Quincy Reporter

Adams County Board Public Health & Safety Committee met Jan. 10.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Public Health & Safety Committee

 Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at 6:00 PM in the ROE Conference Room Overseeing the Sheriff, Emergency Management, Coroner and Animal Control.

Committee members present were Barbara Fletcher, Brent Fischer, Mark Sorensen, Steven McQueen and Mark Dietrich. Also present were Sheriff Tony Grootens, Deputy Pat Frazier, Coroner Scott Graham, Stacy Edwards from the IT Department and EMS Director John Simon.

The meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM.

All bills were reviewed and appeared to be in order.

A motion to approve the minutes of the December 13, 2022 meeting was made by Mark Sorensen and seconded by Steven McQueen.

Coroner’s Report: Coroner Scott Graham

Coroner Graham reported that during the month of December 2022 there were:

88 reported deaths

3 autopsies

1 abandoned cremation

45 cremation permits issued

1 suicide

Coroner Graham reports that these numbers are about average.

Sheriff’s Report: Sheriff Grootens

Sheriff Grootens provided extensive written reports to the committee. Jail:

For November, the average daily population of the Adams County Jail was 117.

For December, the average daily population of the Jail was 112.

The jail staffing is down by 2.

Sheriff’s Office:

In November, Jared Starman was hired as a new Deputy.

Sheriff Rich Wagner retired.

Shawn Goodwin retired.

There was one termination.

In December, Anthony Grootens was installed as the new Sheriff.

H. Blue Richards was hired as the Chief Deputy

Courtney Glass was hired as the Administrative Supervisor

There was one termination.

Sheriff Grootens reports that there has been one bid tendered for mold testing in the old jail.

Staffing for Court Security is ok.

Deputy staffing is ok.

Ambulance/Emergency Management: Director John Simon

Director Simon explained the appropriation request on the County Board agenda. This had not come before this Committee prior to being placed on the agenda. The appropriation request is to pay the consultant for a grant geared towards mitigating natural hazards. It is budget neutral.

Staffing is down 11 full-time staff. Director Simon states that pay is the main issue. He is speaking with the Union to see if there is something that can be done.

The High School EMT class is off to a good start.

The call volume for the Ambulance Service is up 10% in 2021/2022.

Old Business

None

New Business

None.

Appointments

None.

Business being concluded, a motion to adjourn was made by Brent Fischer and seconded by Steven McQueen. The meeting adjourned at 6:47 PM.

The next meeting will be Tuesday, February 14, 2023, at 6:00 PM in the ROE Conference Room.

https://www.co.adams.il.us/home/showpublisheddocument/8024