Southern Illinois News

City of Metropolis City Council met April 8.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

The regular meeting of the City Council, City of Metropolis, Illinois was held at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 08th, 2024, in Council Chambers of City Hall at 106 West 5th Street, Metropolis, Illinois. Upon roll call the following Council members were present: Alderwoman Michele Longworth, Alderman Brian Anderson, Al Wagner, Dylan Chambers, Jermey Holley, Chad Lewis, Chuck Short, Darryl Neill, Corporate Counsel Andrew Leonard, Mayor Don Canada, City Clerk Jan Adams and concerned citizens of Metropolis.

ROLL CALL:

Anderson Present

Longworth Present

Chambers Present

Neill Present

Holley Present

Short Present

Lewis Present

Wagner Present

Moved by Alderman Darryl Neill and second by Alderman Dylan Chambers to approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 3-25-2024 as presented.

MOTION CARRIED:

Anderson Yea         Longworth Yea 

Chambers Yea       Neill Yea 

Holley Yea              Short Yea 

Lewis Yea               Wagner Yea

MAYOR’S REPORT:

Moved by Alderman Chad Lewis and second by Alderman Chuck Short to accept audit findings for Fiscal year 2022-2023.

MOTION CARRIED:

Anderson Yea         Longworth Yea 

Chambers Yea       Neill Yea 

Holley Yea              Short Yea 

Lewis Yea               Wagner Yea

A bid received from Triangle out of Paducah, KY for the kitchen hood installation at the new Happy Hearts location.

Moved by Alderwoman Michele Longworth and second by Alderman Al Wagner to approve Captive Aire Kitchen Hood Installation in the amount of $58,860.00 in the “new” Happy Hearts building.

MOTION CARRIED:

Anderson Yea         Longworth Yea 

Chambers Yea       Neill Yea 

Holley Yea              Short Yea 

Lewis Yea               Wagner Yea

The construction will start at Alexander Rd and go East replacing 494 liner feet of blacktop with concrete on Devers Road.

Moved by Alderman Chuck Short and second by Alderman Darryl Neill to approve to initiate the bidding process to resurface 494 liner feet of Devers Rd.

MOTION CARRIED:

Anderson Yea         Longworth Yea 

Chambers Yea       Neill Yea 

Holley Yea              Short Yea 

Lewis Yea               Wagner Yea

A bid from H.E. Mitchell Construction Company out of Harrisburg, IL submitted a bid for the Metropolis Municipal Airport to replace the existing T Hangar with a 6 Unit T-Hangar.

Moved by Alderman Chuck Short and second by Alderman Jeremy Holley to approve bid to replace existing T-Hanger with a 6-Unit Building in the Captive Aire in the amount of $963,702.00.

MOTION CARRIED:

Anderson Yea         Longworth Yea 

Chambers Yea       Neill Yea 

Holley Yea              Short Yea 

Lewis Yea               Wagner Yea

NEW BUSINESS:

Alderman Lewis wanted to give a shout out to the Chamber and Tourism for a successful weekend during the eclipse. It was a great event for local business owners and enjoyed by all who traveled here.

FINANCIAL REPORT:

Moved by Alderman Jeremy Holley and second by Alderman Dylan Chambers to approve the Finance Report be received and approved and that the orders be drawn on the Treasurer for the different amounts mentioned therein and that the Mayor and the City Clerk be authorized to make necessary arrangements for payment of current Salaries, Payroll and Contract bills.

MOTION CARRIED:

Anderson Yea         Longworth Yea 

Chambers Yea       Neill Yea 

Holley Yea              Short Yea 

Lewis Yea               Wagner Yea

Moved by Alderwoman Michele Longworth and second by Alderman Dylan Chambers to approve the Finance Report be received and approved and that the orders be drawn on the Treasurer for the different amounts mentioned therein and that the Mayor and the City Clerk be authorized to make necessary arrangements for payment of miscellaneous bills.

MOTION CARRIED:

Anderson Yea         Longworth Yea 

Chambers Yea       Neill Yea 

Holley Yea              Short Yea 

Lewis Yea               Wagner Yea

CITIZENS REQUEST:

Metropolis Library Board of Trustees secretary Stephanie Johnson presented material to the council on responsibilities and Trustee duties. There are factors that are specific to serving on a public library board that are defined in the trustee manual and guide regarding duties, responsibilities, as well as the responsibility to support Intellectual Freedom and fight censorship. At our last meeting we voted to vet and submitted candidates to the mayor and city council to fill vacancies in the hope we can work together and have input on all appointments and reappointments moving forward. Pam Tyson and Katie Parker are asked to be considered on the list of candidates that we feel suitable for the position. She stated if a candidate on the mayor’s list you feel better please put the board in contact with them prior to adding them to the city council agenda. We have a 90-day window to fill vacancies which allow time to vet candidates and explain the responsibilities of a library trustee prior to their appointment. We are very thankful to have this much interest in our beautiful historic public library and hope it continues as it moves forward.

Sumar Holt came with apologies for things she aired in the past council meetings on matters concerning the library. She made a heartfelt apology on her Facebook page for her actions and hopes everyone will work together and put all this behind us. She has done her due diligence and found she misspoke on certain issues. She asked the council to accept her apology and help make the library a place where everyone wants to visit again. She added, if there is or will be in the future a “Friends of the Library” Facebook page she would like to be involved.

Rosemary Baxter, former Library Director, came to clarify the stories and allegations she has heard about herself. She presented and explained documents from meetings, emails, account transactions from book purchases and banking information. She went over her performance reviews showing they were pleased with her and the programs she created. She also came to clarify the rumors circulating about the library tables. The adult and children’s programs at the library were growing, and we had no space. She called Tony and Ashley Morris asking if the Refuge Church could use them. Their outreach program was expanding, and they hosted dinners to feed the community. She felt they would go to good use. Rosemary said she was 100% responsible for the tables taken out of the library. In closing she added she does not want her director job back if a new appointment asked her, she was only here to squash the rumors.

Kerian Brannon took offense to some of the things said about the Library League. The Library League is actively engaged with the local community to raise awareness about the importance and services the library provides. We organize events, workshops, or presentations to highlight the library’s value. The library is for every walk of life and every belief. It’s supported by tax dollars and should be enjoyed by everyone. Children are our future, and a library is filled with knowledge to expand their minds. People should be able to read whatever they want to read. She disagreed with the vision Rosemary had for the library and had questions about how she had all the information available tonight when the library board had asked for that for months. Kerian has a passion for our public library. All books and material are to be available for everyone without judgement.

Moved by Alderman Darryl Neill and seconded by Alderwoman Michele Longworth to adjourn. 7:50

MOTION CARRIED:

Anderson Yea         Longworth Yea 

Chambers Yea       Neill Yea 

Holley Yea              Short Yea 

Lewis Yea               Wagner Yea

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