The Village of South Jacksonville is moving a step closer to completing the long process of codification of village ordinances, and possible implementation of a new emergency alert system.
The Board of Trustees held a special meeting of the Committee of the Whole Wednesday night to review the latest update to the book of village ordinances. The board has been working on updates for the past few years in an effort to do away with old and outdated ordinances that no longer apply, with some dating back to the very beginnings of the village.
After review, the board is expected to take action at their next regular meeting to submit the updated book for review and publishing with the caveat that some work will still be ongoing for updated.
The Board met with South Jacksonville School Principal Tim Chipman via Zoom conference to hear suggestions gathered from both staff and students on potential renovations and upgrades to Dewey Park.
Board Trustee Dick Samples says the board is still asking for suggestions from the public as to what they would like to see in the renovations to the park. He says the board is still in the preliminary planning stage, and a final decision is still a long way off.
The Board also met virtually with representatives of Code Red Emergency Alert Systems for a demonstration of their communications system.
The system would allow the village to alert residents via phone, text, TTY, and email communication of weather warnings, emergency events such as boil orders and gas leaks, as well as general communication such as community events with road closures or major traffic disruptions.
Police Chief Eric Hansell who set up the meeting, says residents of the village would be able to opt-in or out of not only the service but the type of notice they want to receive. The service would be free for residents to subscribe to. The cost for the village would be approximately 3,660.00 per year with no additional fees and unlimited data and calling.
The Board called for a special meeting ahead of their next committee of the whole meeting on Wednesday, January 24th to potentially take action on the Code Red System and review of a resolution to communicate to Governor J.B. Pritzker issues the Village will have in complying with sections of the recently passed Criminal Justice Reform Bill that now sits on his desk awaiting signature into law.
The special meeting will commence at 6:00 pm on the 24th, with the committee of the whole beginning at 6:30 pm