Logan County Board
Workshop meeting sets agenda for Tuesday night, remembers Pat O’Neill

 

[February 16, 2025] 

On Thursday, February 13th, the Logan County Board met for their monthly workshop meeting, getting things ready for the regular board meeting that is held the following week. This meeting was attended by nine of the board’s twelve members. Those in attendance included Vice Chairman Julie Bobell, Lance Conahan, Jim Wessbecher, Keenan Leesman, Kathy Schmidt, Gil Turner, Bob Sanders, Joseph Kuhlman, and Michael DeRoss. Members not in attendance were Chairman JR Glenn, Hannah Fitzpatrick, and Dale Nelson.

The meeting started off with Bobell informing the board of the death of a past board member this week, Patrick O’Neill. Bobell then asked for a moment of silence. Following this moment of silence was a prayer given by Turner, and then the Pledge of Allegiance.

The first order of business was public comments, of which there was one. Susan Adams came before the board to talk about CO2 sequestration, something she has done previously. Adams came prepared, handing out informational sheets to the board members as she talked. She urged the board members to consider a one-year moratorium regarding sequestration. This is something that, according to Adams, was passed in Champaign County. This would provide the Logan County board members one year before having to make any decisions regarding sequestration. Adams informed the board that, according to her research, sequestration can damage underground water sources, such as aquifers, and lower the Ph of drinking water.

After Adams comments, the board then moved on to the Building and Grounds committee, seeing if they had anything to bring before the committee to be discussed and potentially sent on to the regular board meeting that will be held next Tuesday. The board did not have any official business, but Wessbecher had an update on a tax credit the county has been trying to apply for for some time. According to Wessbecher, the county could get somewhere between $2-$2.2 million, but that amount could be higher or lower. The county is also going to need to hire professionals to help them apply. J. M. Abbott and Associates would be hired to do this, at $250 per hour.

Schmidt voiced concern that, if the county does not get this tax credit, they will have spent money for nothing. Conahan stated that, in the meetings he had been to on this subject, it sounded pretty positive. Bobell echoed his sentiment, stating “we’re going to get it.” The hiring of Abbott and Associates will be voted on at the regular board meeting on Tuesday.

The board then moved on to Executive and Personnel. The first item brought up was whether or not to officially certify the Logan County Tourism Bureau. If they maintain their “certified tourism bureau,” they eligible for state tourism grants. DeRoss voiced some concern, asking “do we have a Logan County Tourism Bureau, or do we have a city of Lincoln Tourism Bureau?” DeRoss then stated that, having been to a few of their meetings, “they don’t seem to want to do anything south of Lincoln.” DeRoss stated that, if this is the case, he would oppose certifying them. Conahan stated that he would reach out to someone from the Bureau and see if they would be willing to have someone come speak at the regular board meeting on Tuesday.

There were also three raffles that the board sent on for a vote on Tuesday. These raffles were for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lincoln Lodge #204, the Lincoln YMCA, and the New Holland Sesquicentennial Committee.

The last item on the agenda for Executive and Personnel was a letter of support for Mt. Pulaski CUSD 23. Superintendent Jason Spang was present at the meeting and spoke on the financial difficulties the district is facing after the closing of the Elkhart coal mine. Spang shared that they are seeing if they can recover any lost revenue. DeRoss mentioned a grant that Mt. Pulaski could apply for to get some of that lost revenue back. He stated, however, that it was his understanding that the people in Springfield who process these grant applications want everything each county needs financial assistance with to be submitted at once.

He then called on Bobell to make a collaborative effort to reach out to other school districts in Logan County that also may have been negatively impacted by the mine closure. DeRoss also suggested that the board make a grant committee that would be focused on finding and applying for grants that could benefit people and organizations in the county.

The next committee the board addressed was the Finance committee, whose chairman is Schmidt. Their first and second order of business was to pass guidelines and a formal application for the Community Benefit Fund, and also to approve a $7,500 donation to the Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois (CAPCIL). This has been an ongoing issue being addressed by the Finance committee and the wider board for many months. There is too much information to be recounted here. To read more about this, please read LDN’s other article (Tuesday, February 18th) on this workshop meeting, where this topic is covered in greater detail.

Besides the two previously mentioned items, the other primary item brought forth by Finance was per diems. The primary change that was made in regard to this topic was the requirement of three finance committee member signatures. It was covered in a previous meeting that, if a board member brings their reimbursement sheet to a workshop or regular board meeting, the signatures can be made then, and Schmidt will submit the paperwork to be processed afterward. This item was sent on to the regular board meeting.

The next committee addressed was Transportation, and committee Chairman Wessbecher had two items brought forth. The first of these was regarding farm leases. The primary change to farm leases in the county will be the date on which farmers can begin getting access to the land, this being December 1st. In the past, there was an issue where a property owner did not want to let anyone have access to the land until March 1st. This makes it harder for the farmers to be ready to plant at the appropriate time.

The second item discussed by Transportation was Downstate Operating Assistance Program (DOAP) grants for public transportation. Wessbecher let Administrative Assistant Kati Newman explain this item. Newman explained that DOAP is one of two grants the county applies for each year, which go toward funding Show Bus services for Logan County. Newman also explained that a portion of her operating expenses are reimbursed by this grant, as well as fifty percent of the per diem that the board members submit.

Bobell then took a moment to address the board regarding an issue at the Mt. Pulaski/Elkhart black top on Wednesday. Bobell informed the board that someone got stuck on the hill, backing up traffic for a while. Bobell stated that, allegedly, a call was made from the Mt. Pulaski School Resource Officer to Bret Aukamp, the head of the Logan County Highway Department, asking if the roads were going to be cleared. According to Bobell, Aukamp allegedly stated that it was, and so schools in that area did not call off. The roads were not clear, which led to the major backup there. The highway department did get out to clear the road after the backup had occurred.

The final committee to be addressed was Zoning and Economic Development. Committee Chairman DeRoss stated that there was no official business to discuss, but did mention two items that will be coming before the board in the coming months. The first was a change in the ordinance for ground solar panels, and the second was a request to turn the temporary laydown yard in Mt. Pulaski into a permanent storage site for wind turbine equipment. To read more on these items, please read LDN’s article on the Zoning and Economic Development committee meeting here. (https://archives.lincolndailynews.com/
2025/Feb/07/NEWS/today_ZONING.shtml)

There was no chairman’s report to be given, but the board went into a brief executive session before adjourning for the evening.

[Matt Boutcher]