CALHOUN – Commissioners discuss extension building
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By Connor Ashlock
The Calhoun Commissioners held their monthly meeting on Oct. 18, where the Extension building and the county’s COVID policy were two pieces that were discussed.
The board of commissioners is desirous of making repairs to the building, but they can’t find anyone to help get the job done.
“I have tried everyone I know and no one is interested in putting in a bid to do it,” Commissioner Doug Wilschetz said.
There was at least one individual that Wilschetz thought would pursue a bid, but overall, the situation is that many folks are simply too busy at other jobs to take on the Extension building.
The Extension building needs several repairs made to it, including carpentry, plumbing, painting work, among other things.
Following discussion on the Extension building, Commissioner Kim Klaas gave a report on her efforts in researching what policy the county should adopt regarding sick-time for county employees with COVID.
Klaas reached out to other government entities, including Jersey County, as well as Illinois Department of Public Health, to get some guidance into the matter.
Generally, what Klaas found was that area government entities are likewise struggling with trying to determine what their policy should be.
Klaas, along with the rest of the commission, stated they did not want to go down the road of discriminating against vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, and especially don’t want to consider mandating vaccinations.
The primary concern for the commission is figuring out what the sick time policy should be for those out on quarantine.
State’s Attorney Rick Ringhausen phoned into the meeting and agreed with Klaas on her findings.
“My findings are about the same as Kim,” Ringhausen said. “I agree with her 100 percent in terms of not wanting to go into the business of forcing people to get them if they don’t want them.”
In the end, Klaas and the rest of the board determined that they would stick with the existing time-off sick policy that the county already has.
