 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.
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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. |
