December 2025 Board Minutes
The regular monthly meeting was called to order on Thursday, December 11, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Dodds.
Trustees present were:
· Rick Norton - Aye
· David Rathke - Aye
· Janice Edwards - Absent
· Dustin McCarty - Aye
· Charles Morefield - Aye
· Vincent Beck - Aye
Also present were Superintendent of Maintenance Josh Hereford, Assistant Superintendent of Maintenance Nick Sandage and Village Treasurer Connie Gossmeyer.
Trustee Dustin McCarty made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes and approve as presented. Trustee Charles Morefield seconded the motion. Vote: Rick Norton-Aye, David Rathke-Aye, Janice Edwards-Absent, Dustin McCarty-Aye, Charles Moreifeld-Aye, Vincent Beck-Aye. Motion carried.
Trustee Rick Norton made a motion to approve the Treasurer’s Report for the month of November 2025. Trustee David Rathke seconded the motion. Vote: Rick Norton-Aye, David Rathke-Aye, Janice Edwards-Absent, Dustin McCarty-Aye, Charles Moreifeld-Aye, Vincent Beck-Aye. Motion carried.
Trustee Rick Norton made a motion to pay the bills as presented. Trustee David Rathke seconded the motion. Vote: Rick Norton-Aye, David Rathke-Aye, Janice Edwards-Absent, Dustin McCarty-Aye, Charles Moreifeld-Aye, Vincent Beck-Aye. Motion carried.
Public comments-Items on the agenda.
There were no public comments.
The 2024-2025 Audit Report was given by Mayor Larry Dodds on behalf of Russ Leigh. Mayor Dodds reported that Russ Leigh stated this was a clean audit with no findings. There were no issues in compliance with Illinois Statutes and Accounting Standards.
A presentation was given by De Anna Kraay of Conxxus.
Special Reports
Police Department- Police Chief Ritchie Cooper was absent. The report provided stated reports were completed in November 2025 for the following: Harassment Through Electronic Communications (Threat), Residential Burglary, Aggravated Assault, Mental Health and Violation of Order of Protection.
Maintenance Report- Josh reports Illinois Rural Water Association came out and tested the water for ammonia and Nitrate/Nitrite and helped with the decision on which testing equipment to purchase as required by the EPA. Josh and Nick continued the work on the water plant to bring it in compliance with the recommendations of the EPA. Josh, Nick and Brent picked up 27 dump truck loads of leaves in November. During leaf pick-up the maintenance department had troubles with the dump truck. It was struggling to stay running and it died numerous times. At times it would have to sit for 10-15 minutes before it would restart. Josh and Nick borrowed the bucket truck from the Village of Downs to hang all the Christmas decorations. The roads were plowed and salted as needed. All daily/monthly general maintenance was completed.
Animal Control/Zoning Report- The November Report states a dog was running at large and a skunk was trapped. Brent measured property lines for a resident for an ongoing property dispute between neighbors.
EMA Report- Sirens were tested on November 4th with no issues. No severe weather reported.
Mayor’s Report- A list of the monthly revenue for November was included for review. Mayor Dodds reports Josh and Nick did an excellent job transforming the downtown area into a winter wonderland. The Colfax Restoration Project sponsored Colfax Christmas on Saturday, December 6, 2025, beginning with the Tour of Homes, Santa, Activities & Snacks at Martin Township Public Library, the Christmas Tree Lighting in the 819 Pavilion and the Polar Express Community Christmas meal at the American Legion.
Committee Reports
Finance and Audit Committee Chairman, Rick Norton, has nothing to report at this time.
Police and Liquor Committee Chairman, David Rathke, states a committee meeting was held on November 13, 2025. Mayor Dodds gave a brief summary of the meeting.
Water and Sewer Committee Chairman, Vincent Beck, states a committee meeting was held on December 4, 2025. Chair Vincent Beck, Rick Norton and Charles Morefield have a brief summary of the meeting.
Streets and Lights Committee Chairman, Janice Edwards was absent.
Maintenance Equipment and Vehicle Committee Chairman, Charles Morefield, has nothing to report at this time.
Old Business
First item of Old Business was the discussion and approval of the 2025-2026 Tax Levy for the Village of Colfax, McLean County, Illinois.
Trustee Vincent Beck made a motion to approve the 2025-2026 Tax Levy for the Village of Colfax, McLean County, Illinois. Trustee Rick Norton seconded the motion. Vote: Rick Norton-Aye, David Rathke-Aye, Janice Edwards-Absent, Dustin McCarty-Aye, Charles Moreifeld-Aye, Vincent Beck-Aye. Motion carried.
Next on the agenda was the discussion and approval of Ordinance No. 2025-17, An Ordinance Amending Chapter 4 of the Municipal Code of the Village of Colfax, McLean County, Illinois Regarding Municipal Purchasing.
Trustee David Rathke made a motion to approve Ordinance No. 2025-17, An Ordinance Amending Chapter 4 of the Municipal Code of the Village of Colfax, McLean County, Illinois Regarding Municipal Purchasing. Trustee Rick Norton seconded the motion. Vote: Rick Norton-Aye, David Rathke-Aye, Janice Edwards-Absent, Dustin McCarty-Aye, Charles Moreifeld-Aye, Vincent Beck-Aye. Motion carried.
Final item of Old Business was the continued discussion concerning four EV Charging Stations for the Village of Colfax via a Federal Grant facilitated by McLean County Board of Supervisors. Mayor Larry Dodds met with the Illinois Finance Authority regarding the grant and the costs the Village of Colfax would be responsible for. A decision was made to withdraw from the grant process.
New Business
First item of New Business was the discussion and approval of an Intergovernmental Agreement for Cost Sharing of Nitrification Testing Equipment with the Village of Anchor.
Trustee Vincent Beck made a motion to approve an Intergovernmental Agreement for Cost Sharing of Nitrification Testing Equipment with the Village of Anchor. Trustee Charles Morefield seconded the motion. Trustee Rick Norton seconded the motion. Vote: Rick Norton-Aye, David Rathke-Aye, Janice Edwards-Absent, Dustin McCarty-Aye, Charles Moreifeld-Aye, Vincent Beck-Aye. Motion carried.
Trustee Vincent Beck made a motion to approve the purchase of SL250 Single-Port Portable Parallel Analyzer (PPA) to comply with IEPA requirements at a cost of $2,892.00 (1/2 to be paid by the Village of Anchor) Trustee Dustin McCarty seconded the motion. Trustee Rick Norton seconded the motion. Vote: Rick Norton-Aye, David Rathke-Aye, Janice Edwards-Absent, Dustin McCarty-Aye, Charles Moreifeld-Aye, Vincent Beck-Aye. Motion carried.
Final item of New Business was the discussion of the Water and Sewer Committee regarding water and sewer rate increases and the addition of infrastructure fees for water and sewer and an increase in the monthly storm water fee.
Committee members met on December 4, 2025. The committee took a detailed look at the revenue vs expenses for the water and sewer fund. It was determined that due to rising expenses, funds are not accumulating for upcoming infrastructure maintenance as they should be. A few years back, an ordinance was passed to increase the water and sewer fees annually in January. Prior to that increase the rates had not increased since the nineties. At the present time, there are about 80 water meters that are non-functioning. The cost to replace each meter varies between $150 and $500. All meters will soon need to be replaced as they have exceeded the lifespan of the battery. The expense of replacing all meters was estimated to cost approximately $70,000. The village also has an upcoming expense of $175,000 to dredge the main sewer lagoon. The committee suggests due to aging infrastructure the village needs to build up a reserve for the costly repairs. Increasing water and sewer fees would help this. The committee also discussed considering a monthly water infrastructure and sewer infrastructure fee similar to the monthly storm water fees. Increasing the monthly storm water fee from $3.00 monthly to $5.00 monthly is also being considered.
Public comments-Items not on the agenda.
There were no public comments.
Trustee Vincent Beck made a motion to go into Executive Session to consider appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, dismissal of village employees and pending litigation pursuant to Section 2 (C) (11) of the Illinois Open Meetings Act. Trustee David Rathke seconded the motion. Vote: Rick Norton-Aye, David Rathke-Aye, Janice Edwards-Absent, Dustin McCarty-Aye, Charles Moreifeld-Aye, Vincent Beck-Aye. Motion carried.
The Board of Trustees entered Executive Session at 8:50 p.m.
Trustee David Rathke made a motion to return to Open Session. Trustee Rick Norton seconded the motion. Vote: Rick Norton-Aye, David Rathke-Aye, Janice Edwards-Absent, Dustin McCarty-Aye, Charles Moreifeld-Aye, Vincent Beck-Aye. Motion carried.
The Board of Trustees returned to Open Session at 9:30 p.m.
Trustee Charles Morefield made a motion to authorize Mayor Dodds to sign documents for a loan at Peoples State Bank of Colfax for $60,000 with a rate of 4.75%. Trustee David Ratke seconded the motion. Vote: Rick Norton-Aye, David Rathke-Aye, Janice Edwards-Absent, Dustin McCarty-Aye, Charles Moreifeld-Aye, Vincent Beck-Aye. Motion carried.
Trustee Charles Morefield made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Trustee David Rathke seconded the motion. Vote: Rick Norton-Aye, David Rathke-Aye, Janice Edwards-Absent, Dustin McCarty-Aye, Charles Moreifeld-Aye, Vincent Beck-Aye. Motion carried.
Meeting adjourned at 9:40 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Portia Vandegraft
Village Clerk