Mt. Vernon council approves $3.51 million in vouchers, freezes levy and sends two referendums to April ballot

The Mount Vernon City Council on Dec. 2 approved $3,509,918.24 in consolidated vouchers, adopted a city tax levy totaling $2,880,100 with no increase from last year, and voted to place two referendum questions on the April ballot that would (1) eliminate the elected City Treasurer position and (2) convert the elected City Clerk into a municipal employee.

City Manager Mary Ellen Bechtel told the council the levy for fiscal year 2025 remains flat at $2,880,100 and said levies authorized by Ordinance 2020-31 for the 2020 bond are abated for the current tax year. The council suspended its rules to take action and then approved Ordinance #2024-41 (motion to suspend: Council Member Joe Gliosci; approval motion moved by Council Member Donte Moore and seconded by Council Member Joe Gliosci). The vote on the levy and other formal motions recorded yeas from Gliosci, Moore and Mayor John Lewis; Council Members Ray Botch and Mike Young were recorded absent.

Bechtel also presented two resolutions to place referendum questions on the April ballot. The first would ask, “Should the City of Mount Vernon, Illinois, eliminate the City Treasurer position?” The second would ask, “Should the City of Mount Vernon, Illinois, convert the City Clerk position from an elected role to a municipal employee?” Bechtel clarified that the measure regarding the clerk would not eliminate the current Deputy City Clerk: "If this Referendum would pass, she would then become the City Clerk and she would continue in that role," referring to Deputy City Clerk Becky Barbour.

Council approved both resolutions to place the questions on the ballot (motions seconded and approved; yeas: Gliosci, Moore, Lewis; absent: Botch, Young). If approved by voters in April, the ballot outcomes would alter the city’s elected-official structure; the council did not adopt implementation details at the meeting.

The council also authorized staff to seek bids for construction of traffic signals at South 34th Street and Veterans Memorial Drive; Bechtel said engineering is complete and the project is expected to cost a little less than $400,000. Separately, the council granted a street-closure request for 9th Street between Harrison Street and Main Street to allow the Jefferson County CEO Program to hold a "Titanic’s Grand Gala" at the Granada on Dec. 6. Liam Asbery, representing the CEO class, said the program gives Jefferson County high school students hands-on business experience and that the event is expected to draw about 230 people.

Mayor John Lewis presented the appointment of Rosa Roma to the Tourism Advisory Board; the council accepted the appointment. At 7:25 p.m. the council entered executive session under 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5) to discuss the purchase or lease of real property for city use and reconvened at 7:50 p.m., at which time the meeting was adjourned.

Votes at a glance • Consolidated vouchers (accounts payable) — $3,509,918.24: Approved (yeas: Gliosci, Moore, Lewis; absent: Botch, Young) • Ordinance #2024-41 (Levy and Collection of Taxes for FY2025, total levy $2,880,100): Approved (yeas: Gliosci, Moore, Lewis; absent: Botch, Young) • Resolution — place referendum to eliminate City Treasurer on April ballot: Approved (yeas: Gliosci, Moore, Lewis; absent: Botch, Young) • Resolution — place referendum to convert City Clerk from elected to municipal employee on April ballot: Approved (yeas: Gliosci, Moore, Lewis; absent: Botch, Young) • Street closure for Jefferson County CEO "Titanic’s Grand Gala" (Dec. 6, 2024): Approved (yeas: Gliosci, Moore, Lewis; absent: Botch, Young) • Seek bids for traffic signals at South 34th & Veterans Memorial Drive (estimated < $400,000): Authorized (yeas: Gliosci, Moore, Lewis; absent: Botch, Young) • Appointment of Rosa Roma to Tourism Advisory Board: Approved (yeas: Gliosci, Moore, Lewis; absent: Botch, Young)

The council recessed into executive session to discuss the potential purchase or lease of real property under the cited state statute and reconvened later the same evening; no public action on that matter was recorded after the executive session during this meeting.