Effingham, IL-(Effingham Radio)- Effingham Police Chief Jason McFarland announced two moves at the Police Department at Tuesday’s City Council Meeting.
First up was the promotional Sergeant Pinning of Trey Dasenbrock to succeed retiring Officer Scott Volpi.
McFarland also announced the appointment of Ashley Ruholl as a new officer for the department, filling a vacant spot.
The Council also heard from Economic Development Director Todd Hull in regards to a housing needs assessment. Hull said it was a big undertaking and lots of City staff helped with the assessment. Kristopher Walton of the Illinois Housing Development Authority gave a short presentation on the findings from the surveys conducted about Effingham. His presentation showed that affordable housing is a huge need for the City. Residents who participated stated that affordable housing, childcare, and more youth activities are needed in the City.
The Council also accepted a quote from IMCO Utility Company for just under $40k for water main materials for St. Louis Avenue from Main Street to the dead end.
Police Chief McFarland also informed the Council of new cameras that are going to be placed along the busiest intersections like Keller and Fayette. He said this technology will only be used for running plates and examining vehicles for Silver Alerts and Amber Alerts to try to help children and adults in perilous situations. The information will be run through federal and local databases and will not be kept on file for more than 30 days unless flagged. McFarland said that other local communities have already implemented some of these cameras and “have had nothing but good things to say about them.” McFarland indicated they will gauge their effectiveness over the next two years and go from there.
Public Works Director Jeremy Heuerman mentioned to the Council that the Water Treatment Plant has been examined for possible weak points if something were to fail. There were some weak points found and as a result, a proposal was made for improvements to the plant. The project includes design of a new water intake supply from CIPS Lake. The cost is estimated at $140,000.
Merv Gillenwater was absent from Monday’s meeting.
Comments