[0:00] [Music]

[0:07] then I will call the meeting of the Riverside Township Board of Trustees to

[0:11] order please rise join me in the pledge of allegiance iedge of aliance to the

[0:16] flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one

[0:22] nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all please

[0:28] remain standing for a moment of silence for uh late President Jimmy

[0:37] Carter may he rest in [Music]

[0:44] peace do clerk Rees would you please call the

[0:49] role sure uh truste clerk trusty henok present trusty deosta present trusty

[0:57] Carrol present clerk Reus is here super visor Wilt present everyone's here we

[1:02] have a quorum and we may begin first order business is the minutes of the

[1:08] December 10th board meeting what is your pleasure make a motion to accept the

[1:15] minutes of the December 10th 2024 board meeting I have a motion do I hear a

[1:22] second I'll second it I have a motion by trusty deasa seconded by trusty Highland

[1:27] Bach to approve the minutes of disc December 10th Riverside Township Board

[1:32] of Trustees meeting are there any additions

[1:37] Corrections

[1:40] comments hearing none then all in favor of approving these minutes please

[1:45] signify by saying I I I all oppos nay motion is carried thank

[1:51] you uh next we have communications we have two

[1:55] Communications supervisor will the first is a thank you letter from feds plus uh

[2:01] chief executive director Tina rounds who thanks the board for uh the their

[2:06] support of the program and particular of the

[2:08] $5,000 uh contribution to the organization uh in addition we received

[2:13] a nice note from miss Patricia henbu uh thanking um the township for their

[2:19] support uh on the passing of their mother thank you very much um

[2:27] supervisor's report um fortunately the various

[2:31] viruses circulating during the holidays all seem to find me so I don't have much

[2:36] to report tonight I managed to meet with all the assistant assistance clients

[2:40] though during the healthy days uh the food pantry gift cards came out exactly

[2:45] as needed 70 total were given out 35 each from Aldi and uh and Riverside

[2:51] Foods for a total of $3,500 everyone who received them was

[2:56] very grateful uh by the way I did a quick count late in the year and we had

[3:02] served exactly 100 families at one point or another during the course of

[3:08] 2024 uh numerous groups were also very generous to The Pantry this holiday

[3:12] season the Riverside Foods filled the truck event reportedly brought us 67

[3:18] $6,700 worth of items the village of North Riverside delivered a load of

[3:23] donations as did starbuds uh various groups and

[3:27] individuals also dropped off items without us necessarily knowing who they

[3:32] were for example we received several large donations of what I would call a

[3:37] birthday party kit cake mixes frostings cake decorations aluminum pans candles

[3:43] party napkins plates etc those items we place on a shelving unit for the food

[3:48] pantry clients to take as needed um we don't put them into the the regular tote

[3:55] bags many recipients did help themselves to these extra treats

[4:00] uh we also received almost $800 in monetary donations including from

[4:05] individuals and groups like The Wednesday bridge players who meet here

[4:09] and the Riverside investment Club this is a big thank you to the community who

[4:14] has shown such generosity at the holidays um I have received a quote for

[4:19] an appraisal on our building for insurance purposes it's been quite some

[4:23] time since we had the last one and um this is an experienced reputable firm

[4:29] that is quoted under 2,000 for the project which is within my SP spending

[4:34] limit so I will be engaging them ironically I found them through a state

[4:39] CMS but by Contracting directly I can save onethird of the cost of what it

[4:44] would be through the CMS so hopefully um I can I'll be getting some more quotes

[4:51] on some of the building improvements that we've talked about in the near

[4:54] future now that I'm feeling better so if you have any questions I may have missed

[4:58] something because I'm still in a bit of a

[5:01] fog okay if not then how about the assessor we have some news good evening

[5:11] good evening ran citz the Township Assessor and um we're off to a good

[5:18] start for the year um tomorrow we'll be sending out a constant contact email

[5:23] address emailed going out to probably about 2,000 people of our our

[5:28] taxpayers um second installment property tax bills will be out on time people

[5:32] should be receiving them the first couple days of February they'll be due

[5:36] March 4th um the our exemption applications are a little delayed by the

[5:42] assessor's office they're going through another transition or the continuing the

[5:46] transition um that they're making to a new system um we probably will not get

[5:51] the senior renewal applications out till mid late February uh so we'll we'll be

[5:57] getting a lot of calls about that I'm sure and um and then also in the email

[6:01] we'll have a reminder for our taxpayers that the treasurer's office does

[6:07] administer a program called the senior tax deferral it is not the senior freeze

[6:12] it is a loan program for people who are struggling to be able to pay up to

[6:17] $7,500 of their property taxes through this loan program so um it's a quick uh

[6:24] quick deadline the March there's a March 1 deadline it's always offered this time

[6:29] of year by the treasurer's office so uh that'll be going out tomorrow I'm sure

[6:34] that'll generate a lot of phone calls so be prepared be you usually get them too

[6:38] we do too and probably we should warn the um the CRC because I'm sure Sean

[6:44] will be getting those questions if it's for seniors yes yes um and then Andy

[6:48] said he'll post the information on the website as well very good okay so that's

[6:53] what's going on right now thank you so FR for the senior free that's after you

[6:58] turn 65 is that yes okay yes so you have to turn 65 in the tax year so right now

[7:05] we're working with the 2024 tax year so anyone who's turned 65 um there's

[7:10] actually two senior exemptions a senior exemption you're 65 you live in the home

[7:14] you're paying the taxes you get that exemption but then there's a senior

[7:17] freeze so with the senior freeze all those requirements and the additional

[7:22] your income has to be $65,000 or less to receive the

[7:27] freeze so um there the assessor's office is now calling it or actually it was

[7:34] originally legislated to be called the lowincome senior citizens tax deferral

[7:39] everyone got in the habit of calling at the senior free so we're going back to

[7:42] what it was originally called um yeah and $65,000 has been the limit

[7:50] on that for probably about eight years now so I know that people have been

[7:56] talking about um legislating an adjustment on that but so far we haven't

[8:00] seen anything happening okay thank you any questions

[8:06] thank you thank you very much welcome trustees uh trusty Carol you have

[8:12] anything nothing today Madam supervisor trusty deasa uh thank you nothing

[8:16] tonight okay uh truste clerk uh thank you supervisor um I

[8:26] um uh got a notice uh that that uh the township officials of Illinois their

[8:32] scholarship program is open and um they offer um$ $2,000

[8:40] scholarships and uh the requirements for that are um write a

[8:47] 500w plus essay on Township government you need two

[8:52] recommendations and interview a Township official and your application is on the

[8:58] toi website to.org and it has to reach the toi

[9:04] offices by March 1st um I uh asked the seniors if they

[9:11] would like to learn to play maang because that seems to be all the rage

[9:15] right now and I had eight to 10 hands saying yes they would like to do that

[9:21] and so I am looking for a majan instructor uh because I don't know how

[9:26] to apply it uh

[9:29] were you one of the eight or 10 no I wasn't but when I did post that

[9:36] I was looking for a Maan instructor on the uh Riverside Facebook page uh four

[9:42] or five people said hey I I don't know how to play but I would like to learn

[9:46] also and just this is a big rage now on college

[9:51] campuses uh you know you can go to the bars at night and play

[9:54] MAA you may have to go to Chinatown to find somebody to teach I think it's kind

[9:58] of an AS [Laughter]

[10:02] you know how to play you want to te the

[10:06] seniors teaching but I did have a friend who GRE up as her she'd be interested

[10:13] that's F that' be fun and then hopefully after they learn um you know they you

[10:18] know twice a month or something we can have a little Maan play get together

[10:25] maybe on a Tuesday morning or Tuesday afternoon we'll have to invest in some

[10:30] isn't it a set of tiles that they use it's a set of tiles so we would probably

[10:34] you know invest in a few games of it yeah we would invest in three or four

[10:38] games which I can't imagine would be more than1 or $150 sure for that um so

[10:45] I'm I'm hoping we can get that off the ground and then uh the exercise class

[10:51] has consistently having between 24 to 30 people in it uh with the exception of

[10:58] Last Friday when we had that snowy slick weather we only had 10 yeah and that

[11:03] concludes my report thank you very much any

[11:07] questions all right and trusty Highland Bach um just briefly uh we had no

[11:13] meeting in December the uh but we did have a meeting last night uh we're

[11:18] trying we've got an engagement committee that we're going to be working you know

[11:23] trying to get the word out for the mental health you know that were out

[11:27] there that were available for them um we've got a lot of bullet points and

[11:33] ideas um QR codes um the one thing that I believe

[11:39] that we are definitely going to do is start putting our board notes or minutes

[11:46] on the website and and the reason is is that not only for

[11:50] transparency but Joan does such a good job with those notes that it actually

[11:55] shows a lot also uh Dr TR iani uh posts some really nice articles good articles

[12:03] and we'd like to get those up on the website too so I those are two things

[12:07] we're going to do uh we meet uh back for January's meeting which will be at the

[12:12] way back in and that will be tomorrow at 6 in

[12:17] Maywood that concludes my report thank you very much any

[12:22] questions and let's move along new business the only thing um it's a

[12:28] preliminary discussion of the 2025 26 Township budget you have a copy of the

[12:34] 2025 uh fiscal year budget in your packets um take a look at it see where

[12:41] you think uh we we might need to expand we and I would recommend that we not

[12:49] cancel our scheduled meeting for the first Tuesday in February and hold a um

[12:56] a budget meeting for our committee of the hall

[12:59] I don't believe I got that copy it should be under new business in

[13:04] your in your

[13:08] packet it was empty here take this one trusty clerk you want to I H I can take

[13:16] Theus thank youen I'm sure you didn't miss Point well I'll double check on

[13:20] that that could always be a possibility it may be in there but uh not to worry

[13:26] uh we we can always print more and then then I would also um reference as you

[13:32] look at that uh look at your uh monthly statement of Revenue and expenditures

[13:39] that will pretty well follow the budget in terms of line items so you can see

[13:44] where we have been spending and have not spent yet this year um and that'll give

[13:51] you some idea it think about the priorities of what we need to do in the

[13:55] building uh I certainly want to give this place a bit of a facelift uh as

[14:01] best that we can so let's figure out where the priorities need to be and um

[14:07] and be prepared to discuss some some budget Direction at our meeting any

[14:13] discussion any questions on

[14:17] that then the next order of business is the approval of

[14:24] warrants I make a motion uh that the board authorized and

[14:30] ratified payments of the bill identified on the general warrant January 2025 in

[14:36] the amount of

[14:40] $1,661 thank you do I hear a second second I have a motion by truste Clark

[14:46] seconded by trusty deasa to approve the general warrants for January 2025 in the

[14:53] total amount of

[14:56] $1,661 even any discussion then clerk Reyes would you

[15:02] please call the role sure truste clerk yes trusty hbot yes trusty dla yes

[15:09] trusty Caroll yes supervisor Wilt yes motion is

[15:16] carried oh uh I'd like

[15:22] to I'd like to make a motion that the board ratify an authorize payment of the

[15:29] amounts indicated on the following warrants uh utility warrant uh

[15:39] 17678 payroll warrant in the amount of

[15:45] 9,332 197 Health warrant in the amount of

[15:50] 3, uh $370 10 cents general assistance warrant

[15:56] uh in the amount of 9 ,

[16:02] 2989 Township radio players warranted in the amount of

[16:08] 9.78 and the food pantry warrant in the amount of $398.00

[16:29] of $1,767 182 payroll warrant in the amount

[16:34] of

[16:38] $1,329 the health warrant in the amount of

[16:44] $3,371 the general assistance warrant in the amount of

[16:50] 9,298 the radio the township radio players warrant in the amount of

[16:56] $900. 78 and the food pantry warrant in the amount of $398.00

[17:26] [Music] public

[17:31] comments hearing nothing then I will entertain a motion to adjourn motion to

[17:36] adjourn do I hear a second second motion by truste Clark seconded by trustee

[17:41] deasa to adjourn this meeting any discussion hearing none all in favor say

[17:47] I I I all oppose nay motion is carried thank you

[17:54] [Music]

Township of Riverside Board of Trustees Regular Meeting 01-14-25

Transcript