Postal routing makes Tamaroa water bills up to two weeks late
The Tamaroa Village Board continued their Feb. 11 meeting for two weeks to discuss the billing cycle for water and sewer customers.
Village employee Tiffany Kujawa said the local post office was ordered to send all the water bills to the regional post office this month, but was guaranteed a two-day turn-around.
The quick turn-around didn't happen. Kujawa said she took the bills to the post office on Jan. 30. They were mailed out the following Monday. Many village water customers still haven't received their bills.
Customers who have post office boxes received their bills on time. Other customers called to find out what they owe and paid without a paper copy of their bill.
Kujawa said she will waive late fees and the board concurred.
Trustee Bill Place said the village operates on a 25-day cycle with bills going out the first of the month and customers having 10 days to pay. Following a short period where a late fee applies, customers who do not pay are then disconnected on the 25th day.
Place said the late billing will affect St. Johns, as well.
He suggested continuing the meeting and reconvening to discuss how to handle future postal delays, if necessary. If the delay was a one-time-thing, the board can adjourn the Feb. 11 meeting before opening their March meeting.
In other business, the council:
• heard from Christy Simpson who owns six lots in two different blocks on South Walnut Street which are separated by an unmaintained street leading to an unmaintained alley which provides access to a utility corridor. Simpson said she is trying to sell the properties and buyers want to all six lots to be connected. She asked the board to vacate the street between the properties. She was aware of the division when purchasing it. Trustee Bill Place said it has been the policy of the board not to vacate properties that lead to utility corridors and/or could be used for future expansion of the village. Trustees Lisa Haycraft and Betty Roberts agreed that the board has been in the practice of not vacating properties. Simpson offered an easement as a solution. Place said that an easement can be used to gain access to the alley, but vacating a street means the village loses motor fuel taxes. Simpson countered that the village would gain property taxes from vacating. The board declined to take any action. Place suggested that Simpson return after the municipal election in April and ask that board to vacate the property if it still hasn't sold.
• adopted the same potential hazard list that Perry County created as part of the five-year update to the multi-hazard mitigation plan for the county and all local municipalities. Amanda Damptz, Project Manager for the Natural Hazards Research and Mitigation Group at SIU, said the next step will be a meeting to strategize solutions for potential hazards, such as using the Community Center as a warming or cooling center during cold snaps or heat spells. The plan addresses mitigation to potential hazards, not emergency response. Perry County EMA Coordinator David Searby said he is working with the village to have the Community Center as a designated shelter approved by the Red Cross for use in emergencies. Damptz expects the new plan to be adopted in June. Once the new plan is in place, the participating municipalities may use it when applying for FEMA hazard mitigation grants. The grants require a matching share from the municipality. Tamaroa has $32,000 in a special fund for that use.
• set the date for the Easter Egg hunt as April 4 at 1 p.m. at the Community Center. Haycraft said the only date open for the tractor pull this year is June 14.
• agreed to table the new roof on the pavilion and restroom at the Community Center. The board had agreed to accept a bid by Alvis Brothers at the previous meeting, but later found out that they are not licensed roofers.
• agreed to send village employees Chuck Zoeckler and Brent Woodside to West Nile seminar at Rend Lake. They will be trained in the use of a solid, pre-packaged larvacide. The village will then be eligible for grants to purchase the larvacide.
• asked Woodside to notify local businesses that Zoeckler will be on vacation for two weeks and he may need help in case of a major water or sewer line break. He said he would speak to some local residents who had helped the village in the past.
• heard from Mayor Curtis Stube that he would like to have a car show and/or street dance as a fund-raiser for the village. Stube appointed resident Angela Watkins as the chairperson of the event. Watkins kindly brought cookies to share with everyone in attendance at Wednesday's meeting. The board discussed other potential fund-raisers. Village employee Tiffany Kujawa said the initial outlay for a Bingo game is $1,500 for liquor, bingo and pull-tab licenses. Also, the only open days in the area are Wednesday and Saturday. Stube said if the Catholic Church can't make money at Bingo, the village can't either. The board also discussed mouse races, but discarded that idea because it costs $4,000 and no children are allowed.
• heard from Stube that Rep. Terri Bryant said a new capital expenditures bill may be passed. He asked the board and employees to put together a project to finish the center section of the Community Center and be prepared to apply for grants. The village did receive a $25,000 grant from the state for which they had been waiting many months.