Forest Village Council – April 9, 2026

Village of Forest Council met in regular session on April 9, 2026 at 7:00 PM in council chambers.

Mayor Hastings called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Attendance:

• Derek Hastings – present
• Mary Dickinson – excused absence
• Loretta Perkins – present
• Sarah Hankins – present
• Danielle Moore – present
• Valerie Mullholand – excused absence
• Joe Moore – present

S. Hankins moved to excuse M. Dickinson’s absence from meeting. D. Moore seconded. Vote: 4 yeas, 0 nays. Absence excused.

Village Announcements: None

Approval of Agenda for April 9, 2026: D. Moore moved to approve agenda for 4/9/26 meeting. J. Moore seconded. Vote: 4 yeas, 0 nays. Agenda approved.

Approval/Corrections of Minutes: Approval of minutes from March 26, 2026. L. Perkins moved to approve minutes from 3/26/26 council meeting. S. Hankins seconded. Vote: 4 yeas, 0 nays. Minutes approved.

Bills: D. Moore moved to approve the payment of bills. L. Perkins seconded. Vote: 4 yeas, 0 nays. Payment of bills approved.

Citizens’ Comments: Keith McKee requested the Village of Forest reinstall stop signs that were removed years ago at intersections around the park. This will be discussed at Safety Committee meeting on 4/13/26 @ 6pm. Mr. McKee also requested the easement in the alley by his home be reassessed. This will be discussed at Zoning Committee meeting on 4/13/26 @ 6:45pm. Mr. McKee also had concerns with understanding the usage on his utility bills. Administrator J. Rineharnmer will review and follow up with Mr. McKee.

Old Business: The 3rd reading of Ordinance 2026-01 U-Turns within the Village of Forest was completed. S. Hankins moved to approve Ordinance 2026-01. L. Perkins seconded. Vote: 4 yeas, 0 nays. Ordinance 2026-01 approved.

The 2″ reading of Ordinance 2026-02 Amending Park Rules in conjunction with Ordinance Section 957.01 was completed.

New Business: Resolution 2026-04 Amending 2026 Permanent Appropriations to increase Water Operating Fund 5101 Revenue was presented. L. Perkins moved to approve Resolution 2026-04. D. Moore seconded. Vote: 4 yeas, 0 nays. Resolution 2026-04 approved.

Committee Reports

Mayor: Has been in discussion with Mark Doll and there is a strong possibility the Village of Forest will receive grant funding to tear down the old Tree Town Inn building.

Finance/Audit: No updates. Will meet on 4/23/26 @ 6pm.

Safety: Meeting scheduled for 4/13/26 @ 6pm.

Police Chief: Gave a statistics update.

Fire Chief: It was recommended that Steven Dickinson, Derek Eblen, and Sara Eblen be appointed as probationary members of the Forest Fire Department. S. Hankins moved to accept the appointments. J. Moore seconded. Vote: 4 yeas, 0 nays. Appointments approved.

Ambulance Board: None

Service: Scheduled meeting for 4/20/26 @ 6pm.

Administrator:

Water: Unused well house has been capped off. Continuing to work on the new well with Layne Corp, Choice One Engineering, and the EPA.

Sewer: Filed a grant for $7 million to fund the lagoon project.

Streets: Been working on cleaning up tree limbs, streets, and catch basins.

Park: Park and soccer fields have been mowed. Have an interview scheduled for seasonal position. Fountain has been placed back into pond.

Attended training on 4/8/26. Found it to be very informative and made several contacts.

Park Board: It was presented that the Park Board would like approval to purchase a new mower for the Park. The cost is $10,840 from Forney’s. S. Hankins moved to approve the purchase. J. Moore seconded. Vote: 4 yeas, 0 nays. Purchase of mower approved.

Market Square: Meeting scheduled 4/12/26 @ noon.

CIC: Meeting scheduled 4/15/26 12pm at library.

Business/Industrial Development: None

Zoning and Planning: Have a meeting scheduled for 4/13/26 @ 6:45pm. Will be reviewing easements.

Human Resources/Ethics: None

Tree Commission: Been working on trimming trees, but do not have access to dump. The key box info was being given to Pam. Mayor advised that a committee plan still needs to be completed.

Village Solicitor: Has completed Ordinances that will be presented at next council meeting. Slated that Tom Seely is very interested in the Solictor position and M. Fish recommended him for the position. Solicitor job description was completed by M. Fish.

Fiscal Officer: None

J. Moore moved to adjourn meeting. L. Perkins seconded. Vote: 4 yeas, 0 nays, Meeting adjourned at 7:32pin.