In an effort to rid Minonk of unkempt yards and junk, the city council is
reviewing a revised nuisance ordinance that would crack down on property owners who
fail to keep their property in order. The proposed ordinance has some new restrictions
and is a hybrid of an ordinance currently used by the City of Savoy. The ordinance is
very strict and includes heavy fines for non-compliance and repeat offenders.
City Attorney Jay Greening warned the council about introducing items in the ordinance that
would require the property owner to make expensive changes to his or her property. He said these
type of ordinances are considered aggressive and tend to make property owners mad.
Failure to comply to the nuisance ordinance can result in an initial fine of $25.00. The fine
can increase to $50 if not paid within 7 days. A second offense within a 12 month period can
result in a fine of $100.00, a third offense $200.00 and a fourth offense $400.00. A person could
be fined up to a maximum of $750 if the ordinance is passed.
Alderman Bill Koos said that there were some ambiguities and duplication in the ordinance and
recommended that the Public Safety Committee review the ordinance and report back to the council
before any further action is taken on the proposed ordinance. Mayor Mark Spencer agreed.
City Ordinances codified
City attorney Jay Greening presented the council with a CD that contained the codification of
all of the city's ordinances. Greening said that this codification will automate the updating of
any future changes to the ordinances. Changes can be submitted to the city attorney who can then
incorporate the changes into a database containing the ordinances. This automated process will
expidite the maintenance of the ordinances and also make them more accessible by computer. Greening
said that he also made grammatical and typo corrections to the ordinances.
City receives grant
City Administrator Trent Smith said that Minonk has received a DNR Open Spaces Grant for $50,000.
Smith thanked Senator Dan Rutherford for his help in getting the grant.
City survey required
Public Works Supervisor Charlie McGuire said that the city has been notified by the EPA that a
survey of water usage for each resident must be conducted in order to bring the city into compliance
with state rules and regulations. McGuire said that the EPA is becoming more stringent in the private
water use regulations. The regulations went into effect in 1985 but were only enforced in the bigger
communities. Now enforcement has trickled down to the smaller communities.
Mcguire said that the city will be required to send each resident a letter that must be replied to by
the resident to determine their water use. Everyone is required to respond. Those who don't will be
warned. If no response is forthcoming, the water service will be cut off to the non-respondents.
The responses will be reviewed to determine those residents or businesses who need to be inspected
to determine if a back flow preventer is required to prevent contaminated water from being backed up into
the city's water supply. Those residents requiring inspection must pay for the inspection to determine
if they need a back flow preventor.
Alderman Bill Koos asked why the residents should be forced to pay for an inspection if the
city doesn't have to pay for an inspection by the EPA. McGuire said that the survey is required
by the state to make sure that polluted water cannot back up into the city water supply. It is like
an insurance policy against contanimation.
Other business
Mayor Mark Spencer thanked all those who volunteered this past weekend to help clean up Minonk by
painting fire hydrants and curbs. Public Works Supervisor Charlie McGuire suggested that the
Mayor have a city wide litter pickup the week before the sesquicentennial celebration.
Alderman Jason Buchanan suggested that the city hang planters on the downtown street lights during
the sesquicentennial celebration.
