TOWNSHIP OF HOLLIS ~ COUNTY OF PEORIA ~ STATE OF ILLINOIS
MINUTES REGULAR MONTHLY BOARD AUDIT MEETING
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015
After the Clerk announced the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, the Supervisor called the meeting to order @ 7:00 P.M. at the Hollis Town Hall, 6430 West Wheeler Road, Mapleton, Illinois 61547-9615.
Board Members Present for Roll Call:
Supervisor Gary W. Thomas, Clerk Kelsey A. Archer and Trustees: William J. Gerdes, James E. Bailey and Brian B. Fengel. (One Trustee Position vacant at the beginning of this meeting.) The first order of business will be to appoint Sandra E. Fruge to fill the Trustee Vacancy.
The Supervisor announced a quorum was present.
The Road Commissioner, Dennis R. Beckman and the Tax Assessor Alice B. Dailey attended this meeting.
Visitors: Sandra E. Fruge
OLD BUSINESS: (out of usual order to enable the Board to make the following motion)
A MOTION to approve the Appointment of Sandra E. Fruge to fill the Vacancy in the Office of Hollis Township Trustee effective today October 29, 2015 for the remainder of the four year term of office which will end April 30, 2017. This vacancy in Office was declared by Motion on September 24, 2015 after the acceptance of the resignation of Trustee Tal B. Beckman which was presented to the Board in New Business at the Regular Monthly Board Meeting on August 27, 2015.
Motion by Jim Bailey; second Brian Fengel. The motion passed with all ayes on a roll call vote.
Sandra E. Fruge took the Oath of Office which was administered by the Town Clerk, Kelsey A. Archer. Sandra then received the Township Clerk’s Notice to One Appointed to Fill Vacancy.
Sandra joined the Board of Trustees at the Meeting Table and participated for the remainder of this meeting.
The Township Clerk shall file the following documents with the Peoria County Clerk’s Office ASAP:
A. 1. Statement of Economic Interest from Sandra E. Fruge
2. Oath of Office
3. Warrant of Appointment of the Township Board of Trustees (to fill a vacancy)
The following documents shall be on file at the Hollis Township Clerk’s Office:
B. 1. Copy of the Statement of Economic Interest /Original filed w/Peoria County Clerk
2. Copy of the Oath of Office
3. Copy of the Warrant of Appointment of the Township Board of Trustees 4. Copy of the Township Clerk’s Notice to One Appointed to Fill Vacancy
Corrections or ADDITION to Agenda: Additions to agenda may be discussed; however, if action is needed by the Board such action must be taken at another meeting when the topic is posted on agenda prior to meeting.
APPROVE MINUTES of Previous Meetings:
Prior to tonight’s meeting, copies of Minutes from the Regular Monthly Meeting held on Thursday, September 24, 2015 were distributed to Board Members for their review.
MOTION to accept the Minutes as presented made by Bill Gerdes; second Jim Bailey.
Motion passed unanimously with all ayes.
AUDIT CURRENT EXPENDITURES, Investments, Transfer of Funds, Budget Line Item Transfers:
1. MOTION to accept for payment all Town Fund Invoices as presented to the Board on the Disbursement Summary dated October 29, 2015
Motion Jim Bailey; second Bill Gerdes. The motion passed with all ayes on a roll call vote.
2. MOTION to accept for payment all General Assistance Fund Invoices as presented to the Board on the Disbursement Summary dated October 29, 2015
Motion Jim Bailey; second Bill Gerdes. The motion passed with all ayes on a roll call vote.
3. MOTION to accept for payment all Road & Bridge Fund Invoices as presented to the Board on the Disbursement Summary dated October 29, 2015.
Motion Bill Gerdes; second Jim Bailey. The motion passed with all ayes on a roll call vote.
4. MOTION to accept for payment all Joint Bridge Fund Invoices as presented to the Board on the Disbursement Summary dated October 29, 2015.
Motion Jim Bailey; second Bill Gerdes. The motion passed with all ayes on a roll call vote.
TOWN BUILDING, GROUNDS & EQUIPMENT: nothing.
COMMUNICATIONS & Correspondence:
PEORIA COUNTY TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS OF ILLINOIS ~~ Annual Holiday Dinner:
Sunday, December 13, 2015 at the Itoo Society Hall ~ 4909 W. Farmington Road in Peoria ~
Social Hour 5-6 PM ~ Dinner @ 6:00 P.M. Buffet: cost is $25.00 per person.
Copies of the notice were given to Board Members.
See Motion in New Business
TOWN BUSINESS ~ Supervisor:
1. Gary Thomas has received several calls regarding the house at 4656 W. Tuscarora Road. There seems to be several families occupying this residence which is zoned for a single family dwelling. There are seven to ten vehicles parked on that property regularly ~ depending on the time of day. It appears that the owner of the property does not reside at that address; the occupants appear to be tenants.
Gary has talked with Peoria County Zoning and is waiting for a call back from them to see what can be done to rectify the situation. He was told that an inspector will look into this situation within the next two weeks.
2. The property located next to the Tuscarora Fire Department has been sold. This should take care of the problems neighbors were having with that property being unkempt when it was owned by a lending institution.
CLERK BUSINESS / Business & Comments:
Clerk, Kelsey Archer will file with the Peoria County Clerk, the documents required to verify the appointment of Sandra E. Fruge to fill the vacancy in the Office of Trustee.
ROAD BUSINESS ~ Highway Commissioner:
1. Peoria County is letting out bids this week for the installation of traffic lights at the intersection of Route 24 and Terminal Road. The County will manage the bidding process.
2. The Road Crew is finishing mowing our Township roadsides for this season.
3. Update regarding “Intergovernmental Agreements”: Denny is waiting to get additional information which will come from the States Attorney with regard to the Agreement with the Peoria County Highway Department and the purchase of our Durapatcher.
There are three additional Agreements pending with the Village of Mapleton, the Village of Bartonville and the Township of Limestone. More information will be provided at a later date.
4. The Road Commissioner also reported that 40 tires had been dumped on South Cameron Lane; noting that our Road Crew Employees have picked them up and will dispose of them properly.
Denny also reported that the price of road salt has dropped and that one of our employees had an accident with our truck. The incident has been reported to our insurance carrier TOIRMA.
5. Peoria County Highway Department Motor Fuel Tax: No current information.
TRUSTEES/ Information / Business:
Trustee Jim Bailey reported on a meeting he attended on Monday, October 19, 2015 at the Peoria Riverfront Museum which was sponsored by the OFFICE OF THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR FOR THE STATE OF ILLINOIS . This meeting of the Local Government Consolidation and Unfunded Mandates Task Force has the intention of Consolidating Townships which are coterminous with municipalities.
The Peoria County Highway Engineer, Amy Benecke McLaren spoke to the members of the Task Force telling them that without Townships, she would have triple the amount of roads that the County is now managing if Township Road Districts were dissolved.
Jim Bailey had received an email from Township Officials of Illinois informing him of this meeting. There were several Peoria County Township Supervisors present as well as TOI’s Brian Smith, Executive Director and Jerry Crabtree, his Assistant. Brian Smith spoke to the important services provided to residents of Townships and the low cost comparatively to other government agencies.
Roger Larson, Richwoods Township’s Administrative Assistant, also reaffirmed the importance of having Township services provided to their residents.
. The Executive Director of the Soil & Water Conservation District reported that their budget had been cut from $25,000,000 to $1,000,000 this year. The Lieutenant Governor asked the presenter for the Drainage Districts what he thought about combining the Soil & Water Conservation Districts with the Drainage Districts. Individuals serving the Drainage Districts are unpaid positions. There would be no benefit to combining these agencies.
Another Proposal presented: Allow counties to vote on a referendum to eliminate Township Tax Assessors and create County Assessor’s Positions and Offices.
State Senator Linda Holmes of the 42nd District, who was voting via telephone, stated that she would need much more information before voting on these issues because no one has studied the consequences of these actions. However, every issue and motion presented was passed even though the members were not sure of the details.
The spokes person for the Lieutenant Governor said it is standard procedure for a Task Force to pass motions and then write the details later.
TAX ASSESSOR’S OFFICE / Information / Business: .
Alice Dailey noted that although 5 property owners were referred to the Peoria County Board of Review with their concerns regarding their property assessments and subsequent taxes, only one property owner actually went to the Board of Review.
OLD UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
Business was conducted earlier in the meeting to accommodate the Appointment of Sandra E. Fruge to fill the vacant Office of Trustee.
NEW BUSINESS:
1. MOTION to approve changing the meeting scheduled for Monday, November 30, 2015 to Monday, November 23, 2015 at the hour of 7:00 P.M.
Motion by Brian Fengel; second Gary Thomas. The motion passed unanimously with all ayes.
The Legal Notice to change in this meeting date will be published in the Limestone Independent Newspaper at least 10 days prior to the newly scheduled meeting date.
2. Peoria County Township Officials ~ Annual December Dinner ~ Sunday, December 13, 2015 @ the Itoo Hall on Farmington Road in Peoria. Gather at 5:00 – Dinner at 6:00 P.M.
Reservations must be received by PCTOA no later than Tuesday, November 24th 2015.
The full cost of the buffet dinner is $25.00. In past years, each official and guest has contributed $10.00 out of pocket to defray the cost to the Township for the dinners. Therefore, the following motion is presented and may be revised if necessary.
MOTION to approve the payment of $25.00 per Official (including our Secretary) as well as payment for one guest per Official (and our Secretary) to attend the Peoria County Township Officials Association Dinner on Sunday, December 13, 2015 at the Itoo Hall in Peoria.
To defray the cost of each ticket, all individuals attending will pay $10.00 by check, out of pocket, to reimburse Hollis Township Town Fund.
In addition, door prizes are requested. Approve the payment for 2 door prizes not to exceed $15.00 each. (Our secretary will provide 2 door prizes for this event and will submit the receipt.)
Motion by Bill Gerdes; second Brian Fengel. The motion passed with all ayes on a roll call vote.
Eleven dinner reservations were requested. The invoice will be paid Monday, November 23, 2015 during our Regular Monthly Board Audit Meeting.
2. TAX LEVIES FOR 2015 must be established and approved at least 20 days prior to adopting them on Monday, November 23rd 2015, either at a hearing or during our Regular Monthly Board Meeting. Levies must be filed with the Peoria County Clerk no later than Tuesday, December 15, 2015.
If the Township or Road District is planning to levy more than 105% over the previous year’s tax levy extension then a Hearing is necessary. We must ESTABLISH A NEED for a “Truth in Taxation Hearing” at this meeting tonight.
In addition, if there is a hearing, a legal notice of the “Truth in Taxation Hearing” must appear in a newspaper with distribution in the Township and must be published not more than 14 days, or less than 7 days prior to the date of the hearing.
Board Members were given copies of the Town & Road District Tax Levies.
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First: Establish if there is a need for a “Truth in Taxation Hearing” for the tax year 2015.
Second: Determine and Approve Tax Levies for 2015.
3. MOTION to declare: The Hollis Township Board has established there is
NO NEED FOR A “TRUTH IN TAXATION HEARING” FOR THE Tax Year 2015, collectable in 2016, since the TOWNSHIP will be levying NO MORE THAN 105% of the 2014 Total Tax Levy Extension which was $56,469.61. The increase shall be $2,823. Therefore, the following request will be submitted:
The Town Fund will levy $59,185. The General Assistance Fund will levy $106.
The Total 2015 Township Tax Levy request shall be $ 59,291.00
Motion: Jim Bailey; second Bill Gerdes. The motion passed with all ayes on a roll call vote.
4. MOTION to approve the Hollis Township Tax Levy in the amount of $59,291. for the Tax Year 2015, collectable in the year 2016, with the Ordinance shown below:
TOWNSHIP TAX LEVY ORDINANCE NO. 2015 - 10
Town Fund Tax Levy $ 59,185. General Assistance Fund Tax Levy $ 106.
Motion: Jim Bailey; second Gary Thomas. The motion passed with all ayes on a roll call vote.
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5. MOTION to declare: The Hollis Township Highway Commissioner has established there is
NO NEED FOR A “TRUTH IN TAXATION HEARING” for the Tax Year 2015, collectable in 2016, since the ROAD DISTRICT will be levying NO MORE THAN 105% of the 2014 Total Tax Levy Extension which was $ 141,272.91. The increase shall be $ 7,062. Therefore, the following request will be submitted: Road & Bridge Fund $ 97,902.
Joint Bridge Fund $ 29,666.
Equipment & Building Fund $ 20,766.
The Total 2015 Road District Tax Levy Request shall be: $ 148,334.00
Motion: Bill Gerdes; second Jim Bailey. The motion passed with all ayes on a roll call vote.
6. MOTION to approve the Hollis Township Road District Tax Levy in the amount of $ 148,334. for the Tax Year 2015, collectable in the year 2016, with the Ordinance shown below:
ROAD DISTRICT TAX LEVY ORDINANCE NO. 2015 - 11
Road & Bridge Fund Tax Levy $ 97,902.
Joint Bridge Fund Tax Levy $ 29,666. ~ Equipment & Building Fund Tax Levy $ 20,766.
Motion: Jim Bailey; second Bill Gerdes. The motion passed with all ayes on a roll call vote.
7. MOTION to approve the Hollis Township Road District CONSENT FOR TAX LEVY INCREASE in the amount of $ 23,733. for the Tax Year 2015, collectable in 2016, authorizing the Road Commissioner to levy an additional 4% of the Road & Bridge Fund Tax Levy, for a total of 16 ½%, in the Ordinance shown below:
ROAD DISTRICT CONSENT FOR TAX LEVY INCREASE ~
ORDINANCE NO. 2015 - 12
Motion: Jim Bailey; second Gary Thomas. The motion passed with all ayes on a roll call vote.
On Monday, November 23, 2015 the Township Board shall ADOPT the Final Tax Levies for 2015, payable in 2016 as part of the Regular Monthly Board Meeting.
Since there is no need for a “Truth in Taxation Hearing” a legal notice in the Limestone Independent news is not necessary.
8. MOTION to adjourn made by Jim Bailey; second Brian Fengel. The motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 7.57 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Kelsey A. Archer, Town Clerk