Carlinville Council discusses upcoming events, search for new police officer

By ERIN SANSON
Enquirer~Democrat Reporter

The Carlinville City Council met Monday evening to discuss several topics including, purchasing a property, hiring a full time Officer, and a few events that will happen in the future.

Yard Waste Pickup

The Public Works Department will be hosting a tree limb and branch pick up in response to the storm on June 17. Public Works asks that residents call the Public Works Department and give the address of where the limbs need to be picked up from. The department will then compile a list and pick up the yard debris as quickly as they are able.

The Public Works Department asks that all limbs or branches be placed near the road in front of the residence to allow for easier pickup. The debris should not be piled near or on any fire hydrants, meter pits or water shutoffs and the debris must be placed away from the road so as to not inhibit a drivers ability to see other vehicles operating in the area.

The Street Department will have its gates open from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. to drop off landscape waste for those who have removed the yard waste themselves. The city will only be picking up debris associated with the storm, no regular trash or other items will be removed. The deadline to notify the Public Works Department of a pickup location is Friday, June 24. The Public works department can be reached at (217) 854-4752.

Carlinville Christmas on the Square

The council received a request from A Carlinville Christmas on the Square group asking for their permission to host its 2022 event on Dec. 2-4. The group requested use of the entire Square, the first block of West Main Street, and the First block of East Main Street.

Alderman Doug Downey moved to approve the event with the exception of permission to block off West Main Street. Administrator for the City, Brain Zilm, says the original plan was for the group to use the area of West Main to have various food trucks operating in the area. The city is working with the group to find a different location for those trucks to go.

Facade Grants

The Facade Grabs program had $1,900 left over after a deal to purchase a property and use the grant money on said property fell through. Zilm was asked by the finance committee to come up with a way to distribute the money. Zilm proposed that Della Sullivan and Dave Dunn, grant recipients who had only received $500 this year because they had been awarded grant money the previous year, each receive an additional $500. The remaining $900, Zilm suggested be used for Gazebo improvements on the Carlinville Square.

The board approved the use of funds.

Other Business

Discussion between the City and the Blackburn Student intern hired by the city for the summer is still in progress regarding compensation. Alderman Kim Harber asked the topic be placed on the agenda for the next city council meeting.

‘The city reviewed a bid from Cox Integrated Solutions for a 2×2 video wall to be placed in the community room of the public safety center. The project was bid at a cost of $16,743.75. The council approved the project bid.

The City reached an agreement with Tom Reznicek to purchase the property on North Broad Street that formerly held Dugger’s Body Shop. The property purchase was included in the city’s budget for this year with a budget of $10,000. The city purchased the property for $100. The back taxes for the property were around $3,800 and the city has already incurred a cost of $780 from some of the cleanup work that has been done since the building fell down.

Police Chief Dave Haley requested the council’s permission to begin searching for a full time police officer to fill an open position.

Haley says the search may take several months to fill the position. The council approved his request.

Siri Engstrom was appointed to the Planning and Zoning Committee to fill a vacant seat.

The discussion over purchasing new lawn mowers and a discussion on sidewalks were tabled until a later time.