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Home My WebLink About04-07-2025 Canton City Council Special Meeting Minutes CANTON CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES MONDAY, APRIL 07, 2025, at 6:30 P.M. Historic Depot-Donald E. Edwards Way th 50 North 4 Avenue, Canton, Il 61520 A special meeting of the Canton City Council was held on April 07, 2025 (6:30pm) at the Historic th Depot located at 50 North 4 Avenue, Canton, Illinois. STAFF IN ATTENDANCE: Mayor Kent McDowell, City Clerk Andi Walters, City Treasurer Crystal Wilkinson, Police Chief Mike Eveland, Fire Chief Scott Roos, and Public Utilities Director Joe Carruthers. OTHER IN ATTENDANCE: City Attorney Chris Jump and Comptroller Beka Shultz MEDIA IN ATTENDANCE: PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE OPENED THE MEETING INVOCATION – Mayor Kent McDowell PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – ROLL CALL Yes No Absent Alderperson Gossett x Alderperson x Lingenfelter Alderperson Grimm x Alderperson Hale x Alderperson Ketcham x Alderperson Lovell x Alderperson Nelson x Alderperson x Chamberlin ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS TO THE AGENDA REQUESTED ACTION: Finance Alderperson Andra Chamberlin (Chair) RESOLUTION MAKING THE TENTATIVE BUDGET AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION AND APPROVING NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING. Comptroller Beka Shultz announced she sent out details of the budget to the council including the summary that goes over the changes made to the budget. PENSION There was a redistribution of replacement tax based on what came in so far for the pensions. Shultz received the pension numbers and based on those the city may need to look at increasing the city portion for the police pension. The fire pension revenues for the year should be $1,456,710 and the expenses should be $1,384,135. The police pension expenses came in slightly higher than the current revenues were projected. Police pension revenues look to be $1,533,935 and the expenses are $1,764,965. Overall, the city is looking at a deficit budget of $3,215,550. In consideration of that, $1.75 million of that amount is for the construction of the street department which has been discussed over the last couple of years. POLICE DEPARTMENT Since the last meeting it was announced there was a retirement in the police department which added some significant costs for a payout. The consolidation of dispatch that was discussed brought along a payout to the dispatch officers and was also added to the budget. There were a few formula errors that kept off ammunition costs and the police have a radar trailer that is very old and in rough shape meaning they will need a replacement. Additionally, Shultz met with Mayor McDowell and the Public Works Director Joe Carruthers where they discussed four officers retiring and new officers coming in, overlapping them together, and the city’s insurance formula does not take into account partial months in general. Usually there is one person going out and one person coming in but this time it is significant and is around $50,000 which Shultz adjusted. The police also requested a third squad care this year instead of just the two and Mayor McDowell feels that the two would be sufficient for this year. FIRE DEPARTMENT In the fire department, there was an increase added in for concrete repair that the public works department felt was going to be needed for the firehouse but then they decided it was fine where it is so that was taken out of the budget. STREET DEPARTMENT The budget was also adjusted for the street departments new street sweeper and the loan payment that was approved at the last meeting. The bucket truck is also pending replacement which is old. Public Works Director Carruthers is confident they can find a used one for $50,000 less than what a new one would be. GARBAGE DEPARTMENT Shultz adjusted for the cost of the software invoice for the year and was lower than expected, which decreased that cost. What was not mentioned last time in the detail under operating supplies was last year and the year before there was a line for $100,000 in totes. Shultz is continuing to figure out what is best for the city and the residents regarding those totes and everyone having one. Everyone having city totes will reduce the costs of tippage and the tonnage going to the landfill. The council has already discussed mandatory totes in which there was some resistance. Shultz was able to come up with another idea for the council to consider and discuss moving forward but there are about half of the residents in Canton who have already purchased said totes. She doesn’t believe we should mandate people to buy these totes but can instead implement a non-tote surcharge. So if someone has a tote there garbage will stay the same but if someone choses not to have the city’s tote then the city can charge a few extra bucks a month that would hopefully drive those residents to want to purchase city totes. Otherwise, that extra money coming in can help cover the tippage and tonnage. BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS A maintenance cost was added for the new Opera House Park. There was a minimal usage maintenance fee and utility costs went up as well. Additionally, the city reduced the commercial demolition expense. There was a landscaping project completed last week at City Hall that will be on the upcoming bill list that has already been paid for. SOCIAL SECURITY There were a few formula corrections. The social security revenues are $465,000 and the expenses are around $406,000. MOTOR FUEL TAX There is currently a small surplus in funds. Shultz is unaware of any large projects that would swing those numbers drastically. WATER SEWER For the city administrator, half of the money was put in the general fund and the other half was put in water sewer. Adding in retirement and with a significant payout of time on the books that increased the water sewer administration expenses to $2,690,080. The water sewer funds for this year are currently budgeted at $20,056,535. SYSTEM MAINTENANCE Other contractual services were reduced since the last meeting and trimmed some supplies. WATER TREATMENT PLANT Chemical costs have been reduced as well as spillway construction costs. There was a bid opening last week and those costs came in higher than was estimated. The project is currently on hold. WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT Some engineering was decreased. There was a pump station added for the leachate program that is generally significant money for the city. The city has an employee who drives out there in a tanker truck hauling out of the leachate pond back to the treatment plant to be processed. The pump would eliminate the need for an employee driving out there to collect. It would be pumped straight from the pond into where it needs to go. LAKE FUND There were no changes to the lake revenues. There is still potential for the grant to put in an ADA pier. However, it is not expected to hear back about this for quite some time still. If the city does not get the grant then the entire project will be but on hold/scrapped. CEMETERY Some of the revenues were corrected. The cemetery is sitting at $120 surplus because they are supplemented by the general fund. SPECIAL REVENUE FUND Shultz was asked to add $250,000 for additional projects that are yet to be determined. Additionally with the deficit, without the lake project the city would have an extra $600,000 not being spent. There’s $373,000 that the department heads and various departments are choosing to save. They know in the future they will have to replace their vehicles/equipment and instead of having one big hit they are already saving for it. Shultz spoke with the auditor in the way these show up in the budget and discussed setting up a different fund that would be a “capital project fund” that can be itemized to anything. Right now when saying the city is going to save the money the city is taking it out of a cash account and transferring it to another cash account so that’s never really seen. This will help with the transparency in where the money goes and how much is saved. The revenues have decreased $882,405 and the expenses have decreased $104,745 in total. Motion and second were made by Alderpersons Chamberlin/Grimm to approve a resolution making the tentative budget available for public inspection and approving notice of public hearing. ROLL CALL Yes No Absent Alderperson Gossett x Alderperson x Lingenfelter Alderperson Grimm x Alderperson Hale x Alderperson Ketcham x Alderperson Lovell x Alderperson Nelson x Alderperson x Chamberlin ADJOURNMENT Motion and second were made by Alderpersons Nelson/Hale to adjourn. ROLL CALL Yes No Absent Alderperson Gossett x Alderperson x Lingenfelter Alderperson Grimm x Alderperson Hale x Alderperson Ketcham x Alderperson Lovell x Alderperson Nelson x Alderperson x Chamberlin MAYOR COMMUNICATIONS _________________________________________________________________ Andi Smith-Walters, City Clerk _________________________________________________________________ Kent McDowell, Mayor