Quincy Reporter

Adams County Board Public Health & Safety Committee met April 12.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Wednesday, April 12, 2023, at 5:30 PM in the ROE Conference Room Overseeing the Sheriff, Emergency Management, Coroner and Animal Control.

Committee members present were Mark Dietrich, Brent Fischer, Barbara Fletcher, Steven McQueen and Mark Sorensen. Also present were Sheriff Tony Grootens, Chief Deputy Pat Frazier, EMS Director John Simon, and County Board Chair Kent Snider.

The meeting was called to order at 5:42 PM.

All bills were reviewed and appeared to be in order.

A motion was made by Brent Fischer and seconded by Mark Sorensen to approve the minutes of the March 14, 2023 meeting. Motion passed.

Coroner’s Report: Written Report from Coroner Scott Graham

During the month of March 2023 there were:

91 reported deaths

5 autopsies

No abandoned cremations

38 cremation permits issued.

1 suicide

Ambulance/Emergency Management: Director John Simon

EMS: Director Simon reported that storm season is upon us. They have activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) twice already this year. They recently assisted Fulton County after a tornado struck the town of Table Grove. Adams County EMS took a portable Command Post to them and were on scene for approximately 8 hours assisting them. Chairman Snider and Chairman Fletcher received a very nice email from Director Chris Helle of the Fulton County EMA lauding Director Simon and his team for their work. A copy of that email will be attached to these minutes.

Director Simon also reports that they are continuing to work on the natural disaster mitigation plan.

Ambulance:

Director Simon reports that they are still 30% short on staff. They lost another staff member on Monday and will have another lost for 5 to 6 months due to an upcoming surgery. They are down a total of 13 staff members. This is an issue that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible as ambulance stations are being left unmanned due to staffing shortages.

Sheriff’s Report: Sheriff Grootens

Jail:

For March, the average daily population of the Adams County Jail was 113. Four Corrections Officers left employment.

Aaron Thompson and Aaron Farha have been hired as new Corrections Officers.

The jail needs new fingerprint scanners. They are looking at purchasing one LiveScan System for the jail and a desktop unit for the Sheriff’s Office. The desktop unit would be used for cases when juveniles or others require fingerprinting but should not be admitted to the jail for that purpose. Funding will come from the Sheriff’s budget.

Sheriff’s Office:

The Sheriff’s Office is currently short one Court Security Officer.

Sheriff Grootens reports that his Fleet Manager position is working out well.

Old Business

None

New Business

County Sheriff Car/Body Cameras – Sheriff Grootens, Pat Frazier Sheriff Grootens and his Chief Deputies have met with the Finance Committee and received approval for in-vehicle and body cameras. They have chosen a system comprising V300 body worn cameras and M500 in-car cameras. These cameras will work with the storage system already in place in the County. The decision has been made to lease these cameras for 5 years at $162,539.48. Approval has been given by the Finance Committee. The Executive Committee will recommend approval at the Board Meeting to follow.

Emergency Services Radio Procurement Status Update

Sheriff Grootens and his Chief Deputies have met with the Finance Committee and received approval for their new radios. They have chosen the Kenwood radios through Global Technical Systems, Inc. (GTSI). These radios will not have STARCOM capability and are less expensive than the competing Motorola radios. These radios will be leased for five years at a yearly fee of $116,546.51. Approval has been granted by the Finance Committee. The Executive Committee will recommend approval at the Board Meeting to follow.

Appointments

None.

Business being concluded, a motion to adjourn was made by Brent Fischer and seconded by Mark Dietrich. The meeting adjourned at 6:20 PM.

https://www.co.adams.il.us/home/showpublisheddocument/8448/638195041336386701