Logan County Board
“Good News” in a U of I Extension Update at the September 17th Regular Board Meeting

 

[September 19, 2024] 

On Tuesday, September 17th, the Logan County Board met for its monthly regular board meeting. The meeting took place in the first-floor courtroom of the Logan County Courthouse. Eight of the twelve board members were in attendance, those being Dale Nelson, Michael DeRoss, Hannah Fitzpatrick, Joseph Kuhlman, Bob Sanders, Kathy Schmidt, Gil Turner, and Jim Wessbecher. Members not in attendance included Emily Davenport, Julie Bobell, James Glenn, and Keenan Leesman.

The meeting, which was less than 25 minutes in total, saw the voting on a few matters regarding Transportation, Building and Grounds, and Finance. Most of the meeting, however, saw Terri Casey of the University of Illinois Extension in Lincoln giving an update on things they have been doing in the community and some numbers from September 2023 to September 2024.

Casey’s update could be summed up in two words: “good news.” Everything she had to share was something good. “I get to be the fun one who talks about the good things that are happening in our community,” Casey said.

The first information Casey shared with the board was about U of I Extension’s 4-H program. General enrollment in the 4-H program was up three percent. Casey also talked about the excellent livestock shows that they were able to put on. She went on to discuss some of the summer camps that 4-H was able to put on, including one about helping teens cope and navigate challenges, and another one about cooking with chemistry.

Casey told the board about some of the 4-H classroom programs that the U of I extension office offers to local schools. The categories 4-H offers include career/finance, health and wellness, environment and nature, positive youth development, and leadership skills. Casey also talked about how teachers can get a hold of the U of I Extension for these programs. “Teachers who are interested in our programs are encouraged to reach out to us. Maybe check out our website for more information,” Casey said. She reminded the board that those programs are available to teachers at no cost.

Casey took a moment to highlight some of the standout 4-H kids they have. Hayden Henry and Sopia Schneider were both selected as Illinois 4-H scholarship winners in creative and performing arts in the communication category. “Only five 4-H members statewide are chosen each year in each category,” Casey shared. Casey went on to state that Logan County has had a lot of scholarship winners from 4-H over the years.

Reagan Tibbs, the new dedicated Ag Educator for Logan County was then introduced. “We’ve needed this for a long time because we did not have a dedicated ag educator for a number of years,” Casey said. Tibbs then spoke for a bit, introducing himself and sharing some of the accomplishments he has made in his role thus far.

Tibbs began by sharing that he is the dedicated ag educator not only for Logan County, but for Menard and Sangamon Counties as well. Tibbs shared that he is a Logan County native, and his family has been involved in agriculture here for over one hundred years. Tibbs went on to share that the present is an exciting time for agriculture, but also has its challenges. “I’m excited to be here,” Tibbs stated, “and to serve as a way to help farmers and producers to address those challenges and make better decisions for their future.”

Tibbs continued by stating he has been looking for ways to help bring local programs and expertise from U of I to more local areas. “The most exciting way [we are doing this] that I can say right now is in January we will be hosting an agronomy summit down in Springfield,” Tibbs shared. Tibbs shared that he has started a blog called “Farm Focus.” If you are interested in Tibbs’s blog, you can find it here.

After Casey and Tibbs finished speaking, the board moved on to the new business for each of their committees, starting with Building and Grounds. Building and Grounds only had one item on their agenda, and that was a quote for B & B Electric to come and do some supplemental work for the Courthouse restoration. The board approved this motion 8-0.

Finance was the next committee, with two items on their agenda. These items included a tax sale for Kevin Hild, which was approved unanimously, and approval for funding for Regional Office of Education #17 for fiscal year 2026. Turner asked if the $10,500 increase was an amount the county board had any control over, with DeRoss informing him that it did not. DeRoss shared that it was based on population. This motion was approved unanimously.

The Transportation committee conducted their business next, with two motions being brought forward. The first motion was to approve a construction contract with Otto Baum Company for the construction of a box culvert on 1039th avenue in Elkhart. For those unfamiliar, a box culvert is a concrete structure that is typically built to allow water to flow under roads, railways, or other types of structures. This motion was approved unanimously with no discussion. The second motion was to approve a construction contract with PH Broughton for resurfacing a railroad crossing at 300th Street in Lake Fork. DeRoss asked if the county was being reimbursed for this contract, to which Wessbecher informed him that they are. This motion was then approved unanimously as well.

The final order of business before adjournment was the Chairman’s Report. During this report, Nelson informed everyone that Carle Health had agreed to sign a lease for space in Hope on 5th. Frequent readers of Lincoln Daily News’s reporting on the Logan County Board may recall that, back in June, the board agreed to donate $100,000 to Regional Housing and Supportive Services (RHSS) for Hope on 5th. Hope on 5th received $45,000 of it then, with the board deciding to donate the other $55,000 once they secured a lease agreement with Carle Health.

[Matt Boutcher]