24 Oct October 24th, 2011 Minutes

THE FOUR HUNDREDTH SESSION OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMAN

VILLAGE OF ALAMANCE
October 24, 2011 – 7:00 PM

Present: Mayor Bundren, Mayor Pro-Tem Sharpe, Alderman Jones, Alderman Crouse, Alderman Slaughter, Alderman Clemmons, Alderman Tichy, Clerk York.

Alderman Crouse gave the invocation.

Alderman Crouse moved to approve the September 26, 2011 meeting minutes. Alderman Tichy seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

OLD BUSINESS

Plaid Day

Clerk York reported on Plaid Day, held on October 1, 2011. It was a relatively good weather day. The bands performed and a lot of people had fun. It would have been nice to have a larger attendance, but this was expected for the rain date. Most of the vendors were still able to participate. Clerk York said he hoped there could be more people in attendance next year. Mayor Bundren asked for a financial report on Plaid Day. Clerk York said they did not make money. Alderman Jones commented that the objective was not to make money. Clerk York said they wanted to get costs back, but did not get close, this year, to breaking even. Mayor Bundren stated one point of buying the IPad was to make money on the ticket sales, to help offset expenses. Clerk York reported that 939 tickets were sold for the IPad. Mayor Bundren noted that she sold almost 500 of that total number of tickets. She said this was not lucrative enough. Clerk York reported the total expense for Plaid Day was $6052.00. The Village received $210.00 from vendors and $3294.00 for tickets, food, and donations; the total received was $3505.00. He said there was a $2500.00 difference between expenditures and receipts. Mayor Bundren asked the cost of the band that was supposed to draw crowds to Plaid Day. Clerk York said the cost of that band was $1350.00. Mayor Bundren asked the cost for the second band. Clerk York said the second band was paid $600.00. Mayor Bundren said she heard the second band commenting about the lack of audience for their performance. She said they needed to rethink this, in consideration of whether to continue having Plaid Day. Alderman Crouse commented that other municipalities had events going on the same day as the rain date for Plaid Day. Mayor Bundren said the first Plaid Day was held on a good date, but the weather was very hot, too hot for the singers to perform. All the Plaid Days since have been a wash because of weather. She said this needs to be discussed and that Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe plans to bring this up for further discussion.

Report on Cabin Pump Station Project

Mark Reich was unable to attend the meeting, so this item was tabled.

ORC Report

Arnold Allred addressed the NC 62 Pump Station repairs. At the time of the last meeting, the #2 Pump was out for repair. On October 3, 2011, the pump was put back in. The following day, this pump failed, along with the other pump. Both sites indicated that pumps needed to be pulled. Mayor Bundren asked if these were the same two pumps that Rodney installed. Mr. Allred said these were used pumps. He said that the wastewaster is getting into the oil compartment, before it gets into the bearings of the pump. This is the area that is supposed to stop this from happening, so the motor is not ruined. The motor is the big cost. Clayton Electric was contacted, and the pump was pulled out. Mr. Allred told Clayton Electric that he wanted to see the pump when it was taken apart. He said it was less than a tablespoon of water, but the water seal was doing its job. They found out that the water seal is too large for the shaft, which is now worn. Another seal, that is adjustable to the shaft, was put back into the #2 Pump. The #1 Pump is out now, and the same work will be completed on it. The problem was that the seal was letting water by, because of the worn shaft. Clayton Electric had already put the adjustable seals on the Cabin Station pumps. The long cable was also replaced while the work was being completed. Mayor Bundren asked if they had to pay twice for the pumps to be pulled. Mr. Allred said there was no charge for the labor. The end plate was also worn and was replaced. He said these are expensive items, but this should alleviate the problem. Mayor Bundren asked about the worn shafts. Mr. Allred said the pumps are so old, that the shafts are getting worn. Mayor Bundren asked Mr. Allred about the life expectancy he projected, relating to the shafts. Mr. Allred replied he didn’t know the age of the pumps. He said the pumps will last 10 or 20 years, sometimes, depending on use and maintenance. Alderman Clemmons said there should be an inventory of these pumps, with a systematic way of replacing them. Mr. Allred said they had priced a new pump at around $10,000.00. Clerk York said that they had received a price of $8,000.00 for a spare pump at the Birch station. Clerk York said he did not have a price for a pump at the NC 62 station. He speculated a price would be in the same neighborhood, around $10,000.00, for a 7.5 hp Fairbanks-Morse pump. Mayor Bundren said they needed to talk further with Mark Reich about all these expenditures. Mr. Allred said the pump does not look that bad, when he saw it at the shop. He said the wear point is where the seal is located. He said that a new pump should be considered in the next budget. Mayor Bundren asked about a new pump being interchangeable, with the two that are already there. Mr. Allred said this was correct, just as they are doing at the Birch station, with a pump ready to go in at any time. Alderman Clemmons reminded that the State requires that this be funded from revenues from water and sewer. He said that while there is plenty of available funding in the General Fund, that would mean increasing water rates to accomplish that. Mayor Bundren said this would be a telling year in the rates, along with the savings from the corrected leak. She said the budget may come out ahead this year. Alderman Tichy asked about the lead time for getting a new pump. Mr. Allred said this would probably be eight weeks. Mayor Bundren asked if there was any kind of a borrowing process available, if both pumps went out again. Alderman Tichy responded that this could be handled with the bypass, now that the fixture was purchased. Mr. Allred said this would be a daily expense, but this would still be a backup. Mr. Allred said he thinks the old pumps will last awhile, with the new seals and the end plates. Alderman Jones asked about the alarms and both pumps having water. Mr. Allred said these were not false alarms; both pumps went out at 7:20pm Tuesday evening. He thanked Alderman Jones for his help. Clerk York found the schematic and Mr. Allred removed the wires; the pumps were running with water in them. Alderman Jones commented how coincidental it was for both pumps to go out at the same time. Clerk York affirmed that the problem was not electrical. Alderman Crouse said he first thought the problem was electrical, since both pumps were affected. Mr. Allred said both pumps showed a dead short on the panel. When the pumps came out, they both had water in them. It was a bonafide alarm. This saves the pump—the bearings and the motor. The parts and labor cost around $1600.00. Clerk York reported the total cost was $1698.00. Mayor Bundren asked about costs, to date, for the year, for the pumps. Clerk York replied that $8100.00 had been spent to date.

Regarding the hydrotesting, Arnold Allred said there had been some confusion about the valve being off in the middle of town. The Fire Chief expressed concern. Mr. Allred said they tested both the hydrants. The hydrant on NC 62, in front of the Post Office, was 750 gallons per minute, with 80psi. The hydrant on Cabin Road is 1000 gallons per minute, with 80psi. Mr. Allred said this is well beyond the needed fire flow for the building. The Fire Chief was satisfied with the testing. Alderman Jones said it couldn’t be any worse than having just one source, going all the way across. Mr. Allred said it was twice as good now, with two water sources on either side of the Post Office. Mayor Bundren asked where the thousand gallon per minute hydrant was located. Mr. Allred replied this hydrant is on Cabin Road, behind the Post Office.

Arnold Allred then spoke about the valve exercising program. Some of the Board members have received emails regarding the program. When they spoke with the Fire Department, they said they didn’t have a valve wrench to open or close the valve. This meant none of the valves in town could be exercised. Clerk York has the valve order. Clerk York said the valves are $119.95 each. Mr. Allred provided a sheet for Clerk York to give the Fire Department, so that exercised valves may be checked off. Alderman Jones said he was never under the impression that the Fire Department was exercising the valves. Mr. Allred said this had been discussed last year. Alderman Crouse said they were going to start exercising the valves. Alderman Jones asked about a logbook. Mr. Allred said that was the document being passed around. He said that James did this the first year, and checked every valve. The next year, Mr. Allred picked up some of this, with help from James. This year, nothing has been done. Mr. Allred said he was under the assumption the Fire Department would exercise the valves. As soon as the valve wrench is in, the Fire Department will begin exercising valves. Mayor Bundren asked about compliance. Mr. Allred said, if the Fire Department can exercise some valves between now and Christmas, they will be in compliance. He said some of the main valves have been done already. Mayor Bundren asked if the Fire Department would exercise the valves from now on. Mr. Allred said this was correct; he does not have the time to do it. It works out well for the Fire Department to do it, especially the main line valves in town. The valve wrench is collapsible; it can actually be put in a compartment. Alderman Jones asked who would lay out the frequency. Mr. Allred said that he and Mark Reich went through the mapping. All the numbers on the sheet match something on the map. It is up to the Fire Department to determine how they want to proceed. When they do the hydrant testing, the hydrants can be exercised then. Mayor Bundren asked if the Fire Department would be giving the Village some kind of records. Mr. Allred said this is correct. Clerk York will get the documents to the Fire Department and they will return them to the Village, for the record to the Inspector.

Mr. Allred addressed the distribution auto flushing units. He said the water is better, though the chloramine system is more expensive and more work. With testing being done at the Town Hall, they have been using an outside faucet, running about 200 gallons per day. The testing has been turning out well. With freezing weather on the way, they will need to change something—put something in the ground or use something that won’t freeze. Mr. Allred brought an example of a device, with a timer, used to water golf courses. It has a 9 volt battery, which will last a couple of years. It can be set however desired, for frequency. What they normally do is let it water about an hour per day; that pulls enough water through the system for Clerk York to get a good test. The unit costs about $180.00, so it is inexpensive to install. The cost will be the plumbing. Mr. Allred said he would like to put the first one in at the Town Hall, underneath the building. They will run the pipe out so it doesn’t freeze in the winter. This depends on the approval of the Board. Mr. Allred estimated that all of the piping and plumbing at the Town Hall could be completed for about $200.00. He said something would have to be done by the winter, or there would be problems with freezing. Mayor Bundren asked what the device was called. Mr. Allred replied that it was an Auto Flush Unit. He said the State requires that the system be flushed every month. A report must be submitted; Clerk York just sent a report in this week. What they have been doing is flushing hydrants, but this will be a better way for flushing the system. When a hydrant is flushed, it upsets the system. This other method would be done every day, for an hour or two per day. Mr. Allred said that he would like to put several of the flushing units in town, eventually. He suggested this could be worked into the next budget, but that a couple of the units are needed now. Alderman Jones asked if the upset to the system from hydrant flushing is due to stirring up the sediment. Mr. Allred affirmed that this was correct. Alderman Jones asked it there was any advantage to obtain velocity in order to get the sediment out. Mr. Allred said that this is true, sometimes, and that this is being done at the end units. He said the flushing devices could be put at the ends, that would help every day, through the year, so it doesn’t have to be done at one time. He said that 7 or 8 of the devices have been put in, in Franklinville, and it has really helped the system. They do not have complaints from residents about muddy water or dingy water. Alderman Jones asked for an example of a typical spot—how often it would be turned and for how long. Mr. Allred replied that he would do it once a day, for about two hours. He said this would involve 200 gallons of water per day. This has been done at the Town Hall since July 25, 2011. It really makes for good testing. Mayor Bundren asked if the water was being spewed out somewhere, or if it went back into the system. Mr. Allred said that the water went right out on the ground. Alderman Jones asked how many of the flushing units would be needed for the whole system. Mr. Allred replied that one was needed for the end of Liberty; four or five for the whole system. Alderman Jones asked if the 9 volt battery drives the motor. Mr. Allred said this was correct. It is just a cellanoid valve; water pressure pushes it up. The cellanoid valve pushes down and lets the water through. It is a very simple unit. Mr. Allred said he would like to get the unit for the Town Hall before any freeze; decisions can be made about the others later. Alderman Tichy asked if it would be dumped outside or into the sewer system. Mr. Allred said he could put it back into the sewer system, for the Town Hall. Alderman Tichy said water on the ground would ice up and be problematic for the winter. Mr. Allred said this could all take place under the building; it would not be seen. Alderman Jones said this could be switched around for the summer, to water the grass. Mayor Bundren asked Mr. Allred for the cost for the Town Hall. Mr. Allred replied the total would include $180.00 for the unit and $200.00, an estimate of just under $400.00. Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe made the motion to approve funding for the flushing unit and related costs, to draw water for testing. Alderman Jones seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Allred said he would order the unit and get it installed.

Plaid Day

At this point, the Mayor asked Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe to address her concerns about Plaid Day. Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe said that she had spoken earlier with the Mayor. She said she would like to have a vote from the Board about whether to continue having Plaid Day. She asked if everyone is willing to participate, if Plaid Day is continued. Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe expressed her disappointment with this year’s participation in Plaid Day. Mayor Bundren asked if Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe was referring to more participation with the preparation for Plaid Day. Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe replied that she was concerned with participation for the preparation time and also the day of the event. Alderman Jones said he thinks this involves two different issues. He said he thought having an annual community event is great, but he can’t always commit to the same level of commitment as selling 500 tickets. Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe said this was another issue that needs to be discussed. Alderman Jones said, even if he didn’t contribute a single minute, he would still vote for Plaid Day. He said, though it won’t be long that he will still be on the Board, he still wants to see Plaid Day continue. He doesn’t have a lot of time to help set it up. As a Board member, he thinks it is good to have a community event. He suggested they may need to reach out to more citizens to help with Plaid Day. Mayor Bundren said her first thought was that they should put something in the water bill, to find out if there is support for Plaid Day. Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe said she thought Plaid Day is wonderful; she is the one who wanted to see Plaid Day realized. She said she also thought it needed to be a team effort. Alderman Tichy said his problem was the rain date, this year. Though it is a busy time of the year for him, he had scheduled the original weekend, to make sure he would be present. He had already committed to be in Cleveland on the weekend that Plaid Day was actually held. Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe said she realized there are special circumstances. She noted that some people took the day off on the Friday prior to the original date. Mayor Bundren said she took that day off, and then it rained the event out. On the Friday before the rain date, she was in and out of work, but couldn’t be at Plaid Day setup all day. Alderman Clemmons said he thought Plaid Day was a good event, that was enjoyed by the community. He said a decision about Plaid Day needed to be made by the community. Mayor Bundren said a decision should be made, before going forward with planning. She suggested that something be sent out in January or February, asking if residents are interested in the continuance of Plaid Day, and if they would support the event. The question of interest in volunteering could also be addressed, along with serving on the Plaid Day Committee. Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe said that the Board could not pull off Plaid Day alone. Mayor Bundren said she was disappointed that, in selling most of the tickets and doing much of the cooking, they are still $2500 in the hole. Alderman Jones asked if there were bands that would consider playing for a crowd to help them get started. Mayor Bundren said Clerk York thought that the Big Time Party Band would draw more participants, because of the band’s following. She said she didn’t see this result in any more attendance. Alderman Jones asked if this was a matter of advertisement. Alderman Crouse commented that there was so much else going on that day— Special Olympics, church festivals, Crop Walk. He said they were a lot of other events pulling against Plaid Day, on the rain date. Alderman Jones said this is true every fall; it is a busy, happening time. Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe asked if they should skip having Plaid Day in the fall, and consider having it in the spring. Mayor Bundren said that rain would be a more likely problem in the spring. Alderman Slaughter asked if they should consider having a different event, for example, have a band and cook hamburgers and hot dogs on a summer night. Mayor Bundren asked Alderman Slaughter if she was thinking of just a local event. Alderman Slaughter said they wouldn’t have to worry about vendors, just have a community event. Clerk York said they could have a conversation about what type of event to plan; it doesn’t have to be an event exactly like the ones in the past. He said that once they decide, they will need to look at costs. He can look at cost factors from previous events. Then they can put a plan together to fundraise, decide whether to have a raffle or vendors, and what kinds of things they would like to have for an event. Mayor Bundren said they could put some options in a community-wide letter. She said they will talk about this again after Christmas.

There was no other old business.

NEW BUSINESS

TAC Meeting

Mayor Bundren asked Alderman Tichy if he was still attending the TAC Meetings. She asked him to start reporting back, beginning with the next meeting. Mayor Bundren said that an update was needed. She questioned whether the project to widen Highway 70 had superseded the Alamance bypass. Alderman Tichy responded that they are still in the same position, regarding the bypass. Mayor Bundren asked if the Highway 70 project was on the list. Alderman Tichy said that this was on the list. He said that most of this was done because the Guilford MPO had it in the active stage. He said he would doublecheck his paperwork. He didn’t know if this was funded within Alamance County, yet, but it is being reviewed. Mayor Bundren said she had received information at work. She called Raleigh and asked where this project was on the TAC. She did not receive any information. Alderman Tichy said he would look this up and send the Mayor an email. Mayor Bundren commented that the traffic in Alamance is getting worse every single day. Alderman Tichy said the bypass is still in the mix, it hasn’t changed. He said not much is being funded. The projects that did jump ahead are the ones in Mebane related to Tanger Outlets. It’s hard to find fault with that, with the amount of taxes the county is looking at, related to Tanger. Mayor Bundren said the bypass is to be a small project, she thought it would be considered if funding was remaining from a larger project. Alderman Tichy said not much is being funded. Mayor Bundren asked Alderman Tichy to make it known at the TAC Meetings that the Alamance situation is getting worse and they would like this to be considered. Alderman Tichy said they have not lost any position relative to anything, though he will look at the Highway 70 project. Only the Mebane projects have been funded at this point. Mayor Bundren asked Alderman Tichy to give updates from the TAC meetings for the Board.

Finance Report

Clerk York presented the Finance Report. A 6-month CD has been purchased. It matured on October 16, 2011 and earned $470 in interest. The new CD was purchased for $91,362.90 at a rate of 1.1%. Alderman Clemmons said everything looks in line. Clerk York said there hasn’t been anything out of the ordinary. The largest expenses have been for the pump stations, on the water and sewer side. Sales tax revenue last time was $11,000.00; this time it was $14,000.00. Over twelve months, that would be $168,000.00. Mayor Bundren asked about the percentage of sales tax received. Clerk York replied that 41% had been received. Mayor Bundren asked if this was on target with what was received last year at this time. Clerk York said it was more. Last year the population was listed at 709. This year the population is 951, so it has jumped. Last year it jumped $9000.00-$10,000.00. This year, the Village is budgeted to receive $110,000.00 but will take in even more. Alderman Clemmons said he spoke with Becky Loy today. The audit should be received early next week. Alderman Clemmons said the budget is healthy. They still have to look at the water and sewer side, compared to the general fund side. It will be budget time again before you know it. He asked the Board to start thinking about the budget. He said Alamance is in a good situation, but it can turn quickly. He said the County is having some issues, so they need to continue to look at things prudently and carefully.

Other Business

There was no other business.

Public Comment

Dan Tichy, Vice President of the Heritage Glen Homeowners’ Association, appeared before the Board. He has been speaking with Clerk York. Mr. Tichy said that Serenity Court, off of Liberty Drive, is very dark at night. There have been some teenagers hanging out down there recently. The homeowner has requested that a lamppost be placed there. Alderman Clemmons asked about the location. Mr. Tichy said this was behind the two mounds of dirt. If you drove by, you would not realize there was a house there, except for the porch light. About three weeks ago, Mr. Tichy chased a car load of kids out from that location. The homeowner says there have been a couple of other times where people were hanging out down there. Mr. Tichy said his research led him to the Board meeting, requesting that this could be looked into or possibly approved. Clerk York said that he could call Duke Energy. The Village pays per lamppost, not according to wattage use. Alderman Jones asked if they could add it on, and just start billing for the usage. He asked if Duke Energy charged an installation fee. Mr. Tichy said that was what he was told when he called Duke Energy. Then Duke Energy told him to talk to the Village Board of Aldermen. Mayor Bundren said Duke Energy would install the lamppost and the Village would pay for the usage. Mr. Tichy said he was told that Mr. Faircloth had all the lampposts put in and then turned them over to the Village. Clerk York said a fee is paid per post, per month. The bill is generally around $670.00 or so per month for all the lights in the Village. He said the cost is not very much per lamppost. He does not know what the one time installation cost would total. Alderman Clemmons asked if the homeowners wanted the lamppost. Mr. Tichy confirmed that the homeowner wanted this to be done. Alderman Jones said the road was not a cul-de-sac, it’s actually a cut through road. He asked if they should look at Mr. Faircloth’s map/plan. They wouldn’t want to place a lamppost, and then have to move it. Alderman Tichy said the lamppost should be placed at the end, at this point. It would be years before this becomes an issue. Mr. Tichy said there is now a lamp at the corner of Liberty and Serenity, but because of the two dirt piles, you can’t see the house. Alderman Jones said the lamppost may go in at the homeowner’s yard. Mr. Tichy said he spoke with the homeowner and this is not a problem. Mayor Bundren asked Clerk York to check with Randy Faircloth about lamppost placement, before he called Duke Energy.

Mr. Tichy presented a second item to the Board. He said he has had numerous complaints about the paving of the end of Liberty. There is a 2 inch bump that they have to drive over every day. Mr. Tichy said this one road is missing the final layer of asphalt. He asked for help in researching this road problem. Mayor Bundren asked if the road had been dedicated to the Village. Alderman Crouse said that he did not believe the road had been dedicated to the Village. He believes the responsibility for the road lies with the developer. Mayor Bundren concurred. Alderman Crouse addressed the hazards that would come into play with snowplows, with manholes and valves sticking up. Mayor Bundren asked Attorney Charles Bateman if the Board of Aldermen could require the developer to do something about the problem. Charles Bateman said he would need to do some research on this. Alderman Jones asked, if the developer was bonded, were they required to put the final surface on the road. Alderman Clemmons said the question was when the developer would be required to put the final coat on Liberty. Alderman Jones asked if the developer had to do this before a certain percentage was built out. Mr. Tichy said he believed there were four lots. Alderman Tichy said there were at least 8 houses down there now, at least half-built. Charles Bateman said it was usually a requirement to pave the road at completion. He also said that there should be a letter of credit. Mayor Bundren asked Attorney Charles Bateman to check into this situation.

Mr. Tichy thanked the Board. Alderman Jones said he thought Mr. Tichy was there to talk about Halloween. Mayor Bundren asked Mr. Tichy if he was doing something for Halloween. He said they have 3 Police Officers, like they normally do. As for the Halloween Committee, the Board decided that safety is more the concern. The focus is to keep Heritage Lane moving, but, other than that, they weren’t going to get involved. He said they tried last year, but it was difficult to get people to volunteer. He said this was kind of the same situation as with Plaid Day. People have their own opinions about Halloween in Heritage Glen. It’s going to happen, no matter what. With Halloween being on a Monday this year, it shouldn’t be as bad; however, they still decided to have 3 Police Officers on site. Alderman Crouse reminded that school would be out that day. Mayor Bundren told Mr. Tichy the Board would take care of what they could. Mr. Tichy said that was excellent; that was what he wanted.

Alderman Crouse said the issue with the street had been discussed before. Mayor Bundren said if Attorney Charles Bateman speaks with Mr. Faircloth, it would be more appropriate. Alderman Clemmons said the thought, from the developer’s point of view, is that the road will get torn up with construction. Mr. Tichy said he has heard this, but there was active construction going on in Heritage Glen, with the top surface of the road already on. Alderman Tichy said the top coat was down on his road, with construction ongoing. Alderman Jones said people thought the Village had accepted the street as it was; this was discussed a couple of meetings ago. Alderman Jones asked about the developer. Mayor Bundren replied that was another Phase. Alderman Jones said it was the same Phase as Alderman Tichy’s. Alderman Tichy said that Charles Bateman could revoke the plat on the remaining lots, so Mr. Faircloth can’t sell them unless he paves the road. Charles Bateman said they have accepted the streets that are finished. Alderman Jones asked if a private contractor paved the streets. Alderman Crouse said it would be whoever Randy Faircloth gets to pave. Alderman Jones asked if they would pave in November. Alderman Crouse said that December 15th is the cutoff for asphalt paving and runs through March 15th. Alderman Jones said it was not likely the paving would be done until next year. Alderman Crouse said this gives the plant time to do maintenance. Mr. Tichy said this was okay, as long as he could tell the homeowners that action is coming.

Alderman Crouse restated his concern about damage to manholes and valves during snow plowing. Mayor Bundren said if the street was not finished, the Village didn’t have to scrape it. Alderman Jones said this leaves the citizens out. Mayor Bundren said she knew that. Alderman Tichy said the guy doing the plowing knows he has to be careful on that street, and keep the blade an inch or two up. Alderman Clemmons said he was thinking of getting some bids for snow plowing. Clerk York said he could obtain some bids. He had intended to stay with the same service. He said there aren’t that many services who do snow plowing. He said the person who currently does the work does a good job. The consensus was to see if the same person would renew the contract “as is” for this year.

Alderman Jones had a question about grass cutting at Heritage Glen, for Mr. Tichy. He asked if Lawn Ranger still cut the grass for the neighborhood. Alderman Tichy affirmed this was correct. Alderman Jones said there is a common lot across from the Pond Dam. Mr. Tichy said this had been taken care of already. Alderman Jones asked if this could be on an ordinance. Mr. Tichy said it was supposed to be; he has spoken to Chris who will make sure that it’s taken care of on a more regular basis. Mr. Tichy said he had not realized that lot was one of the Homeowners Association responsibilities until he was recently contacted by the neighboring homeowner. He said this should be handled now.

Clerk York updated the Board of Aldermen regarding Cynthia Moon. The arbitration was initially decided in favor of the Village. Ms. Moon has filed for a trial to know vote, to have this heard in front of a Judge. Clerk York said he was surprised by this action. Alderman Jones asked if Ms. Moon was representing herself. Clerk York said this was correct; there is not yet a court date. There is a court date for Small Claims Court on November 2, 2011 for Robert Saunders. This is for his assessment, suing for exactly $5000.00.

Mayor Bundren asked about using a sign to encourage people to vote in the upcoming election. Alderman Tichy asked if Davis Gregory’s name must be exactly correct on the write-in ballot. Mayor Bundren said Mr. Gregory has stated that his name must be correct. His father is on the Board of Elections. Alderman Tichy said an email was needed to let them know the exact name and spelling. Mayor Bundren said Mr. Gregory would be on hand that morning, giving out cards with his name on them. She said he has decided to go back to the Board of Elections and let them know he will spend some money for his campaign. Originally, he had not planned to spend money. Alderman Jones said you could spend, but not receive. Clerk York said this must be documented—both expenditures and receipts. He said he wasn’t sure about local elections, but that this must be done for state and national elections. Mayor Bundren asked that a sign be placed reminding people to vote.

Alderman Jones made the motion to adjourn. Alderman Crouse seconded. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting was adjourned.