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PUTNAM COUNTY
REGULAR BOARD MEETING

FEBRUARY 8, 2016
7:00 P.M.

(Corrected March 14, 2016)

 

The regular meeting of the Putnam County Board was called to order at 7:00 P.M. on Monday, February 8, 2016, in the boardroom at the Putnam County Courthouse in Hennepin, Illinois by Putnam County Board Chairman Duane Calbow.

Roll Call was taken by the Clerk of the County Board with Duane Calbow, Sheila Haage, William Holmes, and Luke Holly answering. Board member Steven Malavolti was absent for the meeting.

It was moved by board member Sheila Haage to approve the minutes from the January 11, 2016, Regular Board Meeting. Board member Luke Holly seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent.

County Highway Engineer Pat Sloan reviewed his January report of County Highway Engineer and Maintenance Activities with the board. Mr. Sloan informed the board that the Motor Fuel Tax Maintenance Bid Packages have been prepared and submitted to the IDOT for approval. The bid opening will be March 9, 2016, at 10:30 A.M. at the Marshall County Highway Department garage. Mr. Sloan also informed the board that the county roads to be seal-coated this year are the Florid Road from Route 26 to 1050E (not the N-S section), Meridian Road / County Line south of Route 18, and the McNabb Blacktop Road east of Route 89. Mr. Sloan stated that he is working on the plans for repaving Power Plant Road which is currently scheduled for the January 20, 2017, State Letting date. Mr. Sloan also informed the board that the bids that were submitted for the tandem truck cab & chassis and the truck body and equipment have been opened and tabulated. CIT Group, Inc. of Peru, Illinois submitted the only bid for the truck cab & Chassis. Bids for the truck body and equipment were submitted by Monroe Truck Equipment, Koening Body & Equipment, and Bonnell Industries, Inc. After brief discussion, board member Luke Holly moved that the board approve the lone bid from CIT Group, Inc. for the 2017 tandem truck cab & chassis at a cost of $103,550 with an optional trade allowance of $23,000. Board member William Holmes seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent. The bids for the truck body and equipment will be further reviewed before determining which vendor will be awarded the bid. Other County Highway Engineer activities have included preparing for a meeting to be held on February 17, 2016, in Peoria with Mauer-Stutz, the District and Central Offices of the IDOT, and the Federal Highway Administration to continue with the planning for the Bottom Road Bridge Replacement Project. County Highway Maintenance activities have included checking the roads, servicing the Highway and Sheriff Department’s vehicles, plowing snow and salting the roads, washing down the truck frames, and cleaning the shop floors. (The Putnam County Highway Engineer and Maintenance Activities report is on file at the Office of the County Clerk for review by any interested parties.)

Sheriff Kevin Doyle presented his January Sheriff’s and Civil Processing Transaction Reports to the board. Mr. Doyle also informed the board that currently there are no existing maintenance issues within the courthouse. (Mr. Doyle’s reports are on file at the Office of the County Clerk for review by any interested parties.)  

County Treasurer Kevin Kunkel reviewed his financial reports for the month of January with the board. The General Fund’s working balance for the month of January - 2016 was $2,311.62 compared to a working balance of $46,284.59 for the month of January - 2015. The General Fund Income for the month of January - 2016 was $183,038.13 compared to $217,586.12 for the month of January - 2015. Mr. Kunkel’s report also included a review of the “General Fund Accounts Balance by Month - 2016". The General Fund balance for the month of January - 2016 was $95,654.68. The General Fund Savings balance for the month of January - 2016 was $722,579.67. The Illinois Fund - General Fund balance for the month of January - 2016 was $150,677.17. The actual versus budget variance percent target for the period is 25%. Mr. Kunkel also informed the board that the county has started to receive some of the reimbursements from the state. Mr. Kunkel also informed the board that the current accounting software utilized by the treasurer and county clerk offices is soon to be discontinued. A new accounting software program will need to be purchased. Mr. Kunkel stated that he has been in contact with several vendors. After brief discussion, the board agreed to have the Finance Committee meet with Computer Information Concepts to listen to their presentation on their accounting software. The meeting will be held on February 22, 2016, at 1:30 P.M. in the boardroom. (Mr. Kunkel’s financial reports are on file at the Office of the County Clerk for review by any interested parties.)

County Circuit Clerk Cathy Oliveri had nothing to report for the month of January and therefore was not present for the meeting.

County Probation Officer Patricia Hohulin had nothing to report to the board for the month of January and therefore was not present for the meeting.    

County Supervisor of Assessments Tammy Mehalic had nothing to report for the month of January and therefore was not present for the meeting.

County Zoning Officer Jim Burger presented Zoning Officer Report for the month of January to the board. Mr. Burger informed the board that there were no building permits issued during the month of January. There were five (5) building permit inspections completed during the month of January. Mr. Burger also informed the board that County Zoning Ordinance revisions have been approved and adopted by the Zoning Board of Appeals. *A Public Hearing was held on February 3, 2016. The revised final draft will be submitted to the NCICG for publication and then delivered to the County Board for final approval. (Mr. Burger’s report is on file at the Office of the County Clerk for review by any interested parties.)

County Death Investigator Robert Cofoid was not present for the meeting. It was noted that Mr. Cofoid had not submitted his Death Investigator’s report for the month of January to the board prior to the meeting for their review.

Putnam County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Robert Cofoid was not present for the meeting. It was noted that Mr. Cofoid had not submitted his PCEMA report for the month of January to the board prior to the meeting for their review.

Under “Old Business” for committee reports; there were no reports from any of the board’s committee members. Board / Committee member Steven Malavolti was not present for the meeting but had submitted a Fact Sheet from the Tri-County Opportunities Council for the remaining board members to review. Board Chairman / Committee member Duane Calbow informed the remaining board members that he attended a meeting with the “new” Economic Development Corporation of North Central Illinois. The meeting was also attended by local area Mayors and Village Presidents.

Under “New Business” for Audit Review, Fiscal Year 12/01/2014 - 11/30/2015; Ms. Kim Bird with Arch Hopkins & Associates, C.P.A.’s reviewed and discussed with the board the Putnam County Annual Financial Report for year ended November 30, 2015. Ms. Bird briefly reviewed the Independent Auditor’s Report, Net Assets, Statement of Revenues, Expenditures, and Changes In Fund Balances, Notes To Financial Statements, Budgetary Comparison Schedule (General Fund), Assets Held By All Agency Funds, and the Comparative Statement of Revenues and Expenditures For All Governmental Funds. In conducting the annual audit of the County, a number of recommendations, and observations were also developed. These areas were discussed with the board. It was noted that for the previous five (5) fiscal years, the General Fund’s fund balance has been declining. However, the General Fund does have a strong cash balance with no deficits at the end of FY2015. Revenues are expected to remain somewhat flat in FY2016 as property taxes and state revenue sources are not expected to increase significantly. Overall, it is the auditor’s opinion that the financial position of the county remains strong. (The Independent Auditor’s Annual Financial Report and the Independent Auditor Report for the County of Putnam are on file at the Office of the County Clerk for review by any interested parties.)

Also under “New Business” for Magnolia Cemetery Board Members and Terms: the county board reviewed a list of board members and their respective terms that were submitted to the board by the Magnolia Cemetery Board. After brief discussion, board member Luke Holly moved that the board approve the list of board members for the Magnolia Cemetery Board and their respective terms. Board member William Holmes seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 4 ayes, 0 nays, and 0 absent.

Also under “New Business” for Potential County Reimbursement; State’s Attorney Christina Mennie addressed the board and informed them that St. Clair County has filed suit against the State of Illinois for lack of payment for state reimbursements due their county. Ten (10) other counties have followed suit with St. Clair County. State’s Attorney Mennie inquired whether or not the board would consider taking a similar course of action to recoup money owed to the county by the state. Board Chairman Duane Calbow stated that the county has received some payments recently from the state, e.g. Motor Fuel Tax. The board agreed to monitor the frequency of the payments received before taking a course of action similar to that of St. Clair County and others.  

Also under “New Business” for Putnam County Website (www.co.putnam.il.us); the board discussed the information updates recently submitted. The addition of information, monitoring and updating will be on-going. The Clerk of the County Board was directed to have the current fiscal year’s budget posted to the website. Ms. Susan Grady with Connecting Point Computer Centers has taken over the duties of updating and maintaining the website. Any and all updates should be forwarded to Ms. Susan Grady. Her e-mail address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Also under “New Business” for Approve Bills; the county board reviewed the bills for the month of January. Board member Sheila Haage then moved that the board approve the payment of the bills for the month of January. Board member William Holmes seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent.

At 8:05 P.M., board member Sheila Haage moved that the board retire into Executive Session to discuss personnel issues (5ILCS 120/2). Board member Luke Holly seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent. The board then retired into Executive Session.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

At 8:55 P.M., board member Sheila Haage moved that the board return to Regular Session. Board member Like Holly seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent. The board then returned to Regular Session.

Also under “New Business” for Correspondences and Reports; the board reviewed monthly reports from the County Clerk’s Office and the Regional Office of Education. The board also reviewed the legislative reports from the Illinois Association of County Board Members and Commissioners. Board Chairman Duane Calbow also reviewed additional correspondences that he had received.  

Also under “New Business” for Public Comment Period; Mr. Pat Sloan discussed electronics recycling with the board. There were no other members of the public present for any further comments.

At 9:05 P.M., board member Sheila Haage moved to adjourn the meeting. Board member Luke Holly seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent. The next Regular Meeting of the Putnam County Board is scheduled for Monday, March 14, 2016, at 9:00 A.M.

Respectfully submitted,

DANIEL S. KUHN

Clerk of the Putnam County Board