The Township Highway department is a completely separate entity from the Township, it levies its own taxes, prepares its own budget, and has its own funds to pay all expenditures. Most Township highway departments throughout Illinois are located in completely different areas than the Township building itself.
The Road Department in Nameoki has always had its own clerical person. Under Buddy O'Brian, the clerical duties were performed by Laura Marchetti. She was classified as a dispatcher with Teamster wages and benefits. Buddy O'Brian observed her to be untrustworthy and demoted her to laborer. Shortly after that, she claimed injury and received a substantial amount in compensation. Linda McKechan assumed the clerical duties and was paid out of highway funds, so .. you are completely uninformed. That lawsuit should be archived somewhere, unless its been destroyed. I know that it was transferred from the former attorney back to the Township for filing.
When the Milam Landfill moved into the jurisdiction of the City of Madison, many municipalities lost free dumping, including Granite City. The news articles regarding the policy changes made by Milam is available.
Its not trash pick up, you have commercial waste haulers that provide such services. The Highway Department provides a "Large Item Pick Up Program", an environmental program to prevent open dumping. The expenditures for this program should be shared by both the Township and Highway Department. Highway Commissioner Moore requested monetary help from the Township on two occasions during the public meetings, one Trustee assured the Commissioner it would budgeted in, it never was. What amenities other than a yearly Health Clinic does the Township provide for its residents? The requests for financial assistance are documented in the meeting minutes. The Highway Department should not be forced to bare the burden alone.
Highway Commissioner Moore worked out a better plan, a more COST EFFECTIVE plan for waste removal, not only for the environmental program, but also for waste material accumulated by the department. We have a contract with a local waste hauler that provides the road department with roll off dumpsters, this eliminates fuel costs and wear & tear of our tandems in travel to the landfill not to mention the cost of tire repair which happens every time they trek up that hill. Plus the cost per ton is the same as what Milam offered.
This amenity is onsite, available M-F during working hours for the residents to dispose of large items such as appliances, mattresses, old carpet, ect. If they do not have a means to bring it to us, we take their name, number, address, items to be picked up and place it on a list - these things are followed up on during slow days. Organic material such as limbs, trimmings and other yard waste after storms is disposed of by a controlled burn, usually once every three months or so. Organic material to be hauled off to any landfill is expensive.
Charlie Luehmann is acting like a spoiled brat, he promised a clean election and we took him at his word. His word means nothing! He has no qualifications to oversee highway work, none at all .. after we tar & chipped many miles of road in the Township, we had a pretty large area that bled through. Commissioner Moore had mentioned it in his report to the Board. Afterward, Charlie asked me, "How do you guys fix that, Mel?" He got nudged by Trustee Nemski who knew that someone who would be running for Highway Commissioner shouldn't be asking that type of a question. I told him how its repaired, you spread more rock and then you roll - an easy fix. Charlie, you can take that fake apology you made to me and the Highway Commissioner for the stupid challenge to Don's petition and shove it where the sun doesn't shine! A lawman should at least know the definition of "FORGERY"
I apologize to his friends and family for my candidness, but I have tolerated enough of his attacks of my character merely because I am a nobody in comparison to his own NAME and WEALTH.
Teamsters Health Insurance was not cancelled .. that is a lie.
If you want to talk to me directly about any of this, call the Highway Department @ 931-1290. That line is transferred to our home phone number.