Sangamon Sun

Logan County Finance Committee met March 8.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Present: Mr. Jenness, Dr. Hepler, Mr. Blankenship, Mrs. Davenport, Mr. Leesman

Absent: Mrs. Estill

Guests: Sheriff Landers, Don Cavi, George Menken, Kati Newman

Mr. Jenness called the meeting to order at 5:30pm.

Approval of Minutes: Mr. Leesman made a motion, seconded by Dr. Hepler, to approve the minutes as printed from the Finance meeting on February 8, 2022. Motion carried.

Old Business: Mr. Jenness addressed the committee and stated he would like to change the order of the agenda for both Old Business and New Business, the committee agreed.

1. ARPA Funds- Mr. Jenness explained to the committee that the County has the option to move all the ARPA Funds to lost revenue and that by taking that action it could possibly the best avenue with the funds and the reporting process will be much easier, Mr. Jenness added that the County is legally able to do this process and that other counties are doing the same thing. Mrs. Davenport stated that a decision needs to be made on what the Board is going to do with the funds as soon as possible due to more reporting needed in the coming months. Mr. Blankenship asked how much would go into the General Fund, Mr. Jenness explained that the ARPA Funds will be kept into a separate Fund to track all the expenses and mentioned that some previously denied expenses could qualify under lost revenue that didn’t qualify before. Dr. Hepler added that he is not a fan of reducing the stringent reporting process. Mr. Jenness added he would like it kept on the agenda for further discussion and thinks it would be best to wait.

2. One Time Premium Payments- Mr. Jenness stated that he still has questions about the premium payments and has received no clarification from Bellwether. Mr. Leesman asked if the ARPA Funds were converted to lost revenue would it be easier to do the premium payments for employees, Mr. Jenness stated that it is possible would like more information from Bellwether before Thursday nights meeting and stated that he would like it kept on the agenda.

3. Elected Officials Salary- Mr. Jenness explained to the committee that the salaries for the Treasurer, Sheriff and County Clerk will need to be set by May. Mr. Jenness sated that he would like the topic kept on the agenda for the next month.

New Business:

1. ARPA Standard Loss of Revenue Resolution- Already discussed above, Mr. Jenness added he would like it kept on the agenda.

2. Resolution for Bank Depository Designation- Dr. Hepler made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Davenport, to approve the resolution for the bank depository designation. Motion carried.

3. Jano Invoices- Mrs. Newman explained to the committee about multiple overdue invoices she has received over the past month from Jano, she explained that some were from the Microsoft breach that had been turned in to a cyber claim and the others she had never seen before. Mrs. Newman also explained to the accounting issues Jano has been having over the past year that they have just caught on to, explaining the multiple bills. Sheriff Landers agreed with Mrs. Newman and stated that he has had similar issues with them. After the committee had discussion, Mrs. Davenport made a motion, seconded by Dr. Hepler, to pay for the Jano invoices in the amount of $26,924.53 out of the contingency fund line item 101-00-59999. Motion carried.

4. GPEDC Annual Contribution- Mr. Jenness asked the committee how helpful GPEDC has been with Logan County, Mrs. Davenport mentioned that they have been very helpful with grants. Mrs. Newman agreed and explained to the committee how much help they were with the Down State Small Business Stabilization grants for both round 1&2. Dr. Hepler stated that he would support the contribution but feels like they should be sending reports to the Board, Mrs. Davenport stated that she would reach out about getting more consistent updates from GPEDC. Mrs. Davenport made a motion, seconded by Dr. Hepler, to approve the annual GPEDC contribution of $2500. Mr. Jenness stated that he would have a line-item number the Thursday night meeting. Motion carried.

5. CTS Pay Request Approval- Mr. Jenness explained to the committee that no action will be taken on this item tonight because all restoration bills need to be approved in Building & Grounds committee first then sent to Finance committee. No further action was taken.

6. Sheriff Budget Review- Mr. Jenness asked Sheriff Landers to address the committee about his budget, Sheriff Landers handed out packets to the committee for their review about the TECH84 x-ray body scanning machine and explained to the committee about recent breach/ contraband issues within the Jail and told the committee that a machine like the TECH84 will continue to be needed due to drugs being more prevalent in Logan County. Sheriff Landers also explained that the machine is approved to be purchased using ARPA Funds and that it will eliminate the need for body searches and will save the County money liability wise. Sheriff Landers explained that the machine will cost between $150-$170k, but is still waiting in a quote, and explained more to the committee about the growing problem of addiction in Logan County and he feels that the machine will stop all contraband within the Jail. Mr. Jenness stated that the machine will come with 2 years of support, software, training, and setup. Sheriff Landers also stated that once the machine is in place and it detects any suspected contraband then it will give the Jail probable cause and the individual will be taken to ER to have it safely removed and the County will not be liable for the medical bills. Mr. Jenness explained to Sheriff Landers that the ARPA Funds and uses have not been finalized yet, Sheriff Landers added that the TECH84 is a high priority, and he is looking out for the safety his staff and the community, Mrs. Davenport agreed. Sheriff Landers also added that the machine has had huge success in Tazwell County. Mr. Blankenship made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Davenport, to approve the purchase of the TECH84 x-ray body scanning machine by using ARPA Funds. Mr. Leesman added that he supports using ARPA Funds to purchase the machine. Dr. Hepler stated that he would like to know the lifespan of the device and that he cannot support the motion without more knowledge, Sheriff Landers stated that he would get more information to the committee before Thursday nights meeting. Motion carried with Dr. Hepler voting no. Sheriff Landers gave an update about his budget to the committee and shared his concerns on fuel, professional services, auto repair & maintenance, and overtime, food price increases, the need of an IT line item, as well as purchasing 5 new vehicles next year, he also added that there will be a need for some budget amendments at some point as well. Sheriff Landers also stated that he is waiting for one senior deputy/ lateral transfer to save money on training a new deputy and he is also waiting to have a female deputy as well. Sheriff Landers also told the committee that he will be receiving a reimbursement from IDOC for the inmate housing for $33 per day, Sheriff Landers added that it will not cover the cost, but it is better than nothing. Mrs. Davenport and Mr. Jenness asked Sheriff Landers about his overtime line item, Sheriff Landers stated that he calculates over time by averaging the previous 5 years and added that he will be asking for more funds in August for 2 more deputies. Mr. Jenness asked Sheriff Landers for some comparative analysis to compare budgets with, Sheriff Landers stated that McDonough, Christian and Livingston counties would be good comparison counties to use against Logan.

Review Expenses: None.

Review Revenues: None.

Approve The Bills: Mr. Leesman made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Davenport, to approve the submitted Finance bills. Motion carried.

Communications: Mr. Blankenship addressed the committee about continuing education, regarding licensed/ certified personnel and that the Board should take a better look at the continuing education bills and expressed his concern about potentially losing personnel.

Public Comments: Mr. Menken addressed the committee about Sheriff Landers request to purchase the TECH84 machine for the Logan County Safety Complex. The committee had discussion about the service, cost, and potentially other manufacturers of similar machines to the TECH84. Mr. Cavi addressed the committee and respectfully requested that the committee include the Health Department in the one-time premium payments.

A motion was made by Mrs. Davenport, seconded by Mr. Leesman, to adjourn the meeting at 6:58pm. Motion carried.

https://logancountyil.gov/images/Finance_030822.pdf