Board Meeting Minutes 08/14/2025

Village of Hammond – Board Meeting Notes Thursday, August 14, 2025 – 7:00 p.m. Village Hall, 105 East 1st St, Hammond, IL 61929 1) Call to Order Time: ___7:01PM_______ 2) Roll Call John Drummond, President – Present Melanie Adcock, Trustee – Present Billie Larkins, Trustee – Present Nathan Tavoletti, Trustee –Absent Josh Bartley, Trustee – Present Kristina Bjordahl, Trustee – Present Pam Thompson, Trustee - Present Kelsey Wells, Clerk/ Treasurer- Present Ron Miller, Water Superintendent- Present Rob Larkins, Animal Control Officer- Present 3) Pledge of Allegiance 4) Acknowledgment of Videographer One Person was recording the meeting, Melissa Miller 5) Adopt Agenda for August 14th 2025 Motion: __Billie ________ | Second: _Kristina_________ | Vote: 4 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent 6) Public Comment Speaker(s): Linda Brown Veterans Memorial Discussion Linda Brown attended the board meeting to discuss the possibility of establishing a Veterans Memorial in the Village of Hammond to honor and represent local veterans. Linda suggested using the existing Memorial Fund (donations received following her husband’s passing) as seed money to begin the project. She has spoken with several people about potential options for the memorial, though she does not yet have definite cost estimates. She will continue gathering quotes and bring them back to the board. Linda also requested that the board consider installing some type of security system to protect the memorial from possible vandalism, citing past incidents within the village. Additionally, she expressed concern over the longevity of a wooden memorial sign and whether future boards would be able to maintain it properly. President John Drummond asked Linda if she would be able to gather cost estimates and oversee the project. Linda agreed, and the board unanimously agreed that she could take the lead on the Veterans Memorial project. Following the discussion, the board approved the use of up to $4,500 as a down payment to begin the project and allow for ordering materials once quotes are received. Motion: Josh made a motion to use up to $4500 for the down payment towards the memorial for veterans. Seconded: Billie Roll Call Vote Billie, yes, Nathan absent, Josh yes, Pam yes, Kristina yes 7) Consent Agenda – Approve Minutes of July 8, 2025 Motion to approve the minutes of July 8th, 2025, Board meeting minutes notes. Motion: Kristina | Second: Billie | Vote: 4 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent 8) Consent Agenda – Approve Minutes of July 24, 2025 Special Meeting Motion to approve the minutes of July 24th, 2025, Board meeting minutes notes. Motion: Kristina | Second: Billie| Vote: 4 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent 9) Consent Agenda – Treasurer’s Report (July 2025), Pay Bills (August 2025) Billie made a motion to approve the Village Treasurer Report for July 2025 and Pay Bills for August 2025. Motion: Billie | Second: Kristina | Vote: 4 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent 10) Consent Agenda – Reports (Clerk, Public Works, Animal Control) Clerk Report Notes: Kelsey Wells  Water Shut-Off & Ordinance/Litigation Lists Kelsey presented the water shut-off list for July, as well as the ordinance violation and litigation lists.  Supplies for Organization Kelsey reviewed a printout for purchasing (4) 2-inch 3-ring binders with pockets for each board member, plus extras for the office. These will be used to organize ordinances and necessary paperwork. She also provided a printout for black storage containers to replace the paper boxes currently being used for stored records. Some records have already begun to show dampness due to issues in the adjacent building. These tubs will help preserve documents, including those needed for the upcoming MFT audit.  Community Building Roof Work on the community building roof is expected to begin soon. Kelsey will follow up this week to confirm the start date.  Insurance Review The village’s insurance company conducted a review and noted issues with current coverage. Recommendations included: • Looking into repairing the roof and gutting the old community building. Inspectors noted that the building has a solid foundation and structure, and while it would be a significant undertaking, it could be feasible for restoration. • Adjusting coverage for the baseball field, as several items have been added that were not previously listed. The insurance company will provide a detailed list for the board’s review.  Audit The audit team is scheduled to be at Village Hall on Thursday, August 28th at 8:00 AM. They expect to be onsite for most of the day, and may need an additional day to complete their work. The team will continue working with Kelsey in the future to ensure everything remains on track.  MFT Audit Preparation Records needed for the MFT audit must be located from storage, as the bank cannot provide records going back far enough. Kelsey emphasized the importance of transferring and sorting records from the old building into the new storage tubs. Once all documents are submitted, the audit team will determine if further information is required. Motion : Billy made a motion to be able to order three sets of four binders at $16.00 a set for the office. Motion: Billie | Second: Kristina | Roll Call Vote Billie, yes, Nathan absent, Josh yes, Pam yes, Kristina yes A motion was made to buy 25 of the 27 gallon black tubs up to $350.00 total 4 the village paperwork Motion: Kristina Second: Billie Roll Call Vote Billie, yes, Nathan absent, Josh yes, Pam yes, Kristina yes Public Works Notes: Ron Miller All new meters have been installed except for a few of the larger ones. Five fire hydrants were replaced, including one by the school that required more work than originally expected. Ron recommends replacing one hydrant each year moving forward, estimating the cost at roughly $10,000 per hydrant (prices may vary depending on conditions). Street oiling and chipping is scheduled for late this month or early next month, starting with the roads in the worst condition. A section of road by I Street needs tile dug up and repaired before the road deteriorates further. Ron is developing a water emergency plan in case the village water supply becomes unusable. He has contacted surrounding towns about possible connections and is reviewing a program that could provide bottled water if needed. More information will be presented at the next meeting. • Animal Control Rob Larkins Rob was able to go over his report. He didn’t have much to report other than he got a few calls and he does his patrolling of the town almost every night at least and tries to and that we are still working towards getting him into training once the next one comes available, we will have him set since it’s already been approved for him to go training. Rob will also be out of town in the first week of September and for a few days at the end of August, so if anything is needed to just call the office at that time. Billie made a motion to accept all the reports. Motion: Billie | Second: Kristina| Vote: 5 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent 11) New Business • Resignations (Tavoletti, Molby, Harvey): John began discussion on the first order of new business. He noted that Nathan has not yet submitted a formal resignation letter; therefore, he will continue to serve on the board until one is formally received, despite verbally informing the clerk of his intent to resign. John reviewed the resignations of Lauren Molby and Trisha Harvey. He clarified that Trisha Harvey’s resignation does not require board approval since she was employed by the Village rather than elected to the board. John then requested a motion to accept Lauren Molby’s resignation from the board. Motion made by Billie Larkins to accept Lauren Molby’s resignation. Motion: Billie | Second: Kristina| Vote: 5 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent • Oath of New Trustees: John stated that he has appointed a new person, Melanie Adcock to be appointed as the new Village trustee to take more info on the board. John asked for there to be a motion. Billie made a motion to accept the appointment of the new trustee, Melody Adcock, on the board. Motion: Billie | Second: Kristina| Vote: 5 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent Kelsey went over the old affirmation with melody, and she was sworn in as a village trustee. • Backup Water Plan: Ron had previously gone over a backup water plan. The water system was to fail at this time. The board has decided to take this until the following month to see if Ron is able to get any more information regarding a plan that could be put in place if this were to ever happen. Ron previously went over this in his report. Billie made a motion to table till the next meeting when Ron could get more information for the board. Motion: Billie | Second: Kristina| Vote: 5 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent • CD Renewal / Withdrawal: Kelsey discussed the fact that we have a CD that is going to be renewed at the bank for another year, but a discussion was brought up about whether we should renew the CD. We changed it from a year to late, longer or shorter, or we cashed out the CD, and the CD is also for the motor fuel fund. Kelsey explained to them that if we ended up cashing out the CD that we would only be able to use it for MFT purposes at this point. There’s quite a bit of money in the MFT fund, but at this time, it has been allotted to be used, and we will be down to very little money. But the physical year runs from January to December for the MFT. It is different from the rest of the funds, so they are almost done with their physical here. Josh brought up that the six-month CD can increase more income for the account. So, the account won’t be able to grow more. Josh made a motion for the MFT fund CD to be renewed for six months instead of a year, and then it will be reevaluated in six months if we want to reevaluate it or cash it out at that time. Second: Kristina Roll Call Vote Billie, yes, Nathan absent, Josh yes, Pam, yes, Kristina yes, Melanie yes • Special Events Committee Fund Bank Account: Kelsey brought up the fact that I have been discussing opening the account for the special events committee fund, and then it would be smarter to have anybody who wants to be able to donate money to it. Have a separate account just for that so that we’re able to track what we’re using and have come in on a better basis. Kristina thought that it would be a good idea so that if people wanted to come in and be able to donate money, they could either bring it to the office or straight to the bank, and they could go immediately into the account, which of provides a better accurate number along with better tracking for the account. Billie made a motion to be able to set up an account at First State Bank for a special events committee fund. Second: Pam Roll Call Vote Billie, yes, Nathan absent, Josh yes, Pam yes, Kristina yes, Melanie yes • Village Social Media Rules: John talked about the fact that we’ve had some issues in the village with harassment and on social media in the office and other places for staff employees and trustees. There were questions regarding the fact that some of the issues that have been having might need to have some changes made to our rules on social media with Facebook along with the rules for the Village as well. Calcium informed the board that after speaking with the Villige attorney Ross that there are some things that we could do to make some changes, but it is a very fine line when it comes to harassment and things like that with working with in the Village and that Kelsey‘s recommendation is, we have Ross write up something for the next meeting for everybody to look over and be able to draft some type of ordinance so that we are following the letter of the law and not crossing any boundaries that with it being something as harassment and along with a village so everything is covered from a legal standpoint . Billie made a motion to have Ross write up a draft ordinance on a harassment policy for the Village of Hammond. Second: Josh Roll Call Vote Billie, yes, Nathan absents, Josh yes, Pam yes, Kristina yes, Melanie yes • November Meeting Date Change: John brought the attention to the board that the Village board meeting in November Falls on Veterans Day, and we will need to set up a different time. Chelsea from the Board of the week before it’s not going to work due to bills coming in, and things won’t be ready financially wise to be approved, and the following week, Thanksgiving is possible best option would be Thursday for the meeting due to the being around holiday season. Kristina made a move to have the November board meeting on Thursday, the 13th, at 7 PM instead of Tuesday due to it being a holiday. Second: Josh Roll Call Vote Billie, yes, Nathan absent, Josh yes, Pam yes, Kristina yes, Melanie yes • Temporary Staff Pay/Hours: John brought it to the Board’s attention that at this time he will be appointing Billie Larkins to fill in the office as necessary for extra help if Kelsey is not able to be in the office. And at this time, the board needs to set a pay income and hours for Billie to be paid when she is in the office working or filling in the clerk/treasurer role as necessary. It was asked with a base pay for Kelsey at this time, and it was in informed. Kelsey makes $24 an hour, which is what the previous clerk/treasurer had made. It was stated that since they might be filling in while Kelsey is out for leave that they should get paid the same amount since they will be doing the job. Kristina also suggested that Billie can work up to 20 hours, which is what the previous deputy clerk was working for. Kristina made a motion for Billie to be paid $24 an hour while filling in the office duties with the clerk/treasurer, along with being able to work up to 40 hours a week if needed. Second: Josh Roll Call Vote Billie, unable to vote, Nathan absent, Josh yes, Pam yes, Kristina yes, Melanie yes • Clerk's Office Hours: John talked about the clerk’s hours right now being said at 20 hours a week max, and they may need to be adjusted if needed. Kelsey talked about the fact that since taking over for the role, there’s a lot of extra training that will need to be done, along with catching up on a lot of things that are behind in the office. Kelsey informed with the auditors coming and being there for a full day and possibly even longer about 20 hours max a week may be gone over and would like it to be in writing so that in the future, if something was to come up that it would be covered since at this time it is stated in another ordinance that the clerk/treasurer is only allowed to work up to 20 hours a week with no overage. Josh made a motion for Kelsey to be able to work up to 40 hours a week if needed, with a minimum of 20 hours a week. Second: Billie Roll Call Vote Billie, yes, Nathan absent, Josh yes, Pam yes, Kristina yes, Melanie yes • Storage Tubs for Files: John stated as far as discussion and action on buying the totes for the paperwork for storage in the office, it had already been discussed and voted on earlier during the clerk's report and did not need to have any further discussion. • New Office Phone: Kelsey went over the options for the phone system trying to be able to transfer it or someone able to dial 1 for this person or two for that person the board asked for some options that they could pick from for the phone system. Kristina made a motion to table till the following month. Seconded: Billie Motion: Billie | Second: Kristina| Vote: 5 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent Insurance Follow-up: Went over in the clerk's report. Kelsey is still waiting for the new paperwork from IRM. 12) Old / Unfinished Business • Ordinance #2025-11 (Rates & Charges): Kelsey discussion was brought up about the ordinance that had been previously discussed and voted on the previous month, but there was a typo air in there and that once it was looked over, it was notice that if we were to enforce that ordinance the way it was stated that there would be a line of crossover from penalty bills to shut off notices, and that it needs to be at the end of the following month instead of on the 21st of the following month for them to have their water bill paid. So for example, if their bill is due on 20 August and they don’t pay on 21 August, they would get a penalty bill if they did not pay that then it would roll over until the following month which would then be due on the 20th like normal and on the 21st a penalty bill with a crew again And then by the end of the second month if they did not pay their bill, they would it would then be shut off and have any fees accrued with it. The board didn’t have any questions about the change in the wording since there was a clerical error. Josh made a motion to accept the wording change for ordinance 20 25–11 and ordinance establishing the rates and changes for service supplies for the sewage system and water system in the Village of Hammond, Illinois. Second: Billie Roll Call Vote Billie, yes, Nathan absents, Josh yes, Pam yes, Kristina yes, Melanie yes • Veteran Signs at Ball Field Park: John discussed the veteran signs that we had talked about at the Village ballpark I’ve already been discussing. An amendment had already been made to be able to allow up to $4500 to help with the down payment to start getting things moving for the veteran’s memorial that had been discussed during public comment and had already been voted on. • Doors / Handicap Ramp: John went into discussing more about the handicap doors and accessibility for the office. John wants to be able to update the doors for new doors, along with adding a better access point for handicap accessibility at the back door, since the front door is unable to be handicap accessible, and with the rocks in the back, there needs to be something done. Kelsey inform the board after talking with several companies to be able to change out from the doors that we currently have two more secure metal doors that it’s going to be per door minimum $5000 plus install that would be a big price and then it was recommended at this time that we just changed the lock system on the doors and it has been a problem with people being locked in the building for those to be changed along with getting the back ramp fixed, still, and getting estimates to get that fixed. Josh informed the board that he would be able to get a few estimates to get the back door updated for more handicap accessible over the rock that is currently there from the road. Josh made the motion to go ahead and change the locks for the Village doors to have them updated. Second: Kristina Vote: 5 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent • Printer Purchase / Maintenance Contract: Kelsey talked about the printer and the at this time we are under a month-to-month lease for the printer that we currently have and it is going out and that it’s been overheating and not wanting to print anything until it cools back down and that we’ve been buying parts for it and is having issues and that we’re going to have to get a new printer soon to be able to keep functioning in the office. Kelsey informed the board after talking to Wells Fargo and not being able to get in touch with the company that is leasing the printer to us that we have a right to cancel our lease and look at other options and we will have to come up with something before the following month as the printer at this time is on borrowed time. Melanie asked whether or not we owned or just lease the printer and Kelsey informed her that from the information that she has right now we only lease the printer, but we have not been able to find a copy of the contract and is waiting for it to be sent over from Wells Fargo Kelsey will continue to look for other options as far as printer and what it would be to buy one outright roughly could be $4,000 to $5,000 minimum for a new printer to be about outright. Billie made a motion to table this until we’re able to get more quotes and see if we can get a hold of Wells Fargo to the next meeting. Second: Josh Vote: 5 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent • Ordinance #2025-07 (Golf Carts & UTVs): Kelsey, the informed the board as far as ordinance 20 25–7 an ordinance to authorize and regulating the use/operating of electric or gas powered golf carts and TVs within the corporate limits of the Village of Hammond was from the following board when they had decided to change the permit fee for golf carts to $25 from the previous $40 a year. And it was just the updated version of it in the board. Just need to decide whether or not they want to pass the ordinance or make any other changes at this time. Josh made a motion to accept the new ordinance changing the fee from $40 to $25 a year for golf cart permits. Second: Kristina Roll Call Vote Billie, yes, Nathan absents, Josh yes, Pam yes, Kristina yes, Melanie yes Ordinance #2025-09 (Cannabis Businesses): Kelsey gave the Board a copy of a rough draft that could be used for the new ordinance for allowing cannabis business establishments in the Village of Hammond. Kelsey informed the board that it was a rough draft that have been sent over from the Village attorney and not to look it over into highlight anything that they may think that could be useful or might need to be adjusted for our Village as it is a just a blank draft and we would be able to go over the following month and it would be good for them to email those to the Village clerk email so that they can have them pre-typed for the next board meeting. Kristina asked questions about the ordinance and if it was something that we had to take the whole ordinance that was offered to us from the draft, or if we could just take part in it. Kelsey informed her that we can just take part in what we want to do our ordinance. We do not have to use the whole one, but we can use partial or add or take away. Whatever we would like. That is why it’s a rough draft. Kristina made a motion to table the topic of ordinance 20 25–0, not an ordinance that cannabis business establishments in the village of Humane are not allowed until the next meeting, when they have a chance to look over the rough draft. Second: Pam Vote: 5 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent • Ordinance #2024-04 (Zoning): Kelsey informed the Bored that the ordinance 20, 24–04 ordinance authorizing zoning within the corporate limits of the Village payment as a 34 page long ordinance that has not been updated in quite a long time and needs to be gone over and adjusted and make sure that we are looking at the fence policies match since it has been questioned and the zoning ordinance along with the other ordinances that the fence stuff goes into. Billie suggested that since the ordinance is so long that it would be a good idea to have the time to look over it fully with the paper copy instead of it being an email, and to write down any changes and email them to the Village clerk. Billie made a motion to table till the following month. Second: Josh Vote: 5 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent Kristina made a motion to go into executive session at 8:57 PM. Vote: 5 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent 13) Executive Session 5ILCS 120/2 (c) (11): Litigation, when an action against, affecting or on behalf of the particular public body has been filed and is pending before a court or administrative tribunal, or when the public body finds that an action is probable or imminent, in which case the basis for the finding shall be recorded and entered into the minutes of the closed meeting. 5ILCS 120/2(c) (1): Discuss employee issues- the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of the public body or legal counsel for the public body. Billie made the motion to exit Executive Session at 9:25 pm, with a 2nd by Josh. Vote: 5 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent Regular Session called to order at 9:27 pm. No members of the public were present. Action on Executive Session: Billie Rae made a motion to continue Litigation from Executive Session, and Kistina seconded the motion. Vote: 5 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent No further comments by Trustees or Members of the Public. Adjournment: Billie Rae made the motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:33 pm, with a 2nd by Kristina. Vote: 5 yes, 0 no, and 1 person Absent Motion carried. Meeting now adjourned at 9:34 pm. ___________________________________________________________Date:______________ Village President Village Clerk John Drummond Kelsey Wells