Grundy Reporter

Village of Diamond Village Board met Jan. 9.

Here is the agenda provided by the board:

Proceedings, transactions, and resolutions made and order of said record of said Board in the Village of Diamond, IL on the 9th day of January 2024.

The scheduled meeting of the Diamond Village Board was held on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. with Mayor Teresa “Terry” Kernc presiding. Upon roll call Commissioners present were Mark Adair, Dean Johnson, Jeff Kasher and Dave Warner.

Approval of 12-12-2023 Minutes

MOTION was made by Commissioner Johnson, SECOND by Commissioner Kasher to approve the 12/12/2023 regular meeting minutes and place on file. Ayes: Adair Johnson, Kasher and Kernc. Abstain: Warner: Motion Carried.

Approval of January 9, 2024, Bill List

MOTION was made by Commissioner Kasher, SECOND by Commissioner Warner to approve the January 9, 2024, bill list and place it on file. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Approval of the December 2023 Treasurer’s Report

MOTION was made by Commissioner Adair, SECOND by Commissioner Johnson to approve the December 2023 Treasurer's Report. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Public Comment

None

New Business

Authorize Mayor Kernc to sign BRIC Grant Application Local Match

Mayor Kernc stated consensus was given at the previous meeting therefore, formal approval is needed. MOTION was made by Commissioner Warner, SECOND by Commissioner Adair to Authorize Mayor Kernc to sign BRIC Grant Application Local Match. Ayes: Adair, Johnson, Warner, Kernc. Nay: Kasher: Motion Carried.

Waive Competitive Bid Process for Completion of Signal at IL Route 113 and Will Road Mayor Kernc stated Dan Draper reviewed and submitted all necessary equipment required for the completion of the signal installation. The required paperwork was submitted to IDOT. Van Mack did the previous partial installation of the signal and Kernc would like to expedite the process once approval is granted for the final installation of the signal. Kernc would like it to be completed by April. MOTION was made by Commissioner Warner, SECOND was made by Commissioner Kasher to Waive the Competitive Bid Process for Completion of Signal at IL Route 113 and Will Road All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Discuss Employee Handbook

Mayor Kernc distributed the current employee absence request form along with a section in the employee handbook which describes unpaid leave of absence. The request form does have an area for time off without pay for the employees to request. However, the section in the handbook does not reflect this type of absence request. Kernc stated since she became Mayor and prior to her being Mayor employees were allowed to take time off without pay. Everything has gone well over the years as some take a day, sometimes several days, however, one of our current employees has taken quite a bit this year, which was 5 days of unpaid vacation each year. Mayor Kernc stated Village Clerk Lori Holmes came to her and stated there was a complaint regarding this employee taking the time off without pay. Holmes stated she did not say she received a complaint, however she stated to the mayor it was brought to her attention and wanted clarification if this is practice is allowed for all employees. Kernc then told Holmes she would take it to the board. Kernc reached out to Village Attorney John Gallo regarding this, and he stated she does not have discretion to approve the time off without pay. She must follow the handbook. Kernc stated immediately tomorrow, Holmes and Public Works Supervisor Dunning will communicate to all employees that all time off requests must abide by the employee handbook. Kernc asked the board if they would like to make an additional amendment to the handbook for this request of time off without pay. Commissioner Warner asked the board if they have any issues for an employee to take time off without pay. Commissioner Adair stated he does not have an issue and Warner doesn’t have an issue either since it must be approved. Kernc stated she spoke with Village Attorney John Gallo and he stated Mayor Kernc does not have discretion to approve these requests unless stated in the handbook. Commissioner Kasher stated he was not in favor of time off without pay. Commissioner Johnson inquired if this is the same employee which accommodations were made and discussed previously; therefore, he feels this is abuse. Kernc recommended if employees could take overtime hours and roll into comp time off. She gave an example of this procedure of her past employment where she could bank her overtime as comp time off instead of overtime pay and accumulate it for the year. Commissioner Warner is in favor of comp time however the employee would have to use it within 2 weeks. He is concerned with employees “padding” their hours. Commissioner Kasher agreed with Warner. Kernc stated that the village does not have those type of employees and all overtime would need approval from the supervisor. Warner stated you never know what kind of workers the village will have in the future. Commissioner Adair suggested possibly allowing employees to accrue up to 5 days of comp time. Public Works Supervisor Dunning suggested only accruing 40 hours of comp time and it must be used within 1 month of earning it. After lengthy discussion on possible options and/or recommendations to amend the handbook for unpaid time off, the decision was denied. Village Attorney John Gallo will revise the section regarding compensation time off. Village Clerk Holmes will revise the employee request time off sheet and consolidate into one, removing all other variations of the form. Mayor Kernc continued to discuss the village hall staff and lunch breaks. She has given comp time for the village hall workers working through lunch. She is purchasing shades for their window so when they are on their lunch break, they will not be disturbed. Discussion regarding having the staff work 7:30am-3:30pm with a paid 20-minute working lunch could be reinstated, which was denied. Commissioner Kasher likes the village hall to be open until 4:00pm. After further discussion, a decision was made for the village hall hours to be from 7:30am-4:00pm with the village hall closed to the public for a 30-minute unpaid lunch. The lunch hours and closure will be discussed between Holmes and Planning and Zoning Administrator Cindy Haywood to determine the hours of lunch closure.

Old Business

Grundy and Will County Sheriff’s Monthly Update

Mayor Kernc stated there was nothing out of the ordinary to report. Kernc did add a migrant bus did stop at the Gas N Wash. Local police enforcement was on sight. No issues occurred. Kernc stated there are procedures in place if a bus does drop them off and leaves them alongside the road.

Legal Counsel

No Report

Engineer Updates

Absent

Public Works Department Updates

Public Works Supervisor Jim Dunning reported training has been scheduled for April for the employee for ag classes. Lift Station maintenance is scheduled for April. Air quality testing will take place tomorrow. The 450 truck is having an anti-freeze leaking issue and is going into the shop. Dunning stated Mike and John would like to attend WWTP Class 3 & 4 starting January 27, 2024. Classes will take place on Saturdays for ½ days, and the classes run through May 18, 2024, and are held at Joliet Junior College. The cost is $539.00 for each to attend. Commissioner Warner and Mayor Kernc believe that would be a good idea and approve them going to the class. Commissioner Kasher inquired how their work performance is and Kernc stated Chris Perra of Test, Inc. sent an email out recently stating they are both doing very well at the plants and the plants are in the best shape he has seen them in for a long time. A consensus was given for both Jenke and Guistat to attend the training classes at JJC.

Clerk Updates

Village Clerk Lori Holmes stated the water meter replacement has resumed. Holmes acknowledged those individuals who read water meters this past month and how efficient and quick the meters can be read for billing purposes. Holmes also stated she has begun work and inquiries for the 2024 Fall Fun Fest.

Commissioner Comments

Commissioner Adair

No Report

Commissioner Johnson

No Report

Commissioner Kasher

Commissioner Kasher stated Commissioner Johnson reached out to him to discuss the Will Road drainage ditch/hole. Kasher stated after the previous board meeting on December 12, 2023, Kasher took a drive to the site, then called Kernc and Village Engineer Mike Perry regarding the issue. Kernc stated Chamlin is surveying to come up with a plan to allow the village to enclose the hole/ditch. Kernc stated it is her understanding there is a type of pre-fab unit that can be used which can be opened and closed as needed for access. Kasher inquired that the village will not be responsible for a fence or a guard rail to be installed and Kernc stated that was correct.

Commissioner Warner

No Report

Mayor Kernc

Mayor Kernc stated there is an issue at a resident on Laura Lane. This resident was allowed to reconnect to the line which all others had to disconnect from due to the bike path. There has been an issue with water on the road. Public Works found that when Surf did unground boring, they crushed the line. Now, water is running onto the road. Kernc had Cindy Haywood-Planning and Zoning send a letter to the resident to disconnect. Kernc asked Village Engineer Mike Perry and Dunning to come up with a solution to this. The best solution is to cut both driveways/apron and install a 4-inch tile and have them reconnect. Kasher asked if Surf caused this issue isn’t it their responsibility to fix the issue. Unfortunately, it wasn’t marked when Surf completed the installation since this is not part of the village. Kasher is concerned about the cost to repair this. He would like to have someone contact Surf to see if they would complete the repair. Kernc would like Dunning to have Haywood investigate the matter and reach out to Surf.

Adjournment to Closed Session: 2(c) (1) Employment

MOTION was made by Commissioner Warner, SECOND by Commissioner Johnson to enter closed session at 7:34 p.m. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

MOTION was made by Commissioner Warner, SECOND by Commissioner Adair to enter open session with no action taken at 7:52 p.m. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

Adjournment

MOTION was made to adjourn at 7:53 p.m. by Commissioner Adair, SECOND by Commissioner Kasher. All Ayes: Motion Carried.

https://www.villageofdiamond.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/01-09-24-2.pdf