Monroe County Board of County Commissioners met September 18.
Here is the minutes provided by the Board:
The meeting of the County Commissioners of Monroe County, Illinois was called to order at 8:00 a.m. Chairman Robert Elmore, Commissioner Delbert Wittenauer and Commissioner Vicki Koerber were present.
The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Others present included County Clerk Dennis Knobloch, Sheila Wetzler, along with Press Corps representatives – Joe Leicht of the Monroe County Independent and Alan Dooley of the Republic Times. Ron Schultheis was also in attendance.
There being a quorum present, the meeting was called to order by Chairman Elmore.
There were no public comments.
The following Accounts Payable having been approved for payment, Commissioner Wittenauer moved that the same be allowed and that vouchers be issued against their respective funds of the County Treasurer for payment. Motion seconded by Commissioner Koerber, and so declared. All voting Aye, none Nay, and none Absent. Motion carried.
General Fund:
Americom 12,029.00
Axis Forensic Technology Inc. 250.00
Bob Barker Company Inc. 433.92
Bountiful Blossoms 69.45
CCP Industries Inc. 2,200.97
Coast to Coast Equipment 68.53
Coast to Coast 84.07
Columbia Quarry Company 992.47
Communications Revolving Fund 526.82
CPR Plus 49.00
Culligan-Schaefer Water Centers 52.76
Delbert Wittenauer 450.22
Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers 836.25
Ed Roehr Auto Radio Co Inc. 1,035.25
Gateway FS 64.55
Gateway FS 2,585.49
GreatAmerica Financial Services 152.49
Harrisonville Telephone Co 1,032.62
John Deere Financial 25.50
Kelton Davis 11,577.16
Kevin Koenigstein 65.11
Kone Inc. 633.14
Logo’s ‘N Stitches Inc. 123.00
MAR Graphics 3,065.39
Mc Clain Radar Service, LLC 225.00
Milford Supply 1,367.83
Monroe County Electric Coop Inc. 437.50
Monroe County Highway Dept. 70.00
Monroe County Tax Collector 112.48
Motorola 4,438.25
Neal Rohlfing 227.76
Neal Rohlfing – Petty Cash 598.91
Oak Hill 10,328.00
Office Depot 57.90
Paul Tipton 34.33
Prairie Farms Dairy Inc. 180.00
Quality Collision 527.27
Quill Corporation 1,201.38
Reliable Sanitation Service Inc. 207.45
Richland Pet Cremation & Memorials 46.00
St. Elizabeth’s Hospital 225.00
Stanley Convergent Security Sol 885.00
Tessco 30.19
Tiffani Brewer 198.57
U.S. Bank Equipment Finance 218.00
UPS 4.31
Wex 90.85
Ambulance Service Fund:
Airgas Mid America 307.32
Andres Medical Billing, LTD. 3,439.26
BJC Healthcare AR-Billing 510.08
CDS Office Technologies 1,248.23
EMSAR/St Louis 1,136.75
Gateway FS 59.50
Mertz Ford 1,130.21
Motorola Solutions 559.52
Poelker’s Garage Inc. 245.00
Sentinel Emergency Solutions 2,379.63
Wells Fargo Vendor Fin Serv 115.99
Health Tax Fund:
Coast to Coast 348.02
Culligan-Schaefer Water Centers 18.88
Julie Valerius 587.50
May Pest Control LLC 225.00
Sanofi Pasteur Inc. 2,292.81
Highway Fund:
Al’s Auto Waterloo 16.19
Ameren Illinois 43.57
Belleville Seed House Inc. 375.00
Gateway FS Inc. 357.15
Leaf 299.00
Luby Equipment Services 64.28
Monroe County Electric Cooperative 798.10
Nu-Deal Oil Company 473.08
O’Reilly Auto Parts 53.83
R.M. Webster & Associates Inc. 52.80
Reliable Sanitation Service Inc. 50.60
Republic Times L.L.C. 21.00
Secretary of State 103.00
Waterloo Lumber Co. 65.70
Wright Automotive Inc. 26,165.00
Road Bridge Fund:
Monroe County Highway Fund 3,078.90
Township Bridge Fund 36,000.00
Road Motor Fuel:
JTC Petroleum Co. 27.397.69
Recorder’s Document Fund:
Fidlar Technologies 1,476.10
The minutes of the Levee District meeting on August 25, along with the Regular and Closed session minutes from September 5 were approved upon motion by Commissioner Wittenauer, with a second by Commissioner Koerber. All voting Aye, none Nay and none Absent. Motion carried.
Motion was made by Commissioner Wittenauer, with a second by Commissioner Koerber to reappoint Matthew Mueller to the Columbia Drainage and Levee District #3. All voting Aye, none Nay and none Absent. Motion carried.
Resolution 17-74
Be It Resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Illinois that Mathew Mueller, 2018 Steppig Road, Columbia, Illinois be reappointed to the Columbia Drainage & Levee District #3 for a term of three years with term to commence on September 2, 2017 and term to expire on September 1, 2020 or until a successor is appointed and has qualified.
Passed by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Illinois at Waterloo this 18th day of September, 2017.
Motion: Wittenauer Second: Koerber
Aye: Three Nay: None
Absent: None
Motion was made by Commissioner Wittenauer, with a second by Commissioner Koerber to reappoint Daryl Cates to the Fish Lake Drainage and Levee District #8. All voting Aye, none Nay and none Absent. Motion carried.
Resolution 17-75
Be It Resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Illinois that Daryl Cates, 1611 Gedern Drive, Columbia, Illinois be reappointed to the Fish Lake Drainage & Levee District #8 for a term of three years with term to commence on September 2, 2017 and term to expire on September 1, 2020 or until a successor is appointed and has qualified.
Passed by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Illinois at Waterloo this 18th day of September, 2017.
Motion: Wittenauer Second: Koerber
Aye: Three Nay: None
Absent: None
Motion was made by Commissioner Koerber, with a second by Commissioner Wittenauer to approve a Courtyard/Bandstand Permit for the Monroe County Coalition for a Drug Free Community for Sunday, October 8 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. All voting Aye, none Nay and none Absent. Motion carried.
Kevin Koenigstein and Annmarie Marcuson came to the meeting to discuss Health Insurance for the county employees. There was discussion regarding offering a second option to County Employees for their Health Insurance Coverage. This second plan would not only provide cost savings to the County, but would also provide extra benefits for the employees. Ms. Marcuson said the County Board has to make a decision on this before October 1. Motion was made by Commissioner Wittenauer, with a second by Commissioner Koerber to allow employees to choose between Health Insurance Plan #1 (the existing plan) or Plan #2 (the MEC option). All voting Aye, none Nay and none Absent. Motion carried.
Ms. Marcuson asked the Commissioners if they saw any changes that needed to be made to the proposed Monroe County Employee Handbook. Motion was made by Commissioner Wittenauer, with a second by Commissioner Koerber to approve the Handbook as presented, and send the document to K&D Printing for publication. All voting Aye, none Nay and none Absent. Motion carried.
There was some discussion of the County payroll system. Dennis Knobloch said several employees of the Treasurer’s Office and County Clerk’s Office went to a seminar last week conducted by Blackbaud – the company that supports the County’s financial and payroll systems. Monroe County has had many problems with both the systems, but especially with the payroll system. When asked about possible enhancements or improvements to the existing system at some point in the future, the Blackbaud representatives indicated that they weren’t planning any improvements to their system, and if the County really wanted a reliable payroll system, they should consider switching to ADP. Mr. Knobloch said he has contacted ADP, and will be checking with them to see what it would cost to switch systems.
Kim Keckritz presented the current census and budget information for the Nursing Home. She said Evergreen Pointe has still not received the necessary inspection clearance to be opened for the public use. It was determined that fire sprinklers should have been included at the overhang covering the east outside entrance to the building. Both the architect and Holland Construction admitted that they missed this when designing and constructing the building. Work is now underway to install those sprinklers. The Commissioners said they felt the County should not be responsible for any expenses related to this problem. The monthly bills were approved upon motion by Commissioner Wittenauer, with a second by Commissioner Koerber. All voting Aye, none Nay and none Absent. Motion carried.
Motion was made by Commissioner Wittenauer, with a second by Commissioner Koerber to go into closed session to discuss personnel. All voting Aye, none Nay and none Absent. Motion carried.
Resolution 17-76
Be It Resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Illinois that the Board is going into closed session for the purpose of Personnel Discussion.
Passed by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Illinois at Waterloo, this 18th day of September, 2017.
Motion: Wittenauer Second: Koerber
Aye: Three Nay: None
Absent: None
Motion was made by Commissioner Wittenauer, with a second by Commissioner Koerber to end closed session and return to open session. All voting Aye, none Nay and none Absent. Motion carried.
Resolution 17-77
Be It Resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Illinois at Waterloo, this 18th day of September, 2017.
Passed by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Illinois at Waterloo, this 18th day of September, 2017.
Motion: Wittenauer Second: Koerber
Aye: Three Nay: None
Absent: None
Forrest Hesterberg and Steven Heiligenstein came to the meeting to discuss the County Employee Benefit Day. They said they would like to be able to set up a table at that event to discuss employee benefits, including term life insurance, etc. They were instructed to talk to Annmarie Marcuson about participating in that event.
Brian Hooten and Sheriff Rohlfing came to the meeting to discuss several issues. Mr. Hooten said there are some trees around the Courthouse that are safety issues and need to be removed. Currently there are four large trees that fit this category. Mr. Hooten contacted five companies and got three bids as follows:
R&N Tree Service – remove (4) dead trees - $3,175
Stump grinding - $900 Total bid – $4,075
All Type Tree Service – remove (4) dead trees - $4,000
Stump grinding - $944 Total bid – $4,944
Davey Tree Service – remove (4) dead trees - $4,080
Stump grinding - $1,080 Total bid - $5,160
Mr. Hooten also had a bid from R&N for trimming dead wood from the tops of all the Courtyard trees in the amount of $2,525. Following discussion, motion was made by Commissioner Koerber, with a second by Commissioner Wittenauer to approve the bid of R&N for tree removal, stump grinding and removal of dead wood, and to attempt to negotiate the bid for a lesser amount if possible. Commissioner Koerber was in contact with Ed Weilbacher who suggested several types of trees for replanting including October Glory Maple, Tulip Poplar, Ginko, Kentucky Coffee Tree, American Hornbeam and Serviceberry. Planting new trees will be discussed after the dead trees are removed. Commissioner Wittenauer said to make sure no trees are planted where they would provide too much shade in the area of the bison statue where there are plans for a native grass and plant garden.
Mr. Hooten said there are multiple repairs necessary at the Animal Pound, and he has enough money in the Project budget to complete those repairs at this time. He said the facility needs a new roof, the replacement of several doors and skylights removed from the roof. He solicited bids, and the lowest bid received was from Gary Brinkmann for $5,340 for all of this work. Motion was made by Commissioner Koerber, with a second by Commissioner Wittenauer to allow Mr. Brinkmann to proceed with this work. All voting Aye, none Nay and none Absent. Motion carried.
Mr. Hooten said he was also considering power washing the new addition to the Courthouse to remove the mold. He said most of this problem is because the building has settled, and the flashing is allowing water to run down the side of the building. He said he would like to rent a lift, caulk any problem areas, and powerwash the building with a water/bleach solution. Motion was made by Commissioner Koerber, with a second by Commissioner Wittenauer to allow Mr. Hooten to proceed with this project. All voting Aye, none Nay and none Absent. Motion carried.
There was discussion of roof replacement. Sheriff Rohlfing said the Jail roof seems to be leak- free right now, so he would suggest replacing the Annex building roof first, followed by the Courthouse roof and doing the jail roof last, as money becomes available for all of these projects.
Mr. Hooten said he also got a bid for $3,300 to fill cracks, seal and stripe the parking lot east of the Courthouse next to Outsider’s Tavern. Motion was made by Commissioner Koerber, with a second by Commissioner Wittenauer to proceed with the repair and sealing of this parking lot. All voting Aye, none Nay and none Absent. Motion carried.
Kevin Koenigstein and Annmarie Marcuson came to the meeting.
Brian Hooten presented the budget for the building and Maintenance Department. Among the items discussed were potential savings on utilities following the energy conservation project and possible savings on telephone bills following some of the changes made to the bills from HTC. Mr. Hooten said he was also including some money in the project line item to begin work on some of the county building roofs. He said he was also including a new contract for pest control spraying in the amount of $2,500.
Mr. Hooten left the meeting.
Sheriff Rohlfing presented the Animal Control budget. There were no significant changes to the line items for this budget. Commissioner Koerber said she had talked with Dwight Boehm, the Animal Control Administrator, and he suggested that the county increase some of the fees for rabies tags and also for the repeat offenders with dog problems. The Commissioners felt fee increases were in order, and they will review a Resolution for fee increases at one of their upcoming meetings.
Sheriff Rohlfing presented his budget request, which also included the budget information for the building and Maintenance Department. He said in 2014, the department handled 6,117 calls for service, 10,878 in 2016, and is on schedule to handle more than 12,500 in 2017. As Monroe County continues to grow, he said he felt additional staffing is required, so he would like to add two deputies to his Department. Sheriff Rohlfing said that they are also seeing more drug problems and they’re conducting more traffic stops. He said one deputy has been assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force, and to date the County has received $41,733 as a result of Monroe County’s participation in that agency. The County is also slated to receive from 10% to 20% of $857,525 of asset forfeiture funds currently being processed. Sheriff Rohlfing said these funds have been used to offset taxpayer funds for vehicle purchase, training equipment and expenses of the K-9 program. He said they are also answering calls in various areas of the county including the Beck Center.
He said that since June 2015, the Sheriff’s Department has generated $183,604 in revenue by housing Federal inmates. He said the Department is currently housing 5-6 Federal inmates, and he would like to increase that number to 10.
Sheriff Rohlfing said he also would like to increase the number of full-time Correctional Officers from six to seven, and also add a part-time dispatcher. He said he was also including money in the budget to allow for the purchase of two new patrol vehicles.
Sheriff Rohlfing said he has saved a significant amount of money by purchasing meals for the inmates from the Nursing Home. He included $15,000 in the Capital Expenditures line item to cover the expenses of a Cost Study to determine if any new fees need to be added or if any current fees need to be increased. Sheriff Rohlfing said he would be working with some of the other office holders to share in the expense of the study.
Sheriff Rohlfing said with the Jail being 30 years old, the County should consider the possibility of constructing a new facility or making major improvements to the existing jail. He said the dispatch area is very cramped, and really needs additional space. The Sheriff said the Jail is also in need of more cells for females, as there have been many times during the past year when there were as many as nine females at the Jail, and there are only accommodations for four at a time there.
Mike Fausz and Bill Ebeler came to the meeting to present the preliminary plat for Mr. Ebeler’s proposed 17-lot subdivision called “16 West”. Mr. Ebeler said they will also be including lot maintenance – lawn mowing, snow removal, etc. – if the homeowners request that, and all of the homeowners will have access to the golf course. He said lot prices will range from $50,000 to $100,000. Mr. Fausz said all of the County Committees are recommending approval by the County Board. Following discussion motion was made by Commissioner Wittenauer, with a second by Commissioner Koerber to approve the Preliminary Plat. All voting Aye, none Nay and none Absent. Motion carried.
Mike Fausz has been working with Commissioner Koerber on the County’s cell phone billing, and it appears as if some progress is being made in reducing the amount of that bill.
Aaron Metzger came to the meeting to discuss Highway Department business. Mr. Metzger said every year he solicits bidders for those interested in providing fuel to the Highway Department. He said the list for this year includes:
Energy Petroleum Company
Gateway FS Inc.
Huels Oil Company
R&M Oil Company
Select Propane and Fuel
Motion was made by Commissioner Wittenauer, with a second by Commissioner Koerber to approve the annual fuel bidder list. All voting Aye, none Nay and none Absent. Motion carried.
Resolution 17-78
Approval of Bidders for Gasoline and Bio-Diesel Fuel for Monroe County Highway Department Garage
Whereas, the County has advertised for solicitation of suppliers of Bio-Diesel Fuel and Gasoline for a twelve month period; and
Whereas, Energy Petroleum Company, Gateway FS Inc., Huels Oil Company, R & M Oil & Supply and Select Propane & Fuel have submitted Bid Registration Forms.
Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the County Engineer is authorized to approve quotes for said product on an as needed basis in accordance with provisions of the Bid Registration Form from Energy Petroleum Company, Gateway FS Inc., Huels Oil Company, R & M Oil & Supply and Select Propane & Fuel.
Passed by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Illinois at Waterloo, this 18th day of September, 2017.
Motion: Wittenauer Second: Koerber
Aye: Three Nay: None
Absent: None
Board of Commissioners
Mr. Metzger distributed the 2017 Monroe County Road District Financial Data booklet for review and discussion.
Motion was made by Commissioner Wittenauer, with a second by Commissioner Koerber to go into closed session to discuss personnel. All voting Aye, none Nay and none Absent. Motion carried.
Resolution 17-79
Be It Resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Illinois that the Board is going into closed session for the purpose of Personnel.
Passed by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Illinois at Waterloo, this 18th day of September, 2017.
Motion: Wittenauer Second: Koerber
Aye: Three Nay: None
Absent: None
Commissioner Wittenauer left the meeting.
Motion was made by Commissioner Koerber, with a second by Chairman Elmore to end closed session and return to open session. Chairman Elmore and Commissioner Koerber voting Aye, none Nay and Commissioner Wittenauer Absent. Motion carried.
Resolution 17-80
Be It Resolved by the Board of County Commissioner of Monroe County, Illinois that the Board is ending its closed session and returning to open session.
Passed by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Illinois at Waterloo, this 18th day of September, 2017.
Motion: Koerber Second: Elmore
Aye: Two Nay: None
Absent: One
There being no additional business to come before the County Board, motion to adjourn was made by Commissioner Koerber, with a second by Chairman Elmore. All voting Aye, none Nay and Commissioner Wittenauer Absent. Motion carried.
http://monroecountyil.org/admin/upload/document_center/meeting-agendas-minutes/59df381fa2800.pdf