Citizens expressed concern about ‘no parking’ ordinance in Nokomis council meeting

NOKOMIS (Heartland Newsfeed) — Many residents were in attendance during the City Council proceedings on Monday night, Feb. 24 to discuss a ‘no parking’ ordinance on Pine Street that was passed at the previous meeting. Kristen Meiners, who resides on Pine, brought before the council that with the ordinance, she and her guests have no place to park their vehicles. If she has to park in her backyard, her children will have nowhere to play. It leaves many having to park at Fred B. Johnson Memorial Park and walk. Tom and Angela Snow stated that just won’t work. They’ve had no problems with parking over the past ten years they’ve lived in their home, as they have no garage or driveway. Implementing the ‘No Parking’ ordinance would create a hardship for them and their families. It was also mentioned that the alleyways are not plowed when it snows and they need to be rocked if it’s to be necessary for use. The council stated they would look into the situation more and review it at a later date. The council did not have enough information to discuss further on the Illinois Labor Relations Notice to employees and will be brought up at a later meeting. The council briefly discussed the trash hauler permit for Finley Disposal, who was granted their permit at the last meeting. The permit was issued immediately by the city after the meeting, is valid for one year and cannot be rescinded. A discussion on setting a maximum cap of trash haulers in the city will be discussed at a later date, with Finley’s permit reviewed in a year. The council approved the Nokomis Historical Society moving their museum exhibits from Nokomis Savings Bank to City Hall. Term of stay is undetermined. The council heard from Dustin Clark, who applied for a liquor license for the gaming parlor set to be in the suite adjacent to the Nokomis Laundromat. Clark stated that per state law, even if no alcohol is sold at the establishment, it requires the application for a liquor license. Clark continued to explain how their operations in Taylorville have worked incredibly well and wants to provide the same for Nokomis. Commissioner Jonathan Nash proceeded to present complaints from residents that the intent was to completely shut down the laundromat, which is not the case. Mayor Russ Foster was in favor of this in absentia. The permit nearly died without motion and a second, until Commissioner Ann Brookshire spoke up on the matter, giving credit for the Taylorville operation. Brookshire motioned and with much hesitation, Mike Holliday seconded. The permit was approved with Nash being the lone dissenter. The council approved bills in the amount of $96,797.37 and reported the following revenues:

• Illinois Department of Revenue
  • Local share of video gaming tax: $1,356.13
  • Nokomis business district tax: $11,273.77
  • Local share of state use tax: $6,791.85
  • Local share of income tax: $21,270.49
  • Local share of telecommunications tax: $2,188.84
• Illinois Department of Transportation
  • Motor fuel tax: $3,086.82

It was brought up that each department should submit a monthly report. In executive session, the council reported a discussion that the union’s negotiating attorney has changed from Ed Flynn to Rick Stewart and that the city clerk’s hours were increasing from 35 hours to 40 hours a week, taking place with the next pay period starting on March 2.