Tucker, Hartzell share Carthage city legal duties

The Carthage city council welcomed attorney Stan Tucker to his first council meeting. Tucker and attorney Tom Hartzell are sharing city attorney duties after the death of long-time city attorney John Glidden.

“John was on the council for close to 40 years,” said Mayor Jim Nightingale. “He will be greatly missed. He was a good friend.”

Tucker said he and Hartzell plan to split attending council meetings and drew up a list of duties for each to help improve the speed of responses.

The grant application to pay for a feasibility study for a food service center was approved. Western Illinois Regional Council is helping draw up bid specifications in finding someone to handle the feasibility study.

The grant application for $250,000 for school improvement and safety programs was sent. If approved, the city could receive up to $250,000 for sidewalk repairs, educational programs dealing with school safety, and a portable automated speed trailer. The city would like to repair sidewalks on three streets used to get to and from the school buildings in town.

An idea to use some of the money for a stoplight at the intersection of Rt. 136 and Washington Street was shot down by Illinois Department of Transportation officials earlier this year. The school crossing for Carthage Elementary was not considered a safety issue due to students not having to wait long enough to cross the highway.

Aldermen were invited to a ribbon cutting for the latest completed four-lane expansion phase of Rt. 336 between Carthage and Macomb. The ribbon cutting is on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 11 a.m. Local elected officials are attending. Governor Rod Blagojevich may be in attendance.

The council approved a new four-year contract with the Carthage Industrial Development Corporation which lasts until April 30, 2012. The “Development Services” contract contains all pertinent information about the community developer office, occupied by Brenda Pyatt.

The CIDC sends a budget to the council. The council can accept it or change it as necessary.

“Last year we trimmed about $7,000 from it,” said Nightingale. “We have the right to cut the budget if we don't have the funds.”

Alderman Donna Walker volunteered to sit on the Carthage Community Development Committee, a sub-committee of the CIDC as the representative from the city council.

Mediacom is raising more cable rates. The broadcast basic package is rising from $20.95 per month to $23.95. The expanded basic package is rising from $34 per month to $35. Those who have both experience a $4 per month rise.

The council unanimously voted down a pay raise to elected city officials.

“With two businesses out (of business) on the square since June, we didn't feel like it was a good time to increase the salaries for elected officials,” said Donna Walker, chairman of the Finance Committee on the group's recommendation against the pay raises.

Nightingale said a conference call with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency revealed that the city and Patrick Engineering can reduce ground water monitoring on four wells to annually instead of quarterly. Nightingale guessed the reduction would save the city about $1,000 a year.

Public Safety Committee chairman Randy Fleming said the new roof on the fire station is complete. The department is looking for better pricing on purchasing new portable radios and pagers for firefighters. The money is being taken from their budgeted amount for equipment this fiscal year.

The council approved the purchase of a new 2009 silver Chevy Impala for the police department. The final price is expected to be around $22,000, which was budgeted for this fiscal year. The police department is also buying a new radio for $450 plus installation for a patrol car.

Police chief Gary Waddell approached Dallas City and LaHarpe about joining in with the other county police departments in signing mutual aid agreements to help each other, primarily with parking and traffic at football games.

The council decided to have a Christmas party this year. Nightingale appointed Walker and Gary Smith to make arrangements. Some alternatives were discussed to make sure more people who signed up to attend the dinner actually did so. The city buys the food for each reservation ahead of time.

“People I've talked to have said they would rather pay something and have it than not have it because of a lack of money,” said Smith.

In other news, the council:

€ Is seeking bids for a generator and installation at the water plant. Bids are opened at 1 p.m. on Nov. 6, at city hall.

€ Passed a resolution recognizing the 100th birthday of honorary Carthage citizen, Theodore Teddy Bear.