Village of Hardin still looking to fill code enforcement position

By Editor | February 15, 2023 |

By Steven Spencer

The Hardin Village Board discussed an opening for a code enforcement officer during Wednesday’s board meeting on Feb. 8.
The Mayor said there’s been a position open for a long time that still hasn’t been filled. Currently, residents are being directed to the Sheriff’s Department when there is a concern with code violations.
The board decided to keep trying to fill the position before fully letting the county take over code enforcement.
“With trying to improve the riverfront, trying to just improve the city in general to potentially entice people to come in and start a business or what have you, we have some residences that need to be cleaned up. We have some areas right when you come into the village from different directions that need to be cleaned up, and we need to be able to enforce that,” Mayor Hurley said.
During the Treasure’s report, the board discussed new CD rates and the possibility of taking advantage of new rates that are available. There would be a penalty for cashing in early, but with the new rates, the penalty would be paid off in about 10 days. After a brief discussion, the board and treasurer agreed it would be best to face the penalty and go with the new rates at three percent for 18 months.
In new business, the board approved a $250 donation for the Calhoun High School after-prom. Diane Rose with the after-prom committee said the event is free for students to attend along with their dates.
“Everybody is welcome to attend. It’s free to the kids and we usually try to do something different,” Rose said. “We did bowling for many years and then last year they kind of wanted to do something different.”
To give the students something different, this year’s after-prom will be at Urban Air Adventure Park which has several different activities including rock climbing walls, trapeze, a warrior course, trampoline dodgeball and more.
After a discussion, the board decided to table any action regarding a rebuild of a skid steer engine. Currently, they’re looking at a three-quarter engine or a complete engine rebuild and decided to table the matter while waiting for more possible options.
The board also heard from Stacey Allen, who was curious about what permits and requirements would be needed to start a dog boarding and kennel business.
Allen was told that rezoning would be required for the property to go from residential to commercial, but without ordinance requirements on hand during the meeting the board agreed to provide Allen with the information needed to help for her to prepare for permits and rezoning.
“It is a big need in our area,” Allen said. “We don’t have anyone right now that does it. I board my dogs a couple of times and now I have to go to Jerseyville, and it’s more expensive.”
Once state and local requirements are met, Allen said she plans to have the business up and running in July.
During new business, the board heard updates on the Public Works building. With a lot of the electric wired in, the lights are up and the boardroom is insulated.
“We’re not too far away from being finished,” Chris Schulze said.
In other business, a $50,000 discretionary grant from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for infrastructure spending was discussed Wednesday. If the grant is received, the money could be used for sidewalks, streetlights, property and any other types of infrastructure throughout the village. During the discussion, the board expressed interest in possibly using some of the funds to renovate the old firehouse.
Before going into a closed session, the board received an update on the flood buyout program. Everything has now been approved for the buyout and the village should receive the money in three to four weeks.
The next board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 8, at 6 p.m.