Champaign County Board Met July 22.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The County Board of Champaign County, Illinois met at a Regular Meeting at 6:34 PM in the Shields-Carter Meeting Room, Brookens Administrative Center, 1776 East Washington Street, Urbana, Illinois and remote participation via Zoom due to social distancing necessitated by the Coronavirus, with County Executive Darlene Kloeppel presiding, Matthew Cross as Clerk of the meeting. Though the meeting was called to order at 6:34 PM, it did not commence until 6:50 PM due to technical difficulties with the audio between Zoom and the Shields-Carter Meeting Room. Due to continued audio issues the meeting was recessed at 7:52 to reconvene on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 at 6:30 PM.
ROLL CALL
Roll call showed the following members present: Passalacqua, Paul, Rodriguez, Stohr, Straub, Summers, Taylor, Thorsland, Ammons, Carter, Cowart, Esry, Fortado, Harper, Humphrey, King, Lokshin, McGuire, Michaels, and Patterson – 20; absent: Wolken and Goss – 2. County Executive Kloeppel declared a quorum present and the Board competent to conduct business. Ten board members (Michaels, Passalacqua, Paul, Rodriguez, Taylor, Wolken, Esry, Goss, Harper, and McGuire) were physically present in the Shields-Carter Meeting Room, Brookens Administrative Center; all other members were remote via Zoom. Due to the remote attendance situation all voting must be by roll call, per Illinois Public Act 101-0640, approved by Governor Pritzker June 12, 2020.
PRAYER & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
County Executive Kloeppel read a thought, and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was recited.
READ NOTICE OF MEETING
The Clerk read the Notice of the Meeting, said Notice having been published in the News Gazette on July 1, July 8, and July 15, 2021.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA/ADDENDA
Board Member Esry offered a motion to approve the Agenda/Addenda; Board Member Summers seconded. Motion carried by unanimous roll-call vote.
Yeas: Passalacqua, Paul, Rodriguez, Stohr, Straub, Summers, Taylor, Thorsland, Ammons, Carter, Cowart, Esry, Fortado, Harper, Humphrey, King, Lokshin, McGuire, Michaels, and Patterson – 20
Nays: None
DATE/TIME OF NEXT MEETINGS
Standing Committees:
A. County Facilities Committee Meeting
Tuesday, August 3, 2021 at 6:30 PM
Shields-Carter Meeting Room
B. Environment & Land Use Committee
Thursday, August 5, 2021 at 6 PM
Shields-Carter Meeting Room
C. Highway and Transportation Committee Meeting
Friday, August 6, 2021 at 9 AM
Committee of the Whole:
A. Justice & Social Services; Policy, Personnel, & Appointments; Finance Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at 6:30 PM
Shields-Carter Meeting Room
County Board:
A. Regular Meeting
Thursday, August 19, 2021 at 6:30 PM
Shields-Carter Meeting Room
B. FY2021 Legislative Budget Hearings
Monday, August 23, 2021 at 6 PM and
Tuesday, August 24, 2021 at 6 PM
Shields-Carter Meeting Room
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Benjamin Beaupre spoke about the Coronavirus pandemic and mental heath and social services; he urges the board to approve the Mental Health Board funding initiatives and urged the community to get vaccinations.
Charles Glass, retired County Correctional Officer, spoke about the poor conditions at the County’s downtown jail for both inmates and staff. He urged the County to create a viable replacement for the downtown jail.
COMMUNICATIONS
Board Member Straub noted that Champaign County currently lacks an overnight homeless shelter.
PRESENTATION
Michael Malatt of Baker Tilly presented the 2019 Audit Report. During the presentation, Board Member Harper offered a motion to suspend the meeting due to the poor audio. County Executive Kloeppel called for a five-minute recess at 7:21 PM to fix the audio issues; Michael Malatt restarted the 2019 Baker Tilly Audit Report presentation at 7:28 PM. Board Member Michaels asked if the 2019 Audit will be finalized with the completion of the Circuit Clerk portion; Michael Malatt affirmed. Michael Malatt noted the two most pertinent, accessible portions of the report are the Transmittal Letter and the Management Discussion and Analysis. Auditor Danos joined the discussion to note the Transmittal Letter and the Management Discussion and Analysis are currently available on the Auditor’s website.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Board Member Thorsland offered a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of the County Board of June 24, 2021; Board Member Esry seconded. Motion carried by unanimous roll-call vote.
Yeas: Passalacqua, Paul, Rodriguez, Stohr, Straub, Summers, Taylor, Thorsland, Ammons, Carter, Cowart, Esry, Fortado, Harper, Humphrey, King, Lokshin, McGuire, Michaels, and Patterson – 20
Nays: None
NEW BUSINESS
Board Member Fortado called to suspend the meeting due to the continued audio issues; Board Member Harper agrees. County Executive Kloeppel suggested the board reconvene for a Special Meeting to coincide with the Litigation Committee Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 27, 2021. Board Member Fortado offered a motion to recess the meeting for the night and to resume it on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 at 6:30 PM; Board Member Michaels seconded. Motion carried by unanimous roll-call vote.
Yeas: Passalacqua, Paul, Rodriguez, Stohr, Straub, Summers, Taylor, Thorsland, Ammons, Carter, Cowart, Esry, Fortado, Harper, Humphrey, King, Lokshin, McGuire, Michaels, and Patterson – 20
Nays: None
RECESS
County Executive Kloeppel recessed the meeting at 7:52 PM.
RECONVENEMENT
The County Board of Champaign County, Illinois resumed from recess on July 27, 2021 at 6:30 PM in the Shields-Carter Meeting Room, Brookens Administrative Center, 1776 E. Washington Street, Urbana, Illinois, with Darlene Kloeppel presiding and Matthew Cross as Clerk of the Meeting. All business was conducted in person, and as such the rules mandating all votes as roll-call votes utilized on July 22, 2021 were no longer in effect.
ROLL CALL
Roll call showed the following members present: Passalacqua, Stohr, Straub, Taylor, Thorsland, Ammons, Carter, Cowart, Esry, Fortado, Goss, Harper, Humphrey, King, Lokshin, Michaels, and Patterson – 20; absent: Wolken and McGuire – 2; late: Paul (arrived at 6:44 and missed the vote on the Agenda), Rodriguez (arrived at 6:33 and missed zero votes), and Summers (arrived at 6:35 and missed zero votes). County Executive Kloeppel declared a quorum present and the Board competent to conduct business.
PRAYER & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
County Executive Kloeppel read a thought by Jeff Greenway, and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was recited.
READ NOTICE OF MEETING
The Clerk read the Notice of the Meeting, said Notice having been published in the News Gazette on July 1, July 8, and July 15, 2021.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA/ADDENDA
Board Member Esry offered a motion to approve the Agenda/Addenda; Board Chair Patterson seconded. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Captain Karee Voges, Champaign County Sheriff’s Correctional Officer, spoke about the poor conditions at the downtown jail, the short staffing issues at the jail, the effects of the coronavirus on the jail.
Lieutenant Ryan Snyder, Champaign County Sheriff’s Correctional Officer, spoke about the poor conditions at the jails, the failure of the county to address the problems at the jail, and urged the county to replace the downtown jail and improved staff wages.
Officer Micah McMahon, Champaign County Sheriff’s Correctional Officer, spoke about the poor conditions at the downtown jail and urged its closure.
COMMUNICATIONS
Board Member Ammons announced her intent to tender her resignation to the board due to continued health issues. She thanked the voters of Board District 11 and thanked her colleagues on the board.
NEW BUSINESS
Board Member King offered an omnibus motion to adopt Resolutions No. 2021-210 authorizing purchases not following purchasing policy and No. 2021-211 authorizing payment of claims; Board Member Thorsland seconded. Motion carried by voice vote.
Board Member Michaels offered an omnibus motion to adopt Resolutions No. 2021-212 authorizing the cancellations of the appropriate certificate of purchase on a mobile home, permanent parcel number 30-058-0227 and No. 2021-213 authorizing the cancellations of the appropriate certificate of purchase on a mobile home, permanent parcel number 11-013-0065; Board Member Goss seconded. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
Board Member Lokshin offered an omnibus motion to adopt Resolutions No. 2021-214 authorizing an acceptance agreement between Champaign County and the Illinois State Board of Elections for an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Federal Grant 2021 and No. 2021-215 approving Budget Amendment 21-0004; Board Member Esry seconded. Motion carried by unanimous roll-call vote.
Yeas: Passalacqua, Paul, Rodriguez, Stohr, Straub, Taylor, Thorsland, Ammons, Carter, Cowart, Esry, Fortado, Goss, Harper, Humphrey, King, Lokshin, Michaels, and Patterson – 20
Nays: none
Board Member Carter offered an omnibus motion to adopt Resolutions No. 2021-216 approving Budget Amendment 21-00040 and No. 2021-217 approving Budget Amendment 21-00042; Board Member Cowart seconded. Motion carried by unanimous roll-call vote.
Yeas: Passalacqua, Paul, Rodriguez, Stohr, Straub, Taylor, Thorsland, Ammons, Carter, Cowart, Esry, Fortado, Goss, Harper, Humphrey, King, Lokshin, Michaels, and Patterson – 20
Nays: none
Board Member Fortado offered a motion to approve to release an RFQ for a comprehensive workforce study; Board Member Straub seconded. Board Member Fortado spoke about the importance of the workforce study. Motion carried by unanimous roll-call vote.
Yeas: Passalacqua, Paul, Rodriguez, Stohr, Straub, Taylor, Thorsland, Ammons, Carter, Cowart, Esry, Fortado, Goss, Harper, Humphrey, King, Lokshin, Michaels, and Patterson – 20
Nays: none
Board Member Esry offered an omnibus motion to adopt Resolutions No. 2021-218 appointing Douglas Short to the East Lawn Burial Park Association, term ending 6/30/2027; No. 2021-219 appointing David Short to the East Lawn Burial Park Association, term ending 06/30/2026; No. 2021-220 appointing Craig Wise to the Prairie View Cemetery Association, term ending 06/30/2027; No. 2021-221 appointing Dorothy Vura-Wise to the Champaign County Board of Health, term ending 06/30/2024; No. 2021-222 appointing Steve Newnum to the Penfield Public Water District, term ending 05/31/2024; No. 2021-223 appointing William Goodman to the Champaign County Forest Preserve, term ending 06/30/2026; No. 2021-224 appointing John Bergee to the Board of Review, term ending 05/31/2023, and No. 2021-225 appointing Monte Cherry to the Sangamon Valley Public Water District, term ending 05/31/2024; Board Member Stohr seconded. Board Member Harper offered a motion to remove sever Resolution 2021-221 from the omnibus package; Board Member Goss seconded. Board Member Rodriguez noted her objections to the severing. The motion failed to carry by hand vote with ten Yeas. Board Member Fortado noted that while she supported the appointment of Dr. Vura-Weis she supported Board Member Harper’s desire to discuss any appointments on an individual basis. Board Member Harper stated his disagreement with Dr. Vura-Weis’s prior positions on the Champaign County Nursing Home, the Champaign County Jail, and the Champaign County Board of Health. Motion carried by voice vote.
Board Chair Patterson presented his appointments to the Broadband Task Force: Bradley Uken of the Champaign County Farm Bureau, Mike Smeltzer, and an as-of-now indeterminate appointment from the Champaign County Housing Authority. County Executive Kloeppel stated her belief that the appointments required board approval; Board Chair Patterson stated the task force is not a subcommittee of the County Board and as such will not necessitate the approval of the board. Board Member Fortado asked about a rural school’s representative on the task force; Board Chair Patterson stated his intention to name a rural schools representative to the task force but has not yet selected a nominee; Board Member Harper stated he knows an interested rural schools individual and will pass the name on to Board Chair Patterson. Board Chair Patterson and Board Member Thorsland both stated opposition to the board approval of nominees as it would delay any future additions to the task force. Board Member Lokshin offered a motion to suspend rules requiring board approval of nominees to the Broadband Task Force; Board Member King seconded. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote. Board Member Rodriguez objected to County Executive Kloeppel’s attempts to dictate the Broadband Task Force nomination process. Board Chair Patterson stated the task force will only make recommendations to the board, in a similar manner to County Executive Kloeppel’s appointed Redistricting Committee who were not subjected to approval by the board.
Board Member Thorsland offered an omnibus motion to reconsider and adopt Resolutions No. 2021-207 approving Budget Amendment 21-00038 and No. 2021-208 approving Budget Amendment 21-00039; Board Member Taylor seconded. Board Member Harper offered an amendment to Resolution No. 2021-208 to add language requiring the return of unused funds, as of 06/30/2022, to the County’s ARPA fund; offering Board Member Thorsland accepted the amendment. Champaign County Mental Health Board Executive Director Lynn Canfield was invited to join the discussion; she stated that only the funds allocated to the Regional Planning Commission (RPC) could be returned immediately, the other allocations must be evaluated by an independent CPA at the end of 2022 and thus could not be returned until early 2023. Board Chair Patterson asked that the monies as of 06/30/2022 be returned at a later date. Board Member Straub spoke about community needs and resources, especially the First Followers program. Board Member Carter asked board members to visit the APRA funded non-profits to educate themselves on the work done and the community needs. Board Member Lokshin noted the mental health needs in the jail population. Board Member Carter asked when the surplus monies could be returned; Executive Director Canfield stated the RPC would be returned by September 2022 and the others by January 2023. Board Member Humphrey offered his apologies for remarks follow the failure of the resolutions at the June 2021 County Board meeting and offered his praise for the work done by the First Followers program. The final agreed upon amendment language stated: “All unused contract year 7/1/2021-6/30/2022 Mental Health Board (MHB) American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, following reconciliation, will be returned to the county’s ARPA fund.” Motion carried by roll-call vote.
Yeas: Passalacqua, Rodriguez, Stohr, Straub, Taylor, Thorsland, Ammons, Carter, Cowart, Fortado, Harper, Humphrey, King, Lokshin, Michaels, and Patterson – 17
Nays: Paul, Esry, and Goss – 3
DISCUSSION/INFORMATION ONLY
No board members had questions for the County Treasurer.
No board members had questions for the County Auditor.
County Executive Kloeppel introduced Kathy Larson, RPC Economic Development Specialist, as the county ARPA Project Manager. Board Member Carter thanked Larson for her past work at RPC. Board Member Thorsland asked about Project Manager Larson’s availability to provide the board with project updates; County Executive Kloeppel stated that Project Manager Larson will be at the study sessions and present quarterly updates to the board.
Board Member Fortado began discussion on premium pay request from ARPA funds. Board Member Fortado noted the difficulty in premium pay dispersal, noting the Sheriff’s Office’s request for premium pay and signing bonuses, and she noted the ARPA text explicitly notes premium pay is allocated for those who conducted in-person work during the pandemic. Board Member Thorsland also spoke about the difficult choices, especially noting the risks of the Sheriff’s Office’s deputies and correctional staff; he stated a preference to make any premium pay decisions after the board gets the results of the workforce study. Board Member Passalacqua noted the premium pay is not a fix for salary inequality and stated a preference to evaluate the risks incurred by each department. Board Member Summers suggested the board view it as a bonus not pay. Boar Chair Patterson praised the difficult work correctional officers have faced and continue to face with regards to the coronavirus, while also acknowledging the risks other departments have faced, especially the Clerk’s Office staff with elections. Board Member Lokshin also praised the work of the Clerk’s Office with elections, especially the 2020 March primary. Board Member Carter noted that all county workers assumed greater risks. Board Member Fortado noted that the premium pay should be done as a stipend for Human Resources payroll purposes, but a limited hourly bonus could be used for those who had more public interaction; she also noted the topic should be revisit in 2022 for those still working under covid protocols in 2021, and she also stated support for bonuses to all Sheriff’s Office staff including those exceeding the salary threshold. Board Member Michaels asked to consult with county human resources about premium pay versus bonuses and asked for risk equity to be considered. Board Member Paul asked to address premium pay to be addresses after other county issues have been addresses and stated his belief that no government employees deserve any bonus pay considering the job losses suffered in the county. Board Member Humphrey noted that a bonus may help with retention issues in county staffing. County Executive Kloeppel notes the county staff deficit total is increasing. Board Member Lokshin asked how many employees are below the salary threshold; Board Member Fortado stated 291 (plus an additional 231 at RPC) are below the threshold and 109 (plus an additional 19 at RPC) exceed the threshold. County Executive Kloeppel stressed to the board a need to develop a decision process for ARPA fund distribution. Board Member Goss suggested addressing the Sheriff’s Office deputies and correctional officers first.
County Executive Kloeppel gave an update on the satellite jail’s sally port repairs and noted the cost should be approximately $100,000 and be completed in the next two months. Sheriff Heuerman was invited to join the discussion; he noted the damage to the sally port but emphasized that there was no breach of the jail and that officers performed admirably and in accordance with their training. Sheriff Heuerman highlighted Lieutenant Snyder’s actions in response to the satellite jail attack.
ADJOURNMENT
County Executive Kloeppel adjourned the meeting at 8:12 PM.
https://www.co.champaign.il.us/CountyBoard/CB/2021/210722_Meeting/210722Minutes.pdf
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