All votes unanimous at January County Board meeting

By Editor | January 10, 2024 |

By Cory Davenport

After starting with the usual pledge and prayer, the January meeting of the Jersey County Board flowed in a nearly perfect harmony.

With no new or old business to consider, the board was easily able to approve the December meeting minutes, more than $48,000 in monthly bills, and more than $3,000 in board compensation unanimously. Board member Ed Koenig suggested the county’s compensation for board members could be divided further into fuel, auto maintenance, and possibly a third section for mileage, but added there was probably a reason all three are in the same category and he did not want to migrate back to the way it is currently if a change is too difficult.

Following those items, there was no public comment. A bid from Beilman Trucking was approved as well as a resolution for five townships within the county to pay for oil and chipping from their motor fuel tax. Each of these passed without opposition.

The circuit clerk also gained unanimous approval for $46,000 to be reimbursed by grant funding for a document camera allowing county documents to be more legible upon zooming into them as well as the application for processing them. Another grant-funded issued was passed without issue as well, allowing for Grafton Materials’s low bid of around $22,000 to demolish a property at 11403 Goettings Road in Fieldon. Board Chair Gary Krueger commented he was happy to see so many bids from which the board could choose on the project.

During time for county officials to present issues, Jersey County Clerk Pam Warford requested passage of a resolution to add lines to transfer 2023 appropriated funds, which she described as “an annual thing to prepare for audits later this month.” The resolution would cover departments in the red, which use the county’s contingency funds. Warford said the contingency fund covered around $31,000 for the county, which she said was impressive, considering the county’s $7-$8 million budget. It was approved without detractors.

An appointment was passed unanimously through the board as well for the first time in several months. In the last few meetings, some board members, including Eric Ivers, Jeremy Beasley, and Kenneth Grizzle, were having issues with the methodology of the board appointing board members of county boards with a vote, despite the candidates often not being in attendance or not knowing the candidate for which they were voting. During the January meeting, the board unanimously approved Joe Henneghan for a five-year term to the Jersey County Housing Authority starting Feb. 1.

The one debate during the meeting came when they were called to pass the official schedule for the board’s 2024 meetings. They mostly discussed the best time to start meetings, which is currently slated for 7 p.m. Some even suggested the times change with the seasons, as farmers often work until dark in summer, but can come much earlier in winter. Beasley suggested earlier than seven, adding “some folks go to bed at 7:30 or 8.” Some members even suggested it occur early in the morning. Ultimately, however, the time stayed at seven in the evening on the second Tuesday of every month and it was passed unanimously.

During approval of committee minutes, Beasley added a correction to the building and grounds minutes. Instead of Pointer Electric installing a fence next week for a bid around $8,000, they are instead installing wiring and a keypad for the gate at that bid. The committee minutes were then unanimously approved.

Unanimous approval was also given for mileage and per diem expenses and the meeting’s adjournment.