Village Board Meeting — Minutes

Village of Benton December 3, 2025 Board Meeting Minutes Members present: Ken Farrey, John Perkins, Jill Knight, Chuck Wartner, Scott Cruse, Cal Robbins Absent members: Joe Slater Village employees present: Emily Rath, Jared Roling, Others Present: Michelle Savatski, Greg Droessler, Ela Kakde The regular board meeting of the Benton Village Board was called to order by village president Ken Farrey at 6:30 p.m. in the conference room of the Benton Business Incubator Building at 244 Ridge Avenue on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. 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 previous village board meeting were presented. Motion (Robbins, Knight) to approve the minutes from the regular village board meeting held on November 12, 2025, as presented. Voice-all ayes. Carried Michelle Savatski, stated everything is progressing smoothly and moving quickly. While it’s uncertain if the workers will be outside tomorrow, major progress is expected soon: the most challenging front wall should be up by mid-next week, and within two weeks the building should be enclosed with plywood and a roof, making it more weather-friendly. Greg Droessler, Stated since March, about nine months after submitting the draft facilities plan, updates have been made following a meeting with the sewer committee. Minor cost adjustments were made, the interceptor replacement was removed from the estimate because it will be funded with cash on hand, and the revised estimate still shows about $4.8 million in needs. Two funding scenarios were analyzed: completing high and medium-priority work together in 2027, or doing only high-priority work in 2027 and delaying medium-priority work, which would likely increase costs later. Motion (Perkins, Robbins) was proposed to combine the two projects and proceed with obtaining permits for 2027 construction, including completion of the facility. Motion (Knight, Wartner) to approve the 2026 budget as presented. Voice-all ayes. Carried 2025-2026 operator license for Jayne Weier, David Watson, Marijah Kammes Motion (Perkins, Robbins) to approve the 2025-2026 operator license for Jayne Weier, David Watson, and Marijah Kammes. Voice-all ayes. Carried. Approval of bid for furnishing and shelving for community center. Motion (Knight, Cruse) to accept the bid from the Samuels Group for furniture and the bid from Library Furniture International for shelving for the community center. Voice-all ayes. Carried. Pay the Bills Motion (Knight, Cruse) to pay the bills. Voice-all ayes. Carried. The meeting was adjourned at 7:32 P.M Motion (Perkins, Cruse) to adjourn. Voice-all ayes. Carried.