The Fairfield City Council met last night. Aldermen approved a $1.8 million bid from Caldwell Tank, Inc., out of Louisville, Kentucky for a new water tower next to the million gallon storage tank on Northwest Seventh Street. Funding will come from a combination of TIF and city funding and a grant from then-Representative Darren Bailey. The City will likely need to finance about $700,000 of the project, per Alderman Tyler Lampley, and it may utilize a line of credit to do so. Payment would take one year and would have no impact on the general fund. The council heard several nominations for city positions. The nomination of former mayor Brent Maguire for Police Chief failed for lack of a motion. Most other appointments were unanimous, though three did have abstentions. In his report at last night's meeting, Mayor Mike Dreith gave a more detailed account of the 2020 Census. Per the Census, the median age of Fairfield residents is 42.7, and the average resident has a 20-minutes commute to work; 56 percent have at least two vehicles, and the average income is about $34,000 per person, with 8.4 percent below the poverty line. The largest employer was educational services at 26.9 percent, and the next highest was retail sales at 16.7 percent. 30 percent of respondents rent their residences. About 13 percent of adults did not have a high school diploma, and 11 percent had a bachelor's degree. The Illinois Fuel & Retail Association has filed a lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Revenue in Sangamon County Circuit Court. Retailers say a requirement to post signs alerting consumers about a six-month freeze in the state motor-fuel tax is unconstitutional, as it compels them to promote Governor J.B. Pritzker's re-election campaign. Retailers who don't post or maintain the signage announcing the freeze on every pump for the next six months could be fined $500 per day. Volunteers are needed to help place flags in Maple Hill Cemetery for Memorial Day. Volunteers will meet today at 4 at the cemetery's Veterans Section. Large flags will be placed around the Veterans Section, and individual flags will be placed by the graves of veterans. Anyone wanting to help with the flags is welcome. Memorial Day services will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday. The IDPH reported one new case of COVID-19 in Wayne, Wabash, and Hamilton counties yesterday. Marion County added four cases, Lawrence County added three, and Clay and Jefferson counties added two. Richland, Edwards, and White counties held steady on the state website. As a state, Illinois announced 3,988 new cases and nine additional deaths. River stages as of early this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 18.97 feet, above the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 6.07 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 19.19 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 2.70 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 14.26 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 13.49 feet. Today's crude oil price is $102.75, down $0.50 from yesterday. The July crude oil price is $110.86, up $1.15 from yesterday morning.