Galesburg Alderman didn’t support going to a monthly billing model for water and refuse in the spring, but now they do.
Alderman Angela Bastian was one of five council members who last night were a part of the 5-2 vote that will change the frequency of utility billing.
Bastian along with Wayne Allen were the two votes that changed from March to January.
She says that one of the main factors was this go-round the proposal did not include any additional city staff hiring.
Thompson in answering a question from Alderman Wayne Allen said it was “uncertain” how much bad debt this switch is expected to take care of. He said “We’ve looked at some other cities, and they’ve had varied results but we do anticipate that we’d have better collections and reduce some of that bad debt.”
He added that, “One of the benefits – in this case not only through more timely payments – but also because the deposit would cover a greater portion that are delinquent.”
Alderman Russell Fleming and Wayne Dennis both voted no, voicing that they were doing so based on wishes of their constituents.
Fleming said he would be open to a compromise of bi-monthly and also asked the council to take a look at what he considers expenses that will be passed on to taxpayers.
Council also accepted a bid for nine security cameras on Galesburg Transit buses.
The cost will be $49,000 but will be entirely reimbursed by the Illinois Jobs Now grant.
Alderman Peter Schwarzman said he likely would have been a no vote in the state wasn’t reimbursing the cost.
