Braidwood City Council

Former Braidwood mayor: ‘We have to protect what we’ve got’

Published by admin on Tue, 12/01/2020 - 5:41pm

There was a somber atmosphere during the regular City Council meeting Nov. 24 at Braidwood City Hall. It was the first meeting since the death of Commissioner Charles “Charlie” Hart on Nov. 13, and Mayor Robert Jones asked for a moment of silence for Hart. City Administrator Tony Altiery and Commissioner Doug Money were not present for the meeting.

Former mayor James Vehrs spoke during public comment and was concerned with the city's image.

Braidwood City Council approves restrictions for new single-family homes

Published by admin on Tue, 11/17/2020 - 4:35pm

City Council members approved new restrictions for single family homes and their 2021 meeting schedule during the regular meeting Nov. 10 at Braidwood City Hall.

Commissioner Fay Smith and Administrator Tony Altiery vocally disagreed again about the movement of a part-time employee to full-time and whether the budget allowed for this change.

Altiery was also concerned about this employee, still listed as part time, working reportedly more than 80 hours in one week.

Braidwood City Council approves a new hire

Published by admin on Tue, 11/03/2020 - 3:43pm

Council members unanimously approved the hiring of a new part-time clerk for City Hall during the Braidwood City Council meeting on Oct. 27.

Commissioner Wayne Saltzman said the position is “well-needed” after talking with the administrator and others. The pay rate for the position will be $16 per hour.

Public Comment
Angie Hutton said the tree lighting and parade events are still going ahead as planned this year.

Braidwood Commissioner Smith defends hiring decision amidst opposition

Published by admin on Tue, 10/20/2020 - 5:24pm

Despite procedural items being the only items on the agenda, tensions ran high during the Braidwood City Council meeting on October 13. All council members were present for the meeting and the building was sanitized multiple times prior to the meeting after recent issues with Covid-19.

Mayor addresses published questions from public

Published by admin on Tue, 11/19/2019 - 6:00pm

Mayor Bob Jones responded during the Nov. 14 City Council meeting to “Sound-Off” comments from the public published in the Nov. 6 edition of The Braidwood Journal.
“Sound-Off” is a public forum in published weekly in this newspaper. People can voice their opinions on essentially any topic by sending in comments to The Free Press Newspapers, with the option of publishing anonymously or with their names attached.
Jones addressed questions aimed at him related to action and changes that occurred in the Braidwood Police Department during his administration.

Heated discussion creates tense atmosphere at council meeting

Published by admin on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 6:35pm

Discussion of the budget created high tension in the council chambers during the Braidwood City Council meeting on July 23.
Central to that was discussion regarding the budget in the administration department.
“We’re looking to do some budget cuts in all departments. There’s no line item for city administrator. That comes out of the administration and we can’t afford that,” Finance commissioner Wayne Saltzman said during his report.
“Good luck,” Mayor Bob Jones said in response. “By the time we come up next time, we’ll have a list for you.”

New liquor commissioner appointed

Published by admin on Tue, 05/28/2019 - 6:28pm

The city of Braidwood has a new liquor commissioner.

Earlier this month, the members of the City Council approved the appointment of an outside member to hold the role, which normally falls under the jurisdiction of the mayor.

Frank Meents Law Firm, a private firm located in Channahon, was unanimously approved to fill the role throughout the term of Mayor Bob Jones.

Per city code, the mayor is the commissioner of public affairs, with the following duties:

Former Commissioner Jim Hutton passes away

Published by admin on Tue, 05/28/2019 - 6:27pm

A recent long-serving commissioner in the city of Braidwood has died.

James Hutton passed away on Sunday, May 26, at Presence St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet.

Hutton served as Public Buildings and Property Commissioner in Braidwood for 12 years, beginning in May 2007 and running until April of this year.

He was one of five candidates vying for this year’s mayoral term, but was beat out by current Mayor Bob Jones.

Turnabout is fair play

Published by admin on Tue, 05/14/2019 - 5:38pm

Ten eighth graders took a day off of school on Tuesday, May 14. But the students were still learning a lot that day, thanks to the annual Turnabout Day event with the city, police department, and fire department.

Turnabout Day is an annual event in the city of Braidwood, where eighth grade students from Reed-Custer Middle School get a chance to shadow local officials and learn what it takes to keep the municipality up, operating and safe.

City pushes forward to solve budget crisis

Published by admin on Tue, 05/07/2019 - 5:40pm

The city of Braidwood has an official budget on the books. But those plans for revenue and expenditures likely won’t go unchanged as the year progresses.

On April 30, the City Council held a special meeting to pass the city’s annual budget ordinance.

The budget remains the same as the budget that was presented during a public hearing on April 23 by then-mayor Jim Vehrs. Finance Commissioner Wayne Saltzman said the document will face some changes, however.