Grundy Reporter

Village of Diamond Board met Jan. 9.

Here is the minutes provided by the Board:

The scheduled meeting of the Diamond Village Board was held on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. with Mayor Teresa Kernc presiding. Upon roll call Commissioners present were Mark Adair, Jeff Kasher and Carolyn Wilson. Absent-Dave Warner.

Approval of Minutes

MOTION was made by Commissioner Kasher, SECOND by Commissioner Adair to approve the 12/12/2017 meeting minutes and place on file. Ayes; Kasher, Kernc and Adair. Abstain; Wilson. Motion Carried.

Approval of the January 9, 2018 Bill List

MOTION was made by Commissioner Wilson, SECOND by Commissioner Kasher to approve the bill list and place it on file. All Ayes; Motion Carried.

Approval of the November 2017 Treasurer’s Report

MOTION was made by Commissioner Wilson, SECOND by Commissioner Adair to approve the November 2017 Treasurer’s Report and place it on file. All Ayes; Motion Carried.

Public Comment 

None

New Business 

Approve TEST Proposal for WTP/WWTP 

Mayor Kernc stated this is to be removed as an agenda item since Kernc has been in contact with RCAP which is a rural community assistance program that can perform managerial and technical audits for both the water and waste water plants at no cost to the village. This program assists communities through grants. A unanimous consensus was given for Kernc to proceed and meet with RCAP to discuss and arrange the audit.

Approve Ordinance #2018-01; An Ordinance Adopting the Village of Diamond Employee Handbook 

Village Attorney John Gallo stated the employee handbook was not adopted previously therefore, board must adopt so this is part of the code of ordinances for the village.

MOTION was made by Commissioner Kasher, SECOND by Commissioner Wilson to approve Ordinance #2018-01; An Ordinance Adopting the Village of Diamond Employee Handbook. All Ayes; Motion Carried.

Approve Ordinance #2018-02; An Ordinance Amending Chapter 34 of the Village of Diamond Code of Ordinances-Employee Handbook-A Policy Prohibiting Sexual Harassment 

Village Attorney John Gallo stated all local government offices must adopt a policy that complies with the mandates of Public Act 100-0554 (the ACT), which amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act, including Section 70-5, which pertains to government entities.

MOTION was made by Commissioner Adair, SECOND by Commissioner Kasher to approve Ordinance #2018-02; An Ordinance Amending Chapter 34 of the Village of Diamond Code of Ordinances- Employee Handbook-A Policy Prohibiting Sexual Harassment. All Ayes; Motion Carried.

Approve Proclamation Commemorating School Choice Week 

Mayor Kernc stated this proclamation raises awareness for all avenues of education for children and the choices of alternative education available to children throughout the community.

Old Business 

Approve Terraco Agreement 

Village Attorney John Gallo stated he is preparing revisions to the agreement and should have the agreement for approval at the January 23, 2018 meeting.

Grundy and Will County Sheriff’s Monthly Update 

Representation from the Grundy County Sheriff’s department was present and presented their report. Mayor Kernc presented the Will County report.

Approve Atlas Companies Phased Market Study Proposal 

This item was passed.

Legal Counsel 

Village Attorney John Gallo stated he is working with Planning and Zoning Coordinator Cindy Haywood and will have updated building code amendments to present for approval at the January 23, 2018 board meeting.

Engineer Updates 

Absent

Maintenance Updates 

Maintenance Supervisor Austin Vining stated there was an issue at the water plant. The transducer froze and the alarm system was offline, therefore, not contacting maintenance personnel of the issue occurring. Mayor Kernc stated her disappointment of the recent water and sewer plant issues and noted steps will be taken to make necessary corrections to operate both plants proactively and efficiently with less malfunctions. Kernc stated she is very happy with Vining and Maintenance personnel, Josh Bzdusek for their work on the issues at the plant. Vining stated the clarifying arm broke over the weekend and they are working to repair it. The maintenance department will be utilizing the camera on the sewer pipes at Amber Lane to try to determine where the infiltration of sand is coming from.

Clerk Updates 

Village Clerk Lori Holmes stated she received a reply from IRWA Health Plan and they have declined to quote us at this time. Holmes stated she has contacted the State of Illinois regarding their health insurance plans. Holmes will be attending the Will and Grundy Clerks Association meeting tomorrow.

Commissioner Comments 

Commissioner Kasher: 

Commissioner Kasher stated he is very pleased with the streetlights and the illumination of the new bulbs. Kasher thanked the maintenance department for their work removing the snow on the streets after the recent snowfall.

Commissioner Wilson: 

Commissioner Wilson stated Village Treasurer Sheryl McDaniel is in the process of completing the 1099’s and employee W-2’s.

Commissioner Adair: No Report

Commissioner Warner: Absent

Mayor Kernc: 

Mayor Kernc read a letter she received from a child requesting a skate park in Diamond Park. Kernc stated she would like to see improvements within the parks, however she does not feel a skate park is the right fit for Diamond. Commissioner Kasher, Wilson and Adair agreed. Kasher stated the issues which have occurred at the Coal City skate park. Kasher does not want that for Diamond. Commissioner Kasher stated he likes to see kids playing outside and improvements to the baseball field would be recommended. Kernc presented the letter to Commissioner Adair and Adair will be seeking improvement ideas within the parks. Mayor Kernc stated throughout her 3 terms, she attended numerous events and personally paid for her travel and lodging expenses. However, with the changes in tax laws, she will now be submitting these items for approval and reimbursement through the village. She will be attending the Will County Governmental League Lobby Day, February 28 and will be submitting the required form for approval at the next board meeting.

Adjournment to Closed Session (Employee Issues)

MOTION was made by Commissioner Kasher, SECOND by Commissioner Adair to enter closed session at 6:45 p.m. All Ayes; Motion Carried.

MOTION made by Commissioner Kasher, SECOND by Commissioner Wilson to enter back into open session with no action taken at 7:11 p.m.

Adjournment

MOTION was made to adjourn the meeting at 7:12 p.m. by Commissioner Adair, SECOND by Commissioner Kasher. All Ayes; Motion Carried.

https://www.villageofdiamond.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/01-09-18-1.pdf