Council Gives Tentative Okay to Helping Local Business

The City of Effingham has earmarked funds for a number of years to help keep the downtown area vibrant. Another project in that regard was discussed at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Michael and Jamie Schultheis have begun Schultheis Garage and Classics in the former Probst Heating and Air Conditioning location south of Martin's IGA+. Michael Schultheis said they are selling and restoring muscle cars, tractors, cycles and other vehicles. They requested help with just under $33,000 in exterior renovations. Under terms of the downtown redevelopment plan, the City would go halves on the project and Council members Tuesday informally agreed to help with the work.

The Council named Commissioner Brian Milleville to the Construction Occupation Board, the group that will oversee development of a construction occupations class that is to be offered beginning next school year. It was also agreed to seek creation of a new City/County Enterprise Zone. The new zone would basically follow the boundaries of the existing Enterprise Zone, but would add land northwest of the City along Routes 32/33. The City is seeking the new zone since the State is abolishing all existing zones. The current Effingham zone will expire at the end of 2018 unless a new zone is granted, a process the State says will be completed by the end of 2015. If the new zone is granted, the current zone would expire at the end of 2016, to be replaced by the new zone.

(MEMBERS OF THE EFFINGHAM HIGH SCHOOL GOVERNMENT CLASS WERE ON HAND FOR TUESDAY'S COUNCIL MEETING)

The Council agreed to terminate participation by elected officials in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund; approved a sewer rehabilitation project costing just over $287,000; renewed property/casualty and workers compensation insurance coverage for just over $327,000, a $55,000 decrease from this year; and approved a engineering agreement with Crawford, Murphy and Tilly for rehabbing the walls of the CIPS Lake Spillway.

Council members amended the personnel policy manual to encourage City employees to participate in a wellness program and deleting a provision that required firefighters to get a medical clearance from a City-designated physician before returning to work; and discussed increasing the number of Class P, or package liquor, licenses by one. Justin McWhorter would like to open a package liquor store in the former Formaggio's Pizza location on South Banker. Action on issuing the license could come at the next Council meeting. The Council also approved a new vision and dental insurance package paid for by City employees; agreed to pay for sidewalk reconstruction outside the CEFS Outreach Office at Banker and Washington downtown; accepted bids for replacing three manholes in town that City Engineer Jeremy Heuerman said are in danger of collapse; and accepted bids for sewer repairs for just over $39,000.