City of Harrisburg City Council met Aug. 2.
Here is the minutes provided by the Council:
The Harrisburg City Council met on August 2, 2018 at 6:00 pm in the Council Room of City Hall Harrisburg, Illinois.
Mayor John McPeek presided over the meeting with Commissioners Beth Montfort, Natalie Miller, Richard Harper and Mike Weirauch answering roll call.
Pastor Jerry Wells from the Dorrisville Social Brethren Church led the group in prayer and the pledge.
Mayor McPeek:
Mayor McPeek:
Asked again for the public to please stop littering.
Reminded the public about not blowing their lawn clippings into the street and the ordinance against that.
Asked trash haulers to cover any open beds while transporting trash.
Stated McDonald’s will be closing on August 13 for construction and opening late November or early December.
Announced a Comic-con at the Bonan Center on August 18 from 10:00 to 5:00.
Announced the 4 C’s Summer BBQ at the Presbyterian Annex on Sunday, August 5 from 11:00 to 2:00.
Announced the Summer Bash on Saturday, August 18.
Commissioner Harper made a motion to approve the following items under the Consent Agenda:
1. Regular Meeting Minutes of July 19, 2018.
2. Check Register and Warrant Report for July 2018.
3. Bill from Bob Barnett Ready-Mix for concrete in the amount of $2,296.00 to be taken out of MFT. Commissioner Weirauch seconded. By roll call vote, Commissioners Miller, Harper and Weirauch and Mayor McPeek voted yes. Commissioner Montfort abstained. Motion carried.
Mayor McPeek stated certain surplus vehicles had been advertised for sale. He moved to pass Ordinance 1759 an Ordinance Authorizing the Sale of Certain Surplus Personal Property Owned by the City of Harrisburg. Commissioner Miller seconded. By roll call vote, all voted yes. Motion carried.
Mayor McPeek opened a bid for a 2002 Sonoma from Jared Conkle for $350.00.
Mayor McPeek opened a bid from Robbie Dorris for $50.00 for a 1990 GMC van, $25.00 for a 1996 Oldsmobile Ciera, for $25.00 for a 1997 Ford Ranger, $25.00 for a 2002 Chevy S-10 and $25.00 for a GMC Sonoma.
Asked again for the public to please stop littering.
Reminded the public about not blowing their lawn clippings into the street and the ordinance against that.
Asked trash haulers to cover any open beds while transporting trash.
Stated McDonald’s will be closing on August 13 for construction and opening late November or early December.
Announced a Comic-con at the Bonan Center on August 18 from 10:00 to 5:00.
Announced the 4 C’s Summer BBQ at the Presbyterian Annex on Sunday, August 5 from 11:00 to 2:00.
Commissioner Miller moved to accept the bid from Jared Conkle for a 2002 Sonoma in the amount of $350.00. Commissioner Weirauch seconded. By roll call vote, all voted yes. Motion carried.
Commissioner Miller moved to accept the bids from Robbie Dorris for $50.00 for a 1990 GMC van, $25.00 for a 1996 Oldsmobile Ciera, $25.00 for a 1997 Ford Ranger and $25.00 for a 2002 Chevy S-10. Commissioner Weirauch seconded. By roll call vote, all voted yes. Motion carried.
Mayor McPeek stated Council had accepted bids for properties at the last meeting. He moved to pass Ordinance 1760 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.
Mayor McPeek stated the next Ordinance was the Council’s direction for Brown & Roberts to proceed with the next step in the application for watermain projects. Commissioner Miller moved to pass Ordinance 1761 An Ordinance Authorizing the City of Harrisburg, Saline County, Illinois, to Borrow Funds from the Public Water Supply Loan Program.
Commissioner Montfort stated the Fire Department is updating their equipment and preparing for Fire Prevention Week in September.
Commissioner Montfort stated that by the first day of school every Officer will be trained in active school shooting procedures. She stated this will be the first time the whole Department is trained.
Commissioner Montfort reminded Council about the City’s participation in an opioid lawsuit. She stated that Walmart has donated enough Narcan so that every Police Officer has a dose with them in case they encounter an opioid overdose.
Commissioner Montfort stated there would be an active shooter training held at the High School on August 6.
Commissioner Montfort gave the gaming figures for June.
Commissioner Montfort asked Commissioner Harper to share information with Council regarding the Central Dispatch agreement. Commissioner Harper explained his handouts (Attached). He stated, at the start, the City paid $108,411.12 per year and is currently paying $180,000.00 per year. He stated the County has now demanded that the City pay $195,000.00; they didn’t negotiate but just said this is what you are going to pay. He continued that the County was also demanding the City pay an additional $7,500.00 for services performed last year making the services $22,500.00 more than paid last year which is a 12.5% increase.
Commissioner Harper explained the County had budgeted $180,000.00 revenue from the City for the last two years and the City budgeted $180,000.00 in expenses for the last two years. He stated the County was asking for the City to pay an additional $7,500.00 for each year. He wondered why the County was asking for more than they budgeted. He stated has written down that “we” feel the increase is unreasonable and hoped he was speaking for the entire Council.
He stated he had put in the packet a page from the Central Dispatch website which showed all the agencies that are served by Central Dispatch. He stated the only people who are paying to 911 Dispatch are the City of Harrisburg at $180,000.00 a year and Saline County 911 at $120,000.00. He continued that the rest is made up by Saline County. He stated that last year the County had to make up $318,000.00 plus $98,000.00 from the tax levy. He stated he had FOIA’ed for 911’s last year financial report but had not yet received it. He stated he was able to acquire figures for 2103, 2104 and 2015. When he tried to get recent figures, he stated he had discovered they are going to be consolidating some areas and have changed the reporting procedure and periods. He stated the only other agency paying into the 911 services was Gallatin County. He went over the three years of available figures indicating Gallatin County and Saline County contributions and total expenditures. They reflect deficits of $7,164.00 for 2013, $15,154.00 for 2014 and $111,016.00 for 2015. He thought perhaps there was a reserve fund but he was not able to find a bank account for it. He stated there was something wrong to keep losing that much money. He stated that, if the County wants to provide all those agencies with free service, it would be the County’s business. But, he stated, he did not believe the City should be responsible for the additional cost to provide those agencies with free Dispatch service.
Commissioner Harper referred to the second handout which was an estimate to set up a dispatch system. He stated the chart was for four dispatchers’ salaries only the first year, which would not include any vacation time. He stated two part-time people would also be needed and that would add approximately $51,000.00 with no insurance cost if they work less than 30 hours a week. He stated he believed the County had not monitored the part-time employees’ hours which resulted in having to provide their health insurance. He pointed out the cost of just personnel would be $255,000.00 without a physical location, without any training cost, without any equipment purchase. He concluded the best thing for the City would be to pay the additional $7,500.00 and take advantage of the County’s offer to give the City an additional 30 days at $180,000.00. He moved to begin paying Central Dispatch at a rate of $187,500.00 a year or $15,625.00 a month beginning with the August payment for September and stated, if this motion passed, he had another motion in conjunction with this motion that he would make.
Commissioner Weirauch stated he was jumping the gun. Commissioner Montfort stated the City could not afford to do our own dispatch. Commissioner Harper stated that did not mean the City could not pursue other means. Commissioner Montfort stated they were going to drop the City but Mayor McPeek stated they would not do that because by State Statute they must answer 911 calls. All Council members agreed that the City was their number one customer in regards to money. Commissioner Weirauch stated he believed Council should discuss the situation. Commissioner Harper stated the City and the County should work together and his motion would at least finish the fiscal year.
Commissioner Harper stated his second motion, if Council agreed to the first one, would be to go back to the start of this fiscal year and make the additional payments for May, June, July and August. He stated the County is in poor shape and it was being run poorly. Commissioner Miller stated she did not agree, because if the City was the only one paying, then doing that would only mean they were getting what they want. Commissioner Harper stated they were wanting $22,000.00 in back pay. His proposal would be additional revenue of $7,500.00, but not $22,000.00. He stated there had not been an increase for several years and it was probably time for an increase.
Mayor McPeek asked how many dispatchers the City pays for. Commissioner Harper stated the original contract indicated that number was four, but it also said that, if they received additional monies, that cost would be reduced to 85% of the cost. He stated he was not sure the money from Gallatin County was going directly to 911 or to the County and, therefore, reducing the amount that the County was actually paying. He stated that, if the City is paying for four and the County is paying for four of the ten dispatchers and 911 required four just for a base, then the City and the County should be splitting six instead for paying for eight. He stated that, if Eldorado can dispatch with four, dispatch not 911, he stated the additional should be costing the City and County $90,000.00 each, not $180,000.00 and 911 should be paying for the rest.
Commissioner Harper stated he knew the City could not do its own for $187,000.00 so that was why he was proposing to finish this fiscal year out and do research and come up with a plan.
Commissioner Weirauch stated he thought everyone should sit down and discuss it seriously. He stated he understood the expense of creating our own and the City could not afford that. He stated he believed the City should have its own police station and pull out from the County, which would mean the City was not paying $218,000.00 a year. Commissioner Harper reminded him the $204,000.00 was only for four full time dispatchers and, even though he could not give an actual figure, it would not be any cheaper than $180,000.00 and probably no less than $250,000.00. Commissioner Harper stated he did not believe the County wanted to kick the City out and, looking at it financially, it couldn’t afford to do that. Commissioner Weirauch stated they could not afford to do without the City because that would mean they were out there dangling. Commissioner Harper stated that means that both the City and the County would be dangling. He stated his motion would get the services the City needs and time to work on another option.
Commissioner Montfort wanted to stay at $180,000.00 because that was what the County had budgeted from the City. Mayor McPeek stated there was a clause in the contract that the City could give a 30 day notice to terminate but Commissioner Harper reminded him that the City currently has no contract and the previous contact also included the clause that the 30 day notice would still take the agreement till the next fiscal year end which would be April 30. He stated his second motion would be based on $187,500.00 for the remainder of the fiscal year. Commissioner Weirauch stated he did not want to pay once cent more than what the City was paying them now.
Commissioner Weirauch stated, if the City put laptops in the Police cars and trained the Officers to use them, the cross talk with Dispatch would be cut down considerably for non-emergency calls. Commissioner Harper pointed out the Police have four or five computers now that the Police are not using. Commissioner Weirauch stated someone should check with the Chief tomorrow to determine the capability of those computers. Mayor McPeek stated he thought the City should keep paying what it was paying without a contract because he did not believe they would get rid of the City even though 50% of the calls to Central Dispatch were for Harrisburg. Commissioner Harper reminded Council that Eldorado is doing it with four and Dispatch is paying for ten. Commissioner Montfort asked if everyone agreed to continue to paying at the $180,000.00 rate and everyone agreed.
Clerk Wofford stated there was a motion on the floor but the Mayor had not asked for a second. Mayor McPeek asked if there was a second to the motion. Motion died for lack of second.
Commissioner Harper reminded Council the County had allowed a 30 day extension till their next meeting on August 23. Everyone acknowledged they understood that. Commissioner Harper restated the City would continue to pay $15,000.00 a month based on $180,000.00 a year.
Commissioner Weirauch moved to adjourn to Executive Session to review and approve the Executive Session Minutes from December 7, 2017 to July 19, 2018. Commissioner Harper seconded. By roll call vote, Commissioners Montfort, Harper and Weirauch and Mayor McPeek voted yes. Commissioner Miller voted no. Motion carried.
Adjourned 6:45 pm.
Reconvened: 6:56 pm.
Mayor John McPeek presided over the reconvened meeting with Commissioners Beth Montfort, Natalie Miller, Richard Harper and Mike Weirauch answering roll call.
Mayor McPeek moved to approve the Executive Session minutes for December 7, 2017 through July 19, 2018 and for the Minutes to remain closed. By roll call vote, Commissioners Montfort, Harper and Weirauch and Mayor McPeek voted yes. Commissioner Miller voted no. Motion carried.
Mayor McPeek moved the meeting be adjourned. Commissioner Weirauch seconded. By roll call vote, all voted yes. Motion carried.
Adjourned: 6:56 pm.
http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/3acc7b_7c2eaf27f5164c568dc69dabe9838aab.pdf
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