There were plenty of expenses that were approved at the October 27 Peotone Village Board meeting.
Most were routine or payouts for already completed work, but the big expense was for a cloud-based ERP (enterprise resource planning) system through BS & A Cloud for a total of $82,920.
The annual fee for the ERP is $20,430, but there are additional costs of $20,565 for the data conversion and setup, another $1,500 for a custom import to the system, $15,125 in project management and implementation planning fees, and another $25,300 for implementation and training, of which village financial consultant Ann Marie Mampe believes she can whittle a bit because she has worked with the program. The total expected cost is $82,920.
The program is a comprehensive sort of, do it all program, though encompassing finance management in the forms of a general ledger, account payable, cash receipts, and account receivables. It’ll also handle Human Resources and payroll, although Mampe said employees will be inputting their own timesheets. It also will address building department transactions and business licenses, along with community development.
The annual increase in cost of the software is about $15,000 more than the current Locis software being used by the village. Mampe said it was a good investment though, referring to Locis as a “time bomb” and saying there were glitches in the software that makes it “not work.” Mampe also suggested it would drastically automate the community development processes, such as building permits and requesting inspections.
Trustee Gary Hudson said he choked on the cost at first. Trustee Pat Bowden also said it was a crazy amount of money and asked Village President Chris Vieaux if it was a priority for him. Vieaux said it was, and Bowden replied, “Remember that at budget time.”
It passed unanimously, with Administrator Nick Palmer chiming in “5-0” after the vote. Village Clerk Stacey Hartwell was absent for the meeting.
In other board news, the third partial payout for the Conrad Storm Sewer project was approved for $84,646.85. Most of the project was funded by American Rescue Plan Act grant money through Will County.
Another resolution approving a request for access to the Illinois Department of Revenue-My Local Tax Account was unanimously approved. The access will give the village the ability to verify tax locations, view and print prior correspondence, request and receive reports, submit inquiries, and request updates to local accounts.
A resolution authorizing an IGA (intergovernmental agreement) with the Illinois Comptroller for participation in the Local Debt Recovery Program was approved. Participation in the program gives the village another tool to collect unpaid fines and fees.
A fence variance for 113 Wesley Drive was approved to allow parallel fences no less than five feet was also approved. A storm sewer is located between the properties and concerns for maintenance between the fence lines were addressed by the homeowner.
A cleaning services agreement with local contractor Welch Cleaning Pro also was approved. Monthly cost will be $450 for biweekly cleanings, at a cost savings of $5,400 annually.
A new VoIP (voice over internet protocol) phone system also was approved with the local company Rival 5 in Mokena. While the initial cost was $5,470.34 for the year, the average monthly savings is $500 to $750 per month. An additional cost for Meraki 24 port Ethernet switch for the use of the phones also was approved for $5,505. Leading IT was providing switches, and the cost was comparable to those on Amazon. The new VoIP phone system would not work without the Ethernet switch.
In committee reports, Public Works Manager Bob Hennke reported fall tree planting and the sidewalk replacement program are about to begin soon.
Chief David Demik reported a grant was received to cover the cost of implementing eight flock cameras around town. A license plate reader (LPR) will be placed at the corner of Rathje and Peotone-Wilmington Road, a live feed with LPR will be placed in the Railroad Street lot and be able to view an area from Second to Main. Another LPR will be placed at the corner of Drecksler and Wilmington Road, allowing the viewing of everything coming in and out of town. Another live feed camera, with approval from property owners, would be placed at the Sunset Strip, again to view any disturbances in that area, and allow officers to zoom in on movement. An additional live feed camera facing Railroad Street, with the ability to pan all the way to Cornerstone Coffee and in the other direction to Second and North, also will be installed. A live feed camera will be placed at Wilmington Road near Circle and will be able to capture everything entering and exiting I-57. Lastly, another live feed will be added to an existing LPR at 88th Avenue near the truck stop. This camera will give officers the ability to view activity live from patrol cars. The cost for all these cameras is completely covered by the grant for two years.
Demik also has applied for another grant through Firehouse Subs for $30,000 for a Polaris four-door side-by-side, of which they’re waiting for word of award.
Detective Miller is continuing the investigation of the carjacking that occurred at Rt. 50 and Beecher Blacktop Road.
Also, the police department is fully staffed and has helped provide coverage for Homecoming, Halloween, and the movie shooting just outside of town. The department also handed out candy at the trunk-or-treat event and awarded their annual Spooky Halloween Home Awards to 921 Bonnie Lane, 913 Bonnie Lane, and 718 Wesley Drive.