West Central Reporter

Village of Franklin Board of Trustees met Sept. 13.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Mayor Paul Turpin called the special meeting of the Village of Franklin Board of Trustees to order at 6:57 pm, in the town hall to meet with Ameren to discuss what their company can offer our community with their gas business. Trustees present Wyatt Smith, Lauren Anders, Sarah Carter, Vickie Adkins, and Amanda Ahlers. Trustee Abby Flynn was absent.

Babette Washington, Ameren engineer, led the presentation with five other Ameren employees present. The Ameren group discussed the following:

1. The amount of coverage they currently withhold in their gas business.

2. How they can offer lower rates due to available gas storage.

3. They use an extensive training and qualification programs for their employees to ensure their safety and quality service to the communities they serve. Their training facility is located in Pawnee, IL.

4. Ameren’s average response time is 23 minutes. They keep it at 30 minutes and below. Their call center is available 24 hours per day. They receive high remarks on customer surveys.

5. The company has 600,000 pipeline safety inspections a year and keeps their system updated regularly.

6. Ameren offers different types of bill pay and options to combine bills if the customer has Ameren for other utilities.

7. Ameren has experienced a stable cost per dekatherm since 2011.

Mayor Turpin asked Ms. Washington how the price increase last February effected

Ameren and their customers. She explained that customers will see increases in their bill over time within the next year due to the high price increase. Their price increase was not quite as high as some experienced because of the gas storage, but it did still increase rates. Mayor Turpin said he is concerned because our community has already paid for their high rates and he does not want them to pay again shall the Village sell the gas business to Ameren. Ms. Washington understood. Ameren will set up another meeting for a proposal. The presentation with Ameren ended and the regular special meeting continued.

Richard Henry was a guest. Richard suggested to the board that if they choose to close the alleyway between his two properties, they put up a dead end, no outlet sign off of the entrance on the Franklin-Alexander Blacktop. He does not believe traffic would increase within the long alleyway that would remain open behind the houses on Wyatt. He believes the most traffic would be for the farm equipment to access the field. Richard also presented information regarding his sewer pipes under the alleyway he’d like to close. He said his pipes are not made to withstand the weight of the farm equipment and such that drive over them continuously. He brought in a sample of the pipe and also folders with several pictures to show the trustees the two alleyways. His plan is to tear the white house down and also put up a three-car garage on the property.

Mayor Turpin asked the trustees if they would like to compensate Bill Wallbaum for his time and help with the water main break off of 104. Wyatt Smith made a motion to compensate the helper for work done to help Andy with the water main in the amount of $100. Amanda Ahlers seconded the motion. The voting was as follows: Lauren Anders-yes, Sarah Carter-yes, Vickie Adkins-yes, Amanda Ahlers-yes, and Wyatt Smith-yes. The motion was carried.

Mayor Turpin added to the discussion that he spoke with Heather from IMGA regarding S/B gas insurance. When the board initially started discussing the possibility of selling the gas business it was because of the significant price increase in February and the lack of being able to insure stable gas prices. Heather has a plan she can offer the Village S/B insurance which would help the Village continue their gas business but prevent such a high increase if an incident like that would happen again. With IMGA, the Village would buy gas ahead of time, but at the end of the S/B month, whatever is not used is sold back which could result in a loss for the Village. The loss is the reason the Village has not done this before.

The renter at the Quonset Hut recently filled up the Village’s portion of the hut again. He was told to get his stuff out of that area and off of the property by Monday. It is currently out of the hut, but on the property. Mayor Turpin will call him tomorrow and tell him he has 24 hours to get it off or the Village will have it hauled off and send him a bill for the charges. He currently rents one whole Quonset Hut and a fourth of the second hut. The locks will now be changed and if he needs his truck after Village hours or on the weekends, he’ll have to call during Village hours and make arrangements to get it out. The Village employees will not unlock it during their off hours.

Mayor Turpin called the attorney after our last monthly meeting and has not heard back. He has not completed the Queen of Hearts ordinance or the update to the Golf Cart ordinance. The trustees agree Mayor Turpin should call the office and give him a deadline.

Wyatt Smith made a motion to adjourn. Lauren Anders seconded the motion. The voting was as follows: Sarah Carter-yes, Vickie Adkins-yes, Amanda Ahlers-yes, Wyatt Smith-yes, and Lauren Anders-yes. The motion was carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:15 pm.

Mayor Paul Turpin called the regular monthly meeting of the Village of Franklin Board of Trustees to order at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, September 7, 2021 in the town hall. Trustees present in Village Hall were Abby Flynn, Lauren Anders, Sarah Carter, Vickie Adkins and Amanda Ahlers. Trustee Wyatt Smith was absent.

Guest, Richard Henry presented the idea of closing an alleyway between his two properties on Wyatt Avenue, in May. Richard came to the board to ask if they knew anything more. Mayor Turpin said the board would be discussing it more but there were some concerns regarding field access without the alleyway being open to the public. Tami Thompson, guest, was asking for a follow-up on the Queen of Hearts ordinance. Mayor Turpin said the attorney was supposed to have it done today and did not.

Treasurer Susan Smith presented the Treasurer's Report for August. Susan discussed each businesses profits & losses, current standings, and year-to-date profits & losses. Lauren Anders made a motion to accept the Treasurers Report for August. Amanda Ahlers seconded the motion. The voting was as follows: Abby Flynn-yes, Lauren Anders-yes, Sarah Carter-yes, Vickie Adkins-yes, and Amanda Ahlers-yes. The motion was carried. Amanda Ahlers made a motion to accept the Bills Paid and to be Paid for August. Abby Flynn seconded the motion. The voting was as follows: Lauren Anders-yes, Sarah Carter-yes, Vickie Adkins-yes, Amanda Ahlers-yes, and Abby Flynn-yes. The motion was carried.

Clerk Ashley Turpin presented the trustees with minutes from August. Amanda Ahlers made a motion to approve the minutes from August. Vickie Adkins seconded the motion. The voting was as follows: Sarah Carter-present, Vickie Adkins-yes, Amanda Ahlers-yes, Abby Flynn-yes, and Lauren Anders-yes. The motion was carried.

Andy Fairless presented his utility supervisor report. Royell is fixing a camera in the park that was ruined by the rain. One camera was moved to view a different angle of the park. Ameren might be lifting their ban against using their poles for village cameras after several requested to use them. The dual axel equipment trailer was stolen from the maintenance shed on Wyatt, at the beginning of August. Andy is working with Curt Rezenicek on the insurance claim. He would like to purchase a replacement and started researching where a new one could be purchased. There is a dump truck for sale from Road District #9. It is a diesel snow plow with tools attached to help spread rock and patch, and also holds four times the amount the Villages current dump truck holds. Andy believes there is another municipality interested in the Villages current dump truck. Andy and Nick did some patching on Osage and the county came to help several spots in town, including Lake Drive. The new service truck is still expected to arrive in October. There was a water main break off of 104 recently. They could not restore water immediately because of bad gaskets. The following morning, they bought replacements and restored water, although it is still under a boil order. Bill Wallbaum came out to help locate some pipes and stayed to assist.

Buildings, Roads, and Drainage – Trustee Vickie Adkins brought in a picture of a hole she asked Nick and Andy to patch. She was pleased with their work. She also brought in more pictures of the alley way Mr. Richard Henry is asking to be closed. Vickie expressed her concern would be if heavy equipment needed to turn around and no longer had that part of the alley to enter or exit from. Trustee Lauren Anders received some feedback from residents on the alleyway, but is hoping to hear from more. She stated the biggest concern would be if the alley was rocked and it caused issues with gravel flying around when residents mowed. Mayor Turpin said Wyatt Smith had more information regarding the alley and he’d like to wait to discuss this more when Wyatt Smith was present.

Finance/Payroll – Mayor Turpin handed out copies of the Fiscal Year Re-Cap. A copy will be published in the Waverly Journal for the public. The cost of the Journal Courier was high.

Insurance - There is nothing new to report from this committee.

Personnel - There is nothing new to report from this committee.

Utility Reconnect - There is nothing new to report from this committee.

Utilities – Mayor Turpin informed the board he presented the spreadsheet with all of the gas costs the Village has spent the last seven years in repairs and maintenance on the system, to Liberty Gas. They said they’d raise their offer by 5% to help compensate some of those costs. There will be a meeting with Ameren on September 13th and the board will meet shortly afterwards. Mayor Turpin said the Village received a call to shut off water at a landlord’s property. The renters were already moved out. The water could not be shut off due to the shut off valve being broken. Mayor Turpin suggests the board adopt an ordinance to protect these types of situations in the future, as they are very costly fixes. It would leave the renter and ultimately the landlord responsible for the costs.

There is nothing new to report at this time regarding Property Legal Action. The Panhandle Municipal Defense case is still on-going. There is nothing new to report.

Mayor Turpin talked with the attorney about possibly paying Wesley Koehler for the time he spends helping the Village.

Reitha Holtzman put all of the information in the system for Text-Em-All mass communication. She will be in charge of sending out correspondences when needed.

Andy Fairless presented the update on the cameras in the park.

Abby Flynn will correspond with the company who the Village will be purchasing the park benches from to get an updated quote. She will relay the information to the board and get it approved before ordering.

The board discussed the dual axel equipment trailer. They would like Andy Fairless to price new ones before the meeting in October.

The Trustees discussed the sale of the Dodge dump truck. There was another municipality that was interested but they wanted to know the exact price the Village wanted sell it for. Trustees agree between $8,000 to $9,000. Amanda Ahlers will call and see if they are still interested.

Lauren Anders made a motion to purchase the 1993 International Dump Truck from Road District #9 for the price of $7,000. Amanda Ahlers seconded the motion. The voting was as follows: Vickie Adkins-yes, Amanda Ahlers-yes, Abby Flynn-yes, Lauren Anders-yes, and Sarah Carter-yes. The motion was carried.

Abby Flynn told the board there is a benefit at The Green Wall on September 25th and they’d like part of the road on Wyatt Street closed. Sarah Carter made a motion to close Wyatt Street in front of The Green Wall on September 25th. Amanda Ahlers seconded the motion. The voting was as follows: Amanda Ahlers-yes, Abby Flynn-yes, Lauren Anders-yes, Sarah Carter yes, and Vickie Adkins-yes. The motion was carried.

Amanda Ahlers made a motion to suspend the ordinance 2005-2 prohibiting alcohol in the Village Park on September 25 from 12 pm until 12 am on September 26. Lauren Anders seconded the motion. The voting was as follows: Abby Flynn-yes, Lauren Anders-yes, Sarah Carter-yes, Vickie Adkins-yes, and Amanda Ahlers-yes. The motion was carried.

The attorney has not finished the Queen of Hearts ordinance.

The attorney has not finished the update to the golf cart ordinance.

The Village is changing the fees to the water ordinance. There is a security deposit but it will also include fees for tampering or damages to the system. Amanda Ahlers made a motion to accept the ordinance amending the Ordinance 2003-2. Lauren Anders seconded the motion. The voting was as follows: Lauren Anders-yes, Sarah Carter-yes, Vickie Adkins-yes, Amanda Ahlers yes, and Abby Flynn-yes. The motion was carried.

Abby Flynn made a motion to set Trick-or-Treat days for Friday, October 29 and Saturday, October 30 from 6 pm to 8 pm. Amanda Ahlers seconded the motion. The voting was as follows: Sarah Carter-yes, Vickie Adkins-yes, Amanda Ahlers-yes, Abby Flynn-yes, and Lauren Anders-yes. The motion was carried.

Mayor Turpin handed out a copy and read the 2022 Appropriations Bill to the board. Abby Flynn made a motion to accept the annual appropriations bill for commencing on the 1st day of April 2022 and ending on the 31st day of March 2023. Amanda Ahlers seconded the motion. The voting was as follows: Vickie Adkins-yes, Amanda Ahlers-yes, Abby Flynn-yes, Lauren Anders-yes, and Sarah Carter-yes. The motion was carried.

Mayor Turpin mentioned he’ll be speaking with the engineers to see what the Village can do to cut costs for the water pipes that need replaced. We have not received an update to the water grant the Village applied for from the State of Illinois.

Amanda Ahlers made a motion to adjourn. Vickie Adkins seconded the motion. The voting was as follows: Amanda Ahlers-yes, Abby Flynn-yes, Lauren Anders-yes, Sarah Carter yes, and Vickie Adkins-yes. The meeting adjourned at 8:47 pm.

Mayor Paul Turpin called the special meeting of the Village of Franklin Board of Trustees to order at 7:00 pm on Thursday, September 23, 2021 in the town hall. Trustees present Abby Flynn, Wyatt Smith, Lauren Anders, Sarah Carter, Vickie Adkins, and Amanda Ahlers.

Guests in attendance regarding the Queen of Hearts ordinance were the following: George Hamilton and Gina Hamilton from The Green Wall, and Darryl Smith and Aleece Ford from the Lions Club. George Hamilton stated the funds raised from the Queen of Hearts can be used to go back into the community or to raise money for the organizations the Lions Club supports. The Lion’s Club is a non-for-profit organization. The Village board and guests discussed the Queen of Hearts ordinance thoroughly. All questions regarding the ordinance were noted and Mayor Turpin will send them to the attorney for review.

Next the board discussed the Non-Highway Vehicle ordinance. The ordinance updates explains that terrain vehicles such as four-wheelers are prohibited by specifically describing them. The only legal way to use one of those vehicles on Village roads is if it is being used for farm use. Mayor Turpin read the ordinance aloud. After approval, the attorney can type a letter up that explains all of the rules and requirements for the ordinance. It will tell residents how to obtain a permit. Mayor Turpin plans to change the permit stickers a bit to allow better tracking from year to year. Lauren Anders made a motion to accept the non-highway vehicle ordinance update. Amanda Ahlers seconded the motion. The voting was as follows: Sarah Carter-yes, Vickie Adkins-yes, Amanda Ahlers-yes, Abby Flynn-yes, Wyatt Smith-yes, and Lauren Anders-yes. The motion was carried.

Mayor Turpin followed up with the trustees regarding an email he sent out. Andy Fairless was asked to help Palmyra with their water system. They are in need of someone with a water license to oversee their samples and paperwork. Andy Fairless will complete his duties for Palmyra outside of the Village of Franklin’s working hours. His job for the Village will not be affected.

Wyatt Smith made a motion to adjourn. Lauren Anders seconded the motion. The voting was as follows: Vickie Adkins-yes, Amanda Ahlers-yes, Wyatt Smith-yes, Lauren Anders yes, and Sarah Carter. The motion was carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:02 pm.

http://www.franklinillinois.net/assets/21-9%20Minutes%20September.pdf