County approves sale of land; agrees to move forward with sale of Highway building

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By DAVID CAMPHOUSE

At the Monday, June 26, Pike County Board meeting, board members approved the sale of three acres adjacent to the county ambulance building for a total of $25,000.

Comparable agricultural land in that immediate area has recently sold for $8,000 per acre.

The land was sold to Don Hoskin, who has been farming the acreage on a cash-rent basis. During the vote to approve the sale of the land, board member Reta Hoskin recused herself, because she is related to the purchaser.

Board President Andy Borrowman said in support of the sale of the property that he felt that the land was not desirable for development due to access and topography.

“It’s not the type of ground we would want to develop,” Borrowman said. “There is a swale on the property, which would make it difficult to build on.”

The full board also approved a motion to proceed with the sale of the County Highway Department building at 1101 Lakeview Heights. Full details of the sale will be determined at a later date.

The County Highway Engineer indicated that the sale of the building should be delayed by 60-90 days in order to allow for the construction of a salt building at the new Highway Department building, which is located at the Pittsfield industrial plaza. There is currently salt being stored at the old building. That salt will be transported to the new facility upon the construction of a salt building.

During the County Finance Committee report, Borrowman stated that he had received a letter from Jackie Borrowman, who had completed an audit of the county’s 2021 fiscal year payroll. Borrowman said that he, Treasurer Scott Syrcle, and States Attorney Walker Filber were in the process of securing an auditing firm to conduct the county’s long-delayed FY21 audit and the FY22 audit. The FY21 audit was due to the state in August of 2022. The FY22 audit is due this August.

Also during the finance committee report, board member Hoskin stated that the county had received the findings of a recent Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) audit of withholdings and payments to IMRF.

Hoskin requested that the county board be provided with regular reports, accounting for how the findings of the audit are being addressed by county staff.

Pike County Circuit Clerk Bryce Glecker and Treasurer Scott Syrcle presented six month reports to the board during the meeting. The reports covered the period from December 2022 to May 2023. The reports were a recap of fund balances during that time.

Syrcle reported that he was unable to provide accurate budget status reports and fund status reports, because the accounting software used to create the reports does not take into account the county’s payroll expenditures.

The construction of a 190 foot Illinois Electric Co-op wireless internet tower in Pleasant Hill Township was approved by the board.

The board also approved the appointment of David Barton to the Bay Creek Watershed District Board for a 5-year term.

Finally, the board approved a slate of 13 county recognized holidays. The holidays are determined by the Illinois Supreme Court and observed by the circuit court.

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Heartland Greenway representative addresses County Board

By DAVID CAMPHOUSE

Danielle Henderson, a representative for the proposed Heartland Greenway CO2 pipeline, spoke briefly at Monday’s Pike County Board meeting.

The CO2 pipeline would transport carbon dioxide captured at ethanol and fertilizer plants in the upper midwest to sequestration sites in central Illinois.

The path of the proposed CO2 pipeline would cut across the extreme northeast corner of Pike County, near Chambersburg.

Henderson touted the pipeline’s ability to support the ethanol and fertilizer industries by reducing negative impacts that the industries have on the environment. Henderson stated that the carbon capture technology employed by the company would help maintain the sustainability of the biofuels industry in the midwest, benefiting midwest farmers who produce the corn and soybeans used to make biofuels.

Pike-Scott Farm Bureau Board President Kim Curry encouraged caution on the part of landowners who would be affected by the pipelines path. Unlike oil and gas pipelines, the Heartland Greenway carbon dioxide pipeline will not be regulated or licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Instead, state agencies will regulate the proposed pipeline project.

“Farm Bureau wants to protect the rights of private landowners,” Curry said. “There are concerns of landowners that need to be addressed. Projects like these can lead to soil compaction and drainage issues.”

“If landowners decide to proceed with this project, we encourage them to check and double check with their attorneys before entering into any agreements.”

The pipeline company’s behavior would be subject to an Agriculture Impact Mitigation Agreement (AIMA) with landowners.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Land and Water Resources (BLWR) negotiates with utility and pipeline companies on projects (i.e., wind farms, pipelines and electric transmission lines) to ensure that impacted agricultural land is restored to its pre-construction capabilities.

Curry emphasized that he was not opposed to the project outright, and that his concern is maintaining the rights of private landowners.

“We understand that it’s important environmentally for the carbon dioxide produced by ethanol and fertilizer plants to be sequestered away from the environment,” Curry said. “We just want to protect landowners rights, and make sure they are going into this with their eyes wide open.”

Henderson is expected to speak more in greater detail at the next Pike County Board Agriculture Committee meeting, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 19, in the county government annex building.