East Central Reporter

Village of Arthur Board of Trustees met March 3.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

A regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Arthur, Illinois, was held on Monday, March 3, 2025, in the Village Board Room. Village President Rod Randall called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. Roll call was answered by Trustees Matt Bernius, Mike Hilgenberg, Isai Gutierrez, Jim Fleming, Dave Tiffan, and Christy Bernius.

Pledge of Allegiances

• President Randall asked D. Tiffan to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

Public Comment

• Visitors present were Lamar Miller, John Stewart, and Amy Strong. John Stewart addressed the Board regarding fireworks being planned for the Freedom Celebration on June 28, 2025. John thanked the Board for supporting the event in the past. He also thanked Public Works and the Police Department for all the work they do to make the event a success. He reported that costs for the fireworks have gone up 11.2%.

Consent Agenda

• C. Bernius made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda including the February 17, 2025 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Minutes and the January 2025 Leak Adjustment Report. I. Gutierrez seconded. All Trustees voted YEA.

Approval of Expenditures

• M. Hilgenberg made a motion to approve expenditures in the amount of $33,447.10. D. Tiffan seconded. All Trustees voted YEA.

Village President Comments and Announcements

• President Randall reported that an event will be held to meet the local candidates running for Village Board and School Board. This will take place on March 13, 2025.

• President Randall provided an invitation to "A Spring Business Event" to be held on March 19 at Yoder's Kitchen. This event will include the Arthur Area Association of Commerce, Simply Arthur, and the Village Board. Darius White will be the featured speaker, and local business organizations will also be a part of the program.

Trustees' Reports

• No reports were given.

Chief of Police Report

• Police Chief Elliott Tinnon provided reports from the Police Department. There were four felony arrests in February. There were 137 calls for service.

Public Works Supervisor's Report

• Grant Corum provided reports from the Public Works department. He highlighted recent projects including pothole work, replacing dead meters, and installing new signs.

Village Attorney Report

• Village Attorney Kenny Crossman had no report.

Unfinished Business

• none

New Business

1. President Randall reported that last year the Board approved Marsha Bowyer to take 8-10 cats from the Surrey Lane subdivision to SNAP (Spay Neuter Assistance Program), and the Board would cover half the cost. Marsha continues to take stray cats to SNAP and provided invoices of recent expenses. J. Fleming noted that Marsha is doing all the leg work, so the Board should cover the cost. M. Bernius made a motion to pay $251.42 for the trap and release of feral cats in the Surrey Lane neighborhood and to provide additional funds not to exceed $1,000.00 for this program. M. Hilgenberg seconded. All Trustees voted YEA. 2. Grant Corum provided bids from Sloan Implement for two new lawn mowers. The bids also included a trade-in allowance for two 2020 John Deere mowers. M. Bernius made a motion to approve the purchase of 2 John Deere Z950M 72" commercial lawn mowers from Sloan Implement, Atwood, IL in the amount of $9,266.96. J. Fleming seconded. All Trustees voted YEA.

3. C. Bernius made a motion to approve Ordinance 03-03A-2025: An ordinance authorizing the Village of Arthur to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Moultrie County Sherriff's Office to provide antenna services on the Village of Arthur Water Tower. I. Gutierrez seconded. All Trustees voted YEA.

General Discussion

• C. Miller and Grant Corum recently attended a Park Board Meeting where the plan for eradication of poison hemlock was presented. President Randall stated that the Arthur Park Board declined to share one-fourth of the cost for the eradication of the poison hemlock. The park district has around 3,200 lineal feet of exposure to the drainage ditch that contains poison hemlock compared to approximately 1,700 lineal feet of exposure for the Village. Discussion took place on how to proceed. Grant noted he would like to see this project done uniformly. The idea of sharing the cost ($19,000.00) with three Boards instead of four was raised. J. Fleming thought this was the right thing to do since this is a big problem. Action will be taken at the next meeting.

Adjourn

• M. Bernius made a motion to adjourn. I. Gutierrez seconded. All Trustees voted YEA. President Randall adjourned the meeting at 7:31 pm.

https://arthur-il.gov/file/1066/3-3-25%20Meeting%20Minutes.pdf