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 Present: Bob Farmer – Vice Chairman; Dave Hepler- Chairman; Andy
Anderson; Kevin Bateman; David Blankenship; Emily Davenport; Pat
O’Neill; Gene Rohlfs; Chuck Ruben; Scott Schaffenacker; Jan
Schumacher
Absent: Rick Aylesworth Guests: See attached list
Mr. Farmer called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. The Pledge of
Allegiance was led by Mr. Bateman.
A motion was made by Mr. Hepler, seconded by Mr. Blankenship, to
approve the minutes from the August 13, 2015 meeting as printed.
Motion passed.
Airport/Farm: There were over 800 gallons of fuel sold. Mr.
Bateman discussed the possible date of June 4 & 5, 2016 for a
radio-controlled aeronautics group to use the airport. Mr. Rohlfs
discussed that the first weekend of June not being
weather-permitting for events in the last 3 years. Mr. Bateman said
he would give them the date and the knowledge of the weather and see
how it goes. Nothing further to report.
Animal Control: Nothing to report.
Building and Grounds: Nothing to report.
Community Action: Nothing to report.
Executive:
Scholarship Criteria: Mr. Downing from the Heartland Community
College Foundation explained the scholarship award protocol. He
explained that these scholarships are not usually the only funding
that students are receiving; he discussed FAFSA, Pell Grants,
waivers, etc. Logan County currently has 9 case-specific
scholarships totaling $11,000 for Logan County residents only. He
stated that the majority of scholarship recipients are
“non-traditional” students: 24 years of age or older, returning to
school, single parents, and more. Mr. Downing had 2 concerns about
the proposed criteria from the County Board: First, a criminal
background check is challenging and enters legal territory that
could be too taxing. Also, philosophically, someone with a criminal
background may have no other opportunities to better his/her life
through school because of a criminal background and therefore makes
the scholarship more important for a second chance. Mr. Downing
stated that although the Foundation would not actively seek out
applicants with a criminal background, it would not like to rule
them out. Secondly, the drug/alcohol check capabilities do not exist
within the Foundation.
Mr. Schaffenacker asked if Lincoln’s Challenge Academy graduation is
a current qualifier on any application.
Mr. Downing said it is not currently and thinks it would be a great
addition for criteria going forward. Mr. Downing discussed that
although scholarship opportunities increase in attendance, it takes
a bit of time.
Mr. Pearce discussed the expansion of the Heartland facility by
either building a new campus or renovating an existing location.
Mr. Hepler discussed his frustration with the original proposal of
allotted scholarship funds dropping to almost 85% less.
Mr. Pearce expressed that the reason for the rise in facility
allocation and decrease in scholarship awards is due to the limited
space of the existing campus in Lincoln being unable to accommodate
the amount of students the scholarships would bring in. Mr. Pearce
would like to keep the students in Logan County specifically and not
attending the Bloomington campus. He explained they only have 3
classroom and 1 computer lab so programming expansion is a major
concern.
 Mr. Ruben stated his desire to seek counsel from the State’s
Attorney on allocation of the funds as the original vote taken and
passed by the Board was solely for scholarships. Mr. Ruben also
stated that he preferred all the money go to scholarships and any
leftover funds should go to an endowment for future scholarships to
last forever instead of just 25 years.
Mr. Bateman stated that scholarships are most important, but
understands the space issue is a struggle; he suggested that
renovation of an already-existing empty building would be more
prudent and efficient.
Mr. Pearce explained that his goal is not to build a new building
but to expand programs. He spoke about identifying the programming
needs and then choosing/building a facility that fits the
programming.
Mrs. Schumacher discussed having the scholarships completely funded
so that no Logan County applicant gets denied a scholarship.
Mr. Pearce believed that the proposed $50,000 would fully fund the
scholarships in the first 5 years until programming expands; he
asked for very specific language in the final proposal of where any
leftover funds are designated so that HCC can and will comply with
the County’s wishes. Mr. Pearce reminded the Board that HCC is
already at capacity for attendance in its current location.
Mr. Hepler stated that he believes that both options are good
choices, but that believes both scholarships and a facility can be
accomplished with the amount of funds committed.
Mr. Pearce asked again that the final language address specifically
how much leftover funding will be allocated to programming and
facility growth.
Mrs. Schumacher expressed to Mr. Pearce that the funds would not
become available until the Wind Farm is operational and that Mr.
Wayne Woo’s company is okay with the funding going towards both
scholarships and programming/facility growth.
Mr. Bateman and Mr. Ruben discussed sending the funding allocation
issue back to committee.
Mr. Hepler read his potential amendment to the proposal.
Mr. Pearce cautioned against leaving open-ended amount terms instead
of a set dollar amount.
The Board agreed to table the discussion.
Public Transportation:
A motion was made by Mrs. Schumacher, seconded by Mr. Ruben to enter
executive session pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2 11 – pending litigation.
Motion passed by roll call vote of 11 yes 0 no.
A motion was made by Mr. Schaffenacker, seconded by Mrs. Schumacher
to exit executive session. Motion passed by roll call vote of 11 yes
0 no.
A motion was made by Mrs. Schumacher, seconded by Mr. Bateman to
extend a 30 day notice of termination to Community Action.
Mrs. Dick from SHOWBUS explained that her company currently works
with several counties and that it works in a strongly collaborative
manner, not adversarial. She discussed the importance of running the
program legally and to the standards of IDOT as the financial
responsibility is on the County, as grantee. Mrs. Dick gave the
example that Kankakee County owed $600,000 back to IDOT because
Kankakee’s operator was not meeting standards. She expressed the
need for operators to have a close working relationship with the
PCOM. Mrs. Dick stated that SHOWBUS will work with the County Board
in any way to reinforce and help grow the program with Logan and
Mason Counties.
Mr. Bateman asked for the cost-per-mile of SHOWBUS. Mrs. Dick stated
that she believes it’s currently $2.90 per mile.
Mr. Schaffenacker asked how many years Mrs. Dick has had management
capacity with SHOWBUS.
 Mrs. Dick replied that she’s been managing SHOWBUS since 2001.
Mrs. Schumacher discussed the uncooperative relationship between
Community Action and the Board and the suspension of service as key
reasons to considering a switch in operators.
Mrs. Meagher asked Mrs. Rumler- Gomez about the indirect
cost-allocation that has not been approved by IDOT.
Mrs. Rumler- Gomez stated that CAPCIL brought this program to the
County and CAPCIL was originally responsible for all the paperwork
and submitting them to IDOT. She spoke that the creation of the PCOM
role confused the classification of relationships and degree of
responsibilities to each classification. She discussed the
difficulty CAPCIL had with understanding how their role as grantee
to Area Agency but as only a pass-through operator to the County’s
5311 grant differs. Mrs. Rumler-Gomez stated that the contracts have
not been updated to reflect the changing relationships. She spoke
about the indirect cost allocation and that it’s been approved and
signed by all their funding sources, including Area Agency, CSPG,
and their auditor. She has no doubt that the cost allocation is
sound. She gave an example of how they calculate rent space
applicable to the program.
Mr. Bateman stated that the Board’s expectation is to receive any
reports that the PCOM asks for with no resistance and no time delay
going forward. Mr. Bateman expressed his concern that the County’s
accountable for any mistakes, not Community Action.
Mrs. Schumacher addressed the conflict between Community Action
asserting a fact and IDOT disagree.
Mrs. Rumler-Gomez stated that her personal belief is that if you
fight long enough and hard enough, that you can win the fight; Mrs.
Rumler-Gomez stated that is why she asked Mr. Anderson to sidestep
the PCOM person and ask IDOT a second time to change their “no”
answer for using the County’s 5311 grant vehicles for Area Agency
grant services.
Mrs. Meagher asked Mrs. Rumler-Gomez if she understood how that
undermines the PCOM person that had already gotten the answer from
IDOT.
Mrs. Rumler-Gomez said that she thought that would compromise
Mrs. Meagher’s position so she asked Mr. Anderson instead because he
is a board member of Community Action.
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Mr. Bateman stated that the Board will begin talking about the
program and the operator on a monthly basis.
Mrs. Rumler-Gomez gave some overall statistics of program
performance comparable to other Counties.
Mr. Hepler addressed the need to make program decisions based
on what’s best for the people, not on sentiment; he discussed
the tremulous relationship between the Board and Community
Action as seen by a negative public display from CAPCIL in the
last few weeks.
Mrs. Rumler-Gomez asked that the Board pardon her and not punish
the agency for the recent negative occurrence.
County Board Job Responsibilities: Mrs. Schumacher gave
the Board members a revised copy of shared office
responsibilities. A motion was made by Mrs. Schumacher, seconded
by Mr. Hepler to put the new job duties on the voting agenda for
Tuesday night. Nothing further to report.
Economic Development: Nothing to report.
Finance: Mr. Ruben thanked the Finance committee for all
the help and work on the budget.
A motion was made by Mr. Ruben, seconded by Mr. Hepler to
approve and place on display the final draft of the 15-16
budget.
A motion was made by Mr. Ruben, seconded by Mr. Hepler to place
resolutions LO 14-15 96-102 & 106 for tax sales on the voting
agenda for Tuesday night.
A motion was made by Mr. Ruben, seconded by Mr. Hepler to place
the audit engagement letter on the voting agenda for Tuesday
night. Mr. Ruben discussed the Regional Office of Education
budget of $405,000 of which Logan County’s share is $48,600.
Nothing further to report.
General Assembly: Mrs. Davenport reported there is
currently still no state budget, but the Senate did appropriate
$4M in safety bill, including motor fuel tax. If the House votes
on that, there should be some money trickling in. Nothing
further to report.
Health: Nothing to report.
Insurance/Legislation:
Veteran’s Assistance Commission: Mr. Hepler discussed the
creation of a proposed property tax levy of .03% for exclusive
use of military veteran’s assistance to be placed on the March
Primary ballot.
A motion was made by Mr. Hepler, seconded by Mr. Bateman to
place the proposed tax levy referendum on the voting agenda for
Tuesday night.
Mrs. Banister from the Sangamon County Veteran’s Assistance
Commission spoke about the services and resources that the
organization can offer, including emergency rent, utility, food, and
bus tokens; enrollment in other veteran benefits; transportation to
medical centers; enrollment in community resources; retrieval of
vital paperwork; and a veteran’s court. She explained that 2 local
veteran posts form a VAC, write their own by-laws, and then present
it to the County Board to then decide whether to fund it from the
General Fund or a tax levy.
Mrs. Ramlow from the Lincoln VFW asked the Board how they plan to
fund the program if the tax levy fails.
Mr. Hepler expressed his hope that by the time the VAC is ready, the
Board will know if the levy passed. He explained that the matter
will go to the Finance committee after the petition of recognition
is presented.
Mrs. Ramlow stated that the local posts are currently in the
formation process and hopes to petition the Board in 2-3 months.
County Vision Care Plan: The vision care plan for the County
increased by .22 cents. A motion was made by Mr. Anderson, seconded
by Mr. Bateman to place the vision care plan on the voting agenda
for Tuesday night.
 A motion was made by Mr. Anderson, seconded by Mr. Bateman to place
Resolution LO 14-15 95 Oasis Senior Center Raffle and Resolution LO
14-15 105 Center for Youth & Family Solutions Raffle on the voting
agenda for Tuesday night.
Mr. Anderson discussed the need to move $5,000 from the current
insurance line item in the 15- 16 budget into a newly created line
item for Affordable Care Act Compliance. Nothing further to report.
Workforce Investment: Mr. O’Neill reported there will be a
Board training in the end of September. It will include job
recruitment, job training, and emergency management. Nothing further
to report.
Law Enforcement and EMA: Mr. Schaffenacker presented the
independent contractor agreement and job descriptions to the Board.
Sheriff Nichols would like everyone to look at it and then bring it
forward next month. Nothing further to report.
Liquor: Nothing to report.
Planning and Zoning:
A motion was made by Mr. O’Neill, seconded by Mr. Hepler to place LO
14-15 107 Resolution to Amend the Logan County Zoning Map Case
5-R-15 on the voting agenda for Tuesday night.
Mrs. Glenda Downing discussed the lack of specific conditional uses
in regards to mining extraction rezoning. She stated that she’s not
questioning the rezoning of the property, but asking that specific
conditional uses be applied before issuance of a conditional use
permit to begin the mining process.
Mr. Bateman explained that currently this is only a petition to
rezone the land to make it useful for mining.
Mrs. Downing stated that she wanted to express her concerns early in
the process because she wants any incoming mines to know what the
conditional uses are prior to even beginning the application
process. She believes the mining will be detrimental to living in
the neighborhood due to dust, lights, noise, and more.
 Mr. Muck displayed an aerial map view of the proposed rezoning area.
He stated that he now owns the 2 houses closest to this area. He
presented the Board with handouts including a letter from the IL
Department of Natural Resources stating that they do not intend to
cut trees down except for between November 1- April 1 and a Well
Database from IL Water Survey for the wells in the area to show the
various depths of them.
Mr. Muck expressed his belief that although issues are possible, he
does not believe there will be any due to the scientific analysis
that’s been done, particularly because there are not very many homes
within significant distance of the area. He discussed the limestone
deposits being found in the Rocky Ford area by the original settlers
here. He expressed his belief of the great need for the material and
discussed his petitions of support with over 675 signatures
collected in approximately a month’s time. Mr. Muck provided the
Board a color-coded map of the area. He explained that the closest
home owned to the Muck properties would be Mrs. Downing’s, but the
edge of the property would be 1,864 feet away. It is 565 feet away
from pits where they possibly draw water.
Mr. Hepler asked how many full-time jobs this mine would bring back
to Logan County.
Mr. Muck expressed his belief that 18 people were put out of work
when Hanson closed, 14 of which are still looking for mining type
jobs. He anticipated 25-30 actual miner jobs, but also driving jobs,
hoe and scale jobs, and dozers. Nothing further to report.
Economic Development Partnership: Nothing to report.
Road and Bridge:
Mr. Blankenship made a motion, seconded by Mr. Ruben to bring
forward LO 14-15 103 Chester and East Lincoln Road Districts to pay
half the cost to replace a culver of up to $25,000 on the voting
agenda for Tuesday night.
A motion was made by Mr. Blankenship, seconded by Mr. Rohlfs to
bring forward LO 14-15 104 Atlanta Road District to pay half the
cost to replace the rip rap under a bridge for up to $10,000 out of
the County Bridge Fund on the voting agenda for Tuesday night.
Nothing further to report.
Waste Management: Nothing to report.
Safety: Nothing to report.
Personnel: Nothing to report.
County Board Chairman’s Report: Nothing to report.
Public Comments: Mr. Jenkins discussed his wife, Angie
Jenkins, bringing Public Transportation fixed routes to Logan County
and the routes failing. He expressed his wife’s deep involvement in
increasing the levels of transportation and is concerned about
approximately 11 jobs being lost if the County switches
transportation providers. He would like to see the jobs stay in
Logan County and asked the Board to stay with Community Action.
A motion was made by Mr. O’Neill, seconded by Mr. Ruben, to adjourn
the meeting. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m.
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