Carbondale mayor names Chad Moore council president; council approves permits, small equipment purchases and holiday bonuses

Carbondale Mayor Anthony DaPrato called the city council to order at 7 p.m. on Dec. 1, 2025. The meeting’s most consequential items included the mayor’s nomination of Chad Moore to serve as council president, approval of routine permits and small equipment purchases for city maintenance, and adoption of employee holiday bonuses.

The mayor read a letter from Council member Kaitlyn Ball submitting her resignation; DaPrato said he will appoint a replacement at the next meeting. Following the resignation, Mayor DaPrato nominated Council member Chad Moore to be council president. Ronnie Moeller, Kevin Seals and Cheryl Lister voted yes, and Moore accepted the position.

In other actions, the council approved a building permit for Brett Cole to construct a 12-by-25-foot storage shed at 731 W. North and a fence permit for Isabel Pickering at 318 Center Street; both motions were made by Council President Kevin Seals and carried without recorded opposition. The council also approved maintenance purchases: a dual-slope laser kit not to exceed $700 and a starter for the street sander not to exceed $400.

Chief Seals reported progress on a code-abatement matter at 205 S. 4th Street: a motorcycle was moved inside but an unregistered truck remained on the property. The council agreed to have the police chief contact the property owner and to revisit the abatement on Jan. 19, 2026.

After a five-minute executive session to discuss nonelected personnel, the council approved employees donating leave to an ill colleague under the city’s leave policy. The council also adopted the same Christmas bonuses as 2024 — $175 for full-time employees, $125 for part-time employees and $50 for the volunteer crosswalk guard/landscaper — a motion that passed with three in favor and one recorded abstention by Kevin Seals.

Library representative Heather Garrison gave a fourth-quarter update, saying "the library is going well" and noting the library will host the community’s "Christmas in Carbondale" event Sunday. Garrison also presented three design options for a toddler area in the park; the council agreed to allow staff to poll the public about preferences.

Other routine items included consensus to let City Clerk Emily Bessette attend the Regional City Clerk Collaboration (with expenses to be submitted), notification that city vehicles sold on Purplewave, and updates that a planned waterline project and a dock project at Strowbridge Reservoir/East Lake were postponed due to weather and contractor scheduling. The council also expressed preliminary support for amending the dog-tag ordinance to waive registration fees for dogs with microchips, pending formal ordinance language.

During public comment, resident Bob Ellis said work on a neighbor’s sewer line performed by Blake Reed damaged Ellis’s property at 114 North Third and cited "Ordinance 13206;" the council took no action on the claim at the meeting. The council reviewed and approved bills and adjourned at 7:59 p.m.

Next steps: the council will revisit the abatement at 205 S. 4th on Jan. 19, 2026, and the mayor will announce the appointed replacement for the council seat vacated by Kaitlyn Ball at a future meeting.