Harrisburg City Council met June 1.
Here is the minutes as provided by the council:
The Harrisburg City Council met on June 1, 2017 at 6:00 pm in the Council Room of City Hall
Harrisburg, Illinois.
Mayor John McPeek presided over the meeting with Commissioners Richard Harper and Mike
Weirauch answering roll call. Commissioner Natalie Miller and Beth Montfort were absent.
Pastor Biff Moore from the First Christian Church led the group in prayer and the pledge.
Mayor McPeek made the following statement:
I would like to correct a statement I made at the March 16 meeting. I received misinformation regarding
Attorney Dennis Orsey’s position on the Bank of Edwardsville board. He has advised me that he has
never served as a member of that board. I stand corrected.
Commissioner Harper made a motion to approve the following items under Consent Agenda:
1. Minutes from the Regular Meeting of May 18, 2017.
2. Bill from O’Daniel Trucking for patch in the amount of $1,572.65 to be taken out of MFT.
3. Bill from Pinoy Construction for Club Street bridge repair in the amount of $7,623.80 to be taken
out of MFT.
4. Bill from Bob Barnett Ready Mix for patch in the amount of $8,532.00 to be taken out of MFT.
5. Bill from LaFarge for aggregate in the amount of $6,158.26 to be taken out of MFT.
6. Bill from LaFarge for aggregate in the amount of $7,087.62 to be taken out of MFT.
7. Harrisburg Lake:
Request to Relinquish:
David Crane - Second Addition, Block 1, Lot 9
Commissioner Weirauch seconded. By roll call vote, all voted yes. Motion carried.
Mayor McPeek stated the detention FEMA application is still being worked on. He stated, with the State
budget issue, the time frame is unknown. He encouraged residents of Gaskins City to call their
legislators and ask them to pass a budget.
Attorney Todd Bittle stated Council had approved a month ago the Petition to Vacate received from
Raben Tire. A Public Hearing held prior to the meeting resulted in no objections to the vacation. He was
presenting the Ordinance to accomplish that. Commissioner Harper stated that, out of curtesy to the
Commissioner of Street and Alley, he would like to wait until she was present before proceeding.
Attorney Bittle stated he had spoken to her and she had no objection but the matter could be tabled.
Council tabled the issue.
Attorney Bittle presented the Ordinance to complete the sale of 631 West Barnett. Commissioner Harper
moved to pass Ordinance 1730 an Ordinance Authorizing the Sale of Certain Surplus Real Estate
Owned by the City of Harrisburg. Commissioner Weirauch seconded. By roll call vote, all voted yes.
Motion carried.
Commissioner Harper moved to enter into the Agreement for Purchase and Sale of Real Estate for 631
West Barnett which stipulates the rehabilitation must be completed by October 16, 2017 or the property
reverts back to the City at no cost. Commissioner Weirauch seconded. By roll call vote, all voted yes.
Motion carried.
Attorney Bittle presented the Ordinance to complete the sale of 216 South Granger, 218 South Granger
and 709 South McKinley. Commissioner Harper moved to pass Ordinance 1731 an Ordinance
Authorizing the Sale of Certain Surplus Real Estate Owned by the City of Harrisburg. Commissioner
Weirauch seconded. By roll calls vote, all voted yes. Motion carried.
Commissioner Harper presented the Prevailing Wage Ordinance for 2017. He moved Ordinance 1732 an
Ordinance Ascertaining the Prevailing Rate of Wages for Laborers, Workmen, and Mechanics
Employed on Public Works in the City of Harrisburg, Illinois be passed. Commissioner Weirauch
seconded. By roll call vote, all voted yes. Motion carried.
Fire Chief John Gunning addressed Council regarding 129 South Shaw which Council had received a
bid on at the last Council meeting but had not acted on it. He stated there was a house on the property
but he had not been aware it had been advertised for sale. He stated, if Council accepted the bid, it
should also enter into a rehab agreement which would require it to be rehabbed within six months or it
would revert back to the City at no cost. Commissioner Harper moved to authorize Attorney Bittle to
prepare the rehab agreement and ordinance for the next meeting. Commissioner Weirauch seconded. By
roll call vote, all voted yes. Motion carried.
Chief Gunning informed Council that he had discovered that the ISO rating for Harrisburg was incorrect
in the system that insurance companies use to calculate premiums. He stated he was happy to report that
the rating has now been changed to a Class 3 effective September 1, 2017. This will be a benefit to
businesses and residents. Mayor McPeek stated that residents should contact their insurance companies
to tell them about the Class 3 rating.
Chief Gunning stated a mobile home permit application had been received for 332 East Dayton. He
stated he had inspected the site and recommended the application be approved. Commissioner Harper
moved to approve the mobile home permit application for J. C. Hargrave at 332 East Dayton.
Commissioner Weirauch seconded. By roll call vote, all voted yes. Motion carried.
Commissioner Harper presented Council with an Employee Tests/Exam Services Agreement with
Harrisburg Medical Center for respirator training. He moved to authorize the City Clerk to sign the
agreement. Commissioner Weirauch seconded. By roll call vote, all voted yes. Motion carried.
Mayor McPeek thanked all the employees who helped make the cemetery look good for the Memorial
Day services. He thanked the Boy Scouts for their help also.
Citizen Rebecca Taborn addressed Council stating there was a problem in the Police Department. She
stated she did not believe that Whipper Johnson was injured to the extent he claims. She presented some
pictures to Council. She stated she just wanted to bring it to Council’ attention. Mayor McPeek thanked
her for the information.
Citizen David Crest stated Illinois Storage had been in business for 32 years. He and his wife purchased
it in 2007 which had not flooded until 2008 and again in May of 2017. He referred to a map he presented
which marked properties they also owned on West Pine and West Poplar which indicates those
properties are in the flood zone but have not flooded in 10 years. However, the property on National
Street is indicated as not being in the flood zone but has now flooded twice. He stated he was asking
Council to move forward with plans to correct any issues. He asked for an update on what plans had
been made. He asked about a new retention pond to which Mayor McPeek responded that the project
continues to be worked on. Crest stated he believed there should be two more plans. He admitted that a
new retention pond would help but more was needed. Until then, he asked that no more building be
allowed in that area. He was also requesting paperwork on past flood events, what areas are prone to
flooding, what years there was significant flooding, what damages were, what the cost to the City was.
He wants to go over the paperwork to possibly glean information to push the issue forward.
Crest stated that Evan Monzo from Walmart was not able to be present to speak.
Citizen Ron Emery stated that as Executive Director of the Harrisburg Township Park District he was
present to represent their concerns regarding flooding in Gaskins City. He explained the Park District
had 10 acres of baseball fields in Gaskins City. The last flooding event had caused damage to the
concession stand and rest rooms, mulch had been swept away and the turf on the fields was damaged.
Additionally, limb debris, trash, glass and needles had created such a mess, they had to shut down for
eight days. During that time, they lost 52 games which caused lost revenue for the concession which
covers the cost to pay kids to work. He estimated the Park District lost between $12,000.00 and
$15,000.00. He stated that he knew Jim Brown would help but the City needed to figure out other ways.
He stated that Pankey Branch had been dredged but that was not a help. He stated that because of
backwaters they lost three more days. He acknowledged that it was not an ideal location but the Park
District had done $400,000.00 worth of improvements. Mayor McPeek stated the City would continue to
work on the issue but the City needed help financially from the government and asked everyone to
contact their legislators to ask for help.
Citizen Judy Cape stated she had observed a ditch on the north side of the park that was empty toward
the pumping station but not draining properly from the other side. She asked why the Kroger area was
not flooding as badly and Mayor McPeek stated that the pumping station installed in that area was
helping. Cape stated the ditch needed to be dredged out again.
Commissioner Harper moved to adjourn. Commissioner Weirauch seconded. By roll call vote, all voted
yes. Motion carried.
Adjourned 6:25 pm
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