Village of Camargo
Board Meeting Minutes
REGULAR SESSION
Monday, January 13, 2025
The Village Board of the Village of Camargo met in Regular Session on Monday, January 13, 2025 at the Camargo Village Hall. The meeting was called to order by President Bart Dann at 6:00 pm. Roll call found the following trustees present: Jim Lansford, Jim Hardway, Jeane Breiland, Wade Lorenz, and Gary Gilpin. Treasurer Shirley Badman and Village Superintendent Kyle Raymer were both in attendance as well.
Public Comment:
Mr. Michael Griffin: Mr. Griffin was present due to his insurance claim against the Village of Camargo being denied by the insurance company. Mr. Griffin stated he has been doing some legal research, and according to his research, the Village “is on the hook” for the damages his property incurred. President Dann stated to Mr. Griffin that the Board had already said all they were going to say to him, but he had five minutes to state his business.
Mr. Jim Closson, IML: Mr. Closson is present on behalf of IML, the Village Insurance company. Mr. Closson stated that IML insures more than 800 municipalities. He, specifically, works with Safety Risk Management and Loss Control. Camargo has been with IML since 2003, and IML has retained no less than 800 customers.
Mr. Griffin interjected that he was here for a reason, and because he was on a time limit, he wanted the time back that Mr. Closson used. President Dann said he would allow the time that was necessary. Mr. Griffin then provided each Board member with a demand letter. President Dann advised that he might want to give one to Mr. Closson since he was our representative. Mr. Griffin did so, and then stormed out. Mr. Closson tried to explain to Mr. Griffin why he was here, and why his claim was denied. Trustee Jim Hardway tried to speak with Mr. Griffin asking him if he would stay and listen to what Mr. Closson had to say. Mr. Griffin continued to walk out, and he did not listen to anything anyone had to say.
Mr. Closson went on, for the Board’s sake, to explain that IML coverage covers everything except health insurance. Mr. Closson said that since Mr. Griffin stated in the last meeting that IML lied about the claim, Mr. Closson wanted to set the record straight. Mr. Griffin disconnected the call with their claim investigator. Without those answers, the claim was then denied. President Dann asked Mr. Closson to come, knowing that Mr. Griffin was going to be here. He wanted Mr. Closson to advise Mr. Griffin that the Village spent between $6000 – $7000 fixing the water issue, the Village gave the Griffins free unmetered water (they had to pay the base rate only), and the Village provided the Giffins with a water cooler. Mr. Closson ended the conversation with passing out his business card, and stated that if anyone needed anything to please reach out. He also assured the Board that he would take the demand letter from Mr. Griffin back to his office and give it to the claims adjuster.
Terry Kirkpatrick, Frontier
Pat Kelly, Frontier
Brian VanGundy, Frontier: These three gentlemen were present from Frontier regarding the new fiberoptic lines that will be installed in Camargo. They will be installing the fiberoptic lines from the street to the homes. They are here to answer any questions or concerns the Board may have. They also provided a set of plans to Village Superintendent Kyle Raymer. Some lines will be buried, but most will be provided with the poles that are already standing. Frontier is working towards a mutual agreement with Ameren to utilize their power poles. They are hoping to begin in April, but they are waiting on permits from the railroad.
Approval of Consent Agenda: Jim Lansford made a motion to accept the consent agenda, and Jim Hardway seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
New Business:
Bids Opened for Removal of Property located at 411 S John:
Little Dozing – bid for trailer removal $6390
Combs Bulldozing – bid for trailer removal $10,640
Wade Lorenz made a motion to proceed with Little Dozing. Gary Gilpin seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously. President Dann said he would notify the bidders this week of the outcome.
Discussion and Approval of Cross Connection Ordinance: This ordinance is an EPA requirement. It passes the permission to the Village to inspect any property where a well and Village water are connected with the same plumbing. We have completed the surveys in the past, but we never approved the ordinance. Jim Hardway made a motion to approve the Cross Connection Ordinance. Jim Lansford seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously.
Discussion of Hiring a Full Time Village Employee: Doug and Cathy Raymer are stepping back in the spring. We need to consider replacing the two part-time positions with one full-time employee. We will revisit this topic again in February or March.
Discussion and Approval of Water Usage Increase: Illinois American Water was granted another price increase from the ICC. Bart has a confirmation letter from Brian Weemer, VP American Water. Village Superintendent Kyle Raymer and Village President Bart Dann had a discussion regarding increasing the fees. When the last water rate study was completed, it was recommended at that time that the Village up our usage rate to $10 per 1000 gallons. The Village opted to only go as high at $9 per 1000 gallons. Therefore, their intentions were to raise the usage rates by that extra dollar. Treasurer Shirley Badman was not comfortable with this decision without seeing numbers on paper. She wanted to make sure the extra $1 was going to be enough to cover the cost of the increase. Shirley stated she would get usage information from Clerk Salisa Dann and would bring calculations to the February board meeting. However, the Board would have to be okay with not charging an increase for those bills, as a decision will not have been made until bills would be in the mail. The Board agreed that they would wait until they saw Shirley’s estimations.
Discussion and Approval of Speed Limit Changes: Tabled
Old Business:
Reminder of the Board Appreciation Dinner: February 01, 2025, 6pm at Village Hall – Clerk Dann will email Board members with the details / reminders.
Village Superintendent’s Report: Village Superintendent Kyle Raymer reported the following:
- Snow, snow and more snow. Therefore, lots of plowing.
- Salt spreader is in, installed, and works great
- They used 1 full load of salt
- He received a complaint while he was out plowing. He apparently backed into a driveway to turn around at the end of a dead-end street. When he turned around, it left a small pile of snow in her drive. Kyle went back and salted her driveway to rectify the situation.
- Asbestos inspection report back – we are asbestos free in the trailer
- The EPA inspection report back:
- EPA stated we have to have a second containment for their chemicals at the water plant
- The cross connection surveys are ready to go out
- The EPA does not like the water that runs from the Village Hall going north to 7 homes. This is currently a 2” main. The EPA does not like this. Kyle is waiting to hear back from the EPA about whether or not we will have to replace it with a 4” main. North of Hidlebaugh’s is a 4” main, and the EPA is fine with that.
Village President’s Report: Village President Bart Dann reported the following:
- Bart was presented with an opportunity for the Village to provide community service. Before agreeing to anything, he wanted to make sure the Board was okay with it. Because Mr. Closson was still present at the meeting, he advised the Board that the person doing the community service can only do light work with no heavy lifting. This person(s) will receive no work comp coverage, and is advised to complete light maintenance only. President Dann stated he would have the person(s) sign a waiver of liability prior to working. The Board then approved the community service.
- Water Bill Drop Box Replacement: The water bill drop box at the community building was vandalized, and the box won’t open. Bart advised Kyle to just replace it with a new one. This has already been completed, and the new box is studier than the old one.
- Pink Flags in field behind Village Hall: Mr. Lamb gave verbal permission to the Village to repair / replace the tile that runs along that field. This is the tile that will help the run-off water from Vine Street.
- Kyle has a conference in Effingham February 18-20. These are his mandated training hours. Bart asked the Board to approve the cost of the training and his hotel stay. The Board approved.
- Bart spoke with Frank Miller, Camargo Township, regarding the use of the salt from the township. Frank stated he is storing salt for 3 townships. Because of this, Kyle stated he would continue to get salt from Champaign unless he runs out. Then we can purchase from Frank only what we need to get by.
- Bart received a phone call from Tim Wegeng. He has a mission group that would like to utilize the basement of the community building on Sunday mornings. This would be approximately 12 people for about an hour. Once the weather breaks and they can move outside, they will move to the park. Bart suggested that this group offset their rental fees with community service. The Board approved.
With no further business to come before the Board, Village President Bart Dann called for adjournment at 7:14pm.
Salisa Dann
Village Clerk