Peoria Standard

Peoria County Board met Aug. 11.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

CALL TO ORDER

MOMENT OF SILENCE

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

ROLL CALL BY THE COUNTY CLERK

Attendance was taken with the Roll Call-Pro voting system, and the following members of the Board were present: Members Blair, Bryant, Daley, Dillon, Duncan, Elsasser, Fennell, Groves Allison, Pastucha, Rand (Via teleconference), Reliford, Reneau, Rieker, Rosenbohm, Williams, and Windish, with Members Salzer and Watkins absent.

I. LOTTERY TO DETERMINE TERM LENGTHS OF COUNTY BOARD MEMBERS

Rachael Parker, County Clerk, explained that two slips of paper would be drawn to determine the term lengths. She said one slip of paper said “Even Numbered Districts,” and the other said “Odd Numbered Districts.” Vice-Chairman Fennell clarified the corresponding districts for the first slip drawn would serve two-year terms, and the corresponding districts for the remaining slip would serve four-year terms. Ms. Parker drew the first slip, which said “Even Numbered Districts,” and Vice-Chairman Fennell announced those districts would serve two-year terms. He announced the Odd Numbered Districts would serve four-year terms.

II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

∙ Approval of July 14, 2022 County Board Meeting Minutes

Member Duncan moved for approval of the minutes and Member Daley seconded. The minutes were approved by a unanimous roll call vote of 16 ayes.

III. PROCLAMATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

∙ A proclamation recognizing Sandra Burke for her service on the Peoria County Board of Election Commissioners

Member Salzer entered the meeting via teleconference.

∙ A proclamation recognizing Mark Ketterer for his service on the Peoria County Board of Election Commissioners

∙ Notification of Sale of $19,070,000.00 General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series 2022

Scott Sorrel, County Administrator, announced the County closed on the sale of the nursing home refunding bonds. He declared the documentation to reflect the sale is available online for viewing. Member Blair asked how much money was saved. Mr. Sorrel estimated between $22 million and $25 million in savings.

∙ Report from External Auditor

Brian LeFevre, CPA with Sikich, presented findings from the external audit of financial statements for FY21. He commented that the County is unique in that it prepares its own annual comprehensive financial reports and should be commended for that. He reported that the County received a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officer’s Association for the 34th consecutive year. He detailed the two sets of standards followed when conducting an audit and issuing an opinion on financial statements. He reported that the County received the highest opinion available on their financial statements. He detailed other reporting required by government auditing standards, including the single audit report. He reported that the County received two opinions on its single audit report, the first being a clean opinion on the County’s compliance with laws and regulations that could have an impact on its financial statements. He detailed the second opinion relates to user access within the Pentamation ERP system and has been an ongoing issue. He mentioned implementing a new ERP system should remedy this issue. He concluded that all information needed to perform the audit was provided promptly, and the County staff was professional and easy to work with.

Vice-Chairman Fennell asked for a comparison between Peoria County and other counties’ procedures. Mr. LeFevre observed that the County has many CPAs employed in the Finance department, along with a third-party consultant that assists in preparing the financial statements. He remarked that Sikich does not work with other counties that prepare their own financial statements.

IV. CITIZENS' REMARKS

Jessica Thomas, Peoria County Auditor, addressed the Board with regard to Item 2. Ms. Thomas perceived that the Board did not poll the constituents in their respective districts to see if they wanted this referendum to be presented on the ballot. She asked who the effort was being powered by, if not by their constituents. She brought up the referendum on the ballot in the 2018 primary election. She stressed that primary elections generally have lower voter turnout than general elections. She stated the referendum was defeated with the highest voter turnout for a primary election in recent history. She asked the Board to respect the will of the voters and vote no on the referendum.

Zach Kroehler addressed the Board with regard to Item 2. Mr. Kroehler perceived that little money would be saved because the referendum would only affect one position. He believed that cutting corners on government finance transparency is a bad idea. He conveyed that a mistake made a few years from now could cost more to fix than the Auditor’s salary. He suggested too much time and effort is being spent to make a move on something that has already been turned down once before.

V. CONSENT AGENDA (including reports to be filed)

C1. The Treasurer report consisting of the Bank and CD's Portfolio for the month of June 2022 and Revenue & Expenditure Reports for the month of May 2022.

C2. The Auditor's report of expenditures from Accounts Payable system is

accessible at www.peoriacounty.org/auditor/transparency.

C3. A resolution (item 2 reconveyance; items 3, 5-31 conveyances; item 4 surrender) from the Ways and Means Committee recommending that the County Board Chairman be authorized and directed to execute deeds of said property to the highest bidder, and be authorized to cancel the appropriate Certificates of Purchase. This resolution shall be effective ninety days from August 11, 2022, and any transaction between the parties involved not occurring within this period shall be null and void.

C4. A resolution from your Ways and Means Committee recommending approval of a budget amendment in the amount of $8,374.00 to the FY 2022 Peoria County Election Commission budget for expenditures incurred and revenues gained by reimbursements from an Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE) Elections Security Grant.

C5. A resolution from your County Operations Committee recommending approval of an additional appropriation in the amount of $7,000.00 to the PCAPS fund for expenses related to the purchase and installation of an industrial dryer.

C6. A resolution from your Infrastructure Committee recommending approval of the lowest responsible bid of Stark Excavating, Bloomington, IL, in the amount of $211,800.00 for erosion repairs to the detention basin outflow at the former Heddington Oaks facility.

C7. A resolution from your Infrastructure Committee recommending approval of a Construction Engineering Services Agreement with Maurer-Stutz, Inc., Peoria, IL, for erosion repairs at the former Heddington Oaks facility, at a cost not to exceed $20,000.00.

C8. Chairman Appointments

Member Daley moved to approve the Consent Agenda and Member Blair seconded. The Consent Agenda was approved by a unanimous roll call vote of 17 ayes.

VI. ZONING ORDINANCE AND RESOLUTIONS

1. Case #ZBA-2022-029, Petition of Jason Talley. A Rezoning request from “I-1” Light Industrial to “R-2” Medium Density Residential. The petitioner proposes to rezone 0.60 acres in order to combine additional property with his adjacent parcels. The parcel is located in Princeville Township. The Zoning Board of Appeals recommends approval. The Land Use Committee concurs.

Member Dillon moved to approve the ordinance and Member Elsasser seconded. The ordinance passed by a unanimous roll call vote of 17 ayes.

2. A resolution from your Executive Committee recommending approval of a Referendum question for the November 8, 2022 General Election to eliminate the Office of County Auditor.

Member Reliford moved to approve the resolution and Member Pastucha seconded. Member Reliford stressed the importance of understanding the system of checks and balances the County has in place. She detailed the process of how the County pays invoices. She discussed how a unique vendor number is assigned to all vendors, and the invoice is tied to a line item from the annual budget. She explained that department heads first approve invoices and send them to the Finance department for approval. She detailed how the Finance department performs a pre-payment audit of the invoice, and approved invoices are sent to the Treasurer for check printing. She mentioned the Finance department does take sample batches of invoices to cross-compare for accuracy. She clarified changes might occur to this process in the future with new finance software that will be implemented. She believed it beneficial to hear the external auditor share about the transparency of the audit process. She said when making this decision, it’s important to think about the systems already in place that ensure the proper authority at all levels and that multiple eyes are looking at the invoices being paid.

Member Pastucha stressed that the Board is voting on the position and not the person. She noted she has complete confidence that the finances are very well-maintained. She asked in which stages the County Auditor is currently involved in the process detailed by Member Reliford. Mr. Sorrel reported the Auditor is responsible for maintaining the master vendor file. He explained that she updates vendor information as necessary and also creates vendor numbers for new vendors. Member Pastucha noted it is not unprecedented to bring a referendum to voters multiple times. She conveyed that even if the outcome is undesirable, the Board will listen to the voters.

Member Groves Allison reported there had been a lot of support for referendums from the constituents she has polled. She commented she sees no reason not to give the voters a voice. Member Rieker confirmed positive support of a referendum in his district and thanked Member Reliford for her explanation. He highlighted the difference between the previous ballot referendum and the proposed one. He explained that current technology has allowed for a system of checks and balances that did not exist 20 or 30 years ago. He described the online transparency portal where citizens can view the bills the County has paid and who approved each stage of the process. Member Elsasser thanked Member Reliford for thoroughly explaining the processes behind the scenes.

Vice-Chairman Fennell mentioned it is not uncommon for school districts to present referendums on the ballot twice. He specified the proposed referendum would allow for savings in the budget. He perceived this might seem out of the ordinary as not many governmental bodies are trying to reduce costs. He reiterated that the audit presented at the meeting would be available for the public to view online. The resolution passed by a roll call vote of 15 ayes and 2 nays, with Members Bryant and Reneau voting nay.

3. A resolution from your Public Safety and Justice Committee recommending approval of SFY23 Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Grant for the Peoria County Visitation Center and an amendment to the Neutral Site Custody and Exchange Fund FY22 budget in the amount of $38,000.00. (Pending Committee Approval)

Member Rosenbohm moved to approve the resolution and Member Reneau seconded. The resolution passed by a unanimous roll call vote of 17 ayes.

4. A resolution from your Public Safety and Justice Committee recommending approval of the annual salary of the Public Defender of Peoria County in the amount of $169,878.39, effective July 1, 2022. (Pending Committee Approval)

Member Rosenbohm moved to approve the resolution and Member Blair seconded. Member Rosenbohm explained that the Public Defender’s salary must be raised per State law proportional to the State’s Attorney’s salary. Member Reneau asked if a resolution would have to be approved for the Sheriff’s salary because it is also tied to the State’s Attorney’s salary. Mr. Sorrel clarified the difference between the two. He said the Public Defender’s salary must be a minimum of 90% of the State’s Attorney’s salary and the Sheriff’s salary is an exact percentage of the State’s Attorney’s salary. He stated the Board could bring a resolution to the next round of committee meetings to formalize the Sheriff’s salary. Member Reneau said he did not see a procedural difference between the two. He asked if this process would need to happen again for the Sheriff should the State’s Attorney receive a Cost-Of-Living Adjustment. Mr. Sorrel confirmed a resolution would go through the next round of committee meetings to be consistent. The resolution passed by a unanimous roll call vote of 17 ayes.

5. SUSPENSION OF RULES

Member Dillon moved to suspend the rules and Member Reneau seconded. The motion passed by a roll call vote of 16 ayes and 1 nay, with Member Windish voting nay.

6. A Proclamation extending the Declaration of Emergency due to COVID-19 in Peoria County, Illinois.

Member Groves Allison moved to approve the resolution and Member Williams seconded. Jennie Cordis Boswell, Assistant State’s Attorney, detailed the Declaration allows access to funds available during the state of emergency due to COVID-19. The resolution passed by a roll call vote of 13 ayes and 4 nays, with Members Elsasser, Reliford, Rosenbohm, and Windish voting nay.

VII. MISCELLANEOUS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Member Williams invited the public to take a survey regarding expanding waste and recycling services in the unincorporated areas of Peoria County. She said the survey is available on the County’s website. Chairman Rand questioned whether someone could submit multiple surveys. Member Williams urged people only to take the survey once.

Member Blair wished teachers, fellow faculty, and students a healthy school year. Member Rosenbohm thanked the Highway Department for their efficiency in sealcoating his road.

VIII. ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business before the Board, the Vice-Chairman announced the meeting was adjourned.

https://www.peoriacounty.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_08112022-1259