Peoria Standard

County of Woodford County Board met Oct. 15.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

PROCEEDINGS OF THE COUNTY BOARD OF WOODFORD COUNTY, IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, at an adjourned meeting thereof begun and held in the Woodford County Board Room in the City of Eureka, in said County, on the third Tuesday in October, AD 2019, same being the 15th day of said month.

Board met and was called to order by Chairman John Krug, noting pictures will be taken at intermission, and further announcing Mr. Spence may be phoning in for the meeting.

Chairman Krug began the meeting by leading all present in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Roll call by the Clerk. Present: Emily Barker, Russell Cotton, Joshua Davis, Justin Faulk, Richard Hill, Bryant Kempf, John Krug, Barry Logan, Charles Nagel, Blake Parsons, Dan Steffen and Donald Tolan. Absent: Randy Roethler, unexcused; Andy Rokey, excused; and Jason Spence, excused. Also present was County Clerk Dawn Kupfer.

Board announced in session by the Chairman.

Clerk Kupfer presented and read the Certificate of Giving Notice for this meeting.

Mr. Cotton moved the Certificate be approved as read, which motion was seconded by Mr. Faulk and was unanimously carried.

Clerk Kupfer submitted the minutes of the September 17, 2019 regular session County Board meeting for additions, corrections and approval.

Mr. Davis moved to approve the minutes of the September 17, 2019 regular session County Board meeting, which motion was seconded by Mr. Nagel. Chairman Krug called for any additions or corrections to the regular session minutes. Mr. Nagel moved to make correction to page 5, third paragraph, striking the word CIDS and replacing it with CEDS; the motion carried as amended.

Mr. Logan moved to approve and keep confidential the September 17, 2019 executive session minutes, which was seconded by Mr. Tolan and was unanimously carried.

Chairman Krug called for public input.

Jonathan Schertz of 2872 County Road 1100 North, El Paso, Illinois spoke to the Members on behalf of the Woodford County 4-H stating it has impacted his life in many ways. It has helped him become the person he is today, as well as helped him with public speaking skills and his love for all these types of situations. He further stated to the Members that 4-H is a matching funds program, and any amount the County Board were to take away would also be taken away by the State. Mr. Schertz went on to thank Mr. Nagel, Chairman of the Finance committee for keeping in mind the youth of the County and passing along the budget without changes to the 4-H fund.

Susie Schertz of 2872 County Road 1100 North, El Paso, Illinois stated she is the President of the Woodford County 4-H and Extension, a 11 year alumni, a 4-H Leader, an Educator and a mom. Further stating without the 4-H and the Extension program she does not know where her son would be, saying with the programs available he has been able to find his voice. Mrs. Schertz stated there are 495 educational kits available to the area schools. As a group 4-H and Extension are trying to reach out and make sure all of the youth is being included as much as possible.

Katy Crouch of 1744 County Road 800 North, Eureka, Illinois stated she did not know 4-H growing up, but it is so much more than just the County 4-H Fair. Further saying our Woodford County 4-H Fair is like no other fair, it is not commercialized, it is just our kids presenting what they have accomplished and done for their projects for the year. Mrs. Crouch encourages the Members to come and checkout all the fair has to offer for our youth of Woodford County.

Kent McCanless, Woodford County EMA Director, spoke to the Members in regards to the Notification of the 2020 EMPG Grant in the amount of $28,758.23. When you figure in what they call the 5th quarter disbursement the County will have a total of $33,658.00, which is paid out quarterly as he turns in expenses. Mr. McCanless stated he has also been working the last 4 years with Tazewell County, the City of Peoria, Village of Roanoke, City of Eureka and the Village of Germantown Hills on a Multi-Jurisdictional Mitigation Plan which will be voted on later this evening. Mr. McCanless spoke also on the Continuity of Government Document which spells out how the County will continue to operate our government without any interruptions to the citizens of the County which is required by FEMA.

Chairman Krug called for anyone else to speak during public input, hearing none, he announced the end of public input.

The Consent Agenda was presented and clarified for the reporting of these minutes.

Mr. Parsons moved to approve the consent agenda, which was seconded by Mr. Hill. Chairman Krug called for any items to be removed from the consent agenda, hearing none; motion carried.

Appointments:

a. Appointment of Donita Curtis to the Woodford County Housing Authority to complete the unexpired 2 year term of Dennis Capretz expiring June 20, 2021.

b. Reappointment of Stephen Bachman to the Steward-Harmony Cemetery Association for a 6 year term expiring March 1, 2022.

c. Reappointment of Steven Ulrich to the Steward-Harmony Cemetery Association for a 6 year term expiring March 1, 2022.

d. Appointment of Roger Ulrich to the Steward-Harmony Cemetery Association for a 6 year term expiring March 1, 2022.

e. Reappointment of Douglas Schertz to the Steward-Harmony Cemetery Association for a 6 year term expiring March 1, 2025.

f. Reappointment of Robert Garber to the Steward-Harmony Cemetery Association for a 6 year term expiring March 1, 2025.

g. Appointment of Steven Garber to the Steward-Harmony Cemetery Association to complete the unexpired 6 year term of Don Unzicker expiring March 1, 2025.

Petitions, Resolutions and/or Motions:

a. Approval of Resolution 2018/19-027 #2019-26-S Worth Township Granting a Special Use to

Michael and Gina Feld to operate 4 Hom Inc., a custom countertop business in the Residential District (R-1), Lot 6 3rd addition to Far Hills, section 30, T27N-R3W of the Third P.M., Woodford County, Illinois and more commonly described as 244 East Far Hills Drive, East Peoria, Illinois.

b. Approval of Resolution 2018/19-075 Accepting a Petition from the Greene Road District through the Woodford County Engineer for a project consisting of replacing an existing culvert located on 2100 E Road in said Road District designated as Section 20-05149-00-BR with an estimated cost of $250,000.00.

c. Approval of Resolution 2018/19-076 Woodford County Highway Department to award a construction contract for $21,018.00 to Halverson Construction Co. Inc of Springfield, Illinois for Section 19-08134-01-BR, located approximately 1 mile north of Metamora, Illinois.

d. Approval of Resolution 2018/19-077 appropriating $1,220,000.00 from the Motor Fuel Tax Fund to pay for County Highway maintenance for the Fiscal year 2020.

e. Approval of Resolution 2018/19-078 for Procurement of 4,850 gallons of yellow paint, 3,850 gallons of white paint, and 70,000 pounds of glass beads through the Illinois Department of Central Management Services for roadway striping in Fiscal year 2020.

f. Approval of Resolution 2018/19-079 Authorizing up to $289,000.00 toward the purchase of a New Paint Striping Truck out of the County Highway Fund (001) Line Items 001-635-6239-002 (New Equipment) and 001-635-6342-002 (New Equipment Reserve).

g. Approval of Resolution 2018/19-080 Tri-County Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan.

h. Approval of Resolution 10-19-001 authorizing the Execution of a Deed of Conveyance to Rodney McKinley and Samuel M. Browning for permanent parcel number 02-28-400-013.

i. Approval of Resolution 10-19-002 authorizing the Execution of a Deed of Conveyance to Samuel M. Browning for permanent parcel number 02-28-400-022.

j. Approval of Resolution 10-19-003 authorizing the Execution of a Deed of Conveyance to Brice Seifert for permanent parcel number 03-01-108-026.

k. Approval of Resolution 10-19-004 authorizing the Execution of a Deed of Conveyance to Stanley E. Ulrich, Willis S. Ulrich, Harold E. and Connie B. Weiss for permanent parcel number 03-01-305- 004.

l. Approval of Resolution 10-19-005 authorizing the Execution of a Deed of Conveyance to Tamara Reeser Trust on permanent parcel number 05-33-117-007.

m. Approval of Resolution 10-19-006 authorizing the Execution of a Deed of Conveyance to Paul Grindley for permanent parcel number 06-07-201-005.

n. Approval of Resolution 10-19-007 authorizing the Execution of a Deed of Conveyance to Lucille R. Haedicke for permanent parcel number 08-31-203-010.

o. Approval of Resolution 10-19-008 authorizing the Execution of a Deed of Conveyance to Steven and Darcie Omiotek for permanent parcel number 09-13-200-012.

p. Approval of Resolution 10-19-009 authorizing the Execution of a Deed of Conveyance to Tamara Reeser Trust for permanent parcel number 15-05-102-004.

Chairman Krug moved on to the New Business portion of the Meeting; the first item under New Business was Item (a) the discussion and approval of the Property, Liability and Work Comp Renewal. Mr. Nagel motion to approve, which was seconded by Mrs. Barker. Treasurer Andrews stated the renewal amount for the property/liability premium is$264,752.00 and the Workers’ Comp premium is $240,902.00, which is down a little from last year. The Members need to decide whether they choose to pay annually, 50/50 or quarterly on how the funds are to be paid; stating her suggestion would be to remain with the 50/50 plan which the County has had in the past. Mr. Nagel amended his motion to state the approval of the renewal to be paid at the 50/50 rate plan, which was also seconded by Mrs. Barker. Motion passes as amended.

Chairman Krug called for a next item under New Business. Mr. Cotton motioned on Item (b) 55 ILCS 5/6-1001 to place the Fiscal Year 2020 budget on display for 15 days, which was seconded by Mr. Parsons. Chairman Krug called for any further discussion.

Mr. Nagel moved to amend page 53, to increase fund 084 as our payout to the State for the Revolving Loan fund from $1,560,176 to the amount of $1,560,829; which was seconded by Mr. Cotton. Treasurer Andrews informed the Members that as part of the Revolving Loan Closeout she had contacted the bank and gathered a final amount with interest. The Treasurer stated she had written a check to The Illinois DCEO (Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunities) in the amount of $1,560,828.24. Once the Treasurer has received a letter from the bank confirming the account has been closed, she will then send the monies to The Illinois DCEO. The Treasurer has prepared the final Semi-Annual Report which will include two of the loans; Chip Energy and Zimmerman Power Wash; which did not take advantage of the 30 percent discount and payoff their loans. Treasurer Andrews stated the General Fund was covering roughly $141,000.00 to cover those unpaid principal loans. Any payments received on those two loans after this month, starting November 1, 2019 will go into the General Fund. Motion carried as amended.

Chairman Krug called for any further things concerning the budget.

Mr. Logan moved to amend page 19, line number 5001, he would like to strike $54,060.00 and replace it with $54,590.00, this amount would be 3 percent increase over the 2019 salary, further stating he felt it was only fair for the position to get what others were given; which was seconded by Mr. Tolan. Chairman Krug called for any discussion. Mr. Davis questioned why this is being brought to the Boards attention this evening by Mr. Logan instead of the Sheriff mentioning it at the County Finance meeting. Mr. Tipsword answered stating it had been an oversight on his part. Motion carried as amended.

Chairman Krug called for anything else concerning the budget.

State’s Attorney Minger informed the Members of the Board, as well as the Department Heads so all were aware of the Department of Labor will be changing how overtime is taken care of, currently if you are a salaried employee and you make less than $23,000.00 per year and you are working 40 hours a week or more the employee would receive overtime pay. State’s Attorney Minger stated the new amount for salaried employees would be $35,308.00 per year beginning on January 1, 2020. Mr. Nagel stated the Board would have to be very clear to those employees there is not much overtime available. The Board does have contingency plans set aside for when it is absolutely necessary, but it is imperative the Department Heads monitor how much overtime is used, further stating at this time he felt it was not necessary to adjust the budget.

Mr. Hill stated the Finance committee has been discussing the levy for the Cooperative Extension and the majority of the Members value 4-h and what it does for our community. Further saying the biggest concern the Members have would be that the County is getting back what is put in, the County would like to see these programs thrive because it is important to our community. The Committee would like for the Director to submit in June, a line by line kind of budget showing how the money is being spent in Woodford County and then present it to the full Board in July 2020. Mr. Hill stated he was not certain where to insert this, but went on to say he would like to see the County Board implement this next year. Chairman Krug stated when he first came on the Board there were 3 people which made up the Extension Committee whom met with the unit leader for an hour, once a year, working on two or three budget years at a time. Mr. Hill stated he would like to make this a motion to make this the procedure for next year, which was seconded by Mr. Davis. Mrs. Barker inquired as to how this would be done procedurally, further inquiring if there would be presentation from the Cooperative Extension. Chairman Krug inquired if Mr. Nagel would move forward with speaking with the Extension office and make arrangements to meet. Motion carried unanimously.

Chairman Krug called for any further concerning the budget.

Mr. Logan moved to amend page 7 of the Emergency Management Budget, line 5001 Department Head Salary striking $38,507.00 and insert $36,056.00 which would represent 3 percent and is what most of the other employees are getting, which is seconded by Mrs. Barker.

Chairman Krug called for discussion on the matter.

Mr. Cotton stated he was the Member who pushed to give 10 percent because when you look at the overall list of employees and put them all on the same page, sort them by dollar value, the County has the EMA Director making $35,000.00 and Deputy clerk’s making anywhere between $35,000.00 and $39,000.00. He went on to say several Highway Department Maintenance employees with only 2 years under their belt were making $49,000.00. Further stating when he looks at the EMA Director, the responsibilities of the position, and what it does for the entire County as well as its citizens, he felt the position is well under paid I suggested 10 percent but maybe that number is wrong and possibly be 15 or 20 percent. Mr. Cotton said he is not saying the number is right, but he has a hard time with only giving 3 percent raise when the position carries just as much responsibility if not more than the positions mentioned.

Mr. Faulk inquired as to if the County has gathered any compatibles from other counties that have an EMA Director to make sure the County is in line for what we are paying?

Mr. Nagel spoke in regards to this stating what Mr. Faulk brings up is a structural deficit the County has, to answer your question no we have not. Mr. Nagel went on to say he agreed with Mr. Cotton, while the Board may think that 10 percent is too much, with lack of information maybe it should be 20 or 25 percent; we just do not know. The committee in the coming year would like to look at other counties, roles and responsibilities, years of experience, education, etc. to come up with a more objective way to determine where many of our salaries need to be.

Mrs. Barker stated she is looking at longevity for the County as far as what the Board wants for a plan for how we will increase salaries for the future. Mrs. Barker went on to say personally she felt the EMA Director should be making much higher, and she felt 10 percent was not nearly enough; but we cannot just do that off the cuff. Further stating she felt it was an injustice to the other departments to only be considering two of the positions for 10 percent and not have criteria in place for those increases. Mrs. Barker felt the Board should only give 3 percent for the four positions to be fair, they are getting beyond a cost of living adjustment. Meanwhile keeping the pressure on the Finance Committee to put criteria into place to determine how raises will be handled in the future.

Mr. Parsons stated he has discussed with Mr. Nagel and several other Board Members on these issues and he felt defining this process is what needs to occur, however, in looking at the numbers, as well as some of the comparable to other counties he understands something needs to be in place to measure by. Further stating this has occurred year after year and the problem is the handful of departments whose salaries are not keeping up. Some of the Department Heads have a lot of responsibilities in regards to the type of training, extra work that is required of them. Mr. Parsons felt the Board needs to make these adjustments now, further stating 3 percent across the board is not keeping up to where the salaries should be. Further saying he was in favor of increasing the EMA at least 10 percent.

Mr. Hill agrees with Mr. Cotton, Mr. Parsons and Mrs. Barker in regards to getting a better way of determining salaries objectively in the future. He went on to say he felt there were two salaries which needed to be raised 10 percent in order to be where they need to be; and those salaries would be the EMA Director and the Zoning Administrator.

Mr. Nagel stated he felt this would be an appropriate time to remind the Board that tonight if we as a Board reach an agreement the only thing that can be done next month is to lower the amount, we will not be able to increase it.

Mr. Davis stated your most valuable asset is your employees, you train them and they do everything for you and then loose them by splitting hairs. Further saying as a Board we need to set some kind of structure, get evaluations in place. The employees should not have to be begging for a raise; they shoot for the stars and hope for the horizon. The Board needs to have something in place to try and close some of the wage gaps we are dealing with.

Mr. Steffen stated he agreed Mr. McCanless is doing an excellent job, and he is getting the County grants, and has actually paved the way for a higher rating in Woodford County. Further stating he agrees with Mr. Logan on the 3 percent, saying he felt the 10 percent kind of sets the stage for the various unions to ask for more next contract. Mr. Steffen went on to say he would really like the County Board to get some kind of a format to determine where the various salaries need to be. Mr. Steffen feels that Kent has done a great job for both the County and the community.

Mr. Faulk further stated to be clear in my statement is not whether an employee has done a good job or not. It is not that he felt any of the employees does not deserve the raise they are requesting, but rather the fact he feels the County should make better effort to compare with other counties and do the research.

Mr. Cotton said he agrees with Mr. Faulk, but would like to take a vote of those Members who have actually taken the time to look at wages in the last 6 months. Further saying how many times did any of them open up the budget and compare wages across our own County. Mr. Cotton has spent a lot of time looking at the budget; going on to say the County has 31 employees who are getting above a 3 percent increase. He asked are we going to knock all of them down, or are we going to just knock this one person down because we as a Board do not think it is fair.

Chairman Krug reminded the Board to please present to the Chair.

Mr. Cotton stated where the problem is that the County has union employees who are receiving step increases and latter steps. Going on to say none of the non-union employees have those types of increments in place and therefore those employees’ salaries do not keep up.

Chairman Krug reminded the Members of the rules, further saying if those individuals wish to speak more than twice the Board would have to then expand the rules to do so.

Mr. Faulk inquired if any of the Department Heads had provided any evidence in asking for the increases they had asked for.

Chairman Krug answered by saying at this point there is very little evidence. There is a book put out by UCCI, many counties have submitted the facts as to what the various positions make, going on to say there are some extremely high and low amounts reported, and no work has been done to compare Woodford County; so the long answer would be no.

Mr. Davis announced that after the last County Finance Committee meeting, which he added all Members are invited to attend and give us input. He felt 10 percent might be a little high himself and that is why I voted a maximum but not limited. He went on to say he did some research on his own on the Bureau of Labor Government website and found a description of what the EMA Director does as well as the salary for the position. Mr. Davis said the salary is anywhere from $33,000.00 to $118,000.00 a year, if you look up nationwide as opposed to just in Illinois you are looking at median pay being $74,420.00 per year. Further saying as you can see our EMA Director is at the very bottom of that scale; the fact he brings the County the grants to keep the County eligible for the grants and he does not see the giant issue with trying to close the wage gap and disparity. Mr. Davis went on to say because of his findings he suggested to Mr. Nagel and Mr. Cotton we need to set these positions up and get them in groups clerical, administrative and management so the Board can work to close the gaps with the same job descriptions.

Mr. Logan stated he agreed with most everything the Members are saying, particularly with Mr. Cotton who said right off the bat things need to be put on paper so the Board can study it. Mr. Logan went on to say when the Board does work up some sort of process, we need to have ladder steps, we need to be able to figure in some sort of seniority, some longevity and reward the long term employees; which needs to be a data driven, unbiased process to figure out what salaries should be. Mr. Logan felt the Board should really be looking at 5 positions instead of just the 4 mentioned the Board should be looking at EMA, Assessor, County Engineer, Board Secretary and the Zoning Administrator. Mr. Logan said the County Engineer’s salary should be looked at as well. The Board cannot just cherry pick some counties to make a point; the Board needs to do some thorough research and figure out what is fair. Mr. Logan went on to say he believed the EMA Director in Marshall County only makes $17,000.00 a year which is a big discrepancy from the $100 and some thousand in other places in the United States. Further stating the only fair thing to do at this time without good data would be to keep it at 3 percent, noting the Board just increased a gentleman this evening who was less than 3 percent and the Board raised that to be fair.

Mr. Parsons spoke to the Chairman saying there has been a lot of good discussion, but would like to move on the previous question.

Chairman Krug called for a roll call vote on this amendment. Mr. Parsons asked the Chairman to restate what the Members were voting for, which Chairman Krug stated the vote is for the amendment to take it from the 10 percent back to 3 percent. County Board Members voting Aye: Donald Tolan, Emily Barker, Justin Faulk, John Krug and Barry Logan. County Board Members voting Nay: Charles Nagel, Blake Parsons, Dan Steffen, Russell Cotton, Joshua Davis, Richard Hill and Bryant Kempf. County Board Members absent: Randy Roethler, unexcused; Andy Rokey, excused; and Jason Spence, excused. Motion failed.

Chairman Krug called for any further amendments to the budget.

Mr. Logan moved to amend page 10, County Zoning Budget, line 5001 Department Head Salary striking $54,361.00 and insert $50,902.00, which is seconded by Mr. Steffen.

Chairman Krug announced floor was open for discussion.

Mr. Parsons stated there has been a lot of discussion regarding comparable and the fact is the Board does not know what different positions or responsibilities may be for the Zoning position. Further saying he has some comparable which he believes have been seen by the Finance Committee; Marion County $79,310; Lee County $71,587; Logan County $68,992; Livingston County $67,427; Clinton County $61,448; and Woodford County $49,419. Mr. Parsons went on to say there is population data and area data from 2010 to 2018 that shows the differences, further stating he felt this position is undercompensated.

Mr. Cotton said Woodford County is notorious for when they lose an employee, we replace the individuals at a cheaper rate. Mr. Cotton went on to say he questions whether the Zoning Administrator was just as important as the maintenance supervisor, as the two year maintenance position or as a mechanic at the Highway Department. Further stating he is not saying those positions are less important, but these salaries are way out of alinement. Most of the positions are union employees and the Zoning Administrator is non-union going on to say the County has 31 employees who are getting more than 3 percent this time. Mr. Cotton stated he has been putting in all kinds of unpaid hours to work towards making this equal across the County and he is not seeing the effort from the Board to work together to make this right. Mr. Cotton stated it was brought up that the Board should be including the Assessor’s salary, going on to say he would be alright with someone amending the budget to add the Assessor; but the whole idea with the Assessor was to wait a year of work from that department to make sure the Board was getting what was needed.

Mr. Logan said earlier Mr. Parsons stated the County would be in a tough spot without our Department Heads, but why are we giving some of our Department Heads 2 percent and some 10 percent; going on to say that does not make sense nor is that fair. Mr. Logan stated in regards to the Assessor he did not feel the Zoning Administrator was any more important than the Assessors job. Mr. Logan stated it seems to him the Assessor’s position is an extremely important job, and one that is fairly tough to fill because he does not see a lot of people wanting to take the test. Further saying when you look at things being out of whack, this is totally out of whack and the only fair thing to do would be to keep this even until the Board gets some good data and a good process in place to back up what needs to be done, much discussion followed.

Mr. Nagel reminded the Members this is only the second of three steps, the bar needs to be set tonight, and if you are not sure where you are at, understand once the Board sets a mark we can only go lower, we cannot go higher.

Mr. Steffen stated he voted in favor of Mr. McCanless, now it is going to be hard to vote in favor of somebody getting 10 percent, somebody getting 3 percent and the next one getting 10 percent and so on. Further saying the Board should just keep it at 3 percent and get this thing hammered out.

Mr. Davis said Mr. Steffen if you think your yes was in favor of it your wrong, we were voting in favor of him reducing it to 3 percent.

Mr. Steffen stated he had voted no, to which Mr. Davis thought he had voted yes. Mr. Steffen said I voted in favor, but I voted no.

Chairman Krug stated Mr. Steffen was not in favor of the 3 percent. Clerk Kupfer stated Mr. Steffen had voted no during the roll call vote. Chairman Krug further stated he would take on the responsibility of working toward getting a process in place. He further stated he expected everyone’s input on the people, the details and the processes necessary to get this accomplished. Chairman Krug said the Board does this starting sometime December/January and to expect surveys and questionnaires, as he felt this would work better and more logically when things are written down.

Chairman Krug called for any further comments.

Mr. Logan stated he was not sure if everyone was actually sure as to how they were voting saying he was not in the majority, but he felt they may have been some confusion.

Chairman Krug stated a motion to reconsider can only be made by a person who was in the majority so Mr. Logan cannot make that motion, going on to say a person had until the end of the meeting to make a motion. Mr. Steffen stated to just leave it the way it was and move forward.

Chairman Krug called for a roll call vote, clarifying to the Board a yes on the amendment would take this raise from 10 percent which is in the document to a 3 percent raise; if you wish to keep the number in the budget you are a no and if you want the 3 percent raise you would be a yes. County Board Members voting Aye: Dan Steffen, Donald Tolan, Emily Barker, Justin Faulk, John Krug and Barry Logan. County Board Members voting Nay: Blake Parsons, Russell Cotton, Joshua Davis, Richard Hill, Bryant Kempf and Charles Nagel. County Board Members absent: Randy Roethler, unexcused; Andy Rokey, excused and Jason Spence, excused. Motion failed, tie vote.

Chairman Krug called for any other items on the budget to be discussed.

Mr. Logan moved to amend page 13, Chief County Assessor budget, line item 5001 Department Head Salary, strike $52,530 and replace it with $56,100.00 stating this would be the 10 percent number in order to be fair, which was seconded by Mr. Nagel.

Mr. Logan said in his mind the Assessor position is more important job than Zoning and he felt if the Board were going to jump Zoning up the Board also needed to have the funds to do the same for the Assessor. Mr. Logan reminded the Members with all these salaries including this one, these are just budgetary figures. Further stating this is not a done deal, all of the raises would still need to go through the committees and on to the full Board for approval; discussion followed.

Chairman Krug called for a motion to expand the rules. Mr. Logan motioned to expand the rules to allow Ms. Goff, the Supervisor of Assessments to speak, which was seconded by Mr. Kempf, motion unanimously carried.

Ms. Jodi Goff, Woodford County Assessor stated to the Board Members there is a website for the Illinois Department of Revenue and the Members would be able to look at all 102 Counties in order to compare salaries. Ms. Goff also stated by statute all of the Assessor must maintain the same duties throughout the state.

Chairman Krug called for a roll call vote, for clarification a yes on this vote would mean you agree with the 10 percent raise, and a no vote would mean you want to keep the number that was in the document. County Board Members voting Aye: Dan Steffen, Russell Cotton, Joshua Davis, Justin Faulk, Richard Hill, John Krug, Barry Logan and Charles Nagel. County Board Members voting nay: Donald Tolan, Emily Barker and Bryant Kempf. County Board Members absent: Randy Roethler, unexcused; Andy Rokey, excused; and Jason Spence, excused. Motion carried.

Chairman Krug called for any other amendments.

Mr. Logan motioned to amend page 27, County Board Office budget, and line item 5002, strike out $37,507.00 and replace with $40,055.00, which was seconded by Mr. Kempf.

Chairman Krug announced the floor was open for discussion.

Mr. Kempf stated he had listened to all of the arguments, the only one he voted not to give the 10 percent was the Assessor, and the only reason was because it had not been a year. Mr. Kempf stated the other 3 he has witnessed and has seen the progression necessary for at least a 10 percent raise.

Mr. Logan stated he wanted to reiterate, no one is getting a 10 percent raise, these are just budgetary numbers. Further stating as far as the Assessor, an evaluation will be done at the end of her 1 year term and based on her evaluation a raise will be decided on. Much discussion followed as to how and where comparable numbers should come from, which positions should be looked at, and the best way to look at getting the process started for the months to come.

Chairman Krug called for a roll call vote. For clarification a yes would make it 10 percent and a no vote would leave it the same number as on the document. County Board Members voting aye: Justin Faulk, Bryant Kempf, John Krug, Barry Logan, Blake Parsons and Dan Steffen. County Board Members voting nay: Donald Tolan, Emily Barker, Russell Cotton, Joshua Davis, Richard Hill and Charles Nagel. County Board Members absent: Randy Roethler, unexcused; Andy Rokey, excused; and Jason Spence, excused. Motion failed, tie vote.

Chairman Krug called for any other amendment.

Mr. Nagel stated part of the packet the Members received includes the levy as presented, and with the increases to the line items this evening the County has increased the cost of the budget. Mr. Nagel asked Treasurer Andrews if the Board could raise the levy this evening. Treasurer Andrews told the Members they could not increase the appropriations, and she did not believe the Board could change the levy either. Treasurer Andrews stated by putting the budget on display with the changes which have been made tonight you have a deficit budget, but the Board already had a deficit budget before those changes. After more discussion it was decided the Board would be good with the numbers as they are.

Mr. Davis motioned to place the budget on display, which was seconded by Mr. Kempf, motion unanimously carried.

Chairman Krug called for Item (c), Continuity of Government, which Mr. McCanless stated it had already been approved.

Chairman Krug called for Item (d) the discussion of placing EMA under the direction of the Sheriff’s Department. Chairman Krug went on to say Mr. Cotton, the Sheriff, and the EMA Director, as well as the Public Safety Committee have been discussing this and in most cases the person in other counties who most works with the EMA Director is the Sheriff not the County Board Chairman. Mr. Logan stated this was discussed during the Public Safety meeting and everyone was in agreement to try this out. Mr. Logan further stated one piece of housekeeping would be to correct the current contract with Mr. McCanless. Mr. Logan made a motion to give notice of dissolving the current contract with Mr. McCanless, which was seconded by Mr. Faulk. Mr. McCanless spoke saying he felt this would be a good decision for everyone involved. Sheriff Smith stated he felt they have had a good working relationship and Kent would still be the head of Emergency Management. After some further discussion Chairman Krug called for a vote on the motion and it carried unanimously.

Chairman Krug called for Item (e) the approval of Transparent/Pass-through pricing for the prescription drug plan with a two year service agreement with MedTrak and for Item (f), the annual request for Flu shots for County Employees, Spouses and Dependents to be administered by the Health Department and paid for out of General Fund Insurance Line Item 051-200-5027-013 ($21 for Regular dose and $58 for High dose). Mr. Parsons moved to approve Items (e) and (f), which was seconded by Mr. Cotton and unanimously carried.

Chairman Krug announced there was no Unfinished Business to discuss and there would not be a presentation this month.

Chairman Krug then called for the vote to approve the claims Paid in Vacation since the last meeting of the Board. Mr. Tolan moved to approve the Claims Paid in Vacation, which was seconded by Mr. Cotton. Chairman Krug asked if there were any claims to be added. Mr. Parsons stated he had one to add for Legacy Solar, in the amount of $450.00 which is a refund on an overpayment for a permit that had been filed, which was seconded by Mr. Hill and unanimously carried. Chairman Krug called for a vote on claims as amended which carried as amended.

Mr. Cotton presented and read Resolution 2018/19-081 approving the payment of the Claims, which was seconded by Mrs. Barker.

Chairman Krug called for a roll call vote. County Board Members voting Aye: Emily Barker, Russell Cotton, Joshua Davis, Justin Faulk, Richard Hill, Bryant Kempf, John Krug, Barry Logan, Charles Nagel, Blake Parsons, Dan Steffen and Donald Tolan. County Board Members voting Nay: None. County Board Members absent: Randy Roethler, unexcused; and Andy Rokey, excused and Jason Spence, excused. Motion carried.

The Report of the County Treasurer on receipts and disbursement of the General Fund, current fund balances and interfund transfers for the period ending September 30, 2019 was presented. A handout regarding the Revolving Loan account, as of September 30, 2019 was available. Treasurer Andrews stated her office has published in the newspaper; sent out certified letters and as of this date there are 206 parcels outstanding. The Tax sale will be held on October 22, 2019 so the number of parcels should be less than that by time of sale.

Mr. Hill moved to place all of the Treasurer’s reports on file, which motion was seconded by Mr. Tolan and was unanimously carried.

The report for the Office of the County Board dated October 15, 2019 was presented. Mr. Nagel moved to place the Report on file, which motion was seconded by Mr. Cotton and was unanimously carried.

The following communication will be placed on file for the regular meeting of the October 15, 2019 County Board meeting:

 Notice from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in Re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation.

 Informational Bulletin from the Department of Revenue in Re: Municipalities and Counties may impose a local Cannabis Retailer’s Occupational Tax beginning September 1, 2020.

 Minutes of the Ad Hoc Committee meeting held August 6, 2019.

 Minutes of the Road and Bridge Committee meeting held September 9, 2019.

 Minutes of the Public Safety Committee meeting held September 9, 2019.

 Minutes of the County Offices Committee meeting held on August 13, 2019 and Special meeting held on September 17, 2019.

 Minutes of the Finance & Economic Development Committee held September 10, 2019.

 Minutes of Conservation, Planning and Zoning Committee meetings held August 12, 2019.

 Minutes of the Woodford County Zoning Board of Appeals meeting held August 27, 2019.

 Minutes of the Woodford County Health Care Committee meeting held September 11, 2019.

Mr. Parsons moved to place all correspondence on file, which motion was seconded by Mr. Kempf and was unanimously carried.

Mr. Davis and Mr. Kempf reported on their trip to Washington D.C., both of whom expressed they were very impressed with the private tour they went on with Mr. LaHood’s assistant. Both met with UCCI and shared concerns with the importance of the Census.

The respective Chairmen gave the reports of each Standing Committee.

Chairwomen Andrews reported for the Health Care Committee (Health Insurance Committee). Chairwomen Andrews gave an explanation on the transparent/pass-through pricing with MedTrak which is our Pharmacy Benefit Manager. Chairwomen Andrews stated by doing the transparent pricing it could be a net savings to the plan of approximately $37,000 a year based on the last 12 months of our current plans experience of medications. Chairwomen Andrews reported they are working with the Health Department to get a date set for the County’s flu shots.

Mr. Hill, Chairman of the Road & Bridge Committee, gave an update on the obnoxious weed complaint from last month stating it has been resolved. They discussed the costs and maintenance on purchasing a Paint Striper, new versus used, the differences between the two. Mr. Hill reported a large part of their meeting was spent discussing the access ordinance. How to make it more flexible and user friendly how they are working in cooperation with County Engineer Moore to accomplish this.

Mr. Cotton, Chairman of the County Offices Committee, reported States Attorney Greg Minger is still working on the Codification project. Mr. Cotton shared he previously went through a 16 hour required learning class at his employment and how he felt one of the things to discuss at County Offices is computer usage and what it is being used for. Mr. Cotton expressed his concerns on phishing, scams, how consideration should be given to having a required class on computer use and what it should be used for in the county.

Mr. Nagel, Chairman of the Finance and Economic Development Committee, thanked everyone again who worked on the budget process, he hoped everyone had a chance to look at the levy that was approved tonight and the importance of keeping the tax rate down. Mr. Nagel reported on the revolving loan program how it was implemented, who was invited to take part in it and how the closeout of it will help fund the ADA compliant projects that have been submitted. Mr. Nagel reported the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council held their 3rd annual SPARKS event held at the Peoria Civic Center. Mr. Nagel explained it is a hands on event on Career Learning drawing over 4800 junior high students helping them to be better informed when deciding their career choices.

Mr. Logan, Chairman of the Public Safety Committee, announced after all these years Annex #3 is finally down. Mr. Logan gave a brief explanation how that piece of property was purchased for the land and how there has been much discussion on tearing the building down over the years. Mr. Logan commented how happy he is that it is finally down.

Mr. Parsons, Chairman of the Conservation Planning and Zoning Committee, announced they did not have a meeting due to lack of a quorum.

Mr. Parsons reported for the Zoning Board of Appeals stating he was unable to attend their ZBA Meeting because of it being farming season. Mr. Parsons commented on a Special Use which was granted and approved at tonight’s County Board meeting for a Custom Counter Top Business. Mr. Parsons reported on the upcoming ZBA meeting, (October 22nd), there is a special use application for a Crematorium in Worth Township, a Variance and C P & Z’s application to propose a Zoning Ordinance amendment for the Recreational Cannabis Prohibition. Mr. Parsons commented there could be a large amount of Public at that meeting voicing their concerns in favor of the application. Mr. Parsons announced since C P & Z was cancelled, it will be a Special Meeting and they will need a quorum. Mr. Hill asked if the speakers will have a time limit. Mr. Parsons stated if they are signed up as a registered objector they can:

 Ask questions

 C P & Z can ask questions directed to the applicant

 Time for speaking, testimony and evidence

Mr. Parsons stated it is much like a court proceeding, adding if they are going to speak during Public input they will have 5 minutes each to speak. Mr. Parsons explained most of the people who will be speaking will be signed up as a registered objector and they will have all the time they need to present.

Chairman Krug called for Public Announcements stating on October 22, 2019 Chuck Weaver will be at Snyder Village from 6:00 PM till 7:00 PM. Chairman Krug also announced the Secor Sportsman’s Club will be having a Fall Fish Fry on November 2, 2019 from 4:00 PM till 8:00 PM.

Chairman Krug stated there was a need to go into Executive Session.

Mr. Nagel moved to go into Executive Session for 5ILCS 120-2 (c) (1) discussion on tax/work comp liability, which was seconded by Mr. Hill. Chairman Krug called for a roll call vote. County Board Members voting Aye: Joshua Davis, Justin Faulk, Richard Hill, Bryant Kempf, John Krug, Barry Logan, Charles Nagel, Blake Parsons, Dan Steffen, Donald Tolan, Emily Barker and Russell Cotton. County Board Members voting Nay: None. County Board Members absent: Randy Roethler, unexcused; Andy Rokey, excused; and Jason Spence, excused. Motion carried.

Entered into Executive Session at 9:22 PM.

Chairman Krug called for a motion to come back into regular session.

Mr. Steffen moved to come back into regular session, which was seconded by Mr. Logan and unanimously carried.

Mr. Faulk called for a motion to go back into executive session for 5 ILCS 120/2 (c) (1) discussion of unpaid sick time, which was seconded by Mr. Tolan. Chairman Krug called for a roll call vote. County Board Members voting aye: Joshua Davis, Justin Faulk, Richard Hill, Bryant Kempf, John Krug, Barry Logan, Charles Nagel, Blake Parsons, Dan Steffen, Donald Tolan, Emily Barker and Russell Cotton. County Board Members voting Nay: None. County Board Members absent: Randy Roethler, unexcused; Andy Rokey, excused; and Jason Spence, excused. Motion carried.

Mr. Parsons moved to come back into regular session, which was seconded by Mr. Hill and unanimously carried.

Chairman Krug called for any action coming out of executive session.

Mr. Logan moved to give the State’s Attorney the authority on 5 ILCS 120/2 (c) (1) to settle the first claim on the agenda not to exceed $1,000.00, which was seconded by Mr. Hill and unanimously carried.

Mr. Steffen moved to pay nothing towards 5 ILCS 120/2 (c) (1) second claim on the agenda, which was seconded by Mr. Logan and unanimously carried.

Mr. Davis moved to adjourn until 6:30 P.M. the third Tuesday in November, A.D. 2019 same being the 19th day of said month, which motion was seconded by Mr. Nagel and was unanimously carried.

Chairman Krug announced the Board adjourned at approximately 9:41 PM.

https://www.woodford-county.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_10152019-990