Monday night’s city council agenda had several new line items that needed single approval, and two old items that took quick coverage once discussion on them ended.
Alderman Autumn Slane gave the CAPC report, lamenting the lack of financials for council to review since the CAPC has failed to come up with a quorum and has canceled two consecutive meetings. Slane said that several commissioners being on vacation at the same time was causing quorum issues, and there was a lack of communication on when those commissioners would return. She requested and attempted to motion to nominate an applicant to the CAPC to allow the commission to have a quorum.
Financials were on the CAPC’s meeting agenda at the July 27 meeting but failed to materialize due to CAPC commissioners and city aldermen Nick Roberts and Slane leaving the Aud before the meeting was called to order after taking issue with commissioner James DeVito chairing the meeting.
Alderman Terry McClung agreed that vacancies on the commission needed to be filled, and the CAPC first nominates those they wish to fill those vacancies before council approves those nominations. McClung said he did not want to change that process. Mayor Butch Berry noted there are six members on the commission, and it was still possible for them to pull together a quorum.
Slane questioned who Berry would nominate if council failed to put someone in a vacant seat, and Berry replied that it was not his place. The two had a short disagreement on whether it was the mayor’s duty to fill those vacancies, and Berry voiced confidence that the CAPC would meet. McClung suggested that Berry encourage those commissioners on vacation to attend meetings via Zoom and Berry said he would.
Disagreements continued when it came to old business regarding the fire department. In Public Comments, resident Linda McBride said that the issue of the fire department had been discussed at council’s previous meeting. She said council should not be involved in the daily operations of city departments, it had no reason to be on the agenda, and the item should be removed.
The item was discussed anyway. Roberts thanked Slane for speaking about it at the last meeting and that he had more information, referencing a packet that he had handed to aldermen. Berry clarified that Roberts could only speak on the budget, and both began to speak over one another with Roberts saying the mayor had not given him time to speak.
Berry told Roberts that if he wished to discuss budget items, council could. Roberts replied that if Berry would stop interrupting and “being rude” that he would get to that. Roberts said he wanted everyone to have the same information that he had previously FOIA’d. Berry said he was giving the parameters “with which to speak.” Roberts replied, “So be quiet while I speak, please.”
Roberts then gave his concerns over fire department payroll and a large buildup of overtime hours through the years of 2019 – 2022. At one point he addressed the crowd saying “they” did not wish for him to explain his concerns. He said that annual buildups of more than 400 overtime hours in the fire department were “killing us.” While he gave credit to the mayor for looking to address the issue, he said he hoped it was actually being resolved.
Berry said that when council goes into budget review, they will take a closer look at the fire department budget and how overtime hours work.
Other items
- Council agreed unanimously to a proposed settlement with Bill Ott over a lawsuit regarding a section of porch that was voted by the HDC to be out of approved proportions. Ott is to admit fault, pay the city $1,000, and no other action will follow. The vote was 5-0 with Ott recusing himself.
- Resolution 822 to set a public hearing to vacate a section of Magnetic Bay passed unanimously.
- 2327 to levy a tax on all personal real property passed unanimously. The tax is passed annually, and no changes were made to personal property tax amounts compared to previous years.
- 2326 that limits camping on private property passed its third and final reading in a 4-2 vote with Slane and Roberts voting No. Alderman Melissa Greene said that the Planning Commission was working on amendments for the ordinance and checked that such amendments could be made later if council saw fit.
- Resolution 823 to waive bidding to purchase two police vehicles from Corwin Dodge in Springfield for $40,000 passed unanimously. Berry explained that the two vehicles ordered in January would not be provided by the state due to the program closing and that he had been unable to find vehicles for the originally budgeted $35,000.
- The item of I&I irrigation meters was deferred until the next meeting.