KAUFMAN
ELLIOTT — A special meeting of the Elliott Village Board was held Wednesday, Sept. 17, to address multiple issues, including the appointment of a new village clerk.
Village Attorney Marc Miller of Champaign told trustees that, although Gloria Lynch submitted her letter of resignation as village clerk at the Sept. 9 board meeting, the letter was not notarized and could not be approved by the board until it was. Since Lynch was at Wednesday night’s meeting, Miller said he could notarize the letter for Lynch to sign again. With that done, the board voted unanimously to accept the resignation of Lynch, who had served as clerk for seven years and was six months into a four- year term she won in the April 1 election.
With the path clear to appoint a new clerk, Village President Josh Rouley appointed Miranda Kaufman. Trustees then approved the appointment. Kaufman said she is a native of Ford County and has been a resident of Elliott since 2018, adding that she and her husband have made improvements to their property. She said she has 30 years of work experience and familiarity with computer operation and is currently a licensed insurance service representative. A mother of three children, she is the daughter of Sibley native Tom Kearney and the niece of Village President Jim Kearney.
Miller led the swearing-in ceremony for the new clerk.
Other business Also during the meeting:
Miller outlined the legal steps and potential costs involved with addressing various types of nuisance properties. Miller recommended village officials speak with property owners first, then document problems with a specific letter and take photos before pursuing legal action. Miller said he has an associate who could file legal notices and work court cases when needed. Miller recommended the board make a “bundle” of any properties it sends forward for legal action after local actions are unsuccessful. Miller noted there can be thousands of dollars of expense and trustees will need “to be real about costs of getting where you want to go.”
Trustees discussed possible concerns with lighting, noise and late hours of operation with a private farm corporation’s reuse of two large grain bins on the east side Main Street. Miller was directed to develop a general ordinance regarding noise and lighting, but it will not be designed to specifically target the grain bin developers.
Treasurer Paula Swearingen presented four invoices for engineering fees related to the water project from Milano & Grunloh Engineering, and trustees approved paying a total of $17,114.