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City quibbles over how to enforce ordinances

Monday, February 01, 2016 - Posted 8:56:00 PM
The Minonk City Council discussed at length how to crack down on violators of city ordinances, especially abandoned and inoperable vehicles.  Alderman Jack Marcoline suggested the City send a letter to a violator notifying them of their violation of a city ordinance.  If no response is received in 2 weeks, a police officer would be sent to the violator's house.  Mr. Marcoline said the City has been putting off the enforcement of ordinance violators for too long.  Alderman Russell Ruestman said over 30% of Minonk houses are occupied by non-owners.  He said the home owner should be contacted since they are legally responsible for their property.  Police John Wherry said a part-time police officer could spend some time on their beat inspecting homes for violations.  Mayor Bill Koos said the council will get together with the Police Chief and try to come up with a solution to enforcing the city ordinances.

City Administrator Search

The council discussed at length whether to repost an ad for a city administrator.  Some council members wanted to change the qualifications for the job.  Mayor Koos said if the qualifications are to be changed, then all who submitted an application will have to be notified that their ad is rejected and then a new ad can be posted.  He added it cost $1800 to submit an ad.  Alderman Ruestman felt the qualifications are too restrictive.  He said a few qualifications can be listed as required whereas many of the qualifications can be listed as desirable which would enable more applicants to be qualified.  He said having too many restrictive qualifications is limiting the number of applicants who would apply for a city administrator job in a town of 2200 people.  A motion was approved to rewrite the qualifications and set the salary as commensurate with experience in the ad and then repost the ad.

City Employee Residency

Alderman Marcoline said the current city code which requires city employees to be residents of the city should be enforced.  He said the City should set a deadline of August 1, 2016 for any current employee not a resident of Minonk to either move to Minonk or have their contract voided.  There currently are 2 public works employees and 1 police officer who do not reside in Minonk.   Alderman Ruestman said the City has been ignoring the city residency rule for over 10 years.  He said it was a matter of enforcement.  Mayor Koos said to set a deadline for a non-resident employee to move to Minonk involves legal issues.  The council then approved a motion by Alderman Marcoline to conduct a legal review to determine if a nonresident employee can be required to move to the city.  

Appreciation Dinner

For the third session in a row the council debated the city's annual appreciation dinner which is normally held in January.  According to Mayor Koos up to 118 people have attended the appreciation dinner.  However, there is no restaurant in Minonk that can handle that size crowd.  Alderman Ruestman suggested that local caterers be contacted to see if they can handle the dinner.  Mayor Koos said he will have a plan in place for the appreciation dinner at the next council meeting.

Water Tower to be Painted

The council finally approved the painting of the city water tower which will cost a maximum of $31,000 and will be monitored by the city's engineering firm, The Farnsworth Group.

TIF Funds Approved for Grosenbach Grocery

The council approved a TIF grant of $12,892 to Grosenbach Grocery payable in one lump sum upon receipt of bills.  The council decided to grant the full request amount instead of awarding 50% of the project cost which is the normal grant.  Mayor Koos said under TIF laws, the grocery could be awarded $7500 for each of the 11 employees to be hired so the $12,892 grant was well within the TIF limits.  The grocery is expecting to open for business on February 18th.

In other business, the council decided to get a written contract from the Starved Rock County Alliance before signing a developers contract for $2200.

Public Comments

Minonk resident James Liner told the council there are 3 lights that are not working between Chestnut and Oak streets.  He also mentioned that the road to the city brush pile needs to be covered with gravel as the road is now muddy and almost impassible.  He also said the city code needs to be upgraded as it is now possible for someone to inhabit a house on city property that has no electricity, gas, or water hookup.



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