Pinckneyville council adopts 2026–27 budget, approves water-tower inspections and gas-line purchase

Pinckneyville'026'027 budget adopted; several contracts approved

The Pinckneyville City Council on April 27 adopted its annual budget for the fiscal year ending April 30, 2027, and approved multiple service contracts and purchases meant to maintain city infrastructure and services.

Why it matters

The budget adoption sets the city's spending plan for the coming year and clears the way for immediate maintenance work on water towers and gas lines that city staff said are overdue or part of grant-funded projects.

What the council voted on and why

Commissioner William B. Stotlar presented and moved approval of Ordinance No. O-2026-02 to adopt the annual budget for the fiscal year ending April 30, 2027; Commissioner Joshua L. Kuhnert seconded the motion and the ordinance was adopted on a unanimous roll call vote. Stotlar also introduced Ordinance No. O-2026-03 approving the Estimate of Revenues for the same fiscal year; that ordinance was likewise approved unanimously.

On infrastructure, the council approved Resolution No. R-2026-18 to accept Viking Industrial Painting, LLC's low bid of $8,500 to inspect and, as needed, clean and repaint Pinckneyville's three water towers. Jesse Maynard of HMG Engineers told the council that tower maintenance is typically performed every five years and that, once properly blasted and repainted, towers can remain serviceable for about 25 years; he recommended Viking as the lowest responsible bidder.

The council also authorized the purchase of parts for the gas line replacement project from Groebner in the amount of $136,724.40. Commissioner Joshua L. Kuhnert said the parts purchase will be reimbursed by the Delta Regional Authority Gas Line Replacement Grant, linking the expenditure to grant funding rather than the city's current operating funds.

Other approvals

The council adopted Resolution No. R-2026-17 authorizing a Swimming Pool Management Service Agreement with Jo C. Summers and approved Resolution No. R-2026-15 to award a mowing contract for the city cemetery to Daniel Showalter. The accounts payable motion included the addition of four invoices totaling $5,990.67 (Ameritas Vision $704.00; Ameritas Dental $3,620.04; VIPower Services $1,159.45; VIPower Services $507.18) and was approved by unanimous roll call.

Financial snapshot

Commissioner Stotlar reported the treasurer's report for the period ending March 2026 showing an ending balance of $12,880,224.59, an increase from the prior year, and an unrestricted balance of $2,425,572.44, a decrease from the prior year. The council voted to accept the treasurer's report unanimously.

Public comment and executive session

No members of the public registered comments during the public comment period. The council then moved into an executive session under Section 2(c)(11) to discuss pending or probable litigation at 6:14 p.m.; the meeting returned to open session at 6:38 p.m. No action arising from the executive session was recorded in the public minutes before the meeting was adjourned at 6:39 p.m.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes (April 13, 2026): Yea 5, Nay 0 (motion carried) - Treasurer's report approval: Yea 5, Nay 0 (motion carried) - Accounts payable (with four added invoices totaling $5,990.67): Yea 5, Nay 0 (motion carried) - Optimist Club request (collection May 16, 2026): Yea 5, Nay 0 (motion carried) - Resolution R-2026-17 (pool management agreement with Jo C. Summers): Yea 5, Nay 0 (adopted) - Resolution R-2026-18 (water-tower inspection, Viking Industrial Painting, LLC, low bid $8,500): Yea 5, Nay 0 (adopted) - Approve Groebner quote for gas-line replacement parts ($136,724.40) reimbursed by Delta Regional Authority grant: Yea 5, Nay 0 (approved) - Resolution R-2026-15 (cemetery mowing contract with Daniel Showalter): Yea 5, Nay 0 (adopted) - Ordinance O-2026-02 (annual budget FY ending April 30, 2027): Yea 5, Nay 0 (adopted) - Ordinance O-2026-03 (estimate of revenues FY ending April 30, 2027): Yea 5, Nay 0 (adopted)

What to watch next

The minutes show the city has authorized maintenance and purchases tied to infrastructure upkeep and a federal/regional grant. The next steps to watch are any implementation reports from HMG Engineers on tower work, invoicing/reimbursement steps tied to the Delta Regional Authority grant, and any follow-up actions resulting from the council's executive-session discussion of litigation.