PUTNAM COUNTY REGULAR BOARD MEETING

November 13, 2023, at 5:30 P.M.

The regular meeting of the Putnam County Board was called to order at 5:30 P.M. on Monday, November 13, 2023, 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 Clerk of the County Board with, Charles Lenkaitis, Tony Rue, Floyd Holocker, and Luke Holly answering. Steve Malavolti was absent.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance.

Minutes: Minutes of the October board meeting were presented and it was moved by board member Holocker to approve the minutes from October 10, 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 1 absent.

Minutes of the Special meeting in October were presented and it was moved by board member Holocker to approve the minutes from October 27, 2023, Special Board Meeting. Board member Holly seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent.

Bills: Bills were presented and it was moved by board member Holocker to approve the bills for October 2023. Board member Holly seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent.  

Public comment:  No public comment.

States Attorney Christina Judd Mennie was present and asked for a motion and approval of the States Attorney’s Appellate Prosecutor Resolution. She stated this is a yearly resolution and was created to provide services to counties containing less than 3,000,000 inhabitants. If she were to need assistance with any cases, such as preparing, filing, or arguing appellate briefs for cases they would come down and assist. This would start December 1, 2023, and end November 30, 2024. Board member Holly made a motion to approve Resolution 2023-19 Request for States Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor. Board member Holocker seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent. (The clerk of the board was directed to process Resolution 2023-19.) There were no other questions.

County Highway Engineer Catherine Terando was present along with Pat Sloan and presented their October report regarding County Highway Engineering and Maintenance Activities to the board. Terando reported the electronic recycling event on October 27th was a success. She stated Granville and Putnam contributed the most with around 35-38% of the items. Board member Holly was at the event and helped. Catherine asked for a motion and approval on a Resolution Requesting Consent to appoint her as acting County Engineer, this position would start December 1, 2023. Board member Rue made a motion to approve Resolution 2023-20, Requesting Consent to the Appointment of an Acting County Engineer. Board member Holly seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent. (The clerk of the board was directed to process Resolution 2023-20.) 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 October. The sheriff spoke about the Wellness Screening Proposal he would like to put in place. This is a program that will be available to all County employees if they choose. It will cost the county around $7,000.00,  but there will be no cost to each employee. The Sheriff states all his deputies will be involved in this program and encourages others employed by Putnam County to participate. The program is two different blood screenings that will check a range of levels. The board talked it over and decided to put it into motion. Board member Holly made a motion to approve the Wellness Screening Program. Board member Holocker seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent. (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 did have his financial reports for October.   The General Fund’s Income for October, Fiscal Year 2023, is $258,792.23 compared to an income of $349,474.28 for October, Fiscal Year 2022. Kunkel’s report also included a review of the “General Fund Accounts Balance by Month, Fiscal Year 2023".  The General Fund balance for, Fiscal Year 2023, is (-$27,933.57) The General Fund Savings balance for October, Fiscal Year 2023, is $569,970.07.  The Illinois Fund - General Fund balance for October, Fiscal Year 2023, is $2,482,527.69.  Year to date for the Fiscal Year 2023 shows revenues of $4,159,861.68 and expenses of (-$3,313,872.45) for a total of $845,989.23. 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 Tina Dolder was not present, but Chief Deputy Clerk Erica Pierski was present with the report for October. The Clerk’s office brought in $15,373.17 for the month of October. On the agenda, Dolder had several Resolutions that needed action, the first one was Resolution 2023-21 to Increase Election Judge Pay. Board member Holocker made a motion to approve Resolution 2023-21 to Increase Election Judge Pay. Board member Rue seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, o nays, and 1 absent. (The clerk of the board was directed to process the Resolution 2023-21.) Then, Resolutions 2023-22 through 2023-32 to convey deeds from PC Trustee to new buyer needed approval. Board member Holocker made a motion to approve the Resolutions 2023-22 through 2023-32 Conveying deed from PC Trustee to new buyer. Board member Holly seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent. (The clerk of the board was directed to process Resolutions 2023-22 through 2023-32.)   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 with his report for October.  Giacometti continued inspections on various projects within the county and issued 4 new building permits, all of which are within compliance. He also reported that he has updated our ordinance to include statutory language per HB 1442 regarding Commercial Wind and Solar siting requirements. This can be found in the County Clerk’s Office, the Assessor’s Office as well as the Zoning Office. This will also be posted on Putnam County’s website. There were no other questions regarding his report. (The Zoning Officer’s full report is on file at the Office of the County Clerk & Recorder for review by any interested parties.)

County Supervisor of Assessments Tammy Mehalic was not present and had nothing to report.

County Death Investigator Bob Cofoid was not present but had his report for October. There were (3) deaths in October. 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 not present and had nothing to report.

NEW & OLD BUSINESS:

Erin Orwig, Darryl Wragge, and other members were present to provide a yearly update on the University of Illinois Extension there have been some new positions added to the team and many new things starting up. Extension will be increasing their communication with the county boards with a newsletter they will be sending out more throughout the year so everyone is more informed of what is happening.

Resolution 2023-33 for the regular County Board Meeting dates for 2024 were on the agenda. The board members discussed that at this time they all looked okay. Board member Holocker made a motion to approve the dates. Board member Holly seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent. (The clerk of the board was directed to process Resolutions 2023-33.)

 The Fiscal Year 2024 Budget was on the agenda for approval. Chairman Lenkaitis stated that there is a $26,000.00 carryover on the budget from the prior year.  Board member Rue made a motion to approve the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget. Board member Holocker seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent.

The Connecting Point Computer Center Managed Backup Service Agreement was on the agenda for discussion and decision. Board member Holocker made a motion to approve the agreement. Board member Holly seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent.

Chairman Lenkaitis said that in 2024 Putnam County handbook needs to be updated. Each office holder will be responsible for their office portion. The Board Chairman will design a template for the offices to try to follow, hopefully, that will help assist everyone to get this handbook updated and completed.  

Participation in the State of Illinois Federal Surplus Property Program was tabled. 

Website Care Report was included in the packet for the board to see the activity for October.

Correspondences and Committee Reports:

No meetings were attended.  

ADJOURN:              

At 6:07 P.M., Board member Rue moved to adjourn the meeting.  Board member Holly seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent.  The meeting was adjourned.  The next Regular Meeting of the Putnam County Board is scheduled for Monday, December 11, 2023, 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