Logan County Board
September Workshop

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[November 05, 2015]  LINCOLN - Workshop Meeting, First Floor Courtroom, Courthouse September 10, 2015

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.

[Copied from Logan County website]

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