Steeleville looks to change utility billing

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Steeleville stands to lose roughly $70,000 in annual revenue if state income tax payments to municipalities are reduced, as proposed in Springfield. That's what Steeleville Village Board of Trustees was told at last week's meeting.

As with other communities, Steeleville is having to look at cost cutting measures. One such measure could be a new utility billing system.

More could be less, as Mayor Mike Armstrong explained to the board that going from quarterly billing to monthly billing could improve the management of delinquent bills and shutoffs. It could also lead to the development of budget billing.

Better use of the village's updated Web site could result in a reduction in postage, paper, envelopes, printing and associated costs of paper billing, Armstrong noted.

The billing system change is expected to be put to a vote at next month's meeting.

The board's attorney, Alan Farris, has reduced his fees to Steeleville and other communities he serves, during the state's current fiscal crisis.

A report is being prepared for the state's attorney regarding an incident at Steeleville American Legion. Linda Sparks has filed a complaint in which she alleges that a Steeleville police officer pushed her, while removing her from the premises.

The zoning board's recommendation to designate property owned by David Knop from residential to commercial was approved. Knop plans to locate a new business on the property, which is located east of the Dollar General store.

The board tabled a request for an ordinance banning drilling new water wells within a radius of 225 feet of the former Huck's convenience store. The request was from the Martin and Bayley Company, which operates the Huck chain.

The company plans to clean up contamination from underground tanks stored there. Banning drilling would, according to Martin and Bayley, ease the cleanup.

With the Fourth of July falling on a Sunday this year, July 5 will be a legal holiday. The Steeleville Fourth of July committee is planning accordingly. The annual parade and fireworks will be held on July 5 this year.