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PUTNAM COUNTY REGULAR BOARD MEETING

November 8, 2021, 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 8, 2021, 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, Anthony Rue, Floyd Holocker, Steven Malavolti answering, and Luke Holly being absent.  

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance.

Minutes: It was moved by board member Holocker to approve the minutes from October 12, 2021, 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. It was moved by board member Malavolti to approve the minutes from the Oct 27, 2021, Special Board meeting. 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.

Bills: It was moved by board member Malavolti to approve bills for October 2021. 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.

Public comment:  There were no members of the public in attendance that wanted to comment.

County Highway Engineer Pat Sloan presented his report regarding October of County Highway Engineer and Maintenance Activities to the board.  The resurfacing and widening project on the east McNabb blacktop has been substantially completed. Several small clean-up items are required, and contract documentation is underway. Board member Rue was asking if there is a concern due to the big drop-off. Sloan said that there are a couple of areas where there is a large drop-off and they can put some fill in however through the winter months it will all settle and they will check on it again in the spring. The county will be billed by the State for the project at a future date.  Sloan also reported that the County is allotted $35,000.00 per year in State Matching Assistance to be used to match Federal funds. Recent projects where it has been used are the Bottom Road Bridge and the McNabb Blacktop. The next Federal project will likely be the Bottom Road. I was notified in October that the County failed to levy the minimum required rate in the Federal Aid Matching Fund in 2019 to receive this allotment. This appeared to be an oversight during the tax rate calculations. Fortunately, the State allows us to make up the deficit with a lump sum payment. A resolution and certificate have been drawn up and are requesting the board to approve a transfer for $6,305.50 from Engineering (non-highway) fund into the County Federal-Aid Matching fund to bring the county’s rate to .045.  After a short discussion, it was moved by board member Malavolti to approve the Resolution 2021-16 County Federal Aid Matching Tax Fund payment of $6,305.50 in engineering fees into the Federal Aid Matching Fund to supplement the 2019 Tax Levy, thereby achieving the minimum required rate of 0.045. 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 County Board was directed to process the resolution (#2021-16). (The Putnam County Highway Engineer and Maintenance Activities Reports and summary of audit of County MFT fund are on file at the Office of the County Clerk for review by any interested parties.)

Sheriff Kevin Doyle presented his financial reports for October to the board. Sheriff also reported that they received a good deal on a cab for the lawn tractor for about $750.00.  Also, the video/audio recorder went down last Friday afternoon for the Sheriff’s office. It was up and going quickly as a temporary fix until the correct equipment comes in however there will be an unexpected $1500.00 bill that you will see next month. The Sheriff also presented 2 Intergovernmental Agreements concerning Law Enforcement Services between the Village of Mark and the Village of Hennepin.  After a short discussion, it was moved by board member Rue to approve the Intergovernmental Agreement between the Village of Mark and the County. 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. It was moved by board member Holocker to approve the Intergovernmental Agreement between the Village of Hennepin and the County. Board member Malavolti 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 County Board was directed to process the Intergovernmental Agreements. (The Sheriff’s and Civil Processing Transaction Reports are on file at the Office of the County Clerk for review by any interested parties.)    

County Treasurer Kevin Kunkel was present and presented his financial reports for October to the board.  The General Fund’s balance for October, Fiscal Year 2021, was $248,984.93 compared to a balance of $168,645.00 for October, Fiscal Year 2020.  Kunkel’s report also included a review of the “General Fund Accounts Balance by Month, Fiscal Year 2021".  The General Fund balance for October, Fiscal Year 2021, was $98,225.31.  The General Fund Savings balance for October, Fiscal Year 2021, was $1,142,129.51.  The Illinois Fund - General Fund balance for October, Fiscal Year 2021, was $198,574.41.  The total of the General Fund Accounts is $1,438,929.23.  Year to date for Fiscal Year 2021 shows revenues of $248,984.93 and expenses of ($212,662.43) for a total of $36,322.50.  In June the county received $557,366.50 in American Recovery Act money we currently have a balance of $330,128.10. Kevin also reported on a bill for CP Care for the courthouse. Kevin would like to combine the CP Care contract that the Sheriff’s Department has with the Courthouse to save money. After a short discussion, the board requested to table this until the next meeting so Kevin can get something in writing with totals. (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 presented her report for October to the board.  Her report shows $41,129.93 in total receipts and $17,930.87 in total disbursements for October resulting in a closing balance of $23,199.06. Training on AVID, the new land records system has been going well. On October 25, 2021, at the PC EMO building in Hennepin, we held training for anyone who wanted to learn how to search records through Laredo. We had a good turn out there was19 people that attended this training. Again, for the 3rd month, this office is still struggling to get anything done in the Election room specifically voter registration. The Congressional Maps have finally been made official.  Unfortunately for Putnam County, we have been split into two Districts. This means we need to send out all-new voter cards before the Primary which is approaching faster than we think. There will be additional expenses for election costs that will be associated with precincts being in two Districts. This leads to the NEED for a 3rd person in this office every day. On the agenda, we also had Resolutions 2021-17 thru 2021-22 regarding the Board authorized to execute a deed of conveyance of the County’s interest or authorize the cancellation of the appropriate Certificate of Purchase, as the case may be, on each piece of real estate. It was moved by board member Malavolti to approve Resolution 2021-17, the conveyance for parcel # 03-00-032-230. 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 County Board was directed to process the resolution (#2021-17). It was moved by board member Holocker to approve Resolution 2021-18 the conveyance for parcel # 03-00-035-200. Board member Malavolti 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 County Board was directed to process the resolution (#2021-18).  It was moved by board member Malavolti to approve Resolution 2021-19, the conveyance for parcel # 03-00-039-070. 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 County Board was directed to process the resolution (#2021-19). It was moved by board member Malavolti to approve Resolution 2021-20, the conveyance for parcel # 03-00-051-270. 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 County Board was directed to process the resolution (#2021-20). It was moved by board member Malavolti to approve Resolution 2021-21, the conveyance for parcel # 03-00-056-060. 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 County Board was directed to process the resolution (#2021-21). It was moved by board member Holocker to approve Resolution 2021-22, the conveyance for parcel # 03-00-066-320. Board member Malavolti 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 County Board was directed to process the resolution (#2021-22). (The County Clerk & Recorder’s 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 did not have a report for the board.

County Probation Officer Patricia Hohulin was present and stated she has been working on her Records Disposal beings the storage room is so full. Hopefully, she will receive the approval within 60 days to destroy the records that were approved to be destroyed.

County Supervisor of Assessments Tammy Mehalic was not present and did not have a report for the board.

County Zoning Officer Jim Burger presented his Zoning Officer report for October to the board.  Burger informed the board that this month there were six (6) building inspections completed and two (2) building permits issued during October. Burger also noted that the solar farm on Rte. 71 has completed the landscaping. The shrubs were only required to be placed on the north and west sides; the other 2 sides were not required to have shrubs as they are adjacent to farm ground. Burger did request some more shrubs on the east and west corner as it is very thin there. Burger said that the drilling that is being done will be complete next week and the machine will be hauled out before the roads are posted. After that, the testing will begin at that site. Burger stated the river crested on Monday, October 1, 2021, and it is continuing to drop. Burger also informed the board that he will continue to issue building permits and perform inspections while observing the proper guidelines while out in the public.  (The County Zoning Officer Report is on file at the Office of the County Clerk for review by any interested parties.)

County Death Investigator Bob Cofoid presented his Death Investigator report for October to the board.  There was one (1) death reported to his office during October. Cofoid also said he was planning on attending the yearly training fall conference in Chicago this coming month. Cofoid had nothing of further interest to report to the board.  (The County Death Investigator Report is on file at the Office of the County Clerk for review by any interested parties.)

Putnam County Office of Emergency Management Coordinator was not present and did not have a report for the board. Hector Gomez, Director of the Bureau, Putnam, and Marshall County Health Department was present. Gomez reported that there has been a total to date of 579 positive COVID cases in Putnam County. There has been a total of 10,773 residents that have been tested. A total of 3,022 residents have received 1 vaccine. A total of 2,837 residents are fully vaccinated. The Health Department has started giving boosters and there has been a total of 378 boosters given to date. There are several places available to get the vaccine, residents can check the Bureau, Marshall, and Putnam County Health Department website or FB page for information. 

NEW BUSINESS:

2021-2022 Holiday Schedule was on the agenda to discuss adding Juneteenth and the General Election Day to the calendar. Board member Malavolti suggested work on Good Friday and adding Juneteenth Independence Day (Observed.) Monday, June 20, 2022, and General Election Day Tuesday, November 8, 2022, to the calendar for a day off.  After discussion, it was moved by board member Malavolti to adopt the Supreme court Holiday Schedule for the County Holidays. 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.

2022 Budget has been posted so there will be a special board meeting next week to approve the budget for 2022.

OLD BUSINESS:

Putnam County Website (www.co.putnam.il.us) there was nothing to be discussed.

Correspondences and Committee Reports:

Steve went to the CIRMA meeting last week and we should be receiving a policy shortly. Nov 17th Steve is going to an ARPA meeting in Bloomington.

Hopkins & Associates – Understanding of the services Hopkins will provide Putnam County for the year ending Nov 30, 2021.  It was moved by board member Rue to sign the understanding of the year ending November 30, 2021. Board member Malavolti seconded the motion and the motion was carried on a roll call board vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 absent. It was moved by board member Malavolti to enter into executive session to discuss personal at 6:28m. 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.

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

Entered into Executive session at 6:28 P.M. to discuss personally. It was moved by board member Rue to exit the executive session at 6:51. 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.                                    

At 6:53 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 1 absent.  The meeting was adjourned.  The next Regular Meeting of the Putnam County Board is scheduled for Monday, December 13, 2021, 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