PROCEEDINGS OF THE

PROCEEDINGS OF THE COUNTY BOARD

KNOX COUNTY , ILLINOIS

January 26, 2005

STATE OF ILLINOIS )

) SS

COUNTY OF KNOX )

Proceedings of the regular meeting of the Knox County Board, held at the Knox County Courthouse, Galesburg , Illinois on Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 6:00 p.m.

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Janet Occhi and upon roll call the following members reported present:

District 1 Caroline Porter

District 2 Gayle Keiser

District 3 Janet Occhi

District 4 George Knapp

District 5 Gerald Link

District 1 Allen Pickrel

District 2 Greg Bacon

District 4 Wayne Saline

District 5 Ricardo Sandoval

District 1 Linda Roberts

District 2 Dana Shallenberger

District 3 Dale Parsons

District 4 Lowell Mannhardt

District 5 Stephen Johnson

and those absent: District 3 Paul Hevland

and also present were James Thompson, Sheriff and Scott Erickson, County Clerk .

Chairman Occhi led the members in the pledge to the flag and the Rev. David Scholl gave the invocation.

Chairman Occhi asked if there were any changes to the agenda. Chairman Occhi moved Item 11 up to after Item 2 on the Agenda. There were no other changes

Chairman Occhi asked if there were any public comment. Mr. Bill Spillman addressed the Board regarding the BioDiesel plan to be discussed at this meeting. Mr. Spillman has written articles on BioDiesel and has worked in the lubrication and fuels industry. He questioned if the County should go into the business of producing BioDiesel or if this was an area best left to private section businesses. He also suggested to Mr. Larson that he should contact Dr. Honery, a professor at the University of Northern Iowa at Cedar Rapids who started an Ag Lubricant Program in 1991.

Member Johnson motioned, seconded by Member Parsons to approve the appointment of Dr. Frank Peppers to the Knox County Board of Health and vote by roll call as follows: Ayes – Porter, Keiser, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Pickrel, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Mannhardt, Johnson – (14); Noes – (0). Motion carried.

Member Parsons motioned, seconded by Member Link to appoint Mr. Mark Kleine to the Civic Center Authority Board and vote by roll call as follows: Ayes - – Porter, Keiser, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Pickrel, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Mannhardt, Johnson – (14); Noes – (0). Motion carried.

Member Johnson motioned, seconded by Member Roberts to go in to closed session to discuss worker’s compensation claims and vote by roll call as follows: Ayes - – Porter, Keiser, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Pickrel, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Mannhardt, Johnson – (14); Noes – (0). Motion carried at 6:08 p.m.

6:20 p.m. – Return to open session. Member Saline motioned, seconded by Member Johnson to approve the settlement of the worker’s compensation case for the right hand of Cheryl Secrist for the amount of $4,195.77 and vote by roll call as follows: Ayes - – Porter, Keiser, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Pickrel, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Mannhardt, Johnson – (14); Noes – (0). Motion carried.

Motion by Member Mannhardt, seconded by Member Parsons to go in to closed session to discuss contract negotiations and roll call vote as follows: Ayes - – Porter, Keiser, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Pickrel, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Mannhardt, Johnson – (14); Noes – (0). Motion carried at 6:23 p.m.

6:42 p.m. – Return to open session. Member Johnson motioned, seconded by Member Parsons to approve the contract with Knox County Nursing Home union employees with a 2% increase retroactive to December 1, 2004 and roll call vote as follows: Ayes – Porter, Keiser, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Pickrel, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Mannhardt, Johnson – (14); Noes – (0). Motion carried.

Discussion commenced about the need for the Ad Hoc Negotiating to hire legal counsel. Member Johnson stated that we may be getting ahead of ourselves on this issue. He made the motion with a second by Member Link to table this item until next meeting and roll call vote as follows: Ayes - – Porter, Keiser, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Pickrel, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Mannhardt, Johnson – (14); Noes – (0). Motion carried. Member Keiser asked that when this issue returns that it be more specific in nature, and not allow the Committee to have standing legal counsel.

Treasurer Davis reported that about 270 of the eligible 440 employees have signed up for direct deposit. Member Bacon said he was handed a petition of over 100 signatures of County employees who do not like the Resolution. This is close to 25% of the employees and he also asked about a problem with the system. Treasurer Davis reported that there was a problem with the direct deposit payroll last week being sent to employees accounts twice by mistake. The banks were notified and the money was reversed back to the County. Member Keiser stated that she thought there was a request for this issue to be reviewed for legality. State’s Attorney Paul Mangieri stated that when the issue was before the Board before, he gave his opinion that it could be made a condition of employment for new hires or included in contract negotiations but would be hard to go back retroactively. His opinion remains the same now and said the Board has passed a Resolution that in effect says it is the County goal to have all employees direct deposit, but this can not be forced on to the employees. Member Keiser asked about the double deposits. Treasurer Davis said that they don’t know how the problem occurred but it was corrected quickly and in the 8 years the County has had direct deposit there have only been 3 problems. Member Keiser asked about the letter sent to some employees saying they were responsible to turn the extra money back over to the County. The bank gave the Treasurer’s office the names of the 4 people who had withdrawn the money and the banks efforts to retrieve it came back as Not Sufficient Funds. Only 1 person out of the 5 refused to return the money. The State’s Attorney drafted the letter that the employees received stating that civil action would be taken if the money was not returned. Member Keiser asked to see a copy of the letter. Member Johnson asked if the money has been returned yet. Treasurer Davis stated that 1 person was owed the money and all but 1 of the others has returned the funds. Member Johnson replied that if the employee has not return the money within the 7 day period referenced in the letter they should be fired for being dishonest. Member Keiser said that she has been given a whole different side of the story. She stated that the person has not been contacted directly and more accountability is needed. A Department Head was not informed or was the employee notified prior to the letter from the State’s Attorney being sent. They were not aware of the situation before they received the letter. Treasurer Davis said that every single Department Head and bank involved was notified of the situation and were to inform their employees of the situation. When the bank tried to take back the money from these 4 accounts it was not able to do so. Member Keiser asked if the problem may have been a bank policy and not the individual person. Treasurer Davis responded that the banks had no other problems except for these 4 person’s accounts.

Member Porter motioned, seconded by Member Knapp to join the United Counties Council of Illinois. Member Keiser asked who from the Board would be appointed to represent Knox County . Chairman Occhi stated she had not made that decision yet but would come at the next meeting. Roll cal vote as follows: Ayes - – Porter, Keiser, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Pickrel, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Johnson – (13); Noes – Mannhardt (1). Motion carried.

Member Saline motioned, seconded by Member Pickrel to approve the Resolution on Transfer of Funds from Other Funds to the General Fund for Board per diems and mileage and vote by roll call as follows: Ayes - – Porter, Keiser, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Pickrel, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Mannhardt, Johnson – (14); Noes – (0). Motion carried.

Member Parsons motioned to accept the low bid from Office Specialists for 7 computers for the State’s Attorney and 1 for the County Clerk ’s office for $1,186.00 each, seconded by Member Porter. Member Pickrel asked if these were being paid from each department. Chairman Occhi said that they were coming out of the Courthouse Fund since they are used for multiple offices and functions in the Courthouse. Member Pickrel expressed concern about using funds from the Courthouse instead of the Department’s accounts. Treasurer Davis stated that the Courthouse Fund does have a line item for computer replacement that is used when work is being done on the computer network or other areas that affect multiple offices and departments. Member Pickrel asked why these costs are not split between the offices involved instead of coming out of the Courthouse. We need to make each Department responsible for there own costs. Paul Mangieri reported that when he took office 8 years ago the computers in his office were updated. He has not budgeted for the replacement of these computers because they have always been covered by the Courthouse computer replacement fund. He has no problem with writing a budget to cover these expenses but that can not be done until next year. Jim Harrell stated that the Public Defender’s office does not have a line item for computer replacement, so it would have to come out of the Courthouse replacement account. Member Saline suggested that we eliminate this line item next year and put this responsibility back to the offices. Clerk Erickson stated that there are 2 other computers that need to be replaced in his office, but they will come out of his budget since they are used solely for his office operations. Member Link asked about how many computers are going to be purchased. Clerk Erickson said there would be 7 for the State’s Attorney’s office and 1 for the Clerk’s office. Member Johnson requested that the amount for the computers be added to the motion, and both Members agreed to modify their motion and second. Roll call vote as follows: Ayes - – Porter, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Mannhardt, Johnson – (12); Noes – Keiser, Pickrel (2). Motion carried.

State’s Attorney Paul Mangieri updated the Board on litigation against the County. The first case was Kato vs. Knox County and Knox County Jail accusing wrongful death. Mr. Kato passed away from a heart related matter while in custody. The case has been dismissed and the appeal has also been denied. No negligence was found. The second case with Anderson and Davis case where an employee in the State’s Attorney’s office was named in the suit but no charges were listed. He filed a motion to dismiss and the District Court has dismissed it.

County Administrator Alan Hallberg gave the business report for the animal control. Information about the number of tags sold and an activity report were included in the Board packet. Discussion about the appointment of an Animal Control Administrator was supposed to be done by John, but he was not at the meeting. Doc Joe has offered to continue to provide veterinarian service to the County but does not want to serve as the Administrator. A motion to table the item until the next meeting was made by Member Parsons, seconded by Member Roberts and roll call vote as follows: Ayes - – Porter, Keiser, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Pickrel, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Mannhardt, Johnson – (14); Noes – (0). Motion carried. Treasurer Davis said that Doc Joe has not officially resigned yet and is still on the payroll of the County.

Mary Davis business report was presented by Alan Hallberg. The Home has not yet received any payments from the State. They have not had to borrow anything as of this point, and Rod said that the State said the payment should arrive the first part of next week. Census at the facility is currently 34 with 7 of those from Knox County . The population has been higher over the winter months. Member Keiser asked about when the last payment from the State was received. Rod reported that it was June, and they have been running about 6 months behind. Rod said that they put their vouchers in to the State at the first of the month to try and speed up the process. Other facilities throughout the State are mostly paid from the county general fund. The outstanding amount owed to the facility is around $500,000. The State does not have to compensate our home like they do other Counties, so we are at their mercy as to the funding. Other Counties are in the same position or worse.

Administrator Hallberg gave the zoning and Assessor’s business report. The assessed values were mailed out on January 14, 2005 and we are now in the 30 day period to file protests. At this point no protests have been filed. The Butler Manufacturing protest involves 9 properties that would cost the County $141,718.91 in refunds for the 2003 taxes that were already paid. Member Johnson asked if that was the Counties portion or the whole amount to be distributed out among the taxing bodies. Hallberg said it was the total amount. The Board of Review wants to fight these challenges, and a Peoria appraisal firm is working on a cost to appraise these sites. The Board of Review may bring this back to the Board to approve. We would then ask the other taxing bodies to pay a percentage of the cost, with the school districts paying the largest portion at about 60%. Joyce Skinner said that Galesburg School District #205 has always been willing to pay and Carl Sandburg College has already stated that they are willing to pay their portion of the cost. Joyce Skinner passed out information regarding the 30 day period for objection Member Porter stated that she feels this 30 day period is not only the law but a good way to allow the taxpayers to gather information to make their case. Member Saline said that the appeals do not have to wait until after the first 30 days to start their hearings. He said that he has had contact with the State and they say exactly what he is stating. Chairman Occhi asked Paul Mangieri to look into the matter and report back to the Board.

Larry Larson started off the Landfill report with a report on the advantages of BioDiesel over regular diesel. These 2 items compete in the marketplace against each other and BioDiesel has some big advantages. It is a better lubricant and can be made out of plant oil, waste oil, or animal fats. It is a renewable fuel source that can be used for heating oil and vehicle fuel. It also reduces acid rain. The Federal Government is subsidizing BioDiesel at about $1.00 per gallon at this point. We are producing about 70% of the oil production we were in the 1970’s. With the way that the supply of oil going down and the demand going up we could be thinking that gas at $1.80 per gallon as cheap in the near future. We need to look into this item further and he asked the Board if they wanted him to proceed then he needs some guidance from the Board. Member Johnson asked if this program would be used for the County fuel needs or if it would be a business venture. He also would like to know an estimated cost of building the plant and cost of a gallon of this fuel. Larry Larson said he was looking at more than just the County needs and it might be a Co-Op with other businesses. Member Link said he would like to see Larry and Knox County be a leader in the field and a huge market for this fuel will be opening up in the future. Trucking companies, railroad, and barge companies will all be using this fuel soon. The plant would have to be a big plant to make it worth while. Member Porter thinks this plan could lead to greater economic development and employment in Knox County . Member Parsons reported that the Prairie Hills Resources group will help to fund Knox County 's efforts to develop a BioDiesel plant along with Federal and State grant money. They hope that within 10 years to have about 500 jobs in the area related to the plant. Member Keiser motioned, seconded by Member Parsons to have Larry Larson proceed with investigating his BioDiesel plan and voice vote as follows: Ayes (all), Noes (None). Motion approved.

Larry Larson also informed the Board that the Landfill may need to purchase some transfer trailers in the future. Member Johnson asked if it would be just the trailer or would the tractor be needed also. Larson replied it would just be the trailers and hire the tractors.

Administrator Hallberg then gave the Highway Department business report. He has sent a letter to Schrader regarding the request for road work in Village of Henderson , he has called Dwayne but no further information is available. He also addressed the bill for LiquidGreen for the spraying of weeds on the guard rails on County highways. Dwayne said it is cheaper to have them do it then it would be for him to buy the chemicals themselves, let alone do the work. They are also working on a comparison of ice melt products and will compare them to the beet based product for cost and efficiency. This will be used to help develop the bid specifications for next year. There are 2 Resolutions on the agenda for first reading. The first is for the Motor Fuel Tax Maintenance funds transfer to Highway Maintenance, and the second is a transfer of funds for Dwayne’s salary. The information is included in the packet. These are both housekeeping matters. Member Porter pointed out a difference of figures on one of the Resolutions. Dwayne said it was a misprint that would be corrected prior to approval.

The Nursing Home business report was then given by Administrator Hallberg. The elevator repair bids were opened and the cost was not as high as expected. The parts that we were told were no longer available would be replaced on the existing elevator. The Home owes the Referendum Account $268,000.00 which they are going to reduce with the Department of Public Aid money that was found and billed to the State. There have been some reorganization moves made at the Home. Discussion on the purchase of a new resident van followed a motion by Member Parsons and second by Member Keiser. The bidder’s information was included in the packet and Steve Goff has reviewed them all. Midwest Transit gave 3 bids and Southern Transit gave 1 bid. The last van at the Home was from Midwest Transit and that is what the recommendation is at this time. Member Bacon asked about what would be done with the old van. Hallberg said it would be kept at the Home and used for odd jobs or sold for sealed bids. Member Bacon also asked about the need for some of the optional equipment on the van. He was concerned about the lack of a spare tire cover and reverse alarm not being included in the package. Member Sandoval said it would be best to do some of this work while the chassis is being built instead of after it has been built. Member Johnson also said that the lettering package would be good to approve also. He suggested that we approve the motion to purchase and then give the Home Administrator the authority to add some of the extra features within reason. Since the delivery date for the van is 3 months, we still have time to add some of these features on to the unit. Roll call vote to approve the purchase of a resident van from Midwest Transit in the amount of $42,922 as follows: Ayes - Porter, Keiser, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Pickrel, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Mannhardt, Johnson – (14); Noes – (0). Motion carried.

Administrator Hallberg reported on the letter of termination to LZT that he prepared and reviewed with the State’s Attorney. On a motion by Member Pickrel, second by Member Sandoval to send the letter as presented to LZT a voice vote was cast as follows: Ayes – All, Noes – (None). Motion carried. Member Johnson asked about any additional billing from LZT. Member Pickrel said that the last one was for $125 and it has already been processed.

Administrator Hallberg presented the waste removal contract bids for the Nursing Home. Discussion about whether the number of containers that Waste Management would provide would be adequate for the need. He was also concerned about the charges for additional pick ups. Abingdon Salvage is picking up approximately 90 cubic yards per week currently. He wanted to know how much Waste Management would pick up before they charged the extra fees. Member Pickrel said they usually work on the concept that you are only charged extra fees if you have a special event or need that would require them to pick up an additional time. Member Link asked if Larry Larson would review the contracts. Member Bacon asked about a 3 year contract option.

The laundry service contract was discussed and information on the contract and water usage was included in the Board packet. The amendment to the collective bargaining unit was also included. The Home is saving money with this contract and water usage has been reduced by about 18% and salary expense has been reduced by 4%. Member Bacon commented on the savings stated was about $70,000 per year and we are not coming anywhere close to that amount. Hallberg said that those figures were provided by the former Home Administrator and that all but 1 of the employees affected by this change were reassigned to different areas. Member Johnson asked about the quality of work provided. Maryanne responded that the normal wear pattern is common and that they are doing a good job. She said that there were some bids that were getting old and worn and she has instructed the staff to remove these from service.

Member Pickrel motioned, seconded by Member Porter to disband the Ad Hoc Nursing Home Committee and discussion followed. Member Keiser stated that the Board approved to let the new Nursing Home Administrator look at the situation and give her opinion. Member Pickrel said that at her vision of what she would like to see done at the Home and goals to reach don’t require the Ad Hoc group input. Member Porter said the Ad Hoc group could be a hindrance and not allow her to act quickly when necessary. Member Mannhardt feels that the committee should stay because there is a lot of talent there and the advice is free. Member Parsons is in favor of keeping the committee stating that they are mostly a level headed group and have been a help to the Home. Member Johnson stated that the word Ad Hoc means there is a defined time for the committee to exist, and with the situation the way it is with borrowing from the Referendum Account the committee has done an outstanding job. We should thank them for their service and then move on without them. Maryanne stated that she does not like being put in the middle, and there are pros and cons to every situation. She feels it should be a decision of the Board. Member Pickrel said that the committee would not be able to give her any advice on her vision for the Home. She responded by saying that wherever her thoughts take her, she will always keep the Board informed and the committee was formed to help with the major renovations and not the day to day operations of the Home. At this point she is looking to just sprucing up the Home and not any major projects. Since this item has been tabled once before, the call for the vote was made to disband the Ad Hoc was made. The roll call vote was as follows: Ayes - Porter, Keiser, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Pickrel, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Johnson – (13); Noes – Mannhardt (1). Motion carried.

Maryanne brought up the idea of a County flag. This would be a good way to involve the school children and bring pride to the County. Member Keiser said it was a good idea and that maybe the Nursing Home residents could vote on the winner. She would like to have the County schools to work with the students to come up with ideas similar to the Health Department coloring contests. Member Johnson reported that the City of Galesburg had a contest for a City logo and it was open to anyone, not just school children. He also said that this would be more advanced than the coloring contests that the Health Department conducts and should be open to more people. Member Parsons stated that the Knights of Columbus hold a spelling bee and could only get 3 students to participate. Chairman Occhi directed the County Administrator to look into the matter.

Alan Hallberg reported on the GIS policy and fee schedule. He will ask for a vote on this at the next meeting. He is trying to model the fee structure after Henry County . They are of similar size population and offer many of the same services as we will. The fee structure they use is also more realistic as compared to some others. Henry County has been using this system for the last 4 to 5 years. There will be a formal plan presented with all of the modifications included in the next Board packet. We are getting closer to paying off the contract with Sidwell Company and they are getting close to completing the project. Training for Will Hayes from the Health Department, Dwayne from the Highway Department and the County Administrator has been set up for March in Springfield . This will be training on how to enter and manipulate the data. A Sidwell representative will come to the County and train other departments on simple data work at a later date.

Alan Hallberg reported on the financial sheet he included in the packet. He also included notes on items he saw that were noteworthy. Member Keiser thought this was very helpful and would like to see more detail into the reasoning some items are not where they should be. The personnel policy comparison was also reviewed. The past practice issue that has caused concern in the past brought about this review. There are differences in holidays that are taken off, personal days allowed, vacation days allowed, longevity pay that is not mentioned in the County policy, clothing allowance, and sick days. He asked the Board for direction on how to proceed. Member Johnson stated that he purpose of this was to bring the non union personnel policies some uniformity. There should be fairness in the way they are treated. The Landfill only gets 1 week of vacation when the County policy is 2 weeks. But they do get extra sick days that the others do not. There should be one uniform policy that covers all non union employees in the County. Member Porter asked if it was a problem with the policy or of Department heads not following the policy. Administrator Hallberg stated that Larry and Dwayne had concerns about trying to get a uniform policy. Member Link stated that the Landfill is a hostile environment to work in and may require special exception. Member Parsons said we should set the policy of past practice aside and go back to the County policy. Administrator Hallberg stated that if they do change the policy, there will be some issues on lost vacation days, etc that the Board will have to address. Larry Larson addressed a memo he wrote to Alan Hallberg stating that the Landfill has followed the Highway contract even though they do not have a say in the vote. If we force them to go to the County policy, they will form 2 unions and not do some of the work that they do now. It is hard to get temporary workers to pick up papers and it may cause a lot of discord. Member Keiser made the point that this is looking at non union employees, but there are variations in the union contracts in order to try and bring some parity to the union agreements. Member Mannhardt stated that each department has different needs and we are now learning the various needs of the departments. We should not disrupt this process until we learn more about it. Member Link stated that when the issues are looked at in depth that the Landfill and Highway departments would be very similar in needs. Member Johnson stated that the Landfill “piggybacking” off of the Highway department contract could lead to other departments trying the same thing. Chairman Occhi directed the Administrator to investigate this issue further and look into the union agreements also.

Chairman Occhi presented the following consent agenda for approval: 1) Minutes of the Board Meeting held January 12, 2005; 2) Claims against Knox County, Illinois, for the period of January 13, 2005 to January 26, 2005 (ordering that invoices be accepted and approved and that the County Clerk and County Treasurer be authorized and directed to issue County Warrants in payment of the bills); 3) Claims by Members for per diem and mileage for the Meeting of January 26, 2005; 4) Financial reports of Scott G. Erickson, County Clerk; Robin E. Davis, Treasurer; Nancy J. McCune, Recorder; Kelly Cheesman, Circuit Clerk; and James K. Thompson, Sheriff; for the month of January 2005 (filed with the Clerk); 5) Sales tax and various taxes in for the month of November 2004 in the amounts of $82,839.45 and $23,627.82 and public safety tax in the amount of $72,182.17; 6) EPA fine at Landfill for $500. Member Pickrel motioned to approve the consent agenda asked that Item #33 and #37 be removed and voted on separately, seconded by Member Parsons and vote by roll call as follows: Ayes - Porter, Keiser, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Pickrel, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Mannhardt, Johnson – (14); Noes – (0). Motion carried.

Member Mannhardt motioned, seconded by Member Shallenberger to approve the claims against the County (Item #33). Chairman Occhi reported that the review committee looked at the bills and she felt that the pulled bills should be brought to the Boards attention before approving them. Member Link had no problem with the bills being pulled but the department heads need to be notified of the bills to be pulled. Alan Hallberg said he e-mailed Larry about the pulled bills. Member Keiser said that she thought the County had a policy to not pay for flowers and that it should be pulled. Larry addressed the cell phone issue stating that the employees use their own cell phones on the trucks and the Superintendent uses his own phone. We pay the truck drivers each $100 per year so that we do not have buy them a cell phone or install a radio in the trucks. This is a one time per year payment and the Superintendent gets an extra amount because his phone is used more. Administrator Hallberg has talked with other Administrators and they said that IRS codes require this money to be considered taxable income if no clear difference can be made between personal and work use. No other County has made this distinction before but other Counties do allow this. A log or record would need to be kept to be able to show the IRS that the calls were for business. Member Saline was worried that this would create a large amount of paperwork to deal with. Member Bacon stated that if the employee wanted the money then they would have to keep track of the time used. Member Saline said it should be the policy across the Board and not done on an individual basis. Member Pickrel asked if this was in writing that they would receive the $100 payment. Larson said it was not in writing. Member Pickrel then asked if the amount would be raised to allow for the taxes to be removed. Treasurer Davis said if you are going to tax them, it has to go through the payroll system and suggested that we should check with the auditors on this item. Member Saline said we will not be able to make a policy tonight, but we need to address this in the future. Member Pickrel asked Larson about the internet service. Larson said it was for his internet at the office, and that he does have a phone line his home. Larson was charging the bill to his personal credit card because of the late fees being charged. Member Johnson suggested that Larson talk to the Health Department about hooking up to their system. Member Mannhardt asked about the dental insurance payment. Treasurer Davis said it was for the payment of employees that have dental insurance. Member Keiser asked Larson about the purchase from Northern Tools on his personal credit card. Larson said the tool was needed for the work on the tarp machine device they are building at the Landfill and the County does not have a line of credit with the company. Member Bacon expressed concern about department heads using their personal account for purchases for the County.

Member Keiser wanted the bill for the flowers be removed from payment. Member Johnson agreed with Member Keiser but said that this was part of the Sheriff’s budget. Once we approve their budget, the Board does not have a say in the matter until they go over budget. Sheriff Thompson addressed the Board that they have done this in the past and if you are going to change the process then do it countywide. Member Porter said the elected officials have control over their own budget and it is not a large issue. Sheriff Thompson expressed concern over the Board micro-managing the County with this new system. A call for the question was made and roll call vote on the paying of the bills was as follows: Ayes -Porter, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Mannhardt – (11); Noes – Keiser (1); Abstain – Pickrel, Johnson (2). Motion carried.

Member Saline motioned, seconded by Member Link to approve Item #37 EPA fine for the Landfill. Larson said that he has not seen the bill in question. Member Johnson asked if this was the fine for the surprise inspection that was approved by the Board. Member Porter asked why the owner of the Landfill is listed as the Landfill Committee and not Knox County . Larson thought that this bill had already been paid. Chairman Occhi said that we could amend the motion to pay this if it has not already been done. Member Saline amended his motion along with Member Link to approve the payment of the bill if has not already been taken care of and roll call vote as follows: Ayes - Porter, Keiser, Occhi, Knapp, Link, Pickrel, Bacon, Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, Shallenberger, Parsons, Mannhardt, Johnson – (14); Noes – (0). Motion carried.

COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS

Administrator Hallberg reported that on March 21^st there will be a risk management program on personnel issues and they have also offered to present this same program on April 1^st at 6:00 p.m. if we would like. He is also working on the other cable companies to get franchise agreements with them. He attended a Chamber of Commerce meeting where they discussed the drop in projected State revenue. They feel that most of the State payments will be delayed. The Board photos are back and Members can purchase a copy.

STATEMENTS OF GENERAL CONCERN

Member Porter remarked that she did not like the way that Joyce Skinner has been treated publicly. Nobody knows more about the Assessor’s office than Joyce. She said that any Board Member that has a question can go to her office and ask.

Member Keiser wanted to compliment Administrator Hallberg on his presentation and liked his overview. She would like to have the Department heads to give their own reports before the Board.

Chairman Occhi and Member Knapp had no comment at this time.

Member Link commented that the packet was better and wants the efforts to continue on improving it. He also said that Administrator, Nursing Home and Highway all gave good details in their reports. He also wants everybody to work together and make this system work.

Member Pickrel stated that he has gotten a couple e-mails and said it is a nice way to keep informed on things.

Member Bacon said he liked the page number and item numbers in the packet. He was also shocked at the thickness of the packet and it was a lot of information to go through.

Members Saline, Sandoval, Roberts, and Parsons had no comments at this time.

Member Mannhardt agreed with Member Keiser that it would be good for the Department heads to give their own reports and presentations.

Member Johnson had no comment at this time.

Chairman Occhi reported that he next meeting of the Board will be February 9, 2005 at 6:00 p.m.

Motion to adjourn by Member Johnson, seconded by Member Sandoval. Voice vote and motion Carried. The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.