Pinckneyville not responsible for routine yard clean-up debris
Pinckneyville commissioner Sam Fulk Monday reminded citizens of Pinckneyville that the street department does not pick up yard waste.
The city passed ordinances in 2007 and 2008 to charge for leaf and debris removal, but repealed them in 2009.
Fulk said he is considering setting aside one month in the fall to collect leaves, but has not made a firm decision yet.
The city will clean branches from the streets following major storms. Property owners are responsible for all other debris removal.
Fulk said his employees are spending too much time collecting branches, some of which have been left by companies hired to trim or remove trees.
The council heard from Ritchey Marlow about a home west of his in Imperial Heights. The police chief has toured the home and the owner has been cited for creating a nuisance and paid the fine, but nothing else has been done.
Marlow said the grass does not get cut and the house is full of trash, attracting both fleas and mice to the neighborhood. He said two dogs were left to starve to death in the empty home and asked if the owner could be cited for animal cruelty.
Mayor August Kellerman and commissioner David Stone also live in Imperial Heights and verified that the home is poorly maintained.
Marlow said the home stinks and can be smelled from the street. He is not sure whether the property has been foreclosed or not.
Mayor Kellerman said he would contact Perry County Solid Waste Coordinator Becky Tracy to see if she can get something done more quickly than the city.
It takes at least 90 days for a property to be condemned. The city would then have to pay to clean up the property and place a lien on it to recoup the cost of the clean-up. If the home is in foreclosure, the city would be unable to recover their money.
Mayor Kellerman also suggested working with the Perry County Health Department.
In other business, the council:
• placed on file two loan applications from Craig Williams Creative/Community Link for $150,000 from the USDA relending program and $50,000 from the city's business district program. Mayor August Kellerman plans to hold a loan committee meeting to consider the applications on May 21 at 4 p.m.
• agreed to donate $500 to the Illinois Rural Heritage Museum for rack cards to be placed in visit centers on the interstates.
• approved a construction permit for Frontier Communications to build and maintain a telephone line from Dalmatian Road to Parker to Perry Street. The line will be underground until passing under the railroad tracks then will be overhead.
• passed a resolution approving the swimming pool management contract with Bob Schneider which was placed on file at the previous meeting. Schneider must show proof of liability insurance or the contract will be terminated. It is for the period between May 25 and Aug. 31 of this year for $6,790.
• approved the telecommunications contract with the Perry County Sheriff's Department at a cost of $23,058 per year for two years. That is a five percent increase over the previous contract cost.
• agreed to pay $5,000 to the Pinckneyville-Du Quoin Airport. The city gave the airport $20,000 for grant matching funds in lieu of four years of regular payments. Those four years are up and the regular payments resume.
• authorized hiring two part-time summer employees for the Street Department.
• passed a resolution extending the mowing contract with Complete Lawn Care for another year. Cost is $7,700 for the mowing season. There was no price increase.
• heard from Mayor Kellerman that IDNR has awarded a $400,000 OSLAD grant to Pinckneyville for relocation of the athletic fields.
• passed a resolution authorizing Commissioner Fulk to open a checking account for $150,000 in DCEO grant funds which will be used for the purchase of the old Wickwire building on North Main Street where the street department is now located.
• authorized Commissioner David Stone to proceed with a $12,500 lighting grant from Clean Energy. The funds must be used for interior lighting.