Red Bud finds funds to pay off Creighton

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[By Dave Morris

Staff Reporter

RED BUD - Reportedly, all's well that ends well, and the tenure of Red Bud Chief of Police James Creighton has apparently come to an end. The goodness of the ending remains to be seen.

Creighton sued the city and was offered a buyout agreement of $50,000. "My understanding is he has signed it," Mayor Ken Mueller said of the settlement at Monday's city council meeting.

Of the $50,000 sum, half will be paid for by a tort immunity insurance policy, but the city has to come up with the remainder. On Monday, the city council voted to do what politicians frequently do when they've spent unbudgeted money. They agreed to rob another fund to make up the difference.

The amount of $25,000 will be transferred from a tax incentive account set aside to help local businesses. The city still owes attorney fees to Barney Mundorf hired by Aldermen Dennis Braun, Don Glasscock, Bill Hanebutt, Clarence Nail, Scott Schubert, and Dave Young to represent their interests in the lawsuit at the city's expense. Mundorf worked out the settlement.

Mueller said Mundorf's fees are now at $7,305.

Creighton's lawsuit was filed to regain lost wages after the above aldermen voted to terminate his pay and benefits. The aldermen hadn't wanted Creighton in the first place and refused to confirm his appointment.

So, Mueller in accordance with state statutes appointed Creighton on a temporary basis. The city council then passed an ordinance limiting temporary appointments to terms of 60 days and made the ordinance retroactive to include Creighton, which Mueller and City Attorney Mark Rohr felt was illegal.

So Mueller elected to keep Creighton after the 60 days came and went.

Hanebutt took exception to remarks Mueller made in the press that the six aldermen who cut off Creighton's pay and then offered to settle his lawsuit with a buyout at the city taxpayer's expense weren't interested in the best interests of the city. Mueller had said that all they cared about was control, and he expressed hope that the voters would resolve the situation in next spring's election.

Hanebutt read a prepared statement rebutting Mueller's remarks.

Mueller proclaimed January as Radon Action Month in response to a request from David James of Lebanon, Illinois. According to James, Randolph County has high concentrations of radon gas in the soil that seeps into enclosed areas such as basements and crawl spaces. There are 21,000 deaths per year in the United States attributable to radon, according to James, with 1,100 of those occurring in Illinois.

Radon is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in smokers. Red Bud resident Joe Gorman told the council he'd had his home tested and found unsafe levels of the gas. He said the State of Illinois will provide free radon testing kits. Mueller said the city's Web site will post a number for those interested in obtaining a kit to call.

In other business, the council chose from four applicants to prepare a new comprehensive city plan. The contract was awarded to Streiler Planning, LLC of St. Louis, who recently revised the city plan for Ballwin, Missouri. Streiler will do the work for $57,750.

Mueller said a new comprehensive plan will revitalize the city and lead to many improvements.

The council also approved purchasing Lawman software to replace the ITT system currently in use by the police department. Mueller said the new software is cheaper than what is currently being used and more helpful to police officers. More and more communities are switching to Lawman, according to Mueller. The program costs $2,844. There will also be an additional yearly fee.

A tax levy ordinance was passed in the amount of $461,225, up approximately five percent from last year's levy. The council also approved a gas bond ordinance and a water bond ordinance.