Sangamon Sun

Sangamon County Board met Aug. 13.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

The Sangamon County Board met in Reconvened Adjourned September Session on August 13, 2019 in the County Board Chambers. Chairman Van Meter called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Hall gave the Invocation and Mr. O’Neill led the County Board in the Pledge of Allegiance.

ROLL CALL

Chairman Van Meter asked County Clerk Gray to call the roll. There were 25 Present – 4 Absent. Mr. Mendenhall, Mrs. Ruzic, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Tjelmeland were excused.

PROCLAMATIONS

Mrs. Williams presented a Proclamation in recognition of National Passport Month in Sangamon County. Circuit Clerk Paul Palazzolo accepted the Proclamation. He stated the office started doing photos for passports, making it a one‐stop shop experience for citizens in 2016. They have been doing well with revenue. They will use this Passport Awareness Month tool to highlight what they do in the Circuit Clerk’s Office, and encourage more citizens to use Sangamon County to obtain their passports.

Mr. Madonia presented a Proclamation to the Village of Rochester celebrating the observance of Rochester as a Sesquicentennial Community, which is the 150th anniversary of its incorporation. The Sesquicentennial Committee, including Ruth Ann Theis, Raetta Laningham, and Carolyn Moore were present to accept the Proclamation. Also present is Ellie Tweryon, a 5th grader at Rochester Elementary who designed the Sesquicentennial Coin. She passed the coin around for everyone to see.

CORRESPONDENCE

A motion was made by Mrs. Williams, seconded by Mr. Bunch, to place Correspondence on file with the County Clerk. A voice vote was unanimous.

MINUTES

A motion was made by Mr. Bunch, seconded by Mrs. Williams, for approval of the Minutes of July 9, 2019. A voice vote was unanimous.

MOTIONS CARRIED MINUTES ADOPTED

RESOLUTION 1

1. Resolution approving the purchase of a used John Deere 60G Compact Excavator.

A motion was made by Mr. Fraase, seconded by Mrs. Deppe, to place Resolution 1 on the floor. Chairman Van Meter asked County Clerk Gray to call the roll. Upon the roll call vote, there were 24 Yeas ‐ 0 Nays.

MOTION CARRIED RESOLUTION ADOPTED

RESOLUTIONS 2 – 14

2. Resolution approving a contract with Kuhn & Trello Consulting Engineers, LLC for replacement of a culvert on Oak Crest Road in Clearlake Township.

A motion was made by Mr. Fraase, seconded by Mr. Miller, to place Resolution 2 on the floor. A motion was made by Mr. Bunch, seconded by Mr. Ratts to consolidate Resolutions 2 – 14. Chairman Van Meter asked County Clerk Gray to read Resolutions 3 – 14.

3. Resolution approving a contract with Applied Research Associates to continue the Pavement Management Program.

4. Resolution approving the plat of vacation of Shattuck Estates County Minor Subdivision.

5. Resolution approving the final plat of Shattuck Estates County Minor Subdivision.

6. Resolution approving a contract extension with Watts Copy Systems Inc.

7. Resolution authorizing the issuance and sale by the County of its Economic Development Revenue Bonds (Young Men’s Christian Association of Springfield, Illinois Project), Series 2019.

8. Resolution approving the purchase order request from Information Systems to upgrade the County cabling and network equipment in the amount of $201,777.

9. Resolution approving the SMART Downstate Operating Grant Application from IDOT in the amount of $708,500.

10. Resolution authorizing the execution and amendment of the Federal 5311 Grant Agreement for the SMART Program in the amount of $132,109.

11. Resolution approving the Community Resources Grant Application from Ameren Illinois for the Diversity Staffing Grant and Energy Education Outreach Program in the amount of $99,637.

12. Resolution approving the Department of Public Health’s Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health in the amount of $480,262.

13. Resolution approving the purchase of Inmate Transport Vehicles for the Sheriff’s Office from Ray O’ Herron Co. in the amount of $82,500.

14. Resolution approving the Court Services Grant Application from the U.S. Department of Justice‐ Bureau of Justice Assistance for the PREA Targeted Implementation Planning and Support Program in the amount of $200,000.

A voice vote was unanimous on the consolidation. A motion was made by Mr. Preckwinkle

that the roll call vote for Resolution 1 stands as the roll call vote for Resolutions 2 – 14, as consolidated. A voice vote was unanimous.

MOTIONS CARRIED RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED

WAIVER OF TEN‐DAY FILING PERIOD

A motion was made by Mrs. Williams, seconded by Mr. Bunch, to waive the ten‐day filing period. A voice vote was unanimous.

MOTION CARRIED

TEN‐DAY FILING PERIOD WAIVED

RESOLUTION 15

15. Resolution authorizing Sangamon County to participate in the State of Illinois Federal Surplus Property Program.

A motion was made by Mr. O’Neill, seconded by Mrs. Hills, to place Resolution 15 on the floor. A motion was made by Mr. Preckwinkle that the roll call vote for Resolution 1 stands as the roll call vote for Resolution 15. A voice vote was unanimous.

MOTIONS CARRIED RESOLUTION ADOPTED

RESOLUTION 16

16. Resolution approving the procurement of goods and/or services from Shor‐Line Schroeder Manufacturing for Building & Grounds in the amount of $301,397.49.

A motion was made by Mrs. Hills, seconded by Mrs. Douglas Williams, to place Resolution 16 on the floor. A motion was made by Mr. Preckwinkle that the roll call vote for Resolution 1 stands as the roll call vote for Resolution 16. A voice vote was unanimous.

MOTIONS CARRIED

RESOLUTION ADOPTED

OLD BUSINESS

There was no Old Business.

NEW BUSINESS

A. Resolutions

There were no new resolutions.

B. Appointments

Appointment of Vincent E. King to the Woodwreath Cemetery Board for a term expiring November, 2019.

Appointment of Byron Deaner as the Sangamon County Facilities Manager.

A motion was made by Mrs. Williams, seconded by Mr. Bunch, for approval of the appointments. A voice vote was unanimous.

MOTION CARRIED

APPOINTMENTS ADOPTED

C. Procurement/Grant Notifications

There were no Procurement/Grant Notifications.

D. Public Comment

David Graf, residing at 2421 Basil Drive, Springfield, addressed the County Board. He clarified that his view represents no one’s but his own. He is a Christian, but makes no pretentions to being a saint, but he does care about religious freedom. His parents were in the military, so he has lived all over in different states and overseas. During this time he has run into people of all different religions and beliefs, some who believe in God and some who do not. He is here tonight because he is concerned the Invocation is exhibiting the wrong picture of who they are to others. When the Invocation is just a little different than a prayer to God, then it will give the appearance of objecting to other religions such as Islam and those who do not believe in God at all. Considering the County Board represents all the residents of Sangamon County, they need to consider how Invocations can make some feel excluded. The point is that government should work for all of us and not just for believers and the majority of religion, which is Christianity. There are some things he would like to see happen in terms of changes. If they want to keep Invocations the way they are today, then why not have them in private prior to starting the board meeting? If they want to continue having Invocations in public, then why not open them to all including both believers and non‐believers? As long as they are not talking about an attempt to gain converts or to knock someone else’s beliefs or religion, then there should not be a problem there. What would be accomplished by this? He can give you several benefits. One would be a continued acknowledgement that they listen to make wise decisions as leaders. It would present an example of how they acknowledge all of our citizens and not just the majority Christians and such. They all know how people are so quick to go to trial at the drop of a hat. A change like this could reduce the possibility of legal action in the future. He thanked them for allowing him to speak.

Chairman Van Meter stated he is not speaking in reference to what Mr. Graf said, but he thinks maybe they do need a time limit on their Invocations after the lengthy one they had earlier.

A motion was made by Mr. Bunch, seconded by Mrs. Williams, to place the Committee Report on Claims on file with the County Clerk. A voice vote was unanimous.

MOTION CARRIED REPORTS FILED

RECESS

A motion was made by Mrs. Williams, seconded by Mr. Bunch, to recess the meeting to September 10, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. A voice vote was unanimous.

MOTION CARRIED MEETING RECESSED

Chairman Van Meter asked for a moment of appreciation for the work of Assistant State’s Attorney Dwayne Gab for his loyal service and wise counsel to the County Board. From every member of this board, he thanked Mr. Gab for all of his work.

https://www.sangamoncountyclerk.com/County-Board/documents/August132019_000.pdf