Rossville residents concerned with crime

BY KIM LUTTRELL

ROSSVILLE — A packed crowd was on hand for the village board meeting Monday night. The majority of the crowd was there to convey to the board members that they want something done about the crime that seem to plague the village.

Resident Richard Stump acted as spokesman for the group.

“Rossville has had five arson fires in the last few months,” Stump told the board. “Plus there is drug activity and break-ins going on around town.”

“We have a lot of senior citizens in this town who are afraid for their safety,” Stump said.

Stump told trustees that some of the residents have had two meetings to discuss the crime in Rossville.

“We have three areas we would like to see the board address; those are police patrols after midnight, break-ins and drug activity, and the police chief residing in the village.”

According to Stump the group is concerned about police response. At a recent arson fire, Stump said there was not a Rossville police presence.

Police Chief William Shannon disputed Stump’s claim.

“There were three police officers there about 25 minutes after the call about the fire came in,” Shannon responded.

Stump said the group would like to see more police patrols after midnight.

Trustee Charles Cornell and Shannon both said the police patrols are in the process of being changed to provide more coverage later at night.

“I don’t want to publicly state what hours we will be patrolling,” Shannon said. “But we are changing patrol hours.”

Mayor Terry Prillaman told the group that a 24/7 police department is not financially possible.

“We need the citizen’s help,” Prillaman said. “We cannot have a policeman on each block, we need people to keep their eyes and ears open and report any suspicious activity.”

Prillaman said the arson cases are open investigations being conducted by village police along with the sheriff’s department and the state fire marshal.

Prillaman told the group they needed to organize neighborhood watch programs. He said he would contact the sheriff’s department to see what assistance they can offer in setting up neighborhood watch programs.

Prillaman told the group that according to village ordinance the police chief is a legal resident of Rossville.

“His driver’s license shows a Rossville address, he votes in Rossville and he receives his mail here,” Prillaman said. “He does have an apartment here.”

Resident Dianna Marcott said she doesn’t want to see police patrols stopped during the day because she has grandchildren that walk to and from school.

“I would like to see a full-time 24/7 police department at whatever the cost,” Marcott told the board. “I am just as concerned about my grandchildren during the daytime as I am having two arson fires just a block from my home.”

Prillaman told Stump and his group that he and the police chief would be willing to meet with them at any time to discuss their concerns but that the village needs everyone to watch for and report any suspicious activity to the police.

In other action, trustees:

-- Will withhold payment of $68,967 to G.A. Rich Company pending the release of funds by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The company is constructing a new water treatment plant.

-- Learned the new water treatment plant will go online at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.

-- Declared $104,000 surplus in the Inner Core Tax Increment Financing district. By declaring a surplus, the village will disperse the funds to the participating taxing bodies on Dec. 1.

-- Approved the tax levy for the village. The village currently taxes at its maximum rate of 25 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Last year the village collected $19,631 through the tax levy. This year they are seeking $20,354.

-- Tabled action on a proposed change to a highway sign ordinance.

-- Approved a donation to the Danville Area Community College softball team of $50.

-- Approved an agreement with UPS to install a drop box for UPS shipments at the corner of N. Chicago and W. Attica streets.

-- Approved the Christmas parade sponsored by the Rossville Community Organization from 5:50-6:30 p.m. Dec. 5. The parade will start at the old high school and go down Chicago Street to Stufflebeam Drive. There will be no parking on Stewart Street during the parade.

-- Approved a contract with Boyer Construction of Rossville to install a new storm sewer line from the southwest corner of the Merita’s Restaurant parking lot to the South Summit Street storm sewer extension at a cost not to exceed $7,028.

NEXT UP

The Rossville Village Board will meet at 7 p.m. Dec. 21 in the municipal building.

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