The Holiday Sparkle Committee of Gillespie is preparing for the 4th Annual Holiday Sparkle Lighted Parade and Community Tree Lighting, set for Sunday, November 30, at 6:00 p.m. in downtown Gillespie. This beloved community tradition invites residents and visitors to kick off the holiday season with lights, music, and festive cheer.

Food trucks will line the parade route starting at 4:00 p.m., offering a variety of tasty options for families to enjoy before and during the celebration. The event will culminate in the illuminated parade and the ceremonial lighting of the community tree, signaling the official start of the season’s celebrations.

A highlight of this year’s festivities will be a special performance by Gillespie area students in grades 3 through 5. The group will join together to sing Christmas carols, lending their voices to the town’s joyous welcome to the holidays.

Parade participants are invited to bring extra sparkle to the evening—whether by entering a parade float, walking in the parade, or simply attending to enjoy the atmosphere. Participation helps make the event truly magical for the entire community. The only requirement for the parade is all entries have to incorporate holiday lighting.

To join the parade lineup, interested participants can sign up at https://forms.gle/L7Q4tEkgjj8Lt5E47. The Holiday Sparkle Committee expresses gratitude for the ongoing support of residents, businesses, and volunteers who help bring this festive occasion to life each year.

The second part of the holiday festivities will take place on Saturday, December 13 when the Sparkle will sponsor the vendor fair and food trucks in downtown Gillespie including a visit from Santa. Vendors will be located in the Gillespie Civic Center, Zion Lutheran Church, and Emma G’s Upscale Boutique while local businesses and eateries will also be open. An egg nog jog benefitting Gillespie Cross Country will also be held on December 13 and interested participants can join here.

The Holiday Sparkle Committee invites everyone to mark their calendars and join in the celebration. For more information, please contact the committee by email at gillespieholidaysparkle@gmail.com or visit Gillespie Holiday Sparkle on Facebook.

The Benld City Council has accepted the resignation of veteran City Treasurer Cindy Crites, effective Dec. 5. The action came during the council’s regular monthly meeting Monday night.

In her resignation letter, Crites said she resigned only because she is moving to a residence outside the city. The resignation comes in the middle of Crites’ third term. Mayor Jim Kelly said persons in completing Crites’ unexpired term may contact City Hall for consideration. The Mayor will appoint Crites’ successor, subject to the approval of the full council.

The position will come up for election during the next Consolidated Election in the spring of 2027.

“Serving the people of Benld for two full four-year terms, and into my third term, has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Crites said in her letter of resignation. “I have always taken this responsibility to heart and I hope may work has reflected my commitment to transparency, accountability and strive to our community.”

Crites noted she has been a resident of the city for 38 years.

“Leaving this position is bittersweet,” she wrote. “I will ensure all records are in proper order, and will do everything I can to make the transition as smooth as possible.”

DEPUTY CLERK WAGE INCREASE

On a motion by Ald. Jerry Saracco, the council voted unanimously to increase Deputy City Clerk Geir Perkins’ wages by two percent. Perkins was hire for the position last January.

CHRISTMAS BONSUS

Council members unanimously approved Christmas bonuses for city employees in the same amount as last year. The city’s three full-time employees will receive a bonus of $125, while four part-time employees will receive $75.

LAGOON VEGETATION CONTROL

The council unanimously approved paying a bill for $2,695.62 from Water Treat Technology, Centralia, for spraying the city’s sewage lagoon to control vegetation. Mayor Kelly said the company sprayed the shallows around the lagoon to control vegetation, along with fence lines around the lagoon.

UPCOMING LEVY

Ald. Saracco, Finance Committee Chair, reminded aldermen that he council will vote on the city’s annual tax levy during the next meeting on Dec. 15. Taxing bodies in Macoupin County are subject to the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law which constrains the amount by which tax levies can be increased. PTELL limits increases in the levy to no more than five percent or Consumer Price Index (whichever is less) of the previous year’s extension. The current CPI, essentially the rate of inflation, stands at 2.9 percent.

NUISANCE PROPERTIES

City Attorney Rick Verticchio briefly reported on the status of several cases pending against nuisance properties, and agreed to pursue a nuisance action against a property in the 400 block of Kentucky Street.

Ald. John Balzraine asked Verticchio what could be done to address the issue of landlords letting new tenants move in without having a home inspection as required by ordinance.

“The first thing would be to get their attention,” Verticchio said, asking aldermen to advise him when landlords accept new tenants without having the required inspection. He said he would issue ordinance citations against the offenders, requiring them to pay a fine and have the residence inspected. “I just need to know when and where.”

City Clerk Terri Koyne also commented about the number of rental properties that have water services in the name of the landlord. City ordinance requires water service to be in the name of the tenant. 

Rather than cite and fine offenders immediately, Ald. Dustin Fletcher recommended using next month’s water bills to issue an advisory reminding residents that water services must be in the tenant’s name, and giving them until Jan. 5 to correct the billing issues.

After 14 months of negotiations, the Macoupin County Board approved a new contract Thursday night with the Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) affecting about 20 clerical works who have been working without a contract since the previous contract expired in September 2024. The meeting was moved from regular Tuesday night to Thursday because of the Veterans Day holiday.

On motion by board member Todd Armour, who participated in the meeting by phone, the 14 members present voted unanimously to approve the contract, pending ratification by the union members. 

County officials declined to discuss details of the contract, pending the union’s acceptance of the document. When the information becomes available, this story will be updated. The newly approved contract is retroactive to last September when the previous contract expired.

The lack of a contract had been the subject of several public protests in recent months in front of the Macoupin County Courthouse and Macoupin County Jail, where monthly board and committee members are held.

The action followed a 25-minute executive session during which board members discussed the proposed AFSCME contract, along with personnel issues at the Macoupin County Animal Control

Following the closed-door session, the board acted unanimously to hire former Animal Control Office Buzie Bertagnolli to work 25 hours a week at $40 per hour until a replacement for outgoing Animal Control Officer Emily Gerl. Gerl submitted her resignation effective immediately, on Tuesday, exactly one week after the Public Safety Committee voted to recommend Bertagnolli as a consultant for a six week period to help train Gerl on the Animal Control budget, properly administering the personnel at the department, how to properly handle the bills and payroll paperwork and to also help write a procedure manual for the Animal Control Department. That action followed a 13-minute executive after Gerl reported to the committee that she was having a budget issue due to her underbudgeting how many hours her part-time people could work and working them significantly more hours.  

An hour later, also on Nov. 4, Gerl reported to the Finance Committee that she was “way over budget” because excessive hours put in by part-time workers, and ask the committee to recommend approving additional funds. The committee declined due to the Public Safety’s recommendation to hire Bertagnolli “to try and show Gerl how to run the department for efficiency,” according to committee meeting minutes.

Also during the Finance Committee meeting, Gerl questioned the starting salary for Animal Control Officers. She was offered the job at a salary of $34,000—the same wage paid to her predecessor. The union, however, indicated the starting salary was set at $28,101. Committee member Armour told Gerl the union was correct and that her salary would be reduced upon approval of the new AFSCME contract.

Committee members told the full board that applications for the Animal Control Officer’s position would be accepted through Dec. 5 with the expectation of hiring a candidate before the start of the New Year.

In a related matter, the board approved a resolution to transfer $2,527.38 received as a donation from the Pet Population Control Fund to the General Fund where it could be used to help defray the budget overruns in the appropriation for Temporary Animal Control personnel.

HVAC FINANCING

The board unanimously approved a resolution transferring $1,250,000 from the General Fund to the COVID Grant fund, which is being used to pay for a $4.1 million HVAC upgrade in the County Courthouse. According to a report provided to the board Thursday night, the county has spend $2,127,605 toward the project to date, and expects to spend another $2,020,019 before the project is completed. The $1,250,000 transfer should “cover the rest of the project,” County Clerk Pete Duncan told the board.

Work has been completed on the ground floor of the courthouse and workers are moving on to the main floor which houses the Treasurer’s office, County Clerk, Circuit Clerk, Assessor’s office, a courtroom and one courtroom. County Clerk Duncan said his office is moving temporarily to the Voting Center across the street. During that time recently hired Grant Manager Joseph Chirwa will be allowed to work from home, Economic Development Chair Holly Klausing reported.

On the recommendation of the Economic Development Committee, the board voted to approve a measure directing Chirwa to focus only on applications for grants benefitting the county. Klausing said Chirwa has received requests from municipalities for held in writing grant applications.

“When he’s comfortable with (focusing on grants for county government), we can look at opening it up to local communities,” Klausing said. In the meantime, Chirwa plans to produce a fact sheet with resources for local communities to consult when writing grant applications for themselves.

Klausing said Chirwa has submitted grant applications that could net the county about $750,000 in revenue if the grants are approved. The grant applications include a grant application to the National Archives for assistance in digitizing county records, a law enforcement grant, and the second round of Energy Transition grant money.

The Energy Transition grant falls under a program to help compensate communities affected by recent coal mine closures. Klausing said the grant money can be used for economic development projects in the county.

A public hearing is set for 5 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 3, to collect input from the public regarding potential grant fund expenditures. Klausing said the hearing will be held at the Voting Center to accommodate more people.

For the first round of Energy Transition grants, the county received about $800,000. For the second round, the county will receive less than $200,000. Klausing said the federal appropriation for the program has not been reduced but the number of applicants has increased, meaning a smaller piece of the pie for each successful applicant.

The board also approved a “chain of command” for signing grant applications in the event Chirwa is unavailable. In Chirwa’s absence, Board Chair Larry Schmidt, County Clerk Duncan or Committee Chair Klausing is now authorized to sign grant applications.

TAX LEVY HEARING

Finance Committee Chair John Payne reminded board members that a public hearing on next year’s property tax levy will be held at the beginning of the board’s regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 6 p.m. in the board’s meeting room. Duncan told the committee during its Nov. 4 meeting that the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (tax caps) precludes the county from increasing the levy by more than 2.9 percent, which limits the potential increase in the levy to $169,529.

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OTHER ACTION

In other action, the board:

• Approved the appointment of Kasse Newberry, Marsha Dorr, Elliott Challandes, Leann Bowman and Shelba Palmer to the Pulliam Cemetery Board for six-year terms ending Dec. 31, 2032.

• Approved the appointment of Jason Waters to the Northwestern Fire Protection District board for a three-year term ending May 1,2028.

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