Retirements Allow Du Quoin Employees to Transfer Into Other Positions

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[As a result of announced retirements, the Du Quoin city council Monday authorized transfers of existing personnel into new positions.

The council approved the transfer of water department employee David Martin and building and grounds maintainer Dean Knight to the street department. The council also approved the transfer of police department telecommunicator Shannon Jones to the administrative offices as water utility clerk.

At the outset, Martin's former water department position will be posted and advertised. The council is sorting out the rest of the staffing.

The council met at 6 p.m. with Mayor John Rednour absent.

Much of the night centered on whether the cities of Du Quoin and Pinckneyville want to borrow $403,000 for between 30 and 90 days to pay for a promised airport hangar project. The new T hangars will be built the the Pinckneyille-Du Quoin airport with federal funds, but the funds are held in escrow by the state. The state refuses to front the money on the project and is asking the cities to share the responsibility, then present cancelled checks for the work for reimbursement.

Locals are critical of not only the apparent lack of state accountability with respect to the intergovernmental project, but suspect the state is either co-mingling the funds under its budget crisis or sitting on the money as it collects interest.

Robert Haines of the airport board is having to shoulder all of this responsibility on behalf of both communities, and he has gone his job well. Haines is investigating short term borrowing possibilities to pay for the project. At the most, interest on the borrowed funds would amount to a few hundred dollars. The issue is that it is rare for the state not to fund its own projects up front.

In other action:

The council approved Ordinance 2009-O11-03: An ordinance authorizing the levying of $449.423 taxes for Corporate purposes-Final Approval. Most of that levy is expected to be abated.

The council approved Ordinance 2009-O11-04: An ordinance authorizing the levying of $65,800 in taxes for the purpose of operating the Public Library-Final Approval.

The council approved Ordinance 2009-O11-05: An ordinance authorizing the execution of a contractual agreement between the City of Du Quoin and Phil Brandenburg for his services as the Class 1 Operator for the Water Reclamation Plant in 2010-Final approval. He will be paid $2,000 per month until such a time as a city employee can be certified as a Class I operator.

Approved Ordinance 2009-O11-06: An ordinance authorizing a 5% water and sewer increase for the years 2010 and 2011-Final Approval

Approved Ordinance 2009-O12-01: An ordinance authorizing an agreement between the City of Du Quoin and Jeffery Ashauer as economic consultant in the amount of $2,083 per month.-Public Display.

Approved the 2010 Budget as previously explained in the newspaper (public hearing on Dec. 7 at 7:45 a.m.).

Approved a measure to proceed with the condemnation of the property located a 515 West Park Street

Approved a measure to rescind the condemnation order on the property located at 601 S. Madison Street.

Approved to proceed with eminent domain on parcel(s) of property for the alley expansion project immediately west of Pizza Hut. That alley runs for 1,280 feet from Mc Donald's north to a furniture business. At issue is a four-foot wide strip of property the city needs to complete the widening work.

Approved the Council Meeting Schedule for 2010