PUTNAM COUNTY REGULAR BOARD MEETING
January 08, 2024, at 5:30 P.M.
The regular meeting of the Putnam County Board was called to order at 5:30 P.M. on Monday, January 08, 2024, by County Board Chairman Charles Lenkaitis. The meeting was held in the courtroom at the Putnam County Courthouse in Hennepin, Illinois
Roll Call was taken by the Chief Deputy Clerk of the County Board with, Charles Lenkaitis, Tony Rue, and Floyd Holocker answering. Steve Malavolti and Luke Holly were absent.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance.
Minutes: Minutes of the December 11th regular board meeting were presented and it was moved by board member Holocker to approve the minutes from the December 11, 2023, Regular Board Meeting. Board member Rue seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 2 absent. Minutes of the December 20th special board meeting were presented and it was moved by board member Holocker to approve the minutes from the December 11, 2023, Regular Board Meeting. Board member Rue seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 2 absent.
Bills: Bills were presented and it was moved by board member Holocker to approve the bills for December 2023. Board member Rue seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 2 absent.
Public comment: No public comment.
States Attorney Christina Judd Mennie was present and did not have anything to report.
County Highway Engineer Catherine Terando was present and presented her December report regarding County Highway Engineering and Maintenance Activities to the board. Catherine reported she reached out to the road commissioner to start road work. She requested Resolution 2024-01, Maintenance under the Illinois Highway code to be passed. It was moved by board member Rue to pass Resolution 2024-01 Maintenance under the Illinois Highway Code. Board member Holocker seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 2 absent. (The Clerk of the County Board was directed to process the Resolution 2024-01.)
Catherine also requested Resolution 2024-02, Appropriating Funds for the Payment of the County Engineer Salary. It was moved by board member Holocker to pass Resolution 2024-02 Appropriating Funds for the Payment of the County Engineer’s Salary. Board member Rue seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, o nays, and 2 absent. (The Clerk of the County Board was directed to process the Resolution 2024-02.) There were no other questions regarding her report. (The County Highway Engineer’s full report is on file at the Office of the County Clerk & Recorder for review by any interested parties.)
Sheriff Joshua Boedigheimer was present with his financial reports for December. The sheriff said they are waiting for the new 2025 Dodge truck to come to purchase as their new vehicle. They will be trading in the old vehicle for the new one when it is time. He stated he spoke with the superintendent of schools last year about a possible internship if any students may be interested. Sheriff said they have taken on an intern from Putnam County, senior Emma Henderson who is looking into going into criminal justice in the future. They are going to fully train her as a dispatcher and she will go on ride-a-longs with the officers. When she is completely trained as a dispatcher, she will be able to work part-time while she is going to college. There were no other questions regarding his report. (The Sheriff’s Financial Reports are on file at the Office of the County Clerk for review by any interested parties.)
County Treasurer Kevin Kunkel was not present but provided his financial reports for December. The General Fund’s Income for December, Fiscal Year 2024, is $215,700.68 compared to an income of $237,842.75 for December, Fiscal Year 2023. Kunkel’s report also included a review of the “General Fund Accounts Balance by Month, Fiscal Year 2024". The General Fund balance for, Fiscal Year 2024, is ($49,167.83.) The General Fund Savings balance for, Fiscal Year 2024, is $94,128.97. The Illinois Fund - General Fund balance for, Fiscal Year 2024, is $2,738,944.34. Year to date for the Fiscal Year 2024 shows revenues of $215,700.68 and expenses of ($460,530.32) for a total of ($244,829.64.) There were no other questions regarding his report. (The County Treasurer’s financial reports are on file at the Office of the County Clerk for review by any interested parties.).
County Clerk & Recorder Erica Pierski Chief Deputy Clerk was present with the report for December. The Clerk’s office brought in $39,666.87 for the month of December. A letter was mailed to Mr. Keith A. Boggio regarding his payment for leasing property owned by Putnam County which is due March 1, 2024. There were no other questions regarding her report. (The County Clerk & Recorder’s financial report is on file at the Office of the County Clerk & Recorder for review by any interested parties.)
County Circuit Clerk Carly Neubaum was not present and had nothing to report.
County Probation Officer Shawn Oetzel was not present and had nothing to report.
Zoning Administrator Ryan Giacometti was present and stated he is continuing inspections on various projects within the county. He said there were no building permits in December. He is also waiting for a flood Ordinance approval. There were no other questions regarding his report.
County Supervisor of Assessments Tammy Mehalic was not present and had nothing to report.
County Death Investigator Bob Cofoid was not present but provided his report for December. There were (2) deaths in December. He is planning on attending the Winter Coroners Conference at the end of the month and some training in February. There were no other questions regarding his report. (The County Death Investigator’s full report is on file at the Office of the County Clerk & Recorder for review by any interested parties.)
Putnam County Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Chauntelle Biagi-Bruer was present and gave her October, November, and December reports. They had a joint functional exercise on train derailment with hazardous materials. There was a large animal rescue awareness class hosted by the Marshall-Putnam and Bureau County Farm bureaus that was held at the EMA Building. She did ID cards for the Henry Fire Department and Ambulance. November 15th there was a minor earthquake near Standard and she had calls with multiple facilities to stay updated. She also wanted to mention migrants are still being bussed from Texas to Chicago and being dropped off around little towns off the highways. Different counties have Ordinances being started stating they cannot help them in any way due to not having enough resources. She also attended a few different meetings throughout the months. (The EMA’s full report is on file at the Office of the County Clerk & Recorder for review by any interested parties.)
NEW & OLD BUSINESS:
Nathan from Connecting Point was here to speak about their new PC Security and new antivirus. Endpoint Detection and Response helps IT departments prevent, detect, and respond quickly to cyber threats. He provided information on the program and a quote for what it would cost. The board members asked questions and discussed the option, but decided they would need more time to think about purchasing it and tabled the decision till the next meeting.
Correspondences and Committee Reports:
No meetings were attended.
ADJOURN:
At 6:23 P.M., Board member Holocker moved to adjourn the meeting. Board member Rue seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 2 absent. The meeting was adjourned. The next Regular Meeting of the Putnam County Board is scheduled for Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at 5:30 P.M. The meeting will be held in the courtroom at the Putnam County Courthouse.
Respectfully submitted,
TINA DOLDER, Clerk of the Putnam County Board