City Council Approves Budget for New Fiscal Year

Effingham City Council members Tuesday finalized the budget for the city fiscal year beginning May 1. The budget totals just under $54 million dollars.

The Council also passed the annual Appointment Ordinance and approved pay ranges for non-union salaried and hourly positions. 

Council members approved a proposal for design work for repairs on Outer Belt West, north of Evergreen Avenue; approved engineering work on the Outer Belt West water main project with Milano and Grunloh Engineers; approved issuance of a liquor license for Hampton Inn and Suites; and approved a five-year capital improvements plan for the city.

The Council approved an engineering agreement with Civil Design for work on Jefferson Avenue from 1st to 3rd Streets, and on 2nd Street from Jefferson to Market Avenues; approved an agreement with Milano and Grunloh Engineers on Phase I of Rollin Hills Subdivision road improvements; approved rezoning property along North US Route 45 owned by The Equity from non-urban and M-1 Light Industrial, and land owned by The Equity at 816 North Merchant, 800 North Merchant, and West Roadway Avenue from R2 single family residential to B2 general commercial district in the area of their store along Temple Avenue at Merchant Street; vacated a portion of an alley for The Equity between Merchant Lane and Merchant Street by their store; granted a special use permit for Lakeside EMS to operate their ambulance service at 815 South Maple; and approved a final plat of Slavens Ridge Subdivision off North US Route 45 north of Evergreen Avenue.

Council members also renewed the City's group health insurance at a 2% increase for the traditional plan and a 9% increase for the health savings plan; and approved a number of appointments to various boards and commissions. Those include Adam Bohnhoff to the Building Code Board of Appeals for a five-year term; Jennifer Wilson, Matt Greider and Rod Wiethop to the Effingham Public Library Board for new three-year terms; Austin Hayes, Christo Schultz and Brandon Weber to two-year terms on the City Ethics Commission; Jim Wolters to a new three-year term on the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners; John Richards to a three-year term on the Fire Pension Board; City Administrator Steve Miller to a new three-year term on the Human Relations Board; Brian Hayes, Michael McHugh and Dave Storm to new three-year terms on the City Plan Commission; John Richards to a two-year term on the Police Pension Board; and Patty Greene, Katie Koester, Arpit Shah and Kim Jansen to new three-year terms on the City Tourism Advisory Board.

The Council heard a quarterly report from Tourism Director Jodi Thoele who shared that the City is starting to see group tours returning to Effingham and that the City is beginning its 23rd year of Sculpture on the Avenues, a program begun when Bob Utz was serving as Effingham mayor.

Council members also heard from City Police Chief Jason McFarland about a proposed law enforcement mutual aid agreement for emergency situations. McFarland said there are situations that develop rapidly and there's no time to get approval of another municipality before a police agency can respond to that community to help. The proposals outlines the parameters under which another community's police officers could respond to assist in a community. McFarland said after the presentation that all law enforcement agencies in the county other than the Effingham Water Authority would be involved in the mutual aid agreement. The agreement will likely be voted on at the Council's next meeting.