Quincy Reporter

Adams County Board met March 12.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The County Board of Adams County, Illinois met at the Courthouse, Quincy, Illinois, on Tuesday, March 12th, 2024 at 7:00 P.M., pursuant to recess.

PRESENT: Kent Snider, Chairman

Ryan A. Niekamp, County Clerk

Chairman Snider called the meeting to order.

Mr. Mark Sorensen gave the invocation which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

The County Clerk called the roll and the following members were present: Jon McCoy, Tim Finlay, Robert Reich, Brad Poulter, David McCleary, Theresa Bockhold, Joe Zanger, Todd Duesterhaus, Bret Austin, Keith Callaway, Mark Sorensen, Barbara Fletcher, Ryan Hinkamper, Dave Bellis, Marvin Kerkhoff, Mark Dietrich, Steve McQueen, Travis Cooley and Kent Snider.

Total Present: 19 Absent: 2

Absent were: Brent Fischer, Les Post – both excused

Chairman Snider declared a quorum present.

Officeholders, department heads, and/or their representatives also present were: Gary Farha- States Attorney, Georgene Zimmerman- Supervisor of Assessments, Lori Geschwandner-Circuit Clerk, Anthony Foster- Director of Court Services, John Simon EMA & Ambulance Director, Jim Frankenhoff- County Engineer, Jessica Douglas- Director of 911, David Hochgraber- Director if IT, Amy Carothers-County Board Office Director, Paul Havermale- Superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission, and Sheriff Anthony Grootens.

Chairman Snider and Dave Bellis presented Terry Bower, Director of Maintenance, with a token of appreciation for his dedication to the county.

Mr. Duesterhaus moved to approve the minutes of the February 13th county board meeting as printed and distributed.

Mrs. Fletcher seconded the motion.

Motion to approve the minutes of the February 13th, 2024 meeting as printed was adopted.

Transportation, Building & Technology

Committee Report (Mr. Bellis)

Bills – The committee met on Tuesday, March 12th and reviewed the bills for the Highway Department, the Maintenance Department, and the Technology Department. All the bills were in order.

Reports

Resolutions

a. 2024-03-501-005 - Resolution reporting bids from the March 05, 2024 County Motor Fuel Tax Maintenance Materials Letting for metal culverts. The clerk read the resolution by title only.

Mr. Bellis made a motion to approve the resolution.

Mr. McCleary seconded the motion.

Resolution 2024-03-501-005 was approved.

b. 2024-03-501-006 – Resolution reporting bids from the March 05, 2024 Road District Motor Fuel Tax Maintenance Materials Letting for oil, culverts and lignin. The clerk read the resolution by title only.

Mr. Zanger made a motion to approve the resolution.

Mr. Hinkamper seconded the motion.

Resolution 2024-03-501-006 was approved.

c. 2024-03-501-007 - Resolution reporting bids and awarding the contract from the March 5, 2024 Maintenance Letting for pavement marking on various County Highways.

The clerk read the resolution by title only.

Mr. Zanger made a motion to approve the resolution.

Mr. Bellis seconded the motion.

Resolution 2024-03-501-007 was approved.

d. 2024-03-501-008 – Resolution reporting bids and awarding the contract from the March 5, 2024 Maintenance Letting for Crack Sealing various County Highways.

The clerk read the resolution by title only.

Mr. Bellis made a motion to approve the resolution.

Mr. Hinkamper seconded the motion.

Resolution 2024-03-501-008 was approved.

e. 2024-03-501-009 - Resolution reporting bids and awarding the contract from the March 5, 2024 Maintenance Letting for Rejuvenator on various County Highways.

The clerk read the resolution by title only.

Mr. Zanger made a motion to approve the resolution.

Mr. Hinkamper seconded the motion.

Resolution 2024-03-501-009 was approved.

f. 2024-03-501-010 – Resolution for the replacement of the bridge carrying County Highway 11 over South Fork of Bear Creek, appropriating $71,000.00 for the design engineering and authorizing the County Board Chairman to sign a professional services agreement with Hutchinson Engineering, LLC.

The clerk read the resolution by title only.

Mr. Bellis made a motion to approve the resolution.

Mr. McCleary seconded the motion.

Resolution 2024-03-501-010 was approved.

New Business

a. Review and Discussion of RTM Engineering HVAC System Study for the Adams County Courthouse.

Mr. Bellis explained that the current system is very bad and outdated. He warned the board that they are looking at over $7 Million. The committee unanimously voted to go with the VRF bid, not necessarily to vote on it tonight, but they want to get on the engineers list and keep it moving forward. Mr. Bower explained that if we do not commit to using this company then other projects will move ahead and it is hard telling when we could get this project started. Mr. Bellis explained more of the report and that these figures were worst-case scenario. Mr. Bower explained the difference between a VRF system and a boiler system. He explained that the calls from employees are daily, currently, because of how the current system functions. He explained the costs from the report. The project will take approximately 2.5 years and can be paid as it goes. He believes that the VRF system will bring cost savings and energy efficiency. Mr. Calloway asked for clarification on the costs. He asked about the life-expectancy and Mr. Bower stated it would be 20 years.

Mr. Bellis made a motion to retain RTM and refer to Finance Committee. Mr. Hinkamper seconded the motion.

Discussion: Mr. Austin asked if the engineering packet is a deliverable packet if we don’t do the project now. Mr. Bower believes we can get the design done and save it for later. Mr. Austin stated that this would have to go through a bond which will add to the total cost and raise the tax rate on property taxes. He also brought up that if we are spending around $10-$11 Million then at what point do we look at a new building. Mr. McQueen stated we need to go with an energy efficient system but also, we need to look at the rest of the issues in this building if we are going to spend this level of money. Mr. Austin wanted to ask RTM to do a phase one efficiency study to see what the payback will be and if it can off-base the monthly cost we are putting in now. He stated we do not have enough information to move forward. He wants to have a deliverable plan to hold onto for the future and have more studies done to see costs for renovating vs building new. Mr. Reich stated that if we only have 30 days to make an $8 Million decision than we are not very responsible. The motion was clarified. Mr. Finlay asked if this is an $800,000 commitment. Mr. Snider stated it was. Mr. Hinkamper stated this was to refer to see where the money would come from, not that we were spending the money. Mr. Austin asked if we could use the April meetings to move forward. Mr. Bower stated that he will call and tell the company that the board needs more time. The company could take on other jobs ahead of us and we will end up where we end up.

Mr. Austin made a motion to amend the motion. He would like a motion to refer to finance and in Finance Committee they would take until the April finance meeting to evaluate the engineering and evaluate what the bond level market is and when we would have to commit and then give RTM an answer by next month’s county board meeting.

Mr. Calloway seconded the motion.

The amended motion was approved.

Mr. Reich requested a representative from the company come to the meetings next month.

Mr. Bellis talked about the mold remediation that was done in one of the courtrooms. He also talked about the detention center sidewalks and the bid we got for that.

The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10th.

Legislative & Judicial

Committee Report (Mr. Reich)

Bills – The committee met on March 12th and reviewed bills from the Circuit Clerk, Juvenile Detention Center, Probation Department, Public Defender, State’s Attorney, and the Supervisor of Assessments. All the bills were in order.

Reports

Mr. Foster and Mr. Lamar presented a report to the committee on the Juvenile Detention Center and it was all good things.

The committee discussed the solar farm code and it is moving right along.

County Code

There were no county code changes to discuss.

Resolutions/Ordinances/Action

There were no resolutions or ordinance to discuss.

Appointments

a. Appointment of James Gieker as a Trustee of the Clayton Fire Protection District for a Three-Year Term beginning the First Monday of May 2024

b. Appointment of Jerry E. Nall as a Trustee of the Clayton Fire Protection district for a Three-Year Term beginning on the First Monday of May 2024

c. Appointment of Ted Parker as a Trustee of the Clayton Fire Protection District for a Three-Year Term beginning the first Monday of May 2024

The clerk read the appointments.

Mr. Reich made a motion to approve the appointments.

Mrs. Bockhold seconded the motion.

The appointments were approved.

Event Liquor Licenses

a. One-Day Permit Request for Frericks Gardens INC for “Sip ‘n’ Shop” Event to be held on April 27, 2024 at 3400 North 12th Street, Quincy, IL. 62305 from 8:00AM until 5:00PM.

Mr. Reich made a motion to approve the permit.

Mrs. Bockhold seconded the motion.

The one-day liquor permit was approved.

Pyrotechnic Displays

There were no pyrotechnic permits to approve.

The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10th. Public Health & Safety

Committee Report (Mrs. Fletcher)

Bills – The committee met on March 12th and reviewed the bills for the Sheriff’s Office, Coroner’s Office, Emergency Management Agency, Veterans Assistance Commission and Animal Control. All the bills were in order.

Reports-

Mrs. Fletcher read the following department reports that were given to the committee: From John Simon, Director of Ambulance and EMA: They did not have anything to report other than the resolution the county board would vote on.

From Scott Graham, County Coroner: There were 83 reported deaths, 4 autopsies, 0 abandoned remains and 41 cremation permits issued. He wished to thank the Sheriff’s Office and EMS for their teamwork over the last several months.

From Sheriff Grootens: There were 2 new hires, 2 departures and an average jail population of 98. They discussed a school resource officer which will be discussed later in the meeting. Federal inmates will arrive within the next 2 weeks.

From Paul Havermale, director of the Veterans Assistance Commission: They have had 33 clients since January 2nd and waiting on final VA certification. They have developed policies and met with a delegate board. They are coordinating with 56 other VACs in the state and have met with 33 organizations and entities in the county.

Resolution

a. Resolution 2024-03-211-010 – Resolution adopting Emergency Management Mitigation Plan.

The clerk read the resolution by title only.

Mrs. Fletcher made a motion to approve the resolution.

Mr. Sorensen seconded the motion.

Discussion:

Resolution 2024-03-211-010 was approved.

Sheriff Grootens explained they are hiring 2 officers and do not need more money at this time, but will budget for new officers next budget. The 2 new officers will train on the road and they will pick 2 to go to the schools depending on ranks. Next year they will ask for an additional 2 positions so every county school will be covered.

The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10th. Executive Committee

Committee Report (Mr. Austin)

The committee met on March 4th.

Reports

Discussion and Possible Action

Resolution

a. Resolution Number 2024-03-001-011 – Resolution to Appoint a Qualified Authorized Agent for Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF)

Mr. Austin made a motion to approve the resolution.

Mr. Calloway seconded the motion.

Discussion: Mr. Austin stated it is time for this and it will be the director of the County Board Office.

The resolution was approved.

The committee’s next meeting will be April 1st.

Finance

Committee Report (Mr. Cooley)

Bills – The committee met on March 11th and reviewed the bills. All the bills were in order.

Report

Mr. Niekamp and First Bankers Trust did a presentation on credit cards. Mr. Niekamp stated that the new vendor would allow us to have more reporting mechanisms. He stated it is more administrative driven and they would be able to do more with the cards in-house.

Resolution

There were no resolutions to approve

Finance

a. Additional Fund Appropriation from Ryan A. Niekamp – County Clerk & Recorder – in the Amount of $100 to Revenue Account Line Number 000-000-0000 – Revenue - Commercial Energy Facilities Permitting – for a Revised Budget Amount of $100 and $100 to Expense Account Line Number 000-000-0000 -- Expense - Commercial Energy Facilities Permitting – for a Revised Budget Amount of $100.

The clerk read the additional fund appropriation by title only.

Mr. Cooley made a motion to approve the additional fund appropriation. Mr. Finaly seconded the motion.

Discussion: Mr. Cooley explained this sets up an account to accept money for solar farm applications.

A roll call vote was taken to approve the additional fund appropriation. Those in favor were: Jon McCoy, Tim Finlay, Robert Reich, Brad Poulter, David McCleary, Theresa Bockhold, Joe Zanger, Todd Duesterhaus, Bret Austin, Keith Callaway, Mark Sorensen, Barbara Fletcher, Ryan Hinkamper, Dave Bellis, Marvin Kerkhoff, Mark Dietrich, Steve McQueen, Travis Cooley and Kent Snider.

Total in favor was 19. Total opposed was 0. Total absent was 2.

The additional fund appropriation was approved.

b. Transfer of Budget Appropriation from Anthony Foster – Director of Court Services – in the Amount of $7,500 from Account Number 005-001-5713 – American Rescue Plan Expense – for a Revised Budget Amount of $2,780,500 and $7,500 to Account Number 005-001-5905 – A.C.E. Program Expense – for a Revised Budget of $7,500

The clerk read the additional fund appropriation by title only.

Mr. Cooley made a motion to approve the additional fund appropriation. Mr. Finlay seconded the motion.

Discussion: Mr. Cooley explained that this is allocating the last amount of the ACE funds and cleans up that line item. This is the last appropriation for that. A roll call vote was taken to approve the additional fund appropriation. Those in favor were: Jon McCoy, Tim Finlay, Robert Reich, Brad Poulter, David McCleary, Theresa Bockhold, Joe Zanger, Todd Duesterhaus, Bret Austin, Keith Callaway, Mark Sorensen, Barbara Fletcher, Ryan Hinkamper, Dave Bellis, Marvin Kerkhoff, Mark Dietrich, Steve McQueen, Travis Cooley and Kent Snider. Total in favor was 19. Total opposed was 0. Total absent was 2.

The transfer of budget appropriation was approved.

Insurance

Mr. Austin reported the CIRMA meeting will be coming up and he will report back where they are sitting. He stated CIRMA is looking to make membership changes and as of now, the fund is looking good.

Discussion and Possible Action

a. Sheriff: School Resource Officer(s)

The sheriff discussed this during the Public Health and Safety committee report.

b. GROW Housing Committee Nominations

Mr. Austin stated that the committee approved the nominations at their meeting. Mr. Austin made a motion to approve the committee nominations. Mr. Poulter seconded the motion.

Discussion: Mr. Cooley stated that they expanded the 5 member committee to a 7 member committee. He stated they do have county representation. Mr. Cooley made a motion to amend the committee from 5 members to 7 members.

Mr. Reich seconded the motion.

The amended motion was approved.

c. GROW Housing Draft Application Review and Approval

Mr. Austin stated that the committee that was nominated needs to grow into this and make sure they are getting their input in. He stated that we will get an approval of the applications that are vetted and put forward. He stated they should have some action to do around May and start seeing applications around June.

The committee’s next meeting will be April 8th.

Unfinished Business

There was no unfinished business to discuss.

New Business

Approval of Board Member Travel Vouchers

There were no travel vouchers to approve.

Monthly Reports

Supervisor of Assessments/Board of Review, Juvenile Detention Center, the County Clerk & Recorder’s office, the Public Defender, the Circuit Clerk, and Probation Department, Monthly check register for February 2024, and Funds Summary report for February 2024, including revenue and expenses.

Mr. Duesterhaus made a motion to receive and file the monthly reports with the appropriate committee.

Mr. Zanger seconded the motion.

Motion to receive and file the monthly reports with the appropriate committee adopted.

Resignation

There were no resignations.

Appointments

a. Appointment of Barbara Fletcher to the City of Quincy and Adams County Joint Emergency Telephone System Board (ETSB) to commence the first business day to May 2024 with term expiring April 30, 2027.

Mr. Bellis made a motion to approve the appointment.

Mr. Austin seconded the motion.

The appointment was approved.

Report

There were no additional reports.

Announcements

There were no announcements.

Discussion and Possible Action

a. Proclamation Number 2024-001-003- March 17 through 23, 2024 – National Agriculture Week.

The proclamation was read aloud by the clerk.

Correspondence

1) Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois – Central Illinois Grid Transformation Program for Adams County.

Mr. Duesterhaus moved to receive and file the correspondence with the appropriate committee.

Mr. Zanger seconded the motion.

Motion to receive and file the correspondence with the appropriate committee adopted.

Executive Session

a. There was no execution session.

https://www.adamscountyil.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/9519