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The longest discussion led to the
tabled motion. Finance chair Chuck Ruben moved to transfer $25,000
from the farm fund to the Logan County Board Economic Development
Committee, which was formed in May and therefore not included in the
2002-03 budget. Not coincidentally, $25,000 is the budgeted
contribution from the farm fund to the Economic Development Council,
a committee of the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce. In
April the county voted to withhold that $25,000 unless the EDC opens
its meetings to the public.
According to Ruben and other
proponents, reasons for transferring the funds are to provide the
board committee with money for projects and to assure that anything
unspent at the end of the year remains earmarked for economic
development instead of reverting to the farm fund. The committee
still has the option of granting the money to the EDC.
Terry Werth and Dick Logan both said
the board made a commitment to the chamber of commerce last November
through the budget allocation, and the EDC hired a director based
partially on that commitment. Now the county should honor its
promise, they agreed.
Logan also noted the possibility that
the board committee could spend some of the money, then decide to
give the budgeted amount to the EDC. "You're spending the same money
twice," he charged.
Board chair Dale Voyles countered with
opinions from the office of State's Attorney Tim Huyett interpreting
the requirements of the open meetings law. "I follow their advice,"
he said. "This is not coming from me. This governmental body (the
county board) has to accept their opinion because they are our legal
representation."
Voyles said that on Huyett's advice he
created the Logan County Economic Development Committee, recommended
that the Lincoln City Council form a similar body and suggested to
chamber officials that they disband the EDC and create a new
economic development task force, with two members each from the city
and county committees and the chamber. The Lincoln/Logan County
Chamber of Commerce has not replied to the suggestion, made a month
ago.
Bill Sahs questioned why the EDC would
have to be disbanded if the intent was just to realign it. "We're
getting out of hand," he charged. "Economic development in the
county is suffering because it looks like some people are just
butting heads."
Eventually the motion was tabled, to
allow absent board members Dave Hepler and Gloria Luster to
participate in the discussion. Bob Farmer, John Stewart and Werth
opposed the tabling.
With comparatively little ado the board
renewed its general liability insurance coverage despite a hefty 54
percent increase in premium. Callender & Company, representing St.
Paul Insurance, submitted the successful $172,000 bid. That premium
includes about $147,000 for general liability, $22,000 for
employment practices and $3,000 for mandated terrorism coverage.
Last year, when the total premium was $109,610, the state required
companies to cover terrorism at no extra cost. The one other bid
this year was for approximately $221,000, Voyles said.
He explained that over the past five
years Callender & Company has paid out an average of 5 percent
annually more on claims than it has collected from the county in
premiums. Larry Bielema of Callender & Company and local agent Jerry
Palmer attended the meeting to answer questions but received none.
After the unanimous vote, Voyles
remarked that he plans to send a letter to the Illinois Department
of Insurance protesting the size of the increase. He said the
maximum increase allowed by the state is 29.9 percent
In a contested vote, a resolution to
require any organization accepting county funds to hold open
meetings and allow access to minutes and financial statements passed
8-2, with Logan and Sahs dissenting. The open meeting requirement
applies to both public and private organizations.
"Are we opening a can of worms?" Sahs
asked, wondering whether organizations would challenge the ruling.
Voyles said the resolution would take effect on Dec. 1, at the
beginning of the 2003-04 fiscal year, and does not apply to this
year's funding recipients. He also confirmed that the state's
attorney's office has approved the wording.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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Paul Gleason pointed out that some
county-funded organizations have client lists and other information
properly kept private. Voyles answered that programs and meetings at
which those programs are discussed must be public, but individuals'
names and other information covered under the privacy act would not
be released.
Logan said that funds are co-mingled by
organizations receiving partial county funding, and therefore the
board cannot know exactly how the dollars are spent. Ruben responded
that the actual dollars do not matter, but each organization must
spend the amount granted to it on the program listed in its budget
request and must verify the fact with financial records.
At the beginning of Tuesday night's
meeting, the board unanimously approved Voyles' appointment of
Veronica (Vickie) Board Hasprey to complete the term of Mitch Brown.
Brown, who resigned his District 6 seat shortly after the May
meeting. She takes over a two-year term that Brown drew at the board
reorganization in December. Hasprey was sworn in, seated and
assigned to Brown's four committees -- building and grounds, law
enforcement/ESDA, liquor, and road and bridge -- as her parents
looked on from the visitors section.
In other votes the county decided to:
--Purchase a 2003 CAT road grader for
$28,146 more than the trade-in.
--Hire Sikich Gardner, a Springfield
accounting firm, as consultant on a billable hours basis to assist
with budget preparation, closing procedures, the annual report and
implementation of Governmental Accounting Standards Board rule 34.
The GASB rule asks state and local governments to record and
depreciate furniture, equipment and other property. The estimated
cost of the consulting service is $21,000.
--Seek proposals to perform the 2003
county audit. For the past several years Sikich Gardner has done
both consulting and auditing, but GASB standards now require
separation of the two services.
--Pay Manatron, Inc. an additional
$7,758 in a restructured contract. The company supplies and
maintains computer hardware and software in the assessor's,
treasurer's and county clerk's offices for implementing the tax
cycle. Total cost of the contract extended half a year is $88,758,
with $81,000 previously approved. Werth objected to the fact that
the contract is payable in advance, but others said this practice is
the industry norm. Werth voted present in the otherwise unanimous
vote.
--Approve a zoning change from
agricultural to light manufacturing for 80 acres of west-side land
owned by Gene Burwell. A vehicle auction business has signed a
purchase agreement for 20 acres of the site.
--Offer a retirement incentive not to
exceed $6,500 to cooks at the safety complex. One employee is
eligible. A similar offer to deputies required the person to be 50
or older and have at least 20 years of service.
--Accept and send to the state a
revised plan showing potential sites for economic development at
Logan County Airport -- two on Route 10 near the weather station,
one on 1400th Avenue, and two near the runway and terminal for an
aviation-related business and a restaurant. Damon Smith of Hanson
Professional Services drew the plans.
--Reappoint Paul Donath of Lincoln to
the Logan County Board of Review.
--In other business, ESDA committee
chair Dick Logan said those whose property was destroyed by the May
30 tornado are not likely to see any low-interest state loans.
Losses in the county exceeded $5 million. Voyles vowed to continue
seeking government aid: "Before we exhaust our requests, we'll go
through everybody that's got a dime."
--Animal control chair Pat O'Neill said
income is up at the county center. Revenues for the first two weeks
of June exceeded those for all of June 2002.
--O'Neill
also announced that applications for waste management coordinator
are due June 27. Ken Schwab resigned the position in May.
[Lynn
Spellman]
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