The Carmi City Council Meeting was held on Tuesday, December 18, 2018, at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Room of the Municipal Building at 225 East Main Street for the regularly scheduled meeting.
Mayor Pollard asked Alderman Winkleman to give the invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Mayor Pollard presided with the following Aldermen present: Steve Winkleman, Mark W. Blake, Tracy Nelson, Lance Yearby, Mike Knight, Doug Hays, Jeremy Courson, and Sheila Jo Headlee.
Minutes from the December 4, 2018, council meeting were presented. Motion was made by Alderman Hays and seconded by Alderman Blake to approve the minutes as presented. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderman present answering “yes.”
Financial Reports for November 2018 were presented for the City of Carmi and Light & Water Departments for approval. A motion was made by Alderman Headlee and seconded by Alderman Winkleman to approve the November 2018 Financial Reports. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderman present answering “yes.”
The December 2018 vendor invoices for the City of Carmi and Light & Water were presented for approval. Alderman Winkleman made a motion to approve the vendor invoices for December 2018. The motion was seconded by Alderman Courson. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderman present answering “yes.”
Mayor Pollard asked for the council’s approval of the service agreement between the City of Carmi and Wayne-White Electric Cooperative. David Coston, City Engineer, stated the only change in the agreement was for an area around Burrell’s Woods which would allow the City to service this area. The updated maps are available in the City Clerk’s Office. After discussion, a motion was made by Alderman Hays to approve the service agreement between Wayne White Electric Cooperative and the City of Carmi. The motion was seconded by Alderman Winkleman. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderman present answering “yes.”
The proposals for the property, liability, and workers compensation were presented to the council by City Clerk Cynthia Attebury. Mrs. Attebury stated that the process for getting quotes for insurance began back in August. Two new companies were interested in quoting the insurance for the City. The companies that quoted were Arthur J. Gallagher (current carrier), Illinois Municipal League, and Shepherd Insurance from Carmi. In 2018, the City of Carmi paid roughly $382,000 for insurance. The quotes came in as follows:
- Arthur J. Gallagher – $348,532
- IML – $256,373
- Shepherd Insurance – $299,655
It was explained that IML’s quote was for a shared liability limit of $8 million and a shared earthquake limit of $5 million. Several aldermen stated they did not like having a shared limit because if a disaster occurred, the City could be left without adequate funds for coverage. Mrs. Attebury stated she had reached out to IML regarding coverages for the property as well as the automobiles as they did not request a property schedule or automobile listing. She was told those could be added at a later date. Mrs. Attebury stated she felt Shepherd was the best option for the City of Carmi as they are local and their price is less than A. J. Gallagher. Alderman Headlee made a motion to select Shepherd Insurance for the City of Carmi’s property, liability, and workers compensation. The motion was seconded by Alderman Blake. The motion carried on roll call by each Alderman present answering “yes.”
David Coston presented information to the council regarding the Duke Energy AMI Pilot Program that was conducted over the summer. Mr. Coston stated the city could potentially save up to $700,000 a year by changing existing meters to digital meters. Mr. Coston stated it would be in conjunction with Duke Energy and would be a cellular-based smart meter for the electric department and possibly the water department. He explained the meters would allow the city to read meters from the office. The smart meters would use a cell signal to transmit the data to the City building for billing etc. This system would also allow the electrical department to pinpoint outages and other problems. Mr. Coston explained at this time, he did not need a vote on this but rather a consensus on whether the Council would like more detailed information including pricing about the program. After a lengthy discussion, it was the general consensus of the council to move ahead with gathering information which will be available sometime in the new year.
Reports and/or updates from Mayor Pollard
Mayor Pollard reported that every year Illinois Department of Transportation does a review of the motor fuel tax (MFT) to assure the City is spending the money in accordance with state guidelines. The review for 2017 has been completed and filed stating the City of Carmi is in compliance with the guidelines.
Mayor Pollard reminded everyone of the change to the January 2019 meeting which will be held on Wednesday, January 2, 2019.
Mayor Pollard wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!.
Mayor Pollard turned the floor over to City Supervisor Mike Buckman for a yearly synopsis on work orders. Mr. Buckman stated the work orders were up from 2017. For the Light Department, 249 work orders were submitted for street lights, which included changing bulbs etc. For the Line Department, there were 224; 169 for the Tree Department, 208 for Street Department, 313 for Water Department, and 268 for Sewer Department. The total or the year was 1426 which was up from 1055 last year. Mr. Buckman also stated the mapping projects will continue into 2019. He stated this has helped turn up manholes, shut-off switches and other items that will help the departments in the future. Mr. Buckman thanked the mayor, council, and city employees for their hard work throughout the year.
Reports from Standing Committees
Alderman Knight thanked the city workers and officials who rang the bell for the Salvation Army. He stated he would have a total of the amount collected in the near future.
Business or Comments from Visitors
Skip Oliver from Shepherd Insurance stated he is looking forward to working with the City of Carmi.
At 6:20 p.m. the meeting adjourned.
Cynthia J. Attebury, City Clerk
Jeff Pollard, Mayor
