The Salem City Council returns to an in-person meeting for the first time since last year as COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
The Salem City Council has decided to plan for entertainment and food trucks to return as part of an expanded Fourth of July celebration.
The city council was pleased with the program last year and hope with the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions more can be done this year. Economic Development Director Tabitha Meador was directed to once again contract with Bill Poss of Effingham to provide the entertainment and sound system at the Bryan Park Band Stage.
The fireworks will then follow over the Salem Reservoir. The council decided to keep all activity on July 4th, which is a Sunday this year.
The council approved being the administrative agent on a half-million-dollar Illinois Department of Transportation grant to Little Egypt Golf Cars for the development of the main road into their new development on North Hotze Road. The city will not incur any costs for the development. City Manager Rex Barbee says IDOT must sign off on the agreement before work can begin. He reports the goal will be to have the road installed by the end of summer. The project also allows room for other businesses in addition to Little Egypt Golf Cars.
The council agreed to a $4,788 yearly contract with Social Archive to archive all of the city’s social media pages. The archiving will catch all comments, including those eliminated by the poster before the end of the day. The city needs the full archiving to be able to potentially meet any Freedom of Information Act requests.
The council approved the emergency purchase of a new chemical mixer at the Salem Water Treatment Plant to replace one that is showing signs of failure. The council was told there was no backup if the mixer went out. The $19,000 cost of the mixer and installation will be paid from general funds since it was not budgeted.
