 Alderman Buzz Busby was absent for the evening and was reported to
be having some health issues.
Mayor Keith Snyder announced that Alderman David Wilmert became a
father on Saturday, with the arrival of a son, Cameron Tiberius
Wilmert, which may have explained why the alderman was absent for
the Monday meeting.
Council approves hiring a replacement for Officer Kasey Slack
Police Chief Ken Greenslate announced Monday evening that Officer
Kasey Slack has tendered her resignation effective June 13.
Slack is going to be taking a position with the state. Greenslate
said that while he was happy for Slack and wished her well as she
furthers her career, he is also losing a fine officer.
The council approved by unanimous vote a lateral hire to replace
Slack on the force.
Hiring laterally means the new person will have training and
experience sufficient to immediately take on responsibilities.
Generally new hires without experience are required to go through a
one-year training and they cannot work independently.
Greenslate said the new hire would start at a lower pay rate than
Slack but will still be at a higher rate than an inexperienced
officer. On the other hand, the lateral hire will mean no training
costs.
Midwest Credit Collections will attempt to collect delinquent
sewer bills
Midwest Credit Collections of Decatur was approved as the city's
official collection agency for the sewer department.
The motion made by Alderman Marty Neitzel included a stipulation
that the sewer department billing staff would be responsible for
selecting which accounts to turn over for collections.
During discussion it was asked if there should be a dollar figure
or any other kind of guidance given to the staff.
Alderman Tom O'Donohue voiced the questions, saying: "If we don't
set some guidelines, then what happens if they do something they
shouldn't, in oversight?"
Chuck Conzo, city treasurer, supported allowing the billing staff
to make the selection. He said they are the ones who know which
accounts will pay without being actively pursued by collections.
In regard to setting a dollar amount, Conzo said it could cause
some problems, in that if someone were only $80 delinquent but had
left town, that amount might not meet the criteria and thus could
end up going uncollected.
It was also discussed what would happen if the city worked out an
agreement with Illinois American Water for shutoffs.
Snyder said he wondered whether or not there was a time limit on
how long the agency could take in collecting a bill. In the absence
of city attorney Bill Bates, attorney Blinn Bates said that if
collection agencies cannot collect a debt within a certain amount of
time, they will take the debtor to court and get a judgment against
him or her. Those judgments are good for 10 years.
Snyder commented that if the city used water shutoffs and a
debtor came to City Hall and paid their bill, the collection agency
would still be able to take their share of that payment.
Along that line, Snyder also reported that Conzo is still talking
to the city of Belleville, trying to obtain a copy of their shutoff
agreement with Illinois American so that it may be compared with the
agreement the company has offered to Lincoln.
In the end, the council voted unanimously to allow the billing
department to select accounts to be turned over to collections, with
no official guidelines attached to the motion.
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 Early retirement incentive goes to union officials
Letters are being sent out to each of the four unions
representing city employees, asking for approval of an early
retirement incentive the city hopes to offer its employees.
The plan provides that any employee who will be over 50 but not
55 years old by the end of the year may be eligible for early
retirement. The plan will stipulate that employees who wish to
participate must notify the city by the end of October and take
their retirement no later than March of 2012.
The incentive includes the provision that the city will pay half
of the insurance cost for the employee health plan up until their
55th birthday.
Comcast boasts of decreases in fees
Snyder shared copies of a letter from Libby Stehn of Comcast,
boasting that the company was going to decrease some of the fees it
charges in the Lincoln area.
On the back of the letter was a list of the charges Comcast
assesses for hardware products and service calls in Lincoln. Of the
21 total charges listed, the price fell on six, went up on 12 and
remained the same on three.
Examples of the changes include installation of an addition cable
outlet increasing from $25 each to $31, while relocation of an
outlet drops from $15 to $13. DVR activation goes up from $16 to
$19.95, and charges for a trouble call go from $28 to $33.
Other business
The council approved renewal of the intergovernmental agreement
between the city, county and township for the development of the
Fifth Street Road project.
The agreement included details of shared funding, if funding ever
becomes available for the project, and also turned over maintenance
of a quarter-mile stretch of the road, between Picture This
Photography and Connolley Road, from the county to the city.
By unanimous vote Woods & Bates will remain the city's attorneys
for the next year. The contract, up for annual renewal, provided no
increase in rates. Bates has forgone rate increases for the last two
years to assist the city with their tight budget.
Items on the consent agenda Monday night included approval of a
road closure on June 10 and 11. Beginning at 3 p.m. on June 10 and
running through 5 p.m. on June 11, the 100 block of South Kickapoo
will be closed for Main Street Lincoln's second annual Honest Abe
Barbeque competition.
Resolutions were also passed establishing work rates for the city
of Lincoln for the 2011 year and naming June as Home Safety Month.
[By NILA SMITH]
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