PROCEEDINGS OF THE
STATE OF
) SS
Proceedings of the
regular meeting of the Knox County Board held at the Knox County Courthouse,
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Allen Pickrel and upon roll
call the following members reported present:
District
1 Caroline Porter
District
2 Greg Bacon
District
3 Tim Hasten
District
4
District
5 Gerald
“Jerry” Link
District
1 Allen Pickrel
District
2 Paul Stewart
District 3
Dale Parsons
District
4 George Knapp
District
1 Lyle Johnson
District
2 William
“Bill” Abel
District
3 Janet Occhi
District
4 Wayne Saline
District
5 Stephen
“Steve” Johnson
Those absent:
District 5
Ricardo “Rick” Sandoval
Also present were State’s Attorney John Pepmeyer, Sheriff Dave Clague,
Treasurer Robin Davis, and County Clerk Scott Erickson.
Sheriff Dave Clague delivered the proclamation. Chairman Pickrel led the
Members in the pledge to the flag. Member Abel delivered the invocation.
Chairman Pickrel asked for additions to the agenda. Member Mannhardt
asked that agenda item 24, approval of Foth to advertise for a
Chairman Pickrel asked for public comments. There were none.
Chairman Pickrel read aloud a letter from Deputy John Bodenhammer, on
behalf of the chaplains who serve at the Knox County Jail, thanking the Board
and the Sheriff for the plaque awarded to them during the January Board Meeting.
Chairman Pickrel presented for approval the following items of the
consent agenda: 1) minutes of the Regular and Closed Board Meeting on January
23, 2008, 2) claims by Members for per diem and mileage for the Meeting of
February 27, 2008 and other claims for per diem from Meetings, and 3) sales tax
and various taxes for the month of November 2007 in the amounts of $95,763.81
and $19,187.35 and public safety tax in the amount of $83,851.89. Motion was
made by Member Parsons and seconded by Member Occhi to approve these measures.
Roll call vote is recorded as follows: Ayes—Porter, Bacon, Hasten, Mannhardt,
Link, Pickrel, Stewart, Parsons, Knapp, Lyle Johnson, Abel, Occhi, Saline, and
Steve Johnson—(14). Noes—(0). Motion carried.
Motion was made by Member Mannhardt and seconded by Member Steve Johnson
to approve the plans for nursing home fascia, soffit, and entryway projects. Al
Varney from Ament presented these plans to the Board. These plans have been
prepared as two separate bidding documents. One is for the soffit fascia work
and the other for the entryway project. These documents are very similar to
other proposals that Ament has prepared for the County. The existing nursing
home entryway will be removed. A new vestibule will be created on the outside.
New automatic aluminum frame doors will be installed, similar to those at a
large grocery or drug store, which actually consist of two sets of doors. These
new doors will separate the inside and outside and be more energy efficient.
This new wide entryway has been designed to blend in with the current exterior
of the nursing home. During the construction phase, the entryway will be
relocated.
The soffit fascia work will need to be completed before the entryway
project is begun. Currently there are asbestos boards covering all the perimeter
edges of the four wings of the nursing home. These boards will be removed along
with the old insulation that is underneath these boards. New insulation and a
new covering made of a composite material will be installed. Pending the
Board’s approval, these plans are complete and ready to go out for bid. The
Department of Health will also have to review these plans. Roll call vote is
recorded as follows: Ayes—Porter, Bacon, Hasten, Mannhardt, Link, Pickrel,
Stewart, Parsons, Knapp, Lyle Johnson, Abel, Occhi, Saline, and Steve
Johnson—(14). Noes—(0). Motion carried.
Motion was made by Member Occhi and seconded by Member Bacon to accept
and place on file the annual Health Department Report for fiscal year 2007. Greg
Chance presented this report to the Board. This annual report is available on
their website at www.knoxcountyhealth.org.
On February 24th, this report was included as an insert in the
Galesburg Register-Mail. The Health Department had a very positive fiscal year.
According to their previous plans, they have spent down a limited amount of
their reserve funds. The Health Department continues to provide services without
increasing the tax levy. They have avoided the maximum tax levy of $.10 per $100
assessed evaluation. Since the Health Department began offering services 15
years ago, avoiding that maximum tax levy has saved
Regarding the new addition to the building, they did receive five bid
proposals to provide financing. The lowest is a fixed rate, 10 year rate at
3.83% with F & M Bank. The Health Department is in the process of
consolidating their current loan. If all goes according to the current plan,
they expect to break ground April 1. This will be a 30 ft X 90 ft addition on
the west side of the building. Estimated project cost is $1,100,000 which
includes the cost of dental equipment. A $300,000 grant will go toward the cost
of dental equipment. Additionally, they plan to use $300,000 of their cash
reserves and borrow $500,000. The new addition should be ready mid-August to
early September. The need for dental services around the County continues to
explode.
Member Abel commented about the increasing rate of tuberculosis world
wide. He questioned if the Health Department has explored the possibility of
offering TB tests in the schools. Mr. Chance responded that the disease rates of
TB in the
Roll call vote to accept this report and place it on file is recorded as
follows: Ayes—Porter, Bacon, Hasten, Mannhardt, Link, Pickrel, Stewart,
Parsons, Knapp, Lyle Johnson, Abel, Occhi, Saline, and Steve Johnson—(14).
Noes—(0). Motion carried.
Motion was made by Member Stewart and seconded by Member Parsons to
appoint Eric Hanson to the Orpheum Board of Directors. He will complete the term
of Anne Taylor who has resigned. Presently Mr. Hanson is the City Administrator
for the City of
Motion was made by Member Occhi and seconded by Member Abel to approve
the membership renewal fee in the amount of $150.00 for the Prairie Hills
Resource Conservation Development Board. This amount has not increased since
last year. Member Parsons serves on this board and reminded Members that
Motion was made by Member Link and seconded by Member Parsons to approve
a resolution of support for the Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
Chairman Pickrel stated that this organization does a lot of great work.
However, they have been experiencing funding problems through the State and have
not received any of their funding for the current fiscal year. This resolution
would have no financial impact to the County but would encourage the Governor to
release the funds that have been allocated for this purpose. A copy of this
resolution is included in the packets. Voice vote to approve this resolution is
recorded as follows: Ayes—(14). Noes—(0). Motion carried.
Chairman Pickrel introduced discussion regarding wind farm lease and
easement concerns. Supervisor of Assessments, Chris Gray was gone on vacation,
but her report is included in the packets. Member Link reported that the
Highway, Assessor, Zoning, GIS, and Recorder Committee have discussed this
matter for several months. The committee wants to go on record to recommend that
wind farms should enter into lease agreements as opposed to easement agreements.
A lease agreement would allow the wind towers to be taxed separately. Member
Link would suggest that the
Chairman Pickrel agreed that the full Board should concur with this
recommendation. However, since this recommendation is not on this agenda, a vote
would have to wait. So far, five
Member Bacon stated that he would not want to infringe on a landowner’s
right on how to conduct their own business. However, he does want to protect the
County’s right to collect taxes. It is up to the landowners and their lawyers
to negotiate the terms of these agreements. The County needs to stay as neutral
as possible. This recommendation would protect the County and safeguard the
means to collect the taxes. If easements are allowed, at some point they could
say that it is a utility easement. Some utility easements are non-taxable. We
should not allow any utility easements as part of these wind farm agreements.
Chairman Pickrel agreed with Member Bacon. That is a good point about the
easements. That is one reason why the other five counties have gone with leases.
Utility easements can be non-taxable and the County could lose a lot of tax
revenue.
Member Mannhardt suggested that as the ordinances are drawn up, the
definition section should alleviate any confusion about the difference between
leases and easements.
Chairman Pickrel stated that the Board is fortunate to have Robert Potts
and his firm from Elmwood available. Mr. Potts is knowledgeable in dealing with
these wind farm agreements and is more than willing to advise us. Although we do
not anticipate any wind farms being built until 2010, we should be proactive.
Chairman Pickrel suggested that the Highway, Assessor, Zoning, GIS, and Recorder
Committee oversee the specific details regarding wind farm agreements.
Member Porter stated that since this is a tax assessment issue, the
Assessor’s Office should be involved in drafting a resolution. Then they could
provide direction to the Zoning Office.
Member Link reported that March 4, Chris Gray is to attend an
informational meeting regarding wind farms. We need to keep working on this and
get the paperwork completed. Already wind farm companies are trying to obtain
land and get those agreements in place. The committee is willing to work on this
and will be consulting with State’s Attorney John Pepmeyer.
The Finance, Insurance, Treasurer, Judicial, and Clerk Committee report
was presented by Committee Chairman Wayne Saline. It is still too early to
establish a trend regarding revenues over expenses.
Motion was made by Member Saline and seconded by Member Parsons to
approve the abatement of the tax levy for Public Safety Bonds Series 1999 and
2003. These two resolutions are included in the packets. This is something that
has been done for the past several years. Treasurer Robin Davis explained that
these resolutions would abate the tax levy on the public safety bonds that could
be collected. Roll call vote is recorded as follows: Ayes—Porter, Bacon,
Hasten, Mannhardt, Link, Pickrel, Stewart, Parsons, Knapp, Lyle Johnson, Abel,
Occhi, Saline, and Steve Johnson—(14). Noes—(0). Motion carried.
Treasurer Robin Davis presented the statement of conditions of the banks
for the period ending September 2007. This is a normal housekeeping measure.
This statement is on file in the
Chairman Pickrel introduced discussion regarding the enforcement of the
County Personnel Policy. Some concerns were discussed during the executive
session. Between now and the next County Board Meeting, a meeting will be held
with department heads, other officials, and himself. They will make certain that
every county employee has a copy of the current personnel policy. There will be
some discussion about some policies that are currently not being enforced which
are contained in the personnel policy. After that meeting,
The Ad Hoc Building Committee report was presented by Committee Chairman
Steve Johnson. The next committee meeting will be held March 6,
Regarding the new scale house/office building at the landfill, Greg Ingle
has reported that the scale is not operational yet. The building and computers
should be ready the following week. Board Members were invited to go out and
tour this new building.
The Sheriff, Jail, Courthouse, Animal Control, Mary Davis Home, and Annex
Committee report was presented by Committee Chairman Steve Johnson. The reports
are included in the packets. Committee minutes were distributed to the Members.
Motion was made by Member Steve Johnson and seconded by Member Stewart to
approve to bid and bring back for parking lot expansion and pavement at the Mary
Davis Home. These funds would come from the Mary Davis Home Bond Fund. Rod
Cleair stated that one reason for the need to do this is because of the
completion of the sally port. Member Link explained that the committee had
planned to wait for a year to do this project following the installation of the
gas pumps. This interval of time would allow the gravel to compact. Voice vote
is recorded as follows: Ayes—(14). Noes—(0). Motion carried.
Member Steve Johnson also reported another committee business matter.
Animal Control Officer, Roger Underwood was able to register and enroll in a
chemical capture class in
The Highway, Assessor, Zoning, GIS, and Recorder Committee report was
presented by Committee Chairman Jerry Link. Reports and committee minutes are
included in the packets. There was a public meeting regarding the possible
realignment of County Highway 12. After much discussion with the landowners, for
now that issue is dead. There was also much discussion regarding leases and
easements for the wind farms.
Chairman Pickrel thanked Mr. Ratermann for sending out the invitations to
residents affected by the possible realignment of County Highway 12. This
meeting was very well attended. Member Link commented that is the way to handle
situations like this.
Mr. Ratermann reported that they have 500 tons of salt remaining. Member
Link added that they are mixing sand with the salt in an effort to make it last
through the remainder of the season.
Motion was made by Member Link and seconded by Member Parsons to approve
the resolution on 2008 County Motor Fuel Tax Maintenance. This is a normal
house-keeping measure that must be done every year. Roll call vote is recorded
as follows: Ayes—Porter, Bacon, Hasten, Mannhardt, Link, Pickrel, Stewart,
Parsons, Knapp, Lyle Johnson, Abel, Occhi, Saline, and Steve Johnson—(14).
Noes—(0). Motion carried.
Motion was made by Member Link and seconded by Member Parsons to approve
the low bids from various vendors for aggregate hauling and stockpiling for
various road districts utilizing Motor Fuel Tax funds in 2008. This will be
contingent upon concurrence of the highway commissioners in various road
districts. Bid tabulation sheets are included in the packets. Member Link
explained that some of these bids are higher than the engineer’s estimate but
things are much higher. Roll call vote is recorded as follows: Ayes—Porter,
Bacon, Hasten, Mannhardt, Link, Pickrel, Stewart, Parsons, Knapp, Lyle Johnson,
Abel, Occhi, Saline, and Steve Johnson—(14). Noes—(0). Motion carried.
Motion was made by Member Link and seconded by Member Occhi to approve
the low bid for a new tandem dump truck in the amount of $82,270.00 submitted by
Dave Gill Trucks, Inc., from
Motion was made by Member Occhi and seconded by Member Parsons to approve
the union contract for the Highway Department. Chairman Pickrel reported that
negotiations had gone very smoothly. Roll call vote is recorded as follows:
Ayes—Porter, Bacon, Hasten, Mannhardt, Link, Pickrel, Stewart, Parsons, Knapp,
Lyle Johnson, Abel, Occhi, Saline, and Steve Johnson—(14). Noes—(0). Motion
carried.
The Landfill Committee report was presented by Committee Chairman Lowell
Mannhardt. The Committee minutes and landfill report are included in the
packets.
Motion was made by Member Mannhardt and seconded by Member Porter to
approve the job description for the Solid Waste Director position at the
landfill prepared by Foth Infrastructure & Environment, LLC. This job
description is included in the packets. Chairman Pickrel stated that this is a
standard job description for this position. Foth keeps up with these
requirements. Member Link stated that he was impressed with the details in this
document. Member Abel commented that this job description is easy to understand.
Chairman Pickrel agreed that it is well written. Voice vote is recorded as
follows: Ayes—(14). Noes—(0). Motion carried.
Motion was made by Member Mannhardt and seconded by Member Parsons to
approve the engineering phase of the leachate tank improvement project at the
landfill. Engineering Services will be provided by Foth Infrastructure &
Environment, LLC. The existing leachate tanks onsite are located such that they
do not provide the required storage capability required by environmental
regulations. These tanks were received by the landfill second-hand and would not
survive an onsite move. Currently those tanks are not being used. Member
Mannhardt explained leachate is a term used to refer to water that comes in
contact with the garbage at the landfill. The leachate is removed from the cell,
collected, and then transported for treatment to the sanitary district. Specific
details concerning the plan improvements are included in the packets. Foth
proposes to complete these services on a time and materials basis, estimated to
be $36,000. This cost does not include the costs of replacement tanks or
secondary containment installation costs.
Chairman Pickrel stated that he had spoken to Pat Sloan in reference to
this project. In a way this is one of those projects where we are going
backwards as this project should have been taken care of months ago. This is
something that the previous administrator did not take care of. Now we are
trying to play catch up in an effort to move forward.
Member Steve Johnson reminded Members that last year the Board had
discussed projects at the landfill such as the road to the pump station and the
leachate tanks.
Member Saline stated that he is not against this project but he is
against spending money with Foth. He does not trust them. Therefore, he will be
voting “No” to this project. We should look elsewhere for someone who cares
about the County’s best interests. Roll call vote is recorded as follows:
Ayes—Porter, Hasten, Mannhardt, Link, Pickrel, Stewart, Parsons, Knapp, Lyle
Johnson, Abel, Occhi, and Steve Johnson—(12). Noes—Bacon and Saline—(2).
Motion carried.
The Nursing Home Committee report was presented by Committee Chairman
Lowell Mannhardt. The Committee minutes and nursing home report are included in
the packets. He reported that the nursing home is purchasing television
satellite equipment that will save the nursing home approximately $200 per
month. They are also investigating the idea of putting in a new driveway. This
would run east and west from County Highway 9 and would cut off a mile of travel
to and from the nursing home from the interstate. Member Steve Johnson stated as
this project progresses he will probably speak against it. Another mile in
driving distance is not out of the ordinary. We do not need to spend our money
on this type of a project.
Motion was made by Member Mannhardt and seconded by Member Hasten to
approve the hiring of I.E.F.M. engineers to review the needs of a nursing home
generator and draw up specifications for a new generator. The emergency
generator currently used at the nursing home is a 1965 model. Understandably,
due to its age, it has become unreliable. It is a requirement of the Illinois
Department of Public Health to have a reliable automatic back-up power supply.
Estimated cost of the generator would be $60,000-$70,000 and funds would be
taken from the tax referendum account.
Member Bacon asked about the cost of providing these engineering
services. He would rather not approve this measure until he knew the cost
involved. Member Mannhardt responded that he did not know the cost.
Motion was made by Member Steve Johnson and seconded by Member Saline to
table this motion until the Board has additional information regarding the cost.
Roll call vote to table this measure is recorded as follows: Ayes—Bacon,
Saline, and Steve Johnson—(3). Noes—Porter, Hasten, Mannhardt, Link,
Pickrel, Stewart, Parsons, Knapp, Lyle Johnson, Abel, and Occhi—(11). Motion
failed.
Member Parsons stated that as this was discussed in committee, this is a
critical situation. Marianne Wiesen reported that currently the nursing home
does not have a back up unit. We need to move ahead with this project without
delay. What is the nursing home to do in an emergency situation if the generator
goes down? The State requires that an engineer evaluate the needs of the nursing
home and draw up the specifications for a back-up generator.
Chairman Pickrel agrees that this project needs to move forward. However,
the budget impact must be considered. Member Saline reminded Members that
professional services do not have to be bid out.
Member Steve Johnson stated that he is against going into blind
situations. In the past, there were problems regarding cost as investigators
were hired without a cap or a limit. Member Saline explained that they had
expected a cost estimate by now, but it is not yet available.
Chairman Pickrel stated that this process could take two or three months
to obtain the engineering services, bid and bring back, and actually purchase a
new generator. This would be May before the generator could be delivered.
Member Link stated that this process should move forward. The Board
should get the recommendation from the engineer. However, he would prefer to
have an approximate cost for this service.
Marianne Wiesen reported that this is the same engineering firm that the
nursing home has used before and their fees have been reasonable.
Member Porter stated that this sounds like an emergency situation. The
Board should instruct Ms. Wiesen to take care of this situation. If we cannot
provide services at the nursing home, we are in trouble. This is a pretty basic
situation; we must do something.
Chairman Pickrel reminded the Board that this matter really did not have
to come to the full Board. As others have said, since this is a professional
service, it does not have to be bid out. Member Bacon again asked for a ball
park figure regarding these engineering fees.
Member Porter responded that Ms. Wiesen had said that usually engineering
services are approximately 10% of the cost of the project. Member Bacon stated
that in this case, it would be $6,000-$7,000 and given that amount it would
require Board approval. Member Knapp agreed that an estimated cost for
engineering services would be this amount.
Roll call vote to approve the hiring of I.E.F.M. engineers to review the
needs of a nursing home generator and draw up specifications for a new generator
is recorded as follows: Ayes—Porter, Hasten, Mannhardt, Link, Pickrel,
Stewart, Parsons, Knapp, Lyle Johnson, and Abel—(10). Noes—Bacon, Occhi,
Saline, and Steve Johnson—(4). Motion carried.
Motion was made by Member Parsons and seconded by Member Stewart to
approve to bid and bring back for a utility tractor for the nursing home. This
unit would replace the lawn tractor and utility tractor that are in need of
repairs or replacement. This new tractor would eliminate the need to rent a
backhoe. Estimated cost would be $18,000-$19,000 and funds would be taken from
the farm account. Voice vote is recorded as follows: Ayes—(14). Noes—(0).
Motion carried.
Motion was made by Member Parsons and seconded by Member Occhi to approve
the resolution of opposition to CMS revisit fees at the nursing home. Following
a survey or inspection where an infraction occurs, the nursing home would be
required to pay the $2,027 revisit fee when officials return to clear the
infraction.
Chairman Pickrel asked Ms. Wiesen if she planned to have State’s
Attorney John Pepmeyer draft this resolution. Ms. Wiesen responded that she had
sent a draft to Chairman Pickrel to forward to Mr. Pepmeyer.
Member Bacon asked if approving this resolution would actually make any
difference. Ms. Wiesen responded that it probably would not make a difference.
However, we could voice our opposition to this revisit fee.
Member Abel asked if Ms. Wiesen had contacted Senator Obama and other
elected officials to voice opposition.
Member Stewart commented that he did not have a copy of the letter or the
draft of this resolution. Chairman Picket explained that he had thought that Ms.
Wiesen had prepared this draft. Perhaps the best option would be let her forward
her concerns to elected officials. In the end he is not sure that it will make
any difference.
Member Steve Johnson stated that he did not see how the Board could
approve a resolution that had not yet been written.
Chairman Pickrel stated that next month the resolution would be included
in the packets and a vote to approve that resolution will be on that agenda.
Member Stewart agreed with this delay and said that protocol is important.
No vote was taken on this resolution during this Meeting.
Motion was made by Member Steve Johnson and seconded by Member Hasten to
suspend the rules for the purposes of opening the budget to transfer funds. Roll
call vote is recorded as follows: Ayes—Porter, Bacon, Hasten, Mannhardt, Link,
Pickrel, Stewart, Parsons, Knapp, Lyle Johnson, Abel, Occhi, Saline, and Steve
Johnson—(14). Noes—(0). Motion carried.
Motion was made by Member Steve Johnson and seconded by Member Hasten to
approve adjusting the submitted line items of the budget. This will transfer
funds from one line item to another and will result in no overspending. Roll
call vote is recorded as follows: Ayes—Porter, Bacon, Hasten, Mannhardt, Link,
Pickrel, Stewart, Parsons, Knapp, Lyle Johnson, Abel, Occhi, and Saline—(13).
Noes—Steve Johnson—(1). Motion carried.
Motion was made by Member Lyle Johnson and seconded by Member Hasten to
approve the claims against
Member Steve Johnson noted that a bill for communications from the
Sheriff’s Department has been put on hold, pending further documentation.
Chairman Pickrel confirmed that this bill has been pulled and is not included in
the packet.
Member Saline reported that a meeting will be held February 29, to
discuss this bill and documentation. Sheriff Dave Clague and Treasurer Robin
Davis will be attending.
Roll call vote is recorded as follows: Ayes—Porter, Hasten, Mannhardt,
Link, Pickrel, Stewart, Parsons, Knapp, Lyle Johnson, Abel, Occhi, and
Saline—(12). Noes—(0). Pass—Bacon and Steve Johnson—(2). Motion carried.
STATEMENTS OF
GENERAL CONCERN
Member Porter, Member Bacon, Member Hasten, Member Mannhardt, Member
Link, Chairman Pickrel, Member Stewart, Member Parsons, Member Knapp, and Member
Lyle Johnson had no comments at this time.
Member Abel asked Sheriff Clague if there is a plan in place to deal with
terrorism. Sheriff Clague responded that State plans actually go through the
Knox County Health Department. Greg Chance stated that there is an all hazards
plan in place. This plan was put together by the Sheriff’s Department, and
Health Department. Knox County FEMA Chief John Cratty serves as coordinator.
This plan would also cover natural disasters.
Member Occhi reminded Members that she had given them information about
the upcoming United Counties Council of Illinois Leadership Conference to be
held at the
Member Saline had no comments at this time.
Member Steve Johnson commented in reference to the “Statements of
General Concern” portion of the agenda. There is to be no discussion about
these items, only comments.
The next regular Meeting will be held on
Motion was made by Member Steve Johnson and seconded by Member Porter to
adjourn. Voice vote is recorded as follows: Ayes—(14). Noes—(0). Motion
carried. Meeting adjourned at