Village Board Meeting — Minutes

Village of Benton July 15, 2026 Board Meeting Minutes Members present: John Perkins, Jill Knight, Bill Mowry, Joseph Slater, Steve Brink, Scott Cruse Absent: Ken Farrey Village employees present: Sonya Silvers, Brian Hammill Others Present: Michelle Savatski The regular board meeting of the Benton Village Board was called to order by village trustee Scott Cruse at 6:30 p.m. in the conference room of the Benton Business Incubator Building at 244 Ridge Avenue on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. In compliance with the open meeting law, proper notice of the meeting had been posted in four public places: the Zephyr Depot, Benton State Bank, Benton Post Office, and the Benton Business Incubator Building. The minutes from the village board meeting on June 17, 2026, were presented. Motion (Perkins, Slater) to approve the minutes from the regular village board meeting held on June 17, 2026, as presented. Voice-all ayes. Carried Michelle Savatski updated the board on the progress of the community center project. The flooring, shelving, and fixtures are complete. The HVAC is getting finished up. Next week there will be a meeting to set up key fobs and cameras. The village public works crew has been moving dirt and will tear out the sidewalk before landscape pavers can go in. This week the bigger museum pieces will get moved into the building. There will be an open house Friday, August 21st, with a brief opening ceremony. Two weeks prior to the grand opening, the library will close to facilitate the move. Scott Cruse presented the updated State/Municipal Financial Agreement for the State Highway project from the Department of Transportation (DOT) with price estimates. This contract will need to be approved at the next board meeting and sent back to the DOT. Discussion was held, and a committee meeting will need to happen before the next meeting to discuss the scope of the information presented. Committee Reports:  The Police Committee met in closed session.  The Police Committee met to discuss police presence, vehicle use, scheduling, and lunch breaks. There will be another committee meeting on Friday, July 24th, to discuss unfinished business due to the village president being absent.  The Finance Committee will meet Tuesday, July 21st.  The Park Committee will meet Thursday, July 16th.  The Nuisance Committee met, and discussion was held regarding several nuisance properties. Most of them have been talked to, and one was cited for unregistered vehicles. There will be more discussion on tree removal options for residents. Jill Knight inquired about Treganza Street. Bill Mowry stated the building was raised but not the street. There was discussion regarding placing the water in the street. A water/street committee meeting will be needed. Jill Knight asked about the interceptor project. John Perkins is going to talk to Luke Wiederholt. Dave Halloran is to be reappointed to the Community Development Authority of the Village of Benton board for a 4-year term. Motion (Slater, Brink) to approve the reappointment of Dave Halloran to the Community Development Authority of the Village of Benton board for a 4-year term. Voice-all ayes. Carried Village of Benton July 15, 2026 Board Meeting Minutes A resolution approving the lease with the Community Development Authority Corporation of the Village of Benton and approving the issuance of $785,000 Community Development lease revenue bonds and related documents and transactions was presented. Motion (Knight, Slater) to approve the resolution approving the lease with the Community Development Authority Corporation of the Village of Benton and approving the issuance of $785,000 Community Development lease revenue bonds and related documents and transactions was presented. Sonya will ask the auditors about using restricted fund money for the USDA reserve amount. Bill Mowry questioned the amount the village office will be paying for rent in the old library space. The village will pay $560 plus a yearly increase to Conservation First Bank, and the bank will then donate the sum from the year back to the village at the end of the year. Payment of Bills Motion (Slater, Knight) to pay the bills. Voice-all ayes. Carried. The meeting was adjourned at 7:06 P.M. Motion (Mowry, Perkins) to adjourn. Voice-all ayes. Carried.