The Hamilton City Council meeting was called to order by Mayor Casey at City Hall at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16. He expressed hope that all Hamilton residents know they are invited to attend an open meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at the community center. The primary topic will be school and traffic flow, but other topics may be brought up by residents. (It should also be emphasized that all Hamilton residents are free to attend Hamilton City Council meetings and Council committee meetings.)
The mayor also stated there will be a presentation by the Illinois Department of Transportation from 4-6 p.m. Nov. 7 at the community center. The topic of that meeting will be the proposed new approach to the bridge, and should be of interest to everyone.
Sarah Rahn was on hand to inform the council about the Trunk or Treat activity that will be held at the City Park on Keokuk Street from 4-7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29. She asked for support to make sure barricades were set up to help with traffic control, and that was agreed upon. She said the activity will include games, a costume contest and lighted pumpkins on display in the park. She also said that there will be “pumpkin bowling,” which should be a lot of fun for all ages. The council agreed to earmark $150 toward the event.
Under the Finance and Appropriations section, the premiums for the city’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance were discussed and approved. Also discussed and approved was the Illinois Municipal League Risk Management Association fee. It is the same as last. year, $105,851.
The Public Works Committee meeting notes indicated the water quality in Elvaston has been getting better. The department flushed hydrants as part of the annual required maintenance, and over 45 blocks of ditches have been cleaned.
Tree bids were also discussed. This is to remove 16 large ash trees around the city that are dead and considered a safety concern. Ferrel Tree Service won the bid coming in at $18,600.
The offer for the sale of the city’s paver was also discussed, which is being handled by Luby Equipment of Quincy. The committee also discussed the purchase of a mini-excavator covered partially by the proceeds from the sale of the paver, so after factoring in that sale, the purchase is expected to total $37,500.
The Building and Grounds Committee presented numerous requests for building permits, and all were approved. Six were for the installation of solar panels, five on the rooftop and one on the ground. The values of these projects range from $7,000 to $20,300 for the roof mounted ones, and is $32,895 for the ground mounted one. A building permit for a wooden privacy fence with a value of $18,000 was also approved.
The Economic and Tourism Committee stated that the City-Wide Cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 28. It will be held in the High School parking lot.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m. The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, in the Hamilton City Hall conference room. All Hamilton residents are invited to attend.