Monroe County Board of County Commissioners met August 5 

Monroe County Board of County Commissioners met Aug. 5.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

The meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Illinois was called to order at 8:15 a.m. Chairman Robert Elmore, Commissioner Vicki Koerber and Commissioner Ron Schultheis were present.

Others present included County Clerk Jonathan McLean, Sheila Wetzler, along with Press Corps representatives Alan Dooley of the Waterloo Republic Times and Joe Leicht of the Monroe County Independent. Also, present were Pat Kelly, Steve Notheisen, Stan Darter, Carl Daubach, Pen Daubach, Merrill Prange and Courtney Schweickhardt.

The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Roll call was taken by County Clerk Jonathan McLean. There being a quorum present, the meeting was called to order by Chairman Elmore.

Chairman Elmore asked for public comment. Pat Kelly stood and said he heard Road District #9 has been overpaying for rented equipment and the county can offer the same equipment at a lower cost. Chairman Elmore told Mr. Kelly to contact Aaron Metzger and discuss his concerns.

Chairman Elmore said that there are rumors the county is selling the nursing home. He said there are financial concerns regarding the minimum wage increase but they are going to try to work through those issues. Several counties in Illinois are selling their nursing homes right now because of the financial concerns facing the nursing home industry. Chairman Elmore said that the county is not going to sell the nursing home at this time.

Carla Heise came before the Board to get approval of the AMB Rate Signoff Sheet. Commissioner Koerber made a motion to approve. Second by Commissioner Schultheis. All voting Aye. None Nay. None Absent. Motion carried.

Mrs. Heise informed the Board they received $967 from Firefly for sending back used phones.

Mrs. Heise asked the Board to approve travel and conference expenses related to the IEMA summit on September 3, 2019 through September 5, 2019. The total cost will be $250.00. Motion to approve the travel and conference expenses made by Commissioner Koerber. Second by Commissioner Schultheis. All voting Aye. None Nay. None Absent. Motion carried.

Mrs. Heise asked the Board to approve meeting expenses related to the When Mental Illness Hits Home meeting on August 23, 2019. The total cost will be $40.00. The meeting pertains to mental health support for first responders. Motion to approve this meeting expense made by Commissioner Koerber. Second by Commissioner Schultheis. All voting Aye. None Nay. None Absent. Motion carried.

Columbia Police Chief Jerry Paul came before the Board to read a letter he sent to Sheriff Neal Rohlfing commending his department for apprehending a suspect within 40 minutes of the crime. Chief Jerry Paul said that the relationship between the Columbia Police Department and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department is very strong and the service from the Sheriff’s department has been great.

Minutes from the closed meetings on June 17, 2019 and June 26, 2019 were presented for approval. Commissioner Schultheis made a motion to approve. Second by Commissioner Koerber. All voting Aye. None Nay. None absent. Motion carried.

Payroll for July 18 and August 1 were presented for approval. Commissioner Koerber made a motion to approve. Second by Commissioner Schultheis. All voting Aye. None Nay. None Absent. Motion carried.

The Board was presented with a list of Accounts Payable for approval.

The following Accounts Payable having been approved for payment, Commissioner Schultheis moved that the same be allowed and that vouchers be issued against their respective funds of the County Treasurer for payment. Second by Commissioner Koerber. All voting Aye. None Nay. None Absent. Motion carried.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AUGUST 5, 2019

SORTED BY FUND

GENERAL FUND

1st National Bank of Waterloo 3,019.21

Action Target 117.64

ADP, LLC 1,582.50

Americom 7,637.91

Americom Imaging Systems, Inc 507.22

Atis Elevator Inspection, LLC 405.00

Axis Forensic Technologies, Inc 320.00

Bellwether LLC 1,500.00

Brenda Hempen 20.25

Buscomm Inc 1,702.59

Butler Supply Inc 22.88

CASA of Southwestern Illinois 1,200.00

City of Waterloo 12,594.31

Coast to Coast Eq & Supplies, Inc 763.04

Commercial Door & Hardware Service 6,342.84

Culligan-Schaefer Water Centers 30.15

Da-Com Digital Office Solution 243.66

Davey Resource Group, Inc 4,400.00

Davey Tree Expert Company 150.00

Dawn Goff 118.10

Gateway FS 126.17

Goodin Associates Ltd 125.98

Grassman Lawncare Inc 190.00

Harrisonville Telephone Company 3,506.09

IL Assn of Court Clerks 300.00

IL Coroners & Medical Examiners Association 450.00

IL Office of the State Fire Marshal 70.00

IllinoiSouth Tourism 4,000.00

Jefferson County 9-1-1 Dispatch 300.00

Jennifer Brown 349.79

John Deere Financial 369.84

Justin Riebeling 83.25

Kone Inc 1,590.00

Leon Uniform Company Inc 342.00

Lisa Fallon 228.52

MAR Graphics 224.15

Matthew Bender & Co Inc 287.31

Monroe County Economic Development Committee 30,000.00

Monroe County General Fund 3,600.00

Motorola Solutions, Inc 1,470.00

Nabers Shop 236.55

Oak Hill 8,688.00

Office Depot 146.16

P.F. Pettibone & Co 514.15

Paylocity 385.40

Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc 200.00

Pro-Institutional/SupplyWorks 44.24

Quality Collision Inc 3,945.38

Quill Corporation 640.73

Ray O’Herron Co Inc 203.14

Republic-Times LLC 49.50

Secure Document Destruction 80.00

Springfield Police Dept 150.00

Sure Shine Auto Wash 2,281.04

Tech Electronics 2,450.97

Thomson Reuters-West Publishing Corp 1,485.81

Traughber & Morris Ltd 833.33

U.S. Bank Equipment Finance 109.00

UPS 59.67

Voss’ Hometown Auto Repair 335.41

Walmart Community 244.38

Warner Communications Corp. 5,582.83

Watson’s Office City 713.86

Wireless USA 165.32

Zanders Sporting Goods 196.20

HIGHWAY FUND

1st National Bank of Waterloo 104.35

3M Company 2,955.88

Aramark Uniform Services 2,423.29

Asphalt Sales and Products Inc 1,316.90

Batteries Plus Bulbs LLC 149.45

Bussen Quarries Inc 2,840.64

Chris Howell 60.00

Columbia Quarry Company 2,709.02

Dave Schmidt Truck Service 322.33

Eithen Krebel 50.00

Equipment Service Co, Inc 151.38

Fountain Water District 73.32

Harrisonville Telephone Company 40.54

John Deere Financial 1,376.69

Luby Equipment Services 880.00

Nabers Shop 84.95

Navy Brand Mfg Co 187.82

Quill Corporation 59.97

R.P. Lumber Co Inc 62.96

SCI Engineering, Inc 3,100.00

The Home City Ice Company 196.50

Warning Lites of Southern Illinois 869.00

FEDERAL AID MATCHING FUND

Monroe County Highway Fund 8,003.85

BRIDGE FUND

Rhutasel and Associates Inc 631.45

ROAD DISTRICT MFT FUND

Columbia Quarry Company 1,984.07

JTC Petroleum Co. 118,448.02

GIS

Laura Henry 32.35

RECORDER DOCUMENT STORAGE

1st National Bank of Waterloo 82.80

Americom 2,232.00

Coast to Coast Eq & Supplies Inc 163.98

CIRCUIT CLERK OPERATIONS

Goodin Associates Ltd 3,185.52

COURT AUTOMATION

Midland Information Systems, Inc 2,634.99

AMBULANCE SERVICE FUND

1st National Bank of Waterloo 505.00

Airgas USA, LLC 405.30

Americom 198.00

Andres Medical Billing, Ltd. 3,394.07

BlueCross BlueShield Illinois 1,734.40

Gateway FS 175.33

Harrisonville Telephone Company 148.29

Heros in Style 139.99

Patient Refunds 138.88

Mertz Motor Co, Inc 1,017.46

Motorola Solutions, Inc 396.00

New Creations Screen Printing 192.00

Wells Fargo Vendor Fin Serv 115.99

Wex 2,475.29

HEALTH TAX FUND

1st National Bank of Waterloo 2,799.13

City of Waterloo 505.61

Coast to Coast Equipment 188.00

Egyptian Workspace Partners 71.98

Harrisonville Telephone Company 364.62

Julie Valerius 450.00

K&D Printing 63.00

Monroe County General Fund 10,000.00

Motorola Solutions, Inc 234.00

Stericycle Inc 362.65

Edie Koch came before the Board to present an Economic Development briefing. A copy of her report is on file with the County Clerk.

State’s Attorney Chris Hitzemann came before the Board to discuss a moratorium on windfarms. The State’s Attorney stated that since there is no pending application to construct a wind energy project, the county can go ahead and place a moratorium on the existing windfarm ordinance and allow the planning commission/land use committee additional time to research and make recommendations on amending the current ordinance to bring it up to date. Since adoption of our original ordinance back in 2012, the industry has made changes to recommended construction methods and fall zone distance for windfarms. The State’s Attorney stated at that it is within the Boards authority to alter or make changes to any law that promotes the safety, health, and morals of its citizens. There have been concerns expressed that our current windfarm ordinance does not properly protect the health and general welfare of the citizens. At this time, no individual has been granted any building permits, special use permits, or zoning variances for the construction of a wind energy project. Also, no one has made any formal application to build a wind energy project. The Board asked the State’s Attorney to come back to the next meeting with an ordinance to suspend the windfarm ordinance originally passed in 2012.

Steve Notheisen, an Alderman from the City of Waterloo, came before the Board to read a statement regarding increased county dispatching fees. Alderman Notheisen said that the fee increase for county dispatch was too high and the county was being unfair. He said that his research shows that fire protection districts, who contract with the county for dispatch, pay less compared to the city. He said that the county has not provided any documentation to substantiate the large increase in dispatching fees. State’s Attorney Chris Hitzemann said that he personally worked on a cost study for dispatch and a copy of that report was provided to tom Smith, the Mayor of Waterloo, and the city attorney. Based on call volume, the City of Waterloo made up 41% of the calls in 2018 and the call volume so far this year is projected to be 47%. The county currently employs eight dispatchers and Monroe County is asking the City of Waterloo to pay the cost for three dispatchers. Right now, Waterloo is paying for 2.25. State’s Attorney Hitzemann said that the city attorney made an offer to pay the cost for 2.75 dispatchers. Alderman Nothesian said the city attorney was not authorized to make that offer. Captain Jim Lansing said he took exception to the statement made by Alderman Nothesian that the county is trying to nickel and dime the city. Captain Lansing said the county is picking up the bills for prisoner transportation and medical treatment expenses that the county could pass along to the city. Alderman Darter said that the Waterloo Police Department and Monroe County Sheriff’s Department have a very good working relationship and the only item they are concerned about right now is the large increase in county dispatching fees. Alderman Notheisan said that he was not aware of many of the facts stated to him by the State’s Attorney and he needed to do some more research on this matter. Commissioner Koerber stated that the city needs to negotiate directly with the Sheriff because dispatching is under his department. Commissioner Koerber said it is known that Tom Smith, the Mayor Waterloo, and Sheriff Neal Rohlfing do not have a good relationship. She stated that the Board only has oversight of the Sheriff’s budget and any deals between the county and the city regarding dispatching fees would have to be approved by the Sheriff – who is willing to sit down and discuss. Commissioner Koerber said that the invoices for May and June have not been paid and the city is getting behind on the bills. Alderman Darter said that the city was current with payments to the county for dispatching. County Treasurer Kevin Koenigstein agreed with Alderman Darter.

Aaron Metzger came before the Board. Mr. Metzger informed the Board there will be a Commissioner vacancy in Road District #9. Multiple candidates have expressed interest in being appointed to fill the vacancy. Chairman Elmore gets to make the appointment with the consent of the other two Commissioners. Chairman Elmore said that interested candidates should email their resume and he would interview them. Also, the resumes should be emailed to the other Commissioners. The Chairman will select a candidate and the Board will vote at the next meeting.

Chairman Elmore introduced a resolution to reappoint Janel Holmes to the Monroe County Board of Health to commence on July 1, 2019 and expire on June 30, 2020 or until a successor is appointed and has qualified. A motion to approve the resolution was made by Commissioner Koerber. Second by Commissioner Schultheis. All voting Aye. None Nay. None Absent. Motion carried. Resolution #19-84

A revised application for use of the courtyard/bandstand by LifechurchX Extreme Biker Sunday event was presented for review. A prior application was submitted and approved by Board but the date was incorrect. The was corrected to September 22, 2019, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Motion to approve the corrected application made by Commissioner Koerber. Second by Commissioner Schultheis. All voting Aye. None Nay. None Absent. Motion carried.

Commissioner Koerber asked for clarification on travel reimbursement policy for the county. There were two courthouse employees who went to a one-day conference and wanted to be reimbursed for dinner on their way home from the conference. After review of the handbook, reimbursement for meals for same-day conferences, meals are not covered by the county.

Chairman Elmore Cannabis meeting in Springfield.

Under old business, Commissioner Schultheis asked for guidance on how to process with ROE and annex building renovations. The cost associated with the project are still unknown and the schedule keeps getting pushed back. Commissioner Schultheis said that there may be higher than expected costs to renovate the current ROE building for another tenant. Chairman Elmore and Commissioner Koerber agreed that they should continue to work with Mike Schneider on plans and try to get a better idea of costs. Also, they need to speak to real estate professionals about how much money the current ROE space can get for rent.

Commissioner Schultheis said that Barb Pace has resigned from Western Egyptian. The city of Waterloo needs to fill that spot.

Chairman Elmore said that he has been contacted by a group wanting to separate Illinois into two states.

Commissioner Koerber said that she would like to move budget hearings back to October. She said that office holders have indicated that September is too early to finalize their budgets. Commissioner Schultheis and Chairman Elmore agreed that budget hearings can be moved back to October.

Commissioner Koerber said the bandstand restrooms are finished and ready to be opened for events. She would like to add a $25 deposit for use of the restrooms to cover the cost of cleaning the restrooms after events. There was discussion about increasing it to $50. Commissioner Schultheis said he thinks $25 is a good starting point. Chairman Elmore and Commissioner Koerber agreed.

There being no further business to come before the Board, motion to adjourn was made by Commissioner Schultheis. Second by Commissioner Koerber. All voting Aye. None Nay. None Absent. Motion carried.

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