The City of Grayville will help Chappy’s with the demolition of property at 116 South Main Street. Leaders were forced to push back their planned Monday, December 23rd meeting due to computer and server issues instead gathering Friday morning. Council met for about 21 minutes Friday morning to get through just a handful of items. They spent a third of the time on the Chappy’s request. City Attorney Jay Walden says he has spoken with Chappy’s attorney, Jonathan Turpin regarding the request. The city requested Chappy’s take down the building next to their bar/restaurant and in doing so, a sewer line exploded. Insurance has refused to pay to this point leaving the restaurant owners responsible for what’s expected to be in excess of $34,000 in repairs. The claim is ongoing and an agreement for if Chappy’s were to win via settlement or judgement, the city could recoup some of the request Chappy’s is making. Commissioner Andi Ford suggested a grant in the amount of $17,700 or 50% of the total cost of the demolition and sewer repair. Commissioner Scott Browning questioned why the city wouldn’t make it a small interest loan.
Browning: I just see us helping with the sewage. It wasn’t not even a year ago we gave them $23,500 for tables, chairs and…
Ford: But we also kind of with the demolition, that was at our request.
Browning: Yeah, but any building in town that was falling in, the city would want them to tear it down because it’s a public safety issue.
Mayor Travis Thompson: If you go with what we’ve done with everybody else and the help we’ve given to tear down properties, it’s always been 50% of the tear down.
Browning: And I understand that. But we’ve already given them money to help. I just don’t get it.
Commissioners and the mayor also wanted to take into account Chappy’s longevity and that the business isn’t located in a TIF district meaning they don’t see that benefit.
Thompson: And this to be clear is not taxpayer money. It comes from Terrabis in which 1.5% comes back to us and .75% of that goes into the revolving loan fund for projects of this nature.
Browning: I never stated that.
Thompson: I’m not saying you did. I’m talking about people that have said something to me or that I’ve overheard. The next thing I’d say is that Chappy’s isn’t in TIF. They don’t get TIF money every year back in the forms of property taxes as everybody else south of town does. They also didn’t get money for roof; they didn’t get money for plumbing issues prior. They do not get any assistance. They’ve been a part of Grayville for what, I don’t know, 20 years with very little assistance given their way.
Council passed granting Chappy’s $17,700 with all voting yes save for Commissioner Browning.
Grayville leaders also Friday morning voted to provide assistance at the Veterans Memorial at Oak Grove Cemetery. Volunteers have raised more than $4,600 this year in memorial brick purchases and donations. Commissioners agreed to pour in $3,400 out of motel tax/tourism funding to help make other improvements. Learn more about Grayville’s Veterans Memorial at https://grayville-il.gov/grayville-veterans-memorial/.
Mark Smith of Sam’s Realty was awarded $2,500 in TIF assistance Friday morning. City leaders also approved pay estimates of $1,044.21 for sidewalk replacement and $15,664.47 for watermain improvements.
In Commissioner reports, Andi Ford says she’s looking for an ordinance to crack down on out of towners utilizing city dumpsters for trash by potentially imposing fines.
We have at least two people that live outside city limits that come in usually every morning around 6am putting their personal trash, I’m assuming trash they can’t burn on their own property into our trash bins. It’s filling them up, making more work for the guys that have to empty it. It’s glassware, canned goods, things like that and I’ve seen other communities that have labels affixed to their trash cans that say there’s a $100 fine if someone’s caught doing that. I know that would have to be an ordinance. So I’m checking with other communities to see what they’ve done. I think that does fall under health and safety. So if we can work on something like that, I’ll try to do the legwork, and see if that might be something we can come up with an ordinance for.
Grayville leaders are due to be back in session on January 13th at their regular time of 7pm at City Hall at 119 Middle Street.
