City of Mount Carmel City Council met March 23.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
Mayor Judge brought the city council meeting to order.
Present on Roll Call: Mayor Joe Judge Commissioners - Tom Meeks, Eric Ikemire, Justin Dulgar, Chandler Madden
Also, Present: City Administrative Assistant Rudy Witsman and two members of the news media.
Due to the governor’s executive order regarding COVID-19 attendance was limited.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mayor Judge requested a motion to approve the minutes of the last council meeting.
Commissioner Meeks motioned and Commissioner Dulgar seconded to approve the minutes of the meeting held on March 9th, 2020. All present voted Aye by voice vote.
MAYOR’S COMMENTS
Mayor Judge gave the following update regarding the COVID-19 situation:
“I know you are as concerned as I am about the health and safety of everyone in our city as we face the COVID-19 pandemic.
Governor Pritzker has taken the steps of issuing a declaration of a state of emergency to ensure we have access to every resource and many capabilities we will need.
The health of our community is our first priority. This means practicing social distancing and, at the recommendation of the Center for Disease Control, limiting your interactions to groups of ten or fewer.
As you may know the State of Illinois has declared a public health emergency that limits business operation. At restaurants, dine-in operations are prohibited; but takeout, curbside, pickup, drive-thru, delivery (including by third-party services) are available at restaurant’s that have continued to operate. Grocery stores and cafeterias will eliminate seating areas as well as any other opportunity to congregate.
We have to draw a clear line, as hard as it may be, because the stakes are so high.
My hope is that by taking these bold measures we are able to stem the tide of transmissions and limit the impact on our city, our residents, our emergency systems and healthcare facilities over the long term.
The effects of the COVID-19 situation are already significant for many in our city. People are experiencing lost wages, dropped hours, lost rent, and lost business. Know that I will do everything in my power to help our community persevere and recover.
Please visit the website of our Economic Development Department for more information for businesses: https://www2.illinois.gov/agencies/DCEO. The state is also providing resources through its Illinois Work Net Center Services. If your job has been affected by the pandemic, visit: https://www2.illinois.gov/services/DCEO/find-job for more information.
I also want to assure you that we are working diligently to address both the continuity of our own internal city operations and the services that the city and our partners provide. We are committed to working with the federal, state, county, school district, and community groups to ensure that services needed by our most vulnerable neighbors, like delivery of food and medicine, are not disrupted.
We have closed the lobby to city hall. If you need the following services during this time please call 618-262-4822 and setup an appointment: Water Connect or Disconnect, Building Permits, Meeting with the Mayor or City Clerk, Setup of Automated Water Billing Payments.
There are resources, like the United Way’s 211 which helps connect people to food, housing, and other needs. The State of Illinois has setup a new website for COVID-19: https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/coronavirus/Pages/default.aspx
We will continue to update you both here, on this website and across our city’s social media platforms. Please take care and stay tuned.”
COMMISSIONER REPORTS:
COMMISSIONER TOM MEEKS – STREETS, CEMETERIES AND PARKS
Commissioner Meeks reported in the last two weeks the street department continued with their routine job requirements as they tried to limit interaction with the public.
COMMISSIONER ERIC IKEMIRE – FINANCE AND SENIOR CITIZENS
Statement of Receipts and Expenditures – See attached agenda with financials.
Commissioner Ikemire stated all departments should be preparing their budgets. Commissioner Ikemire thanked the mayor and all those involved in the local COVID-19 county wide response.
COMMISSIONER JUSTIN DULGAR – WATER AND SEWER
Commissioner Dulgar reported the Donovan Engineering Firm continues to develop plans for a new water treatment plant and the work continues on the digestor at the wastewater plant.
COMMISSIONER CHANDLER MADDEN – FIRE, HEALTH & SAFETY, GARBAGE, CITY HALL AND CIVIL DEFENSE
Commissioner Madden stated the Spring Fix-Up/Clean-Up week for April 6th through April 10th will continue as scheduled.
CITY ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT – RUDY WITSMAN
City Administrative Assistant Rudy Witsman reported a bid opening for the expansion of City Hall is scheduled on Thursday, April 2nd, 2020 at 3:00 pm.
City Administrative Assistant Witsman stated the next scheduled city council meeting is Monday, April 6th and will begin at 4:00 pm instead of the usual 5:00 pm start time.
BUSINESS MOTIONS
Commissioner Ikemire motioned and Commissioner Dulgar seconded to approve the Consent Agenda. The consent agenda included the paying of all bills bearing the proper signatures. All present voted Aye by voice vote.
Meeting adjourned at 5:11 p.m.
https://www.cityofmtcarmel.com/sites/default/files/fileattachments/city_council/meeting/8485/03-23-20_minutes.pdf
Alerts Sign-up