Carbondale Reporter

Jackson County Real Property Committee met Feb. 13.

Here is the minutes provided by the committee:

Call to Order (4:30 PM)

Members Present: Calandro, D. Bost, Erbes, Mendoza, Jr., Peterson and Snyder

Members Absent: Mueller

Also Present: Maureen Berkowitz, Sarah Patrick, Jeff Whitbeck, Mitch Burdick, Michael H. Barone, Michael S. Barone, Carol Hoffman

Approval of Minutes

I. 19-3978 January 9, 2019 minutes

A motion was made by Erbes, seconded by D. Bost, to approve January 9, 2019 minutes as presented. The motion carried by unanimous vote.

Communication

Peterson reported that the Big Muddy River will crest at 29.8 feet tomorrow. She also reviewed the list of common county abbreviations and highlighted some that will be used in Real Property meetings.

Highway Department

A. SIMPO-Southern Illinois Metropolitan Planning Organization

B. Jackson County Bike Paths/Trails

C. Payment of Highway Monthly Claims

A. Peterson reviewed a safety study and highlighted the areas pertinent to Jackson County.

B. Nothing at this time.

C. Burdick pointed out that expenditures for parts is high this month due to the repairs that were made on trucks, he said th is is the time of year for repairs. He also brought attention to the training that some of the employees will be attending and the Federal Aid Matching funds for the Airport Road project. Calandro moved and Snyder seconded to pay the Highway monthly claims in the amount of $235,465.35, motion carried; Erbes Abstained.

II. 19-3979 Resolution Certifying County Engineer

A motion was made by Erbes, seconded by Snyder, to approve the resolution certifying the County Engineer. The motion carried by unanimous vote.

III. 19-3980 Resolution Appropriating funds for the County Engineer's Salary

A motion was made by Erbes, seconded by D. Bost, to approve the resolution approving the County Engineer salary. The motion carried by unanimous vote.

IV. 19-3981 Resolution and Agreement with Egyptian Electric for Utility Relocation-Dillinger Road Project

A motion was made by D. Bost, seconded by Erbes, to approve the intergovernmental agreement with Egyptian Electric for utility relocation on the Dillinger Road project. The motion carried by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Erbes, seconded by Snyder, to approve the resolution approving the intergovernmental agreement with Egyptian Electric for utility relocation on the Dillinger Road project. The motion carried by unanimous vote.

V. 19-3982 Resolution and Local Public Agency Agreement for Federal Participation-Dillinger Road

A motion was made by Snyder, seconded by Calandro, to approve the local public agency agreement for Federal participation in the Dillinger Road project. The motion carried by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Erbes, seconded by Snyder, to approve the resolution approving the local public agency agreement for Federal participation in the Dillinger Road project. The motion carried by unanimous vote.

VI. 19-3983 County Highway Department-General Update

Burdick gave an update on the Highway Department, he has been the Jackson County Engineer for one month. This is a challenging time of year due to the weather, so far they have spent about forty thousand on man hours and thirty thousand on materials, all of which is in the budget. They have been doing a lot of bridge inspections, about 100 in the last couple of months. He is working on a top to bottom safety inspection. he has suspended all capital purchases until the county finances are better. He reminded the committee that this is the first time in forty years that Jackson County has hired an outside County Engineer. Burdick reminded the committee that due to the county passing the ERI the Highway Department has already lost five employees and will likely lose a few more. Burdick promoted from within to fill the Foreman position. He promoted Eric Dillinger on a six month interim basis. He posted the maintainer positions and received sixty applications, interviewed 14 of them and offered four of the interviewees conditional employment. He hired Justin Reiman, Tad Johnson, Grant Brown and Josh Hines. They will begin work throughout the month. Burdick then stated the wants to work in the department a bit longer before he decides if he need to hire any additional people. He did adjust their starting rates so they came in at a lower salary than those who retired. He went on to explain that when he was hiring he was looking for more than some who had a CDL or just met the qualifications. He was looking for someone who fit into the culture of the Highway Department, someone who was trainable, had experience, and brought new skills to the Department. He gave the recent example of having three trucks down but the new employee is a good mechanic and they were able to fix the trucks for less than the cost of a tow. Burdick then spoke about the need to get someone hired to replace the office manager if she retires, how important that position is and some of the specialized skills a person would need. He also said he would like to find someone who is grounded in the community and will be around long term. Burdick is looking for ways to be more efficient because the Motor Fuel Tax monies have been declining. He concluded by informing the committee that he will be out of the office April 17-24 and April 30-May 1 for a conference. The committee thanked him for his hard work and for updating them.

Land Use & Economic Development

A. Greater Egypt Regional Planning & Development Commission

B. Supervisor of Assessments

C. Jackson Growth Alliance

D. Comprehensive Plan

E. River Levee Project Update

A. Peterson reported that Greater Egypt is looking for a new space due to the issues with the Marion mall. They are also hiring for the Economic Development position.

B. Berkowitz gave a tentative timeline for having property tax bills out by June 2019.

C. There will be a town hall meeting at the Elks on February 27th at 6pm.

D. Erbes reported that Murphysboro will be reviewing their comprehensive plan at the Davis McCann Center after this meeting If anyone is interested in attending.

E. Peterson reported that work cannot resume until the water levels decrease which will probably not be until late spring.

VII. 19-3984 Southernmost Illinois Tourism Presentation

Hoffman updated the committee on the work that the tourism bureau has been doing over the last year. She gave copies of current magazines with articles and ads about Southern Illinois in them. She also showed a place-mat style map of the wine trail that is given out to tourists. Hoffman said they have been working on digital media a lot and are working to promote more than just the wine trail.

County Buildings & Grounds

VIII. 19-3985 Courthouse Sewer Line Repair

A motion was made by D. Bost, seconded by Erbes, to authorize the repair of the Courthouse sewer line to be paid from the building maintenance fund. The motion carried by unanimous vote.

Old Business

New Business

Barone addressed the committee. He began by giving his background, he is a business agent for the Teamsters Union Local 50. He then went on to state that he is concerned over the recent hiring at the highway department. He has learned that one of the new highway employees does not have his CDL and Barone believes this is a liability for Jackson County. He pointed out that many other counties require a person to have their CDL before they can be hired but the policy in Jackson County is to give new employees six months to get their CDL. He wants to know why Jackson County does not require it before hiring. Barone said he represents some of those who were interviewed and he believes they are better qualified than the people who got hired. Additionally, he believes that some of the people who applied and did not get interviewed are more qualified than some of those who were interviewed and/or hired. He again stated he wants answers. D. Bost said the board would be happy to answer any questions he has but they need to be submitted to the County Board office in writing. Barone gave everyone his card, said he would put the questions in writing and then left.

Burdick stood up to address Barone's questions. He began by reiterating that he is always more than happy to answer any questions and he would have liked for Barone to stay so he could address the questions directly. He then informed the committee that Barone had submitted a FOIA request to the Highway Department. Burdick notified the State's Attorney's Office and complied with the request. Burdick then addressed the issues Barone spoke about. First, no new employee with or without a CDL is driving the trucks without supervision this season. He said the equipment is to valuable and everyone needs trained. Also, the employee Barone spoke about has his permit for his CDL and was told upon hiring that he has to have his CDL within three months. Burdick did point out that if the committee wants to change the current Jackson County policy on allowing up to six months to get a CDL he would be happy to discuss it but it is up to the board to set policy. He mentioned a few things to keep in mind, not everyone has the same advantages and requiring a CDL at the point of hiring can limit the hiring pool. He also mentioned that he likes for his employees to look like the taxpayers. D. Bost thanked Burdick for his explanation and then reminded everyone that i t is the County Engineers job to do the hiring and the Board does not and should not make it a habit to get involved in that.

Adjourn

Erbes informed the committee that due to moving the meeting to 430pm he will most likely be late each month.

Erbes took a moment to honor Peterson. He stated that she is diligent in reading the minutes and making sure they are correct and the board appreciates all she does. Then he presented her with a gavel with her name and the words "Grammer Hammer" inscribed on it. Peterson thanked him and everyone.

D. Bost moved and Calandro seconded to adjourn, motion carried.

https://www.jacksoncounty-il.gov/Home/Components/MeetingsManager/MeetingMinutes/ShowPrimaryDocument/?minutesID=4893&isPub=True&includeTrash=False