East Central Reporter

City of Olney City Council met Jan. 23.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

AGENDA #1 “CALL TO ORDER” The January 23, 2023, meeting of the Olney City Council was called to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Olney City Hall located at 300 S. Whittle Avenue, Olney, Illinois, with Mayor Mark Lambird presiding.

AGENDA #2 “PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG-PRAYER” Council members and visitors joined in the pledge of allegiance to the flag. John Monroe led the group in prayer.

AGENDA #3 “ROLL CALL” The following Council members were present: Mark Lambird, John McLaughlin, Belinda Henton, Morgan Fehrenbacher, and Greg Eyer. Also present were City Manager Allen Barker, City Treasurer Jane Guinn, City Attorney Bart Zuber, City Engineer Mike Bridges, and City Clerk Kelsie Sterchi.

AGENDA #4 “PRESENTATION OF CONSENT AGENDA”

4-A “Approve Minutes of the Council Meeting on January 9, 2023”

4-B “Approve and Authorize Payment of Accounts Payable January 24, 2023” Pooled Cash $139,105.94, Manual Pooled Cash $3,665.68, Unemployment $739.20, Christmas Light Display $378.90, South Olney TIF District $49.50

4-C “Resolution: Authorize Execution of a Memorandum of Understanding Between the City of Olney and the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council” 2023-R-06

4-D “Resolution: Waive Formal Bidding Procedures for the Purchase of 2023 Pickup Trucks” 2023-R-07

4-E “Raffle License: First National Bank in Olney – Mentor Richland County”

AGENDA #5 “REMOVAL OF ITEMS FROM CONSENT AGENDA” No items were requested for removal from the consent agenda

AGENDA #6 “CONSIDERATION OF CONSENT AGENDA” Councilman McLaughlin moved to approve the items on the consent agenda, seconded by Councilman Eyer. A majority affirmative voice vote was received.

AGENDA #7 “CONSIDERATION OF ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA” No items were requested for removal from the consent agenda.

AGENDA # 8 “PRESENTATION OF ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS, ETC.”

8-A “Request/Possible Ordinance: Closure of a Portion of the North/South Alley and the East/West Alley Between W. Butler and W. Catherine Streets & N. Woodlawn and N. West Streets” The Council was provided with a request letter from Rachel Wallace and Jim Somer, a plat survey, and an aerial photo of the area near 131 N. West Street. Ms. Wallace was present to speak to the Council.

Ms. Wallace said that this request was coming before the Council so that she could open a Scooter’s Coffee establishment at 131 N. West Street. She then provided the Council with a site plan and visual rendering of the proposed establishment.

Ms. Wallace was speaking on behalf of Blue Fish 44, LLC., which also owned the Olney Subway restaurant. She was requesting the closure of the portion of the north/south and east/west alleys that outlined 131 N. West Street for entrances and exits for the drive-thru area.

Councilman McLaughlin asked if any feedback had been received from nearby property owners. Mrs. Sterchi stated that Lair Trust did not oppose the request and wished to purchase their half of the north/south alley. Meyer Oil also did not oppose the request and wished to purchase their half of the east/west alley. Jeff and Peggy Runyon owned properties that adjoined the western portion of the alley. They would not oppose the request if they could still come in and out of the alley off of N. West Street. Mr. Runyon had told Mrs. Sterchi that they periodically had need to access the properties through that alley with their trailer. They had concerns with there being enough room to turn around if they alley became dead end.

Ms. Wallace indicated that the intent would to not allow regular traffic flow into the alley off of N. West Street. She planned to have dumpster placed on a portion of the alley, and she did not want to be responsible for any additional liability. She planned to overlay the portions of these alleys with concrete.

Referencing the site plan, Councilman Eyer did not feel that entry or exit points coming from the east/west alley would be the best use of the area. He felt that the drive-thru customers should be able to drive straight forward to exit onto N. West Street.

Ms. Wallace explained that the presented plan was in consideration of there already being a curb cut from the alley on the State highway. She did not believe that the State would easily grant another request for curb cut if there was already one within a certain area. Ms. Wallace’s Director of Construction, Shawn Laughlin, stated his agreement.

Mayor Lambird asked Mr. Bridges what he thought the chances were of the State granting an additional curb cut request in this area. Mr. Bridges believed that the chances would be slim.

Councilwoman Fehrenbacher wondered if the east/west alley really needed to be closed. In addition to what had been stated above, Mr. Laughlin added that the alley was only wide enough for one-way traffic.

Even so, Councilman Eyer pointed out that the alley was used by the public, and that the alley was public property owned by the citizens of Olney. He said that Blue Fish 44, LLC. was wanting to take away citizen access for their private project. The Councilman would be more in favor of the request if there was no other opportunity for egress, or if the alley was not utilized.

Councilwoman Henton reminded the Councilman that the Council had closed other alleys for “smaller” purposes. This request was more major. She felt that the City should want businesses on the highway.

Councilman McLaughlin moved to approve Ordinance 2023-01, which would close the portions of the alleys as requested, seconded by Councilwoman Henton.

Councilwoman Fehrenbacher wondered if the east/west alley could remain open to the public if it was designated as a one-way alley. Councilman McLaughlin reminded her that the property owners still had access to their properties from the west entrance of that alley.

Councilwomen Fehrenbacher, Henton, Councilman McLaughlin, and Mayor Lambird voted yes. Councilman Eyer voted no. The motion carried.

Mr. Zuber would draft this ordinance.

8-B “Request: Authorize Participation in the Sister Cities International Program with Olney, Buckinghamshire, England” The Council was provided with a packet of information as presented by Larry Judge, Curator of the Richland Heritage Museum Foundation. Mr. Judge was present to speak with the Council on this topic.

Mr. Judge told the Council that he had been researching the Sister Cities program since late Summer. His interest was sparked as he had been conducting research on Nathan Olney who was Olney’s namesake. Mr. Judge looked into the family of Mr. Olney which led him to England.

Mr. Judge reported that no other towns named Olney were involved in the Siter Cities program, so he contacted the Sister Cities program manager to see how he should proceed in this venture. Mr. Judge found that the program was loosely structured and should be pretty simple to implement.

The first step was to assess interest from Olney, England. Mr. Judge contacted the clerk “across the pond,” and the proposal was enthusiastically received. Olney, England, had approved the proposal at their December 2022 Town Council meeting. If the City was interested in also participating, it would need to have a formal document signed. After that point, Mr. Judge would no longer need to be involved.

Mr. Judge believed that the Sister Cities program was a great opportunity for the City in general and through tourism. A majority of the program was sponsored by the State, so Mr. Judge felt that Olney’s taxes were already helping to pay for the program. If the City did engage in the proposal, their yearly membership fee would only be $310.00.

Councilwoman Henton recalled some contact with Olney, England, during the Sesquicentennial.

Mr. Judge then had a few fun facts to share. He stated that “Amazing Grace” was composed and sung for the very first time in Olney, England. He also found out from Olney, England, that the correct pronunciation of Olney was “o-ney.”

Councilwoman Henton thanked Mr. Judge for his research and moved to approve moving forward with participation in the Sister Cities International Program with Olney, Buckinghamshire, England, seconded by Councilman Eyer. A majority affirmative voice vote was received.

A formal resolution would be drafted and signed at a future Council meeting.

8-C “Resolution: Authorize Bank Accounts Related to the Olney Business District” The Council was provided with a proposed resolution that would authorize new bank accounts related to the Olney Business District.

Mrs. Guinn said that she was seeking approval to establish two, new bank accounts, and a new fund in the general ledger, for the Business District Tax. One bank account would be with Illinois Funds where the State would deposit the tax revenue when collected. The second account would be a local account for transfers and expenditures. The new fund in the general ledger would be for the City’s accounting purposes.

Councilman McLaughlin moved to approve 2023-R-08, seconded by Councilwoman Fehrenbacher. A majority affirmative voice vote was received.

8-D “Resolution: Accept Bid for the Whittle Avenue Railroad Crossing Required Improvements” The Council was provided with a proposed resolution that would accept a bid for the Whittle Avenue railroad crossing required improvements, and they were also provided with a copy of the bid tabulation.

Mr. Barker reminded the Council that this project was originally bid out last Fall, but no bids were received. A new round of bid solicitation had taken place, and bids were opened for this project on January 19th. One bid was received from Kieffer Bros in the amount of $331,043.92.

Councilman McLaughlin asked if this cost would be reimbursed. Mr. Barker indicated so. The Illinois Commerce Commission would end up reimbursing all costs related to the project except for the $40,000.00 that the City had fully committed of its own funds.

Councilman McLaughlin asked if CSX was starting on its portion of the railroad improvements. Mr. Barker was unsure, but Mr. Bridges said that he was aware that CSX had started some signaling work.

Councilman McLaughlin moved to approve 2023-R-09, seconded by Councilwoman Henton. A majority affirmative voice vote was received.

8-E “Resolution: Accept or Reject Bid for the Demolition of 602 E. Lafayette Street” The Council was provided with a proposed resolution that would accept a bid for the demolition of 602 E. Lafayette Street.

Code Enforcement Officer Dallas Colwell reminded the Council that this demolition had originally bid out in December, but only one bid was received. Bids were again solicited for the demolition with four responsive bids received at the bid opening earlier in the day.

Steve Hemrich had bid $5,900.00, Robert Petty had bid $7,600.00, Jeff Guisewite, Inc. had bid $8,200.00, and Daugherty Excavating had bid $10,800.00. Mr. Colwell recommended accepting the low bid from Steve Hemrich.

Councilman Eyer moved to approve 2023-R-10, seconded by Councilman McLaughlin. A majority affirmative voice vote was received.

8-F “Discussion/Possible Resolution: Authorize the Purchase of a Dump Truck for the Park Department & Waive Formal Bidding Procedures” The Council was provided with a proposed resolution that would authorize the purchase of a dump truck for the Park Department and waive formal bidding procedures. The Council was also provided with information on the proposed dump truck.

Mr. Barker explained that the Park Department had located a dump truck that they felt would fit their needs. The truck was a 2017 GMC Sierra 3500 landscape dump truck and could be purchased for $40,626.50 from Serra Chevrolet Buick GMC, of Madison, Tennessee. Mr. Barker had also run a Carfax report that showed the vehicle had only had one owner. The truck also had only 35,000 miles. An amount of $45,000.00 had been budgeted for this purchase.

Councilman McLaughlin moved to approve 2023-R-11, seconded by Councilwoman Fehrenbacher. A majority affirmative voice vote was received.

AGENDA #9 “REPORTS FROM ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS”

9-A “Status Report-City Manager” Mr. Barker reported that a candidate for lateral transfer in the Police Department would be interviewed on January 26th, and that entry level applicants would have their testing on February 11th.

9-B “RCDC Report” Mayor Lambird said that a new Executive Director had been found for RCDC. Shelly Herman had accepted the employment offer and would be starting her employment with RCDC before much longer.

9-B “Chamber of Commerce Report” Councilwoman Fehrenbacher said that the Chocolate Tour would take place on February 10th with tickets available for purchase at the Chamber office. Ladies Night was also scheduled for March 16th, and tickets for that event would be available soon.

9-D “Parks & Recreation Board Report” There was no report.

9-E “Tourism Board Report” Councilwoman Henton stated that she had a Tourism Board meeting scheduled for the next day that would also serve as a rebranding meeting.

AGENDA #10 “PUBLIC COMMENTS/PRESENTATIONS” No one from the public wished to speak.

AGENDA #11 “CLOSED SESSION: SALE OR LEASE PRICE OF REAL PROPERTY; ACQUISITION OF REAL PROPERTY; AND APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT, COMPENSATION, AND PERFORMANCE OF SPECIFIC EMPLOYEES” Councilman McLaughlin moved to adjourn to closed session to discuss the sale or lease price of real property; acquisition of real property; appointment, employment, compensation, and performance of specific employees; and litigation matters, seconded by Councilwoman Fehrenbacher. A majority affirmative voice vote was received.

The meeting adjourned to closed session at 6:34 p.m.

AGENDA #12 “RECONVENE OPEN SESSION” Councilman McLaughlin moved to enter back into open session, seconded by Councilwoman Fehrenbacher. A majority affirmative voice vote was received. Open session resumed at 7:01 p.m.

Councilman McLaughlin was a member of the JEDS Board and had been for several years. He and Acting Police Chief Justin Bloomer acted as representatives of the City. The County also had two members, and the last member was appointed by the representatives of the City and the County. As part of their duties, the Board establishes the budget for the JEDS (Joint Emergency Dispatch System).

The Councilman said that every so often, the County Board would make alterations to the budget that the Board went along with. This year, the County Board had cut the budget by about $40,000.00, and Councilman McLaughlin questioned the authority to do so. Because of this, he read over the JEDS agreement to get some clarity. It appeared that the JEDS Board had the total authority over the budget with the County only having management of the JEDS itself. He wanted the City Attorney to read over the agreement to get his opinion.

Mr. Zuber agreed with Councilman McLaughlin’s opinion that the JEDS Board was a completely separate entity with the JEDS being administered by the County. Mr. Zuber would speak with State’s Attorney John Clark about the issue.

As clarification from the earlier special City Council meeting, Councilwoman Henton wanted it on the record that she was against the proposed budget for upgrades to the building at the firing age. No other members of the Council appeared to be interested in the improvements either.

AGENDA #13 “ADJOURN” With no further business to discuss, Councilwoman Fehrenbacher moved to adjourn, seconded by Councilman McLaughlin. A majority affirmative voice vote was received.

The meeting adjourned at 7:18 p.m.

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