Members of the Rock Island County Executive Committee met Thursday, July 14.
"Members of the Executive committee consist of the chairperson of each standing committee of the board along with the President of the Forest Preserve Committee. The County Board Chairperson is the chairperson. Each committee chairperson, including the executive committee, shall select from its members a person to be vice chairperson of the committee and to attend the executive committee meeting when the chairperson of the committee is unable to attend."
Here are the meeting minutes as provided by the Rock Island County Executive Committee:
Executive Committee Minutes Thursday July 14, 2016 9:30 am
The Executive Committee of the Rock Island County Board met at the above date and time in the Conference Room of the Administration Office on the second floor of the County Building, 1504 Third Ave, Rock Island, IL. Chairman Kenneth Maranda called the meeting to order at 9:49 a.m. Minutes as follows:
1) Call to order and roll call
Committee members present: Kenneth Maranda, Nick Camlin, Steve Ballard, Larry Burns, Kim Callaway-Thompson, Mia Mayberry, Scott Terry, Rod Simmer, Richard Brunk
Committee members absent: None
Others present: Dave Ross, Hayleigh Covella, David Andersen
Chairman Maranda apologized for the fifteen minute delay.
2) Approval of the minutes from the June 16, 2016 meeting
Motion to approve: Richard Brunk 2nd: Larry Burns Voice vote Motion carried
3) Public Comments
There were no public comments.
4) Reports from Committee
a) Finance Committee – Mr. Brunk
Mr. Brunk reported that the finance committee met just prior to this committee. They heard standard reports from the Auditor and Treasurer. They approved a bid from Public Works for the Bowling Road District. They approved an aid request for Drury Road District. They approved a revised resolution for the County Engineer’s salary. Mr. Brunk explained that Mr. Massa is waiving an increase he’s allowed. Because of that, the County Board needs to pass a revised resolution. They approved various transfers and resolutions. They approved claims and TDs. The committee held a closed session regarding Hope Creek Care Center. They approved the County Administrator and State’s Attorney working on coming to a close on the county’s relationship with that company. They also approved moving a bond refinancing for Hope Creek forward to the full Board.
Motion to approve: Richard Brunk 2nd: Mia Mayberry Voice vote Motion carried
b) Human Resources – Mr. Camlin
Mr. Camlin had no report. He said they didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, but next month he can’t make any guarantees.
c) Public Works – Mr. L. Burns
Mr. Larry Burns reported that Public Works met yesterday. Minutes of the previous meeting and all routine reports were approved. They considered claims, TDs, transfers of appropriations, and appropriation resolutions for funds. They considered Zoning Board of Appeals findings and recommended approval of all. They reviewed bids received on July 11, 2016 for the Bowling Road District construction project. The committee recommended approval of the low bid of $76,197 from Valley Construction. They considered a county aid request for two culverts on 141st Avenue in Drury Road District and recommended approval. The committee recommended approval of a revised resolution appropriating funds for the payment of the County Engineer’s salary. The County is eligible for reimbursement for half the County Engineer’s salary, which was increased by 1%. Mr. Massa waived the increase in light of the constraints the county is currently going through and thus needed a revised resolution so the reimbursement funds are not overpaid.
Motion to approve: Larry Burns 2nd: Richard Brunk Voice vote Motion carried
d) Health and Human Services – Ms. Callaway-Thompson
Ms. Callaway-Thompson reported that the Health and Human Services Committee met on Monday, July 11, 2016. They approved minutes of previous meetings and heard all routine reports. They approved claims, TDs, and transfers of appropriations and recommended approval of all. The committee entered into closed session to discuss negotiations and the HDG contract. In open session, the committee recommended that Mr. Ross begin the process of ending the county’s relationship with HDG.
The committee discussed bond refunding for Hope Creek Care Center. Mr. Ross presented two refinancing options. One would provide the majority of savings in 2016 and 2017. For that option, there is an estimated $122,000 savings in 2016, $505,000 in 2017, and $2,000 per year after that for a total savings of $647,450. The net present value of that is $633,000 or 5.8%. The second option would stretch savings out over 2016, 2017, and 2018. It would provide $106,000 this year, $40,000 next, $535,000 in 2018, then $2,000 after that for a total of $700,000 or a net present value of $670,000 and 6.7%. Neither option extends the life of the bonds. Mr. Ross recommended the second option. The committee approved allowing Mr. Ross to move forward with refinancing the bonds.
Motion to approve: Kim Callaway-Thompson 2nd: Rod Simmer Voice vote Motion carried
e) Governmental Affairs – Mr. Terry
Mr. Terry reported that the Governmental Affairs Committee met on Monday July 11th. They approved minutes and heard all routine reports. They approved claims and TDs. The committee considered a consolidated committee structure and recommended authorizing Mr. Ross to sit down with the Chairman and the State’s Attorney to write a resolution and bring it back to GA committee next month to bring to the full board. The resolution will recommend following committee structure: eliminate Administration, HHS, and HR committees. Combine HR with Finance. We will then have Public Works, Finance/HR, and Governmental Affairs, along with Exec. They talked about when this will become effective and the suggested date is December 1st after the elections.
Motion to approve: Scott Terry 2nd: Nick Camlin Voice vote Motion carried
Ms. Callaway-Thompson asked if she heard correctly that they will eliminate HHS, HR, and Administration and then Mr. Terry said retaining HR. Mr. Terry explained that there’s talk about the duties of Administration, HHS, and HR. His thought process is Administration will be combined into Public Works. They’re typically charged with building discussion and those types of things. They will pass that along to the Administrator formally. For HHS, there is discussion of which of the three committees that business would fall under. Essentially yes, Administration and HHS and HR have duties that will be combined. Ms. Callaway-Thompson asked if the three proposed are Public Works, Finance, and GA. Mr. Terry said yes, and Exec. Mr. Maranda noted that there was talk about the Board of the Whole and the time and a lot of stuff. Mr. Terry agreed that there was a lot of deliberation. Mr. Maranda said that’s why they stepped it back to December 1st. They may not come back with a recommendation next month but.Mr. Terry said he thinks that was the committee’s request so he really hopes.Mr. Maranda said there was talk about adding the Committee-of-the- Whole meeting one evening before full Board. There’s just a lot of stuff out there. Mr. Terry said this has been going on a few months. It’s been deferred several times. They have to get a recommendation out to the full Board.
Ms. Mayberry noted that Mr. Terry said there’s been deliberation. She asked where the original recommendation came from. Mr. Terry said the final product essentially came from Mr. Ross. The chairman has been involved. Mr. Terry passed suggestions along with several Governmental Affairs Committee members who have talked with him. The final suggestion or framework comes from Mr. Ross. Mr. Maranda said he doesn’t think that’s correct. It came from the committee. He said he’s not cutting Mr. Ross out of this, he’s looked at it too, but this was recommended from the committee. Mr. Terry agreed that the committee formally adopted and requested this. It was unanimous amongst the committee.
Ms. Mayberry asked, as it stands with this recommendation, if there are chairs. Mr. Terry said there would still need to be chairs. Ms. Mayberry asked if in in this format, they would attend one meeting per month or how many committees they would be on. Mr. Terry said one committee and also the County Board. They’re essentially cutting one meeting. Mr. Camlin noted that they still have Forest Preserve, which is a committee. Mr. Ballard explained that Forest Preserve is separate. Mr. Maranda said it is really going to be separate after December 1. Ms. Mayberry asked if some people will still sit on Forest Preserve. Mr. Ballard explained that it’s laid out that there will still be seven or eight people on the committee with the president of the Forest Preserve, who the Board will elect when Mr. Ballard leaves. That president, under his authority, will appoint six or seven individual people of the Board to be on the committee. Ms. Mayberry said that seven or eight will sit on two committees and the rest will sit on one. Mr. Ballard said because of the Forest Preserve being a separate committee. Mr. Ross said plus Executive. Whoever is on that will go to an additional meeting as well. Mr. Ballard said the Forest Preserve President also will be part of Exec because he has to give updates because everybody is still commissioners.
Mr. Terry explained that there are a lot of advantages to this. They can make arguments for both ways about efficiency, but one of the big pluses for him and the taxpayers is that roughly, they’re looking at $40,000 in savings. Efficiency-wise, one of the other pluses they haven’t talked about is that staff is no longer required to give reports. The Treasurer and the Auditor will still give one and all Elected Officials are still welcome, but they’re not required. There’s a lot of efficiency to think about. Mr. Terry noted that a lot of Board members work full-time. He thinks it’s a personal advantage to a lot of them, too. These meetings take longer and longer. There are lots of positive changes and lots of discussion happening at the meetings. As someone who works full time, Mr. Terry is okay with one meeting if they can still serve the public and save some money and make county business more efficient.
Ms. Callaway-Thompson asked someone to explain to her the rationale as to why staff wouldn’t be. for instance at HR, why the HR Director wouldn’t be providing a report. She asked if Mr. Ross is going to do that. Mr. Ross explained that staff still would. He polled the Department Heads and Elected Officials several months ago as he was trying to think through a lot of this. He asked how many of them want to show up at the committee meetings and provide reports and how many prefer to just have the option to if they have something to say. The vast majority said they would love the option to because if they’re busy, they’re so short-staffed anyway. they’ll do it – it’s their job – but to sit at a committee meeting for an hour and say, “Did you read my written report? Do you have any questions?” and usually there aren’t is a waste of time. One thing that’s very important is on every single agenda there will be an item that says, “Staff reports.” Anybody can come and talk. If they have something on the agenda anyway, they’ll be there. If they want to show up, they can talk on any one. Ms. Kinney, Ms. Ewert, and Ms. Palmer were there for that discussion and Ms. Kinney emphasized that as long as officials can still come and talk, that’s great. Ms. Palmer was ecstatic about not having to go to eight meetings because she’s very short-staffed. It would help staff out. Now, a lot of the other. like on Health and Human Services, they get a lot of reports from the Extension and a couple of different entities like VA. From talking to them, some of them want to come. They could pick the committee they felt was appropriate if they wanted to present. They wouldn’t be mandated. The Elected Officials and Department Heads would still be encouraged to submit reports in written form and Mr. Ross will forward them to the full County Board. The intent, again, is budgetary and staff efficiency and effectiveness while still trying to accomplish the goal of making sure that issues are well vetted and researched.
Mr. L. Burns noted that Mr. Ross just said he thinks that for some of the staff, it’s a waste of time to come and report to a committee. He asked if Mr. Ross thinks they deserve to know what’s going on around here. They’re the ones that are responsible and it’s like he’s trying to.Mr. Ross said it’s the language he used. There is some staff, from his polling, who said that. He hopes, especially with how much he gives updates, that everyone knows that’s not his philosophy. He would hope that staff would still provide reports, written, to the full Board because they need to know what’s going on because they are responsible. Mr. L. Burns said they really don’t need to get information secondhand. Mr. Ross noted that they’re welcome to show up if they want to or the chairs can mandate that they show up.
Mr. Terry said he recognizes and appreciates the concern. It shows true leadership. He explained that they’re not getting rid of the monthly report from the Administrator. Everybody who reports to the committee now can still report if they choose to. The committee still has subpoena power and can ask an Elected Official to be there and they need to be there. They also, as County Board members, the preference is to reach out to Mr. Ross first because his main capacity is to be a conduit between them and the departments. They can always reach out to Department Heads or Mr. Ross if they have a question. It’s not like they’re without the information. It’s just if they want to read it and take time to make a call. Mr. L. Burns said they’re getting it secondhand, though. Mr. Simmer said they’ll put the reports online. It’s still the same stuff they just read to them now. Ms. Mayberry said that the point is they are there and can have an open dialogue with them while they’re there. A report is not back and forth. She feels like they’re cutting out an important part of connecting with Elected Officials and Department Heads. Mr. Simmer noted that they can also call them. He has reached out to Ms. Palmer a couple of times about questions he has about understanding her reports. He thinks it will take more legwork on their part sometimes, but rarely does he have any questions directly for them. Every couple of months he has one. He thinks it’s going to be very efficient. He was just reading some reports Mr. Ross just sent him on HDG. Mr. Ross added that if there’s any particular Elected Official or Department Head that they want to see every month, they’ll just ask them to be there and they’d still report under staff reports. Mr. Maranda said he thinks Mr. Massa and Mr. Thorpe.Mr. Ross said Mr. Massa will always be there. Mr. Clyde would always be at HR. Mr. Simmer noted that it’s only three meetings if they come to every single one, that’s still a hell of a lot less than what they’ve been doing.
Mr. Maranda noted that they’re still kicking around that committee-of-the-whole. Ms. Callaway-Thompson asked if that’s still out there. Mr. Ballard said the committee- of-the-whole is ridiculous, he can tell them that much right now. If they ever do that, good luck. Ms. Mayberry said it’s a horrible idea. Mr. Brunk noted that they were talking about committees feeding into. Mr. Maranda said they were talking about the three committees plus. He was the one that threw the Executive Board out and talked about the committee-of-the-whole. Mr. L. Burns said it would be a circus.
Ms. Callaway-Thompson asked if this is something that they are doing on a trial basis and then are going to evaluate whether or not it’s working. Mr. Terry said that’s a great question and he’s glad she brought that up. If at any time the County Board wants to change it, they can just like they’re proposing to do it now. He offered and they can put that language in there, but he doesn’t know if it’s necessary because they can change any time. This is a trial. It’s brand new. He understands the angst and concern and questions, but he’s confident that they as a Board can do it and he hopes all who still want to be there in December are still there. He thinks they can do it. He believes in himself and his colleagues.
Mr. Maranda noted that the first Monday in December will be the restructuring meeting. Whoever is alive or kicking or gone, whatever. Mr. Terry said the Chairman will reassign in December anyway. This is really the most perfect timing he can imagine. Mr. Maranda said they’ll kick the hell out of it until December.
f) Administration – Ms. Mayberry
Ms. Mayberry reported that the Administration Committee met on Tuesday. They approved minutes from the previous meeting and heard all routine reports. They considered claims, TDs, transfers of appropriations, and appropriation resolutions for funds.
Motion to approve: Mia Mayberry 2nd: Scott Terry Voice vote Motion carried
g) Forest Preserve – Mr. Ballard
Mr. Ballard reported that the Forest Preserve committee met at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. They approved June committee minutes, claims for the Forest Preserve Fund, the Niabi Zoo Fund, the Liability Fund, and the TDs. The committee approved transfers of appropriations for the Forest Preserve General Fund and the Niabi Zoo Fund for FY2016. They approved the personal property replacement tax resolution. They approved an improvement fund resolution, a general wage resolution, a resolution authorizing (inaudible) to the golf course.
Mr. Ballard noted that they just got something yesterday before the meeting from some lady who lived down in Florida. Mr. Simmer said Dorothy Powers. Mr. Ballard said she left money, $250,000 divided up to a bunch of people, and the golf course is getting an estimated $10,000 for the women’s league. That’s all he knows, so thanks to Dorothy.
The committee discussed and approved IParks quote. They discussed the impact of the fair labor act salary on district employees. The committee discussed an education reimbursement program. Routine reports from Department Heads were approved.
Mr. Ballard explained that the IParks thing is years ago they went out and looked an organization that insures parks and stuff. Mr. Ballard said that with all the things that go on, big lawsuits and stuff, they’ve been working with IParks. They handle 130- something parks. On each occurrence, they’ll go up to $15 million if the district gets sued for all kinds of things per occurrence. The deductible is $25,000. If someone sued for $5 million and it got settled for $5 million, the Forest Preserve only pays $25,000. They would pay the remainder. Mr. Ballard said they have talked about this for a long time. The only thing not covered is workman’s comp. The premium is $157,000 a year. That covers all equipment, buildings, everything except unemployment and workman’s comp. Mr. Ballard noted that he’s always said in today’s business, you better have a stopgap policy. What’s nice about it is that under law, those premiums can come out of the liability levy because it’s a tort thing. All of that premium can come out of that liability fund they levy for the Forest Preserve.
Motion to approve: Steve Ballard 2nd: Rod Simmer Voice vote Motion carried
Mr. Simmer said thank you to the leadership of the Forest Preserve and to them individually. Ms. Palmer reported that it’s the first time in 20 years that they’ve ever been in the black across the board. Mr. Simmer said they’re doing great and it’s a shining moment. Mr. Ballard added that there are no internal loans for the first time ever. He thanked everyone for their cooperation over the years. When he leaves in December, he hopes things are still as rosy as they are.
h) Updates/Comments – Mr. Simmer
Mr. Simmer reported that the Hope Creek Board of Directors meets tonight, so he doesn’t really have much. They’ll be talking about incentives and billing practices on HDG’s part. Mr. Ross added that that may be a moot point quickly. He thinks the incentives are where they need to focus their efforts tonight.
i) Updates/Comments – Mr. Ross
Mr. Ross had no comments.
5) Consider appointments
a. Illini Hospital District Board of Directors
Larry Toppert, 660 18th Ave., East Moline, IL 61244 Reappointment, term to expire July 30, 2016 New term to expire July 30, 2019
Robert Lee Ellis, 2950 91?2 St., East Moline, IL 61244 Appointment, term to expire July 30, 2019
Clayton Lee, 844 15th Ave., East Moline, IL 61244 Reappointment, term to expire July 30, 2016 New term to expire July 30, 2019
b. Hope Creek Care Center Board of Directors
Bryon G. Tyson, 1148 W. 6th St., Milan, IL 61264 Appointment, term to expire May 30, 2018
c. Campbell’s Island Fire Protection District
Robert Garrison, 332 Island Ave., East Moline, IL 61244 Reappointment, new term to expire May 1, 2018
Mr. Maranda noted that the appointment book is something he works through quite a bit. All those appointments for the fire protection district are done in April and [Mr. Garrison] fell through until the attorney called over or whoever it was and he got that corrected. Mr. Garrison should’ve been there and the other guy should’ve been off. That’s why they’re adding it this month.
6) Consider Board Agenda
Motion to approve: Rod Simmer 2nd: Richard Brunk Voice vote Motion carried
7) Committee member opportunity for brief comments (no decisions will be made)
Ms. Callaway-Thompson noted that she read a really interesting article in the County Review where a former judge in DuPage County pledged $2 million to their long-term care facility. It would be nice if someone had the heart to do that here.
8) Adjourn
Meeting adjourned at 10:21 a.m. by Chairman Kenneth Maranda
Future scheduled meetings on August 11, September 15, October 13, and November 10
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