Wednesday, March 20, 2013
 
sponsored by

County hears economic development planning and proposed board policy revisions

Send a link to a friend

[March 20, 2013]  The Logan County Board Executive/Economic Development Committee met on March 11 to hear updates on economic projects occurring in the county. The committee also discussed committee responsibilities and board policies.

Economic status

Brian Bergen, executive director of the Lincoln & Logan County Development Partnership, provided a brief update on multiple topics.

The development partnership sponsored a Manufacturers & Distributors Leadership Council this week. The focus was on workforce opportunities for the younger population and helping students to get started on thinking about their careers, especially for those who want to enter the manufacturing field. The presentation was on Tuesday on the campus of Lincoln Christian University.

Bergen said he knows there are other counties that would like to see programs of this nature grab the attention of the state government.

Gene Rohlfs said the discussion reminded him of a time when he worked with students in similar vocational programs many years ago.

"We went through a strange thing in this country where we thought everyone needed a postsecondary education to make a good living," said Bergen. Bergen added that while manufacturing has changed over the years, those jobs have not completely gone away.

David Hepler said it may be a good idea to gather some statistics on what Logan County's workforce actually looks like in terms of numbers. Bergen agreed.

Bergen said that this type of work with the manufacturing industry is part of the county's Economic Master Plan. The business incubators are also part of the plan.

Specifically, Bergen said he has been working on bringing in a Wellness Center incubator for medical students and interns in the county. The possibility of a technology-oriented incubator has also come to his attention recently.

"I think we're getting some bang for our buck on this one," said Bergen.

A third update Bergen provided was status on the wind farms coming to Logan County. Bergen said he has been in communication with the operators, and work on the farms is still ongoing.

Board policy changes

An update to the board's policies and procedures was discussed by the committee. The update would cover multiple areas.

County board member Jan Schumacher voiced a concern that the language needs a little more clarification on the role of the vice chairman in extended periods when the chairman is not available. Schumacher also wanted to make sure the list of responsibilities of each committee is accurate.

Chuck Ruben suggested the committee could pass the resolution approving the update after inaccuracies are removed. The board can make adjustments later as needed for clarification.

County board member Andy Anderson had several questions for the committee.

Anderson's first concern was the limit on committee-approved expenditures. The proposed maximum amount that could be spent by a committee would be $30,000 without approval by the full county board.

Anderson's concern is having only four people -- the minimum needed for business at a committee -- approve of such a huge expenditure. Ruben told Anderson that the county board would still have to hear an announcement from the committee, and the board could act on it after the announcement.

The road and bridge committee often has to spend such large amounts on highway and bridge projects. Currently, expenditures over $20,000 require a full board vote, but projects often come to a total just over that amount, which slows down the bidding process.

[to top of second column]

In light of that discussion, the following was the suggested policy language:

Expenditures greater than $20,000 must be approved by the full board at its regular board meeting, with the exception of the road and bridge committee, which can approve expenditures up to $30,000.

Expenditures between $10,000 and $20,000 may be approved by a committee if the vote is unanimous in a roll call vote, with the exception of the road and bridge committee, which can approve expenditures up to $30,000. Expenditures up to $10,000 may be approved by voice vote of a committee.

Expenditures over $2,500, aside from regularly paid bills, must be announced by the committee chairman at the next workshop meeting (the new term for the board of whole meeting).

Anderson's second concern is about consulting the state's attorney. Anderson is concerned that if he wants to hear an opinion surrounding a controversial issue, requiring the chairman's approval may take too long.

Ruben told Anderson that while board members may have to work through the chairman to get that opinion, they can always call the attorney general's office as a private citizen for advice. Schumacher agreed and added that the state's attorney may have already spoken with a committee chairman on the same matter.

Robert Farmer said that from a chairman's perspective, he would like to know when members contact the state's attorney so that he is not overwhelmed with the same question several times.

Anderson's third concern was that he wants to see a bit more representation of all the districts on more of the committees. Anderson would like to see someone other than the chairman influence the selections for committee assignments.

Ruben said he understands the concern Anderson has on the issue, but he did mention that compared with other counties in Illinois, the relative lack of partisanship makes committee selection easier.

Schumacher added that what affects one district affects all the districts.

The final revision discussed at the committee meeting was the removal of the straw vote at workshop meetings. The straw vote is not official. Bill Martin said he worries that the loss of the straw vote will discourage the board from having a good discussion at their meetings.

Schumacher said that removing the straw vote will alleviate confusion for the public, as people may believe the vote is finished after a meeting on Thursday night.

Ruben also said that a discussion is the whole point of a workshop meeting. Other counties do not even have a discussion meeting.

Committee members present were chairman David Hepler; Robert Farmer, Rick Aylesworth, Gene Rohlfs, Bill Martin and Chuck Ruben. Board members Jan Schumacher and Andy Anderson were also present for the discussions, and Brian Bergen was present from the development partnership.

[By DEREK HURLEY]

Editor's note: When presented to the full board on Thursday evening, lengthy discussion took place. At the session on Tuesday, further discussion took place and a new document with amendments to the above information was approved. LDN will provide more on those details later this week.

< Top Stories index

Back to top


 

News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching and Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries

Community | Perspectives | Law and Courts | Leisure Time | Spiritual Life | Health and Fitness | Teen Scene
Calendar | Letters to the Editor