Sangamon Sun

Sangamon County Board met July 9

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The Sangamon County Board met in Reconvened Adjourned June Session on July 9, 2024 in  Courtroom 6C, 6TH Floor of the Sangamon County Building. Chairman Van Meter called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Mr. Krell gave the Invocation and Mr. Fraase led the County Board in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Krell asked for a moment of silence in remembrance of Board Member John O’Neill. Mr. Fraase recognized Mr. O’Neill who passed away last Saturday. This is tough for him. John really loved this County Board. He was a Veteran who did so much for the Veteran’s in this county. He had told him that he would miss everyone on this board. We hope he rests in peace.  

ROLL CALL 

Chairman Van Meter asked County Clerk Gray to call the roll. There were 24 Present – 4 Absent. Mr. Bunch, Ms. Deppe, Mr. Madonia, and Ms. Small were excused.  

PROCLAMATIONS 

Mr. Miller presented a Proclamation celebrating the 85th Anniversary of the Village of Southern View. Village of Southern View President Mike Patsche accepted the Proclamation. He announced the Village of Southern View would be having a celebration party the weekend of July 19th through July 21st with food, drinks, entertainment, and fireworks. They invited everyone to  attend.  

Mr. Schackmann presented a Proclamation honoring Colleen Stone upon her retirement as the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity. They are in the 2nd year of large item pick up from  Habitat for Humanity. Colleen Stone continued and expanded this program to include recycling. He wished her the best in her retirement and thanked her for her contributions to the residents of Sangamon County. Colleen Stone accepted the Proclamation. It has been her pleasure serving Sangamon County. She thanked the volunteers who have worked hard and made it look very easy. 

PUBLIC HEALTH PRESENTATION 

Chairman Van Meter stated they are having this presentation at the request of Board Member  Sam Cahnman.  

Joan Stevens Thome with the Sangamon County Department of Public Health gave a  presentation regarding Naloxone distribution and overdose education. They have a sizeable grant  from the Illinois Department of Human Services for which they distribute Naloxone and provide overdose education to many community groups. She went over some of the data. In 2013, there were  87 deaths due to synthetic opioid overdoses. There has been a 3,341% increase going into 2022, with almost 3,000 deaths in 2022 due to synthetic opioid overdoses. They can attribute that to over prescription of pain medications and to the infiltration of Fentanyl into street drugs. That is  something that is not going to go away. Fentanyl is here to stay. They are also going to see other  drugs in which NARCAN may not even be able to touch.  

The second page of the presentation shows two maps of Illinois. One depicts non-fatal overdoses in 2022 and the other depicts fatal overdoses in 2022. It shows they are above the 60% area, which is really quite high. When you see data about non-fatal overdoses, that number is quite  small. Many overdoses are not recorded because some people don’t call 911 for fear of getting in trouble and because they may use NARCAN. They encourage people to always call in because that  could be someone’s way into recovery.  

She was hoping Coroner Jim Allmon would be here tonight with more data on fatal overdoses. Through his data, they have found that 80% of all overdoses involve Fentanyl. Many times people don’t realize Fentanyl is in the drugs they are using. It makes her worried about our young people because they are using and experimenting with drugs. They can purchase things from Amazon and make the drugs at their homes, and they can be sold for $10 to $40 or more per pill.  

They are seeing a lot of overdoses in Jacksonville with at least one report of an overdose per week in that area. That is a big concern because what is there is also here. Most people are taking multiple drugs including heroin and other opioids. They are not aware of what is in it.  

One chart shows the overdoses broken down by zip code. In the zip code 62707 as of June 20,  2024, there were 11 overdoses, in 62702 there were 81 overdoses, in 62703 there were 64 overdoses, and in 62704 there were 34 overdoses. Remember, these numbers are low because they are going by what was reported.  

They go to businesses, libraries, churches, community groups, banks, etc. to provide overdose  and Naloxone use training. They also supply those places with NARCAN, so it is available when  needed. There are people who are afraid to report their family members who have problems because they don’t want to be identified with it since it is socially frowned upon. Recovery is also another  issue. It sometimes takes an average of nine times trying to be in recovery for it to be successful. They want to make sure NARCAN gets out there to people who need it. They encourage people to have it when they go to concerts, music events, and places serving alcohol. 

They have equipped other people to do things for them such as 5th Street Renaissance,  Phoenix Center, and the Springfield Urban League. They are trying to figure out where they are providing services and where the gaps are.  

In 2023, they gave out 14,500 Naloxone kits in Sangamon County alone, with 3,500 being  injectable NARCAN, and 10,995 were nasal sprays. In other counties, they provided 3,201 nasal spray kits. In 2024, through June 30th, they gave out 6,800 injectable NARCAN and 4,307 nasal sprays. In other counties, they gave out 716 nasal spray kits. She demonstrated how they would use the nasal  spray. She mentioned they are also distributing kits to schools.  

The last page of the presentation shows the agencies that have received kits as of June 2024.  They include the Washington Street Mission, Phoenix Center, IL Dept. of Revenue, SIU Medicine  Community Healthcare workers, Memorial Wellness Center, CWLP Security, Child Advocacy Center, University of IL at Springfield, Riverton High School, Rochester Library, Sangamon Co ROE, Springfield  Urban League, Intricate Minds, IL House of Representatives, UL State Senate, to other counties, and first responders.  

She also mentioned that she is working with Coroner Jim Allmon on an Overdose Fatality  Review Board. Public Health, the Illinois Public Health Association, the Coroner’s Office, and a few  select other people throughout Sangamon County are going to look at overdose fatality data and try to find the gaps to see what it is that lead them to an overdose and see if they are missing something. These are currently done in a couple different counties. They are going to try this to see if it provides  them with any information so they can make recommendations to other groups working on this.  

The last thing she mentioned is this year they get to train all of the State Fair food vendors  since they see a lot of people.  

Ms. Scaife asked if they would be going into the schools. Ms. Stevens Thome stated they are  are starting to go into the schools. They talk about how people get to their addiction.  

Ms. Fulgenzi stated prescription drugs laced with fentanyl are getting a lot of people. It is good  to get the information in the schools. She would like to see an assembly at the high schools and get people to come in and speak. Ms. Stevens Thome agreed. She has a lot of friends who have substance  use issues. She has a friend who has been using for over 30 years and she does not have a family support network, but she will call her. She has friends who have overdosed, who are still alive, have successfully recovered from their addictions, and who are productive members of society. You would never know who they are.  

Mr. Cahnman asked if they also distribute Fentanyl test strips. Ms. Stevens Thome stated they  do. She sees them having drug checking points in the future. The strips are good to tell you if drugs  are present but they don’t tell you how much. Mr. Cahnman asked Sheriff Campbell if they have NARCAN at the Jail and if they have ever had to use it. Sheriff Campbell stated they have used it on  the street quite a bit but he does not recall using it in the Jail.

A motion was made by Mr. Stumpf, seconded by Mr. DelGiorno, for approval of the Minutes  of June 11, 2024. A voice vote was unanimous. 

MOTION CARRIED 

MINUTES ADOPTED 

CORRESPONDENCE 

A motion was made by Mr. DelGiorno, seconded by Mr. Stumpf, to place correspondence on file with the County Clerk. A voice vote was unanimous.  

RESOLUTION 1 

1. Resolution approving a purchase order for Ozark Materials, LLC for the purchase of traffic paint in the amount of $100,000. 

A motion was made by Mr. Fraase, seconded by Ms. Scaife, 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  23 Yeas – 0 Nays. Resolution 1 was adopted. 

MOTION CARRIED 

RESOLUTION ADOPTED 

RESOLUTION 2 

2. 2024-017 – Kristin Maletich, Lisa J. McCulley Krueger and Colin Jacobs, SW Corner of Toronto Road and South 2nd Street, Springfield – Granting a Variance. County Board Member – Brad  Miller, District #13.  

A motion was made by Mr. Mendenhall, seconded by Mr. Krell, to place Resolution 2 on the  floor. A motion was made by Mr. Stumpf to waive the reading of the professional staff’s report. There were no objections. A voice vote was unanimous for the adoption of Resolution 2.  

MOTIONS CARRIED 

RESOLUTION ADOPTED 

RESOLUTION 3 

3. 2024-018 – Stephen and Cheryl Ballinger, 1965 Jameson Lane, Pleasant Plains – Granting a Rezoning and Variances. County Board Member – Tom Fraase, District #1.

A motion was made by Mr. Mendenhall, seconded by Mr. Fraase, to place Resolution 3 on the floor. A motion was made by Mr. Mendenhall to waive the reading of the professional staff’s report.  There were no objections. A voice vote was unanimous for the adoption of Resolution 3.  

MOTIONS CARRIED 

RESOLUTION ADOPTED 

RESOLUTIONS 4 – 6 

4. Resolution approving the procurement of goods and/or services for the Auditor’s Office from  Maximus, Inc. for the purpose of preparing cost allocation plans and indirect cost rate reports for fiscal years 2025-2027 in the amount of $35,820. 

A motion was made by Mr. Stumpf, seconded by Mr. Schackmann, for the adoption of  Resolution 4. A motion was made by Mr. DelGiorno, seconded by Mr. Krell, to consolidate Resolutions  4 – 6. Chairman Van Meter asked County Clerk Gray to read Resolutions 5 and 6. 

5. Resolution approving a grant application for the Public Health Department from the Illinois Department of Human Services for the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Grant in the  amount of $59,376. 

6. Resolution approving a grant application for the Public Health Department from the Illinois Department of Human Services for the WIC Supplemental Grant in the amount of $674,016.  

A voice vote was unanimous on the consolidation. A motion was made by Mr. Stumpf that the roll call vote for Resolution 1 stands as the roll call vote for Resolutions 4 – 6, as consolidated. A voice  vote was unanimous. 

MOTIONS CARRIED 

RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED 

WAIVER OF TEN-DAY FILING PERIOD 

A motion was made by Mr. DelGiorno, seconded by Mr. Stumpf, to waive the ten-day filing  period. A voice vote was unanimous. 

MOTION CARRIED 

TEN-DAY FILING PERIOD WAIVED 

RESOLUTIONS 7 - 10 

7. Resolution approving a grant application for the Land of Lincoln Workforce Alliance from the  Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for the WIOA Formula Grant for  PY 2024 in the amount of $2,303,071.

A motion was made by Mr. Constant, seconded by Mr. Thomas, to place Resolution 7 on the  floor. A motion was made by Mr. DelGiorno, seconded by Mr. Stumpf, to consolidate Resolutions 7 – 10. Chairman Van Meter asked County Clerk Gray to read Resolutions 8 – 10. 

8. Resolution approving a grant application for the Land of Lincoln Workforce Alliance from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for the PY 2024 Supplemental  State Funding Grant in the amount of $398,182. 

9. Resolution approving a grant application for the Sheriff’s Office from the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS) for the Less Lethal Alternatives for Law Enforcement Grant  in the amount of $239,167. 

10. Resolution approving the salaries for the State’s Attorney, Chief Public Defender, and Sheriff  of Sangamon County. 

A voice vote was unanimous on the consolidation. Mr. Cahnman asked what percentage is  reimbursed from the State on Resolution 10. County Administrator Brian McFadden said 2/3 is reimbursed. A motion was made by Mr. Stumpf that the roll call vote for Resolution 1 stands as the roll call vote for Resolutions 7 – 10, as consolidated. A voice vote was unanimous. 

MOTIONS CARRIED 

RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED 

RESOLUTION 11 

11. Resolution granting Sangamon County the power to form a rescue squad to perform limited  rescue squad services throughout Sangamon County. 

A motion was made by Mr. Mendenhall, seconded by Mr. Krell, to place Resolution 11 on the  floor. A motion was made by Mr. Mendenhall, seconded by Ms. Fulgenzi, to amend Resolution 11. Mr. Mendenhall moved to amend Exhibit B and strike all language in Paragraph 10 and replace it with  the following language: “Prior to responding to any call for special team (such as a K9 team or a dive team) assistance, a team member must meet all requirements for both membership in the Rescue Squad and membership in the responding special team. Special teams are to provide support for all calls for Rescue Squad assistance on an as needed basis.” Second, he moved to strike Paragraph 13 in its entirety, which states “The Rescue Squad may form a 501c3 not-for-profit entity.” Chairman Van Meter explained, after further research by their legal team, they found out the issues of a 501c3 is  really complex. The County Auditor is working on a protocol with respect to a 501c3, since there are  many of them within the County. They are pulling it out of this resolution and there will be a separate resolution dealing with this. Their legal team is looking into this. 

A motion was made by Mr. Stumpf that the roll call vote for Resolution 1 stands as the roll call  vote for Resolution 11, as amended. A voice vote was unanimous. 

MOTION CARRIED 

RESOLUTION ADOPTED 

OLD BUSINESS 

There was no old business. 

NEW BUSINESS 

Ms. Lathan acknowledged an unfortunate incident that occurred over the past weekend,  which resulted in the loss of life of Sonya Massey. An independent investigation is being conducted by the Illinois State Police. The process may be timely, but it is their hope and anticipation that they will come out with facts and more additional information regarding this matter. As a community, she  encouraged everyone not to be heavily dependent and rely on speculation, but to lean towards relying on facts and findings from the investigation. She had a conversation with Sheriff Campbell earlier today, and she acknowledged his efforts to reach out to community partners, organizations, elected officials, and to the family. She is hoping to keep communication as open as possible during this investigation. Most importantly, she expressed her sincere respect and condolences to the  Massey family. 

A. Resolutions 

There were no new resolutions. 

B. Appointments 

Appointment of Greg Gardner to the Emergency Telephone System Department Board for a term expiring September, 2024. 

Appointment of Election Judges (2024-2026 Term) 

A motion was made by Mr. DelGiorno, seconded by Mr. Stumpf, for approval of the  appointments. A voice vote was unanimous. 

MOTION CARRIED 

APPOINTMENTS ADOPTED

C. Emergency/Procurement Notifications 

-Court Services – Detention Bed Rental-Out of County Bed Space-$75,000 

-Information Systems Department-Software Renewal-$55,700 

The emergency notifications were submitted. 

D. County Holiday Schedule 

A motion was made by Mr. Stumpf, seconded by Mr. Thomas, for approval of the County  Holiday Schedule. A voice vote was unanimous. 

MOTION CARRIED 

COUNTY HOLIDAY SCHEDULE ADOPTED 

PUBLIC COMMENT 

Chairman Van Meter stated five members of the public have signed up to speak regarding United Sovereign Americans. Each person is allowed three minutes to speak since this is not a subject  before the County Board this evening.  

Dani Reed from Macon County addressed the County Board. She comes to you today as a concerned citizen of the State of Illinois. Their audit of the 2022 Election, using only official data  provided by the State Election officials, shows the 2022 Election might not have been accurate or legally compliant. They are not saying one candidate won over another or that any Election should be  overturned. The data shows the votes as counted were not all valid and accurate under the law.  Today they are presenting you with a Resolution demanding an end to the inaccuracy and uncertainty of our Election along with some of their findings and the laws that apply. They are happy to meet  with you to have time to go over this information. If you have questions she cannot answer now, she will commit to getting information in writing to you from the USA Executive Team as soon as possible. This data and their request for an investigation have been shared with State and County officials and  Election Certifiers. It is essential that you and our representatives make it clear that these issues must  be seriously considered. They are asking to be invited back. Their contact information will be  provided on documentation provided to the Chairman. Your action on this Resolution will illustrate your dedication and support of this. 

Michael Reed, Don Mayo, and Debbie Mayo from Macon County and Babe Paukstys of Cook  County addressed the County Board. They read the presented a Resolution. It reads as follows:  

RESOLUTION 

For a Legally Valid 2024 General Election 

Whereas, it is a recognized civil right in the United States for every citizen to have free and fair elections. 

“And the right of suffrage can be denied by a debasement or dilution of the weight of a citizen’s vote just as effectively as by wholly prohibiting the free exercise of the franchise.” (Reynolds v Sims, 377 U.S. 533 (1964). 

Whereas, it is the duty of our election officials to guarantee our elections are accurate and free from  distortion or manipulation. “Congress seeks…to guard the election of members of Congress against  any possible unfairness by compelling…everyone concerned in holding the election to a strict and  scrupulous observance of every duty devolved upon him while so engaged…The evil intent consists in  disobedience to the law.” (In Re Coy, 127 U.S. 731 (1888). 

Whereas, our Constitutional system of representative government only works when the following  four tenets of an election are upheld: 

1. The Voter Rolls Must Be Accurate (National Voter Registration Act, 1993). 

2. Votes Counted Must Be From Eligible Voters (US Constitution, Fourteenth Amendment,  Section Two). 

3. The Number of Votes Counted Must Equal the Number of Voters Who Voted. 

4. There Can Be No More Than One in 125,000 Ballots in Error by the Voting System (Help  America Vote Act, 2002). 

Whereas, an open-source audit of the Illinois 2022 General Election conducted by Illinois state  citizens has uncovered evidence of massive inaccuracies that violate both Federal and State laws, including: 

◊ 4,032,801 ineligible or uncertain registration violations found within the Illinois State vote roll database. 

◊ 589,985 votes cast by ineligible or uncertain registrations. 

◊ 27,491 more votes counted than voters who voted in the 2022 general election. No one  knows who cast them. 

◊ 589,952 apparent voting violations in excess of the legal standards of system accuracy for a  valid federal election. Maximum allowable system errors for the 2022 general election in  Illinois was 33. 

◊ Certification as defined by law, an attestation of accuracy and compliance, appears to have  been fraudulent and illegal.

Whereas, these findings trample legal accuracy requirements of the voting system during a Federal  Election. Accuracy is defined as the ability of the system to capture and report the specific selections, and absence of selections, made by a voter without error.  

Whereas, the intent of the voters must be known factually before certification can be lawfully  conducted. Certification of an election that varies from the law is an abridgement of the civil rights of  the citizens, a fraud ab initio. (United States v. Throckmorton, 98 U.S. 61 (1878). “From time  immemorial, an election to public office has been, in point of substance, no more and no less than the expression by qualified electors of their choice of candidates.” (United States v. Classic, 313  U.S. 299 (1941). 

Whereas, Illinois’ 2022 General Election appears to have been invalid, depriving us of the guaranteed  protection of our Natural Rights under a government duly and provably chosen by us, the American  people, resulting in incalculable damage to our families, our way of life, and the fabric of these United States.

Therefore, we call upon our Representatives to provide relief to the people, and the assurance of  domestic tranquility, by joining us in demanding a VALID 2024 General Election that upholds these  existing laws, and equitable principles of law: 

1. Proof of citizenship, identity and eligibility to register and vote, not anonymous attestation. 

2. Voter rolls certified accurate and available for public review and challenge 30 days before the start of early voting. Voters added after that date must bring proof of citizenship, identity, and  address in person to a qualified official at each polling place.  

3. Hand-marked, secure ballots similar to currency. Where imaging technology is used for tabulation, the security features must be verifiable in the ballot image.  

4. Systems, machines, security measures, infrastructure and conduct are required to be compliant with federal law for fraud prevention regarding risk assessment, certification, testing, and implementation.  

5. Adjudication must be signed-off by party, candidate, and trained citizen witnesses after being given full and effective observation rights. Candidates and trained citizens must be allowed immediate access to ballots, ballot images and CVRs.  

6. Ballots, regardless of entry source, election operations, and systems must maintain end-to end chain of custody from voter to vote count to final canvass, including auditability and  witnessed transfer with paper records.  

7. A NIST-compliant, randomized, statistically valid end-to-end audit, with a 95% confidence  level, of all elections pursuant to the 14th Amendment, Section 2 must be performed. These audits are to be conducted by qualified, insured and bonded security forensics or financial auditors, not personnel from within the election system.  

Reconciliation will include the vote count, real physical ballots, adjudication, CVRs, ballot  count, qualified voter count, custody transfer, and all other paper and electronic election systems, including logs.  

8. If the total of all unique variances above is more than 10% of the margin of victory, a new election must be held in the state for those candidates affected, unless the issues can be provably corrected by a manual hand recount and a full review of records.  

9. Waiver of requirements is not allowed. Only end-to-end system compliance, from registration through certification, can guarantee the intent of the people is accurately recorded.  

Babe Paukstys concluded the reading of the Resolution. They have asked for meaningful remedies to be provided to proactively protect the validity of the 2024 General Election. The resolution cited many US Supreme Court precedents that support the need for such actions. Laws are being ignored. Bottom line is, the checkbook is not balancing and they need certainty.  

The voter system, which controls the right to suffrage, is not capable of producing an accurate  and trustworthy result. Do you think these anomalies within our election system, which are part of national security infrastructure, should continue to be ignored? How much is it costing us, our military, our foreign policy, and the self-esteem of our children and young people not to fix the  problem? And, how much is it costing our dignity to keep fighting each other? The cost is  immeasurable. She urged them to show their agreement by passing the Resolution. If you are unable  today, they ask to be invited back and support them on your Agenda. Their website, showcasing our initiative nationwide, has some great videos that explain the anomalies and apparent violations of the  law that are found here in this state and others. She encouraged them to check out their website at unite4freedom.com and learn more about their group.  

Chairman Van Meter explained the process to submit their Resolution to the proper Oversight  Committee. He also asked that they provide a copy of their report to the County Clerk.  

REPORTS OF COUNTY OFFICIALS, REPORTS OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES, REPORTS OF STANDING  COMMITTEES, COMMITTEE REPORT ON CLAIMS 

A motion was made by Mr. Stumpf, seconded by Mr. DelGiorno, to place the reports on file  with the County Clerk. A voice vote was unanimous. 

MOTION CARRIED 

REPORT FILED

RECESS 

A motion was made by Mr. DelGiorno, seconded by Mr. Stumpf, to recess the meeting to  August 13, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. A voice vote was unanimous. 

MOTION CARRIED 

MEETING RECESSED

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