•November 10, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The City Council approved a matching grant to the Moultrie County Historical and Genealogical Society in the amount of $200,000. The city will approve payments to MCHGS twice a year.
There was a first reading of the 2021 tax levy. According to City Treasurer Sarah Golden the overall proposed levy is $811,329 which is a 4.76% increase over the prior year extension. It will be up for vote at the first meeting in December. The increase is due to the large increase in their insurance renewal.
The council discussed a TIF Redevelopment Agreement by and between the city of Sullivan and Main St. Capital Partners. They are requesting that the city put the utilities in the subdivision. This would be phased in within a long period of time and will be revisited at the next meeting.
It was reported that the Christmas lights are being installed in the park. Crews have begun leaf cleanup and marking trees that need to be removed. Renovation of the children’s pool at the Civic Center continues. A hat, glove and boot drive is being hosted at the center during November with donations accepted during business hours. The pool will be closed to the public 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat., Nov. 13 due to a Blue Dolphin swim meet and the facility closed Thursday in observance of Veterans Day. Read More

•November 3, 2021•
by Ariana Cherry
NP Writer

At the most recent meeting of the ALAH School Board, Superintendent Shannon Cheek reported they had received a kickback of $880 from Sarah Bush Lincoln since students and the community utilize their services. “Eight hundred and eighty dollars is helpful for sure,” said Cheek. He also informed the board that the district received another payment from transportation, but it was for last year.
Cheek informed the board about the Southern Illinois Purchasing Cooperative (SIPC). It provides an opportunity to purchase janitorial items and other supplies through Home Depot. “It may provide us with opportunities that we have not had in the past for janitorial staff,” he stated. There is no cost to join and no strings attached and also provides the district with a free iPad. The iPad will help the staff document areas that are cleaned and find out which tools and concepts work best for cleaning. It will assist in providing feedback visually. “This will provide an opportunity to have some informational data and development for our janitorial staff,” said Cheek. The board voted to move ahead to join into an agreement with SIPC. Read More

•October 27, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Sullivan City Council approved a resolution to open an account for American Recovery Plan funds during Monday night’s meeting.
Bill Burger addressed the council in regard to the IEPA permit for which the city was issued penalties due to its being late. This month he wrote a letter to the editor at News Progress concerning that topic. Burger said that the mayor addressed it at the next meeting held after the letter was published.
He revealed that he had a letter from a law firm representing the city. It was brought up that the permit was for five years. “Finding out it was a five-year permit, I can see how it got swept under the rug, got lost, someone just didn’t do it,” Commissioner Mike Fowler said.
He continued to say that this mistake is not affecting his electric bill. “The violation number alleges that Sullivan failed to timely renew its CAPP permit at least nine months prior to the date of the permit expiration and that now Sullivan operates without the CAPP permit,” Burger informed the board. He explained that CAPP is the Clean Air Act Program Plan. Read More

•October 27, 2021•
The Illinois Department of Transportation announced a railroad crossing improvement project in Sullivan that will require the closure of Hamilton Street (Illinois 32) from Monday, Nov. 1, through Wednesday Nov. 3.
The closure is necessary to upgrade and make repairs to the surface crossing. When Hamilton Street is closed, a detour will be posted using Eden and South Market streets, and traffic will not be permitted to travel between Hale Street and Roane Street. Read More

•October 20, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Moultrie County Board adopted three recommendations of the Grievance Investigation Committee findings. The first is the board’s need to establish a type of human resources department to deal with issues existing in the courthouse and with county board members. Second is a standardized grievance form developed and utilized for non-union county employees with all employees trained on completion and distribution of such forms and third, allowing the county assessment office to form its own GIS work from employees within that department.
The board approved transferring $30,000 from Moultrie County reserves to the Moultrie County Health Dept. as per ongoing agreement. At the time the new health department building was constructed, there was an excess of TIF funds for the amount needed so the county used that to pay off the remaining balance on the jail. The county agreed to repay those funds to the health department over a period of years. Read More