Wood River Township Board Meeting

WOODRIVERTOWNSHIP BOARD MEETING

January 29, 2013 – 6:00 p.m.

The regular meeting of the Board of Trustees was held on the above date in the Town Hall, 33 South Ninth Street, East Alton, Illinois. The meeting was called to order by Supervisor Mike Babcock at 6:00p.m. Following thePledge of Allegiancethe Clerk took roll with the members answering present: Mr. Babcock, Mr. Dettmers, Mrs. Jacobsand Mr. Stassi. Mr. Pollard was out of town on business. Also present at the meeting were Township Assessor Thelma Kochan, Highway Commissioner Mark Gernigin and Attorney Don Weber.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Mrs. Jacobsmade a motion to approve the minutes of the December 18, 2012Meeting of the Wood River Township Board of Trustees. Mr. Dettmersseconded the motion and on a unanimous roll call vote the board approved the minutes of the December 18, 2012Meeting of the Township Board.

REPORTS BY OFFICERS, COMMITTEES OR SPECIAL COMMITTEES

Assessor Thelma Kochan gave the Board Members a copy of the Assessor’s Budget Request. She explained it was the same as last year except she added 3% for employee raises, $500 to postage and $500 for vehicle maintenance..

TRANSFERS

A request was made for transfers of appropriations in the General Road and Bridge Fund totaling $9,708.48. The following transfer was approved on a motion from Mr. Dettmers, a second from

Mr. Stassi and a unanimous roll call vote.

From Contingencies to Comm Operating Supplies$ 431.42

From Contract Maint Roads to Contract Maint Building$ 9,277.06

Total$ 9,708.48

TREASURER’S REPORT AND APPROVAL OF BILLS

Mr. Stassimade a motion to approve the treasurer’s report and the payment of the bills. Mrs. Jacobs seconded the motion and on roll call vote the board unanimously approved the payment of the bills.

OLD BUSINESS

Mr. Dettmers asked if anyone had any ideas for the park grant and stated it’s usually used for improvements. Mr. Babcock stated we needed a new fence around the ball diamond, and he was considering Frisbee golf and a new mower. The Clerk informed the Board if they were going to apply for something with wheels it’s considered a special request and must be submitted by February 8th. Mr. Babcock stated we are getting $26,000 which is a $7,000 increase. Mrs. Jacobs stated that’s our third mower. Mr. Babcock stated there was another idea but he didn’t want to discuss it at this time. He stated it’s a much bigger project and he’ll discuss it next year. The Clerk stated she attended the Park Grant meeting this year and learned there was a 3% loan you can get for improvements to the park that’s available all the time. If you have a big project you can request the 3% loan and use park grants to repay it.

NEW BUSINESS

Resolution 549, Approval of Professional Energy Consulting Service Agreement was introduced. Mrs. Jacobs stated we need to educate the public about the electrical aggregate with town meetings and newspaper articles. Mr. Babcock stated we would hold at least two informational meetings. Mr. Babcock stated this resolution allows him to enter into an agreement with the energy consultants to begin the process and help educate the public. Attorney Don Weber confirmed this resolution gives Mike the authority to inter into an agreement and he would be able to use his discretion on when to enter into the contract. It looked fine with him. Mr. Dettmer stated he didn’t know if we could enter into an agreement until it passed on the ballot. Mr. Weber stated this resolution would give Mike the authority to enter into the agreement and he would prudently wait until it passed. Mrs. Jacobs made a motion to approve Resolution 549 – Approval of Professional Energy Consulting Service Agreement. Mr. Dettmers seconded the motion and on a unanimous roll call vote the board approved Resolution 549.

Mr. Stassi made a motion to approve Resolution 550, Authorizing the Supervisor to Apply for Park Commission Funds from Madison County. Mr. Dettmers seconded the motion and on a unanimous roll call vote the board approved Resolution 550.

Mr. Babcock introduced Ordinance 2013-1, Modifying Sewer Use Rates for the Forest Homes and Cottage Hills Sewer System. Mr. Babcock compared yearly fund balances for the sewer. He explained the increase in the rates two years ago was to cover non payments. We entered into an agreement with Forest Homes Maple Park Water Company to turn off the water when the sewer bills weren’t paid. We no longer have the problem with delinquent accounts. Also the charges have been decreased by tens of thousands. He is estimating a savings of $63,000 in the fund this year. He is proposing a decrease from $20 a month to $18 a month on residential rates putting them comparable to Rosewood Height’s rates. This will reduce the income by $22,000. His goal was to have enough money in the bank to cover the cost of a collapsed main and we are fast approaching that goal. The board members questioned the condition of the sewers and pumps and the cost of maintenance. After a detailed discussion, Mr. Stassi made a motion to approve Ordinance 2013-1, Modifying Sewer Use Rates for the Forest Homes and Cottage Hills Sewer System. Mrs. Jacobs seconded the motion and on a unanimous roll call vote the board approved Ordinance 2013-1.

ADJOURNMENT

Mr. Dettmers made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Mr. Stassi seconded the motion and on a unanimous roll call vote the meeting was adjourned at 6:29p.m.

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Mike Babcock, Township Supervisor Sherry Tite, Township Clerk