PHOTO BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
SHERIFF REPORT … Fulton County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Brian Marvin speaks to members of the Lyons Village Council regarding call numbers for the year of 2024.
By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
The Village of Lyons held their first meeting of the year on Monday, January 6th. The meeting began at 7:01 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Council first moved to approve minutes from the prior meeting in December, along with December financials and the reading of the bills.
It was then stated that health insurance for some village employees was all set for the year and that the Christmas trees were unlit that morning.
Discussion then shifted over to the topic of water, with it being stated an idea of adding more taps was brought up.
According to the numbers, the average water usage per day is half of what is allowed, with the highest max day at certain points still leaving some cushion to allow for more taps. The issue will be discussed more in the future.
Sgt. Brian Marvin from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office then spoke and delivered the police report for the village.
It was stated that a lot of meetings are all held on Mondays at 7:00 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. and that he was not sure as to the last time an update was provided.
For the year as a whole, the Village of Lyons experienced 11 criminal cases and 86 non-criminal or accident related complaints.
The following additional items were then discussed. The state audit came back with five items on it that need to be worked on.
One of these items included the need to put items out to bid when making future purchases. The new zoning book has been received and will be reviewed.
Leaf pickup went well but brought to light an issue with the date and will be fixed for the next time. The Christmas parade held just a few weeks prior went well and had to most entries thus far.
It was stated that many people were calling in and sending emails to let the village know it went well.
Next, it was stated that Royalton Township is going to be going down to one meeting per month, with those meetings being held on the 2nd Monday of the month.
As for the village farmers market, it was stated that one of the organizers (Ashley Kelble) is working on getting dates put together.
A calendar of events was given to those running the farmers market so that they are able to schedule the market days around other events.
It was further stated that, due to village land being used for this event, council would like for the event to coordinate with the village more, while also further stating that they think it would be better to hold the event during both the morning and evening hours.
While it may be the first of the year, the topic of holidays and Halloween was brought up. Halloween falls on a Friday this year and the idea of whether or not to change the trick or treat night due to football was brought up. At this time, the decision was made to keep trick or treat on the Friday night.
Continuing, the topic then shifted to the restaurant Wolf It Down. Due to catering kicking into full gear, as well as events, the site is closed to dining and carryout. Then, council discussed the budget for the coming year.
When it comes to revenue, it was stated that taxes are up significantly. This was able to lead to a budget increase for this year, as well as an additional $10,000 being able to be moved from the general fund to the parks fund.
This will lead to an end amount of $16,900 available for the park system throughout 2025.
Lastly, council moved to set the September meeting date to September 8th and listed off items on the sheriff’s report for the month of November. The meeting was then adjourned at 8:19 p.m.
The next meeting for the Village of Lyons will be held on February 3rd at 7:00 p.m.