesses in mind if and when the city opts to offer city-wide trash services.

“We’re a family-owned business trying to stay alive in a corporate world,” Deming said, noting the Republic Service juggernaut to take over waste hauling in the region. Deming alleged the corporate strategy is to “put guys like me out of business.”

“In the past, you had several haulers to choose from,” he said. “Now you have two.”

OTHER ACTION

In other action, the council:

Approved four resolutions authorizing expenditures of Tax Increment Financing funds in the following amounts:

• $43,338 to reimburse the General Fund and Redevelopment Fund for TIF-eligible expenditures:

• $25,000 to United Community Bank
• $19,950 to Carlinville Glass Cutters for glass installed at City Hall
• $2,222.12 to DeeDee’s Florals for a facade grant
• $894 to Moran Economic Development, Inc. for work completed in regard to the city’s second Tax Increment Finance district

• Approved a $230,889.61 payment to Stutz Excavating for work completed on the Streetscape project

• Approved a liquor license application from Mike Hailstone for Lumpy’s Bar and Grill

• Accepted a facade grant application for 110 South Macoupin Street.

• Authorized expenditure of up to $3,000 for Bettis Truck Repair, Hettick, to install a metal liner in the city’s dump truck

• Approved Christmas bonuses of $150 for city employees

• Approved a resolution affirming the Zoning Board’s decision to rezone 709 Staunton Road from Commercial to Residential.

• Agreed to allow Edwin Kingston to install a manufactured home on a permanent foundation at 201 Southern Street.

• Voted to approve the promotion of Gillespie Police Officer Christian Abner to the rank of Sergeant

• Directed the City Attorney to prepare a draft ordinance making Elm Street permanent one-way street where the street loops around the high school parking lot and passes in front of the school district administrative offices. The street currently is one-way during school hours only.

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• Agreed to purchase a 2016 Ford 350 with 200,000 miles from Kinney Contractors to replace a truck used by the Sewer Department

• Declared the former Gillespie Police Department building as surplus property and list it with a realtor for sale.

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