A South Jacksonville Board of Trustees Committee of the whole meeting was held to continue analysis of codification, and to discuss different aspects of the village as Fiscal Year 2017-’18 comes to a close. Village President Harry Jennings speaks about what was looked over in the codes.
“Finance… a lot of it was from the 1950s up through about 2006, and the board and I are going through and seeing which are currently applicable and which are outdated.”
The next ordinance subject will be Public Works. A specific date for that meeting will be scheduled during the monthly Board of Trustees meeting on July 5th.
During the Public Protection committee reports, Fire Chief Hickox let trustees know of a firefighter’s announcement of retirement from the Village department. An action item to accept Fireman Will Delaney’s resignation will be assigned for the July 5th meeting.
Also, Police Chief Tim Mann relayed a need for the Board to legally authorize payment for in-car video cameras through an action item, even though the money has been technically accepted by Village Police through an Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program grant.
“We received approximately $18,500. That fully equips three vehicles and three officers with body cameras.”
In the parks and tourism committee, the building of a new Godfrey Park sign and placement of further signage to remove cigarette smoking from the park were highlighted.
Mayor Jennings says material and longevity for the Park sign and necessity are key factors.
“The entrance sign to Godfrey Park looks good from a distance but needs to be replaced. Ideas for different materials, such as wood, brick, or metal were offered. A trustee also brought up the idea of an LED sign. Also, we may designate Godfrey Park a no-smoking zone and post signage appropriately.
“There was another discussion about lighting, which village police informed us that Godfrey Park is pitch-black dark after it closes, and we’re taking steps to ratify that and improve lighting and safety, and in case someone is out in the park after hours they can be seen.”
The finance committee accepted the recommendations from Village Treasurer Tiffanee Peters to appropriate an additional three percent of the 2018-’19 budget and 5 percent for the Water Department. A public appropriations meeting will be held at 6:45 p.m. before the Board of Trustees meeting July 5.