New business from March 24 Collinsville City Council Meeting
By Ray Popkess • New CBA between City and IUOE 520
A new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has been struck between the city and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 520C. The three-year agreement through Dec. 31, 2028 includes a 4% annual wage adjustment effective Jan. 1, 2026.
New licensing incentives were also established, tiering wage premiums for employees who obtain and maintain required water and wastewater operator certifications. Class 1 certifications are tiered at 6%, Class 2 at 4%, Class 3 at 3% and Class 4 at 2%, and the city believes that this will encourage operators to obtain their Class 1 certification.
The previous CBA contained a single bid process for staffing flexibility. Now, the council has approved a new contract permitting the use of double bid assignments, consistent with operational needs.
Additionally, the CBA addressed uniform allowances and holiday compensation, increasing the annual clothing and boot allowance to $750 from $450 and updating compensation for holidays worked to double time in addition to holiday pay.
A revision to contract language regarding overtime management was included to better manage and limit overtime exposure.
The residency radiance was also expanded to 20 miles from 15 miles.
Horseshoe Lake Road Speed Limit Adjustment
Because of the foreseeable construction and as part of the engineering studies conducted along Horseshoe Lake Road., city staff recommended reducing the speed limit from 50 mph to 45 mph.
The properties north of Horseshoe Lake have started developing, which triggered the need to widen it, upgrade McDonough Lake Road and improve the intersection of the two.
The need to reduce the speed on Horseshoe Lake Road was determined based on safe stopping distance, distance between planned signalized intersection distance and planned vehicular traffic.
Bid approval with Midwest Municipal Supply, Inc.
The city and Midwest Municipal Supply, Inc. came to an agreement for the purchase of water main materials and fire hydrants/accessories in order to address the depleted materials that were in the water lines division’s inventory.
Due to ongoing water main breaks and changing out damaged or inoperable hydrants throughout the year, the city accepted a bid from the supplier to the amount of $54,999.12.
California Avenue Property Annexation
Morris E. Hannon, As trustee for the Morris and Nell Hannon Revocable Living Trust, the current owner, has petitioned to annex property located at 1031 California Avenue into the City of Collinsville. The subject property is adjacent to Collinsville corporate limits and will enter the City as “R-1” Single Family Residential, as required by ordinance.
Hannon is currently selling the property to a buyer eligible for the city’s first-time homebuyer grant. As part of the potential sale, Hannon agreed to annex the property prior to closing, allowing the new buyers an opportunity to utilize the city’s grant funding. The property, 1031 California Avenue, consists of one parcel, almost a half-acre in size with a single-family home.
Fairmount Park Security and law enforcement
Similar to agreements presented in 2025, Fairmount Park Inc. has requested to hire off-duty Collinsville Police Officers to work secondary employment, otherwise known as “extra-duty,” for the following dates in 2026: April 14, May 2, Aug. 29 and Oct. 10. The Collinsville Police Department has agreed to provide two uniformed officers to work this event.
The agreement stipulates that Fairmount Park Inc. will pay the city at a rate of $200 per hour per officer. It also stipulates that Fairmount Park will reimburse the city for any worker’s compensation claims, costs, expenses and attorney fees incurred as a result of injuries sustained by officers while performing services under this agreement. Either party may terminate the agreement with 15 days’ notice.
Security cameras for the city
Collinsville reached a new agreement with Utilitra to provide for the purchase and installation of a Genetec camera server, Axis cameras and associated hardware, licensing and support for a security camera system at the Collinsville Police Department, city hall and at locations along Main Street.
The new security camera system will replace an ageing, failing system currently in use at the same facilities and in the city’s right-of-way. It will provide a centralized video management system that combines camera feeds from a variety of city facilities and locations within Collinsville and presents them in a single pane of glass for users like police telecommunicators.
Interactive Art Sculptures
In 2025, the city was awarded a $100,000 grant from Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau for the creation of two large-scale, interactive art sculptures. One piece portrays the Brooks Catsup Bottle with large tomatoes and the other depicts an oversized horseradish root. Each sculpture will have a background panel with decorative elements on the front and interpretive content on the back.
The city will be responsible for paying Your-Type 3D Event Letters for the sculptures, totaling $100,000 and will be reimbursed by Great Rivers & Routes once the project is completed and all payments made by the city.
Coming up…
Collinsville’s next city council meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 14.
