Kankakee County Board, IL County Board Meetings, 13 Jul 2021

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From YouTube: Kankakee County Board Meeting 07/13/2021

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Kankakee County Board Meeting 07/13/2021 9:00 AM

A

Morning like to call the kanke county board meeting to order for july 13th, um today's invocation is from dr pat polk.

B

God of peace, we invite you to preside over this meeting. Even if we have differences of opinion.

B

Give us unity of spirit, help us each to listen politely when someone else is sharing their point of view, help us to work as a unified team in combining ideas for a great outcome, help us to work as a whole, rather than as individuals trying to promote their own agendas.

B

May we have a spirit of camaraderie in this room and work together in our shared mission, amen.

A

Thank you please,.

B

One nation, under god, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

C

um Mr hass present mr tholen.

C

Mrs polk, I'm sorry mr snipes, mr siroi, mr lear, mrs weber, mrs peters, mr payton, mrs parker, mr kenzinger president, mr fairfield president, mr carrico, mr eckhoff, mr smith, from celina.

C

Mr swanson president, mr featherling president, mr donnell president, mr miller, president, mr long president, mr kirkstrow president, mr hunter, miss bryan, mr collins, president miss hudson president, mr smith, from bourbon a president, mr alexander hildebrand president, mr wheeler present.

A

I am quorum. uh Can I get a motion um from somebody to allow dr pope to uh be present via zoom at this meeting and all committee meetings as well we'll go with mr hunter. Mr long with a second all, those in favor say aye. Those opposed same sign.

A

Welcome to the meeting miss polk.

B

Thank you we'll.

A

Have to do that again in any committee meeting, so we're good. um I don't have any public commentary. uh Any requests for public comment today, uh nor vacancy appointments uh got an announcement uh announcing the resignation of daryl smith from kenky county board district 12., and I have a resolution declaring the vacancy in kanke county board district 12.. Is there a motion to approve the resolution? Mr long, mr featherling, with a second any comment: uh let's do a roll call vote. Please.

C

Mr huss, mrs polk aye, mr siroi, mr lear, mrs weber, mr peyton, mrs parker aye, mr mr kinsinger aye, mr fairfield aye, mr eckhoff, mr swanson aye, mr fatherling aye, mr donnell aye, mr miller aye, mr long aye, mr kirkstrom aye, mr hunter aye, ms brian aye, mr collins, aye, ms hudson aye, mr smith, aye, mr alexander aye aye, mr wheeler aye,.

A

Motion carries uh the minutes of the last meeting june 8th to 2021. Is there a motion there? uh Mr donnell second miss parker um any comment: all those in favor say: aye aye.

A

Those opposed same sign motion carries uh claims committee reports.

C

Mr chairman, members of the county board, your committee on county claims should beg leave to report. They have examined the following claims presented and recommend payment. The clerk is hereby authorized and directed to issue orders to the several claimants total claimants of five million, eight hundred sixty five thousand nine hundred twenty nine dollars and eighty three cents.

A

All right is there a motion on that. Mr ekkoff. uh Second, miss polk uh roll call vote. Please.

C

Get in there, mr hatch, mrs polk aye, mr siroi aye, mr lear aye mrs webber aye, mr payton aye, mrs parker aye, mr kinzinger aye, mr fairfield aye, mr eckhoff, mr swanson aye, mr fatherling aye, mr donnell aye, mr miller aye, mr long aye, mr kirkstra aye, mr hunter, miss bryan aye, mr collins, aye, ms hudson aye, mr smith, aye, mr alexander aye, mr wheeler aye,.

A

Motion carries under department reports. We could get those right in the record.

C

County collector's monthly report for may 2021 total cash and banking investments; five million three hundred seventeen thousand eight hundred sixty eight dollars and eight cents; treasurer's monthly report for may 2021, total cash investments, five million three hundred seventeen thousand eight hundred sixty eight dollars and eight cents.

C

Coroner's monthly report for may total calls 114 coroner's cases, 20 autopsy 16, toxicology, 16, two donations, one indigent one: fetal 44 hospice, 49 referrals, 63, cremations, 3, x-rays, 16, pending an income summary report for the coroner for may of 2021, total of 3957.

C

Circuit clerk cash book for month ending may 2021 total disburse 345 818 dollars and 15 cents, recorder's monthly report from may 2021 disbursement fees paid to the county, treasurer 185, 587.12, county clerk monthly report for may 2021, total fees of 29 135 dollars and 45 cents.

C

The county clerk's six-month report, total of uh 223 441.75 animal control, monthly report from may 2021, total thirty, one thousand four hundred and forty nine dollars in the iptip building fund; seven dollars. Eighty nine cents, total animals handled ninety eight monthly building division report for may 2021.

C

99 total permits 56 033 dollars in fees, total of 59 768 monthly resolution list for july 2021 total to the county of 14 442.45.

D

A

You um can I get a motion to combine and approve on that. Mr lear, uh mr fairfield. With second, uh is there any comment, questions uh that'd, be a voice vote and all those in favor say aye. Those opposed same sign motion carries on the consent agenda. Is there anything that needs to be removed from the consent agenda.

A

A

I will ask one more time: is there anything to be removed and discussed separately.

A

Mr kinzinger, which number.

E

A

272 all righty any others.

A

Hearing none a motion to combine and approve would be appropriate. Go with mr swanson second, mr long, if we can get those read in the record, please.

C

The appointment of lori gadboy to the kanke county convention visitors bureau, the reappointment of joe swanson to the university of illinois extension, the reappointment of paul, a kroll to the pilot township fire protection district, the reappointment of james nichols to the kaneki township fire protection district, the reappointment of antonio carrico to the kinky county board of health declaration and disposal of mobile surplus equipment for the kanke county, sheriff's, department, declaration and disposal of surplus telephone equipment for the kaneki county, sheriff's, department, declaration and disposal of surplus vehicles for the king, key county, sheriff's department resolution and ordinance for the revision of altered, speed zones on warner street and fern street.

C

In aroma. Road district authorizing the transfer of funds from fiscal year 2021 fund number 95 america rescue plan fund to fiscal year. 2021 fund number 098 american rescue fund plan fund lost revenue authorizing the county board chairman to execute automated teller machine agreement with cash works, incorporated.

A

Thank you, uh that'll be a roll call vote. Please.

C

Mr hess, mrs polk aye, mr snipes, all right, mr siroi aye, mr lear aye, mrs weber, aye mr payton aye, mrs parker aye, mr kinzinger aye, mr fairfield aye, mr eckhoff aye, mr swanson aye, mr fatherling aye, mr donnell aye, mr miller aye, mr long aye, mr kirkstrom aye, mr hunter aye, ms bryant aye, mr collins, aye, ms hudson aye, mr smith, aye, mr alexander aye, mr wheeler aye,.

A

Motion carries uh under 272 if we get the title right in.

C

The record resolution of the county board of can key county illinois regarding an amendment to the title, vi, policy and plan for the civil rights act of 1964 and related statues plan.

A

All righty uh is there a motion on this first to start with motion to approve second uh with mr hunter. What was your question, sir?.

E

Sorry this is a civil rights act 1964.

E

What exactly are we changing in this amendment, ben.

F

If you could, thank you, thank you, mr chairman. uh So the if you remember in june of 2019, we passed the uh civil rights rights, act, uh policies and plans um for title vi and in that the language read that we would not discriminate against um I'll, be specific.

F

Because the state's being specific uh race, color national origin, sex, disability or age, the three conditions covered under the title vi of the civil rights act are actually just race, color and national origin. So I not his request requested at the most recent review that we remove um age, disability and sex from that from our plan.

F

We will not discriminate against those things as a as a transit provider, but um they're just asking that we're congruent exactly with what's listed in the the three items from title six and that's the change. That's it.

A

Thank you, yep, there's a request for my dot, uh any other questions, all righty roll call vote. Please.

C

Mr house aye mrs polk aye mr snipes aye, mr siroid aye, mr lear aye, mrs weber, aye mr peyton aye, mrs parker aye, mr kensinger aye, mr fairfield aye aye, mr eckhaugh aye, mr swanson aye, mr fatherling aye, mr dunhill aye, mr miller aye, mr long aye, mr kirkstra aye, mr hunter, miss brian aye, mr collins, aye, ms hudson aye, mr smith, aye, mr alexander aye, mr wheeler aye,.

A

Motion carries I apologize dan. I could have done voice vote on that.

C

Let that be the worst thing ahead.

A

So under pza, if we can get uh 273 right into the record.

C

Resolution of the county board of pancake county illinois regarding zba case 21.04, rezoning from a1 agriculture, district to i2 general industrial district in section 35 of mantino township.

A

Do we have a motion on this one, mr featherling, to approve second, mr miller, alrighty uh delp? Do you have any comment on this.

G

uh I can give you a little description of the situation here say. uh St george ag services owns the uh 20 acre piece of property just to the left of the red square on the map on the screen there. They operate a trucking business and trailer storage facility at that location, as you can see by the aerial photo it's getting pretty full. They would like to expand their operation into the 20 acres that is uh outlined in red and use 10 of those acres for the expansion of their business.

G

um Their current facility is zoned i2 for uh storage of commercial vehicles. This parcel is zoned a1. They would like the zoning change to i2 to allow them to use that they will not be accessing the property off of 7000 road, but using their existing entrance through their current facility on 3000 east road.

A

I have one quick question: is that a is that was that stipulated by zba that they could not use 7000? No.

G

Since this is a rezoning and not a special use, permit you cannot put conditions on it. Okay, this is the testimony that the applicant gave okay, okay,.

A

If we could, on the record mr sirois yeah, I'm sorry.

H

Thank you, mr chairman. I'm sorry, I believe it's a secure lot and that's why they use that drive. There's a.

G

Yes, there is a uh there's, a security uh yeah at the front of that lot. It is uh secured yes, okay. Thank you.

A

Already any other thoughts on this one, mr snipes.

I

Yes, it looks it appears as if their uh their concern is. Is that this highway or at the interchange, highway I-57 is being uh built at 7, 000, road, north and so, as a result. I guess to accommodate that they're trying to that's what it says here. Number eight is that's not what it says says: the board finds that the highway interchange, the iphone 7 being built, and each 7 000 north road will be completed, allowing for increased traffic into the area. The property to the west was already zoned to 12..

I

So this looks like because there's some uh variations there they're asking um you know to be able to have the leeway to kind of adjust to this increase uh traffic. That's gonna be coming in and just not use 7000 roads. So I'm not an objection of it. It's just that! That's what I saw this in the document.

A

That was just news to me because I hadn't heard of that project is that something I know that they were looking at at the interchange in will county uh that they had funded in a capital bill for the proposed airport, but I knew of no interchange in kankakee mark. Have you heard of anything yeah like that? Okay, I don't know what this is about. It may be true, but we haven't heard about it.

G

The interchange is at 6 000 north, that's, probably a typo.

A

G

I

Yeah, okay! So that's what I was.

G

Reading in here, this finding of fact relates to the trend of development in the area. The interchange certainly is a trend, a change in trend in the area, okay,.

A

Thank you, though,.

A

Any other thoughts on this one. um We have a motion and a second all, those in favor, say aye. Those opposed same sign motion carries all right moving on. If we can get the title of 274, please on the.

C

Record resolution of the county board of kinky county illinois regarding the authority for county board chairman to sign a service agreement between kaneki county and bruce harrison associates incorporated to provide gis services to kankakee county.

A

Is there a motion on this one to start with, please uh we'll go with mr featherweight, mr fairfield, with a second uh for a way of explanation. Dell, do you want to give a brief explanation? Certainly.

G

Our gis department consists of uh two employees myself and was daniel bishop. He departed from us about two weeks ago.

G

Jeffrey olson will be taking over his duties, but uh in the meantime, during this transition we thought it was pertinent to have a backup and that's what this agreement uh provides. We only pay if we need to use them. There is no uh retainer or anything of that nature. So if we were to run into uh an issue that we cannot resolve ourselves, we would call on them to help us it's our emergency fault. It's an emergency fallback, okay,.

A

Any mr kensinger.

E

Yeah term of agreement, I assume this is for one year and can be modified.

A

I have to look here the term.

A

Excuse me, mr chairman. We couldn't hear that what was the question this was mike.

E

The term of the agreement, I assume that it terminates at one year and then can be extended, or is it go on forever.

A

I'm reading the last page here because I.

G

Don't want to misrepresent.

A

G

I'm not seeing a termination date.

A

Yeah, I don't see, there's no term, it's just a price agreement, so they're agreeing to the to the hourly rates so.

E

If we quit next month, we're okay.

A

Yeah we're not if we call them we spend if we don't call them, we don't spend okay, so it's just really a pricing arrangement and the scope of services that they do very good. Thank you, mr hunter.

J

Got a question uh uh this company's out of batavia: do we have a relationship uh previous relationship with him? I.

A

Believe they built our gis system. That is correct. That's correct, okay, yeah.

J

Okay, let me well that that speaks to it. Oh you're, correct, I mean.

A

They they they that's.

J

What it was intimately, I guess you could say what what's the uh uh now what's the gentleman with kaneki city zach, what's his last name newton? Is that his last name? Okay? Do you ever call upon his uh expertise or assistance at all.

G

uh He sits on our gis committee and we do talk.

J

Okay, thank you.

A

Excuse me uh any other questions. uh We are spending money, so we should get a while potentially so we should get a roll call.

C

Mr hess hi mrs polk hi, mr snipes, mr c roy aye, mr lear aye, mrs weber, aye mr peyton aye, mrs parker aye, mr kenzinger aye, mr fairfield aye, ms reckoff aye, mr swanson aye, mr featherling aye, mr donnell, mr miller aye, mr long aye, mr kirkstra aye, mr hotter aye, ms brian aye, mr collins, aye, ms hudson aye, mr smith, aye, mr alexander aye, mr wheeler aye,.

A

Motion carries thank you uh under finance 275. If we get that read the record, the title resolution.

C

Of the county board of kinky county illinois regarding authorizing the purchase of poll pad ipad cases and docking stations.

A

Is there a motion on that one to start with mr lear? Second folk, uh miss polk with a second. uh Is there any explanation needed on this one? Here we we are using uh arpa funds uh because it's critical infrastructure and we are able to do that per the law. So it's in that case that money could not have come in a better time, because these, the machines we had were not being supported anymore, uh the software, so I'm sure dan would appreciate.

A

Do you have any comment on.

C

This one, I think you are waxing eloquently.

A

We have to have election machines, uh that's kind of what goes with the territory. So if there's no questions, can we do roll call vote we're there.

C

Mr house aye, mrs polk.

B

C

Mr snipes hi mr sirois aye mr lear aye mrs webber aye, mr payton aye, mrs parker aye, mr kinzinger aye, mr fairfield aye, mr eckhoff, mr swanson aye, mr featherling aye, mr donnell aye, mr miller aye, mr long aye, mr kirkstra aye, mr hunter aye, ms bryant aye, mr collins, aye, ms hudson aye, mr smith, aye, mr alexander aye, mr wheeler aye,.

A

And uh motion carries I apologize. I explained them out of order um because the poll pads and the election machines kind of go together. um So the next item is the actual machines. The first item was the pulp pads. I apologize for that um spoiler alert yeah, exactly I ruined it um under 276. Can we at least get that right in the record.

C

Resolution the county board of kinky county illinois regarding authorizing purchase of voting and election solutions and authorizing the chairman to sign an agreement with liberty, systems for yearly maintenance and purchases.

A

So this is the machines and the supplies, mr hunter, with the motion. Second, mr ekkoff, any questions comments on this same finance, deal paying for it outright, uh no interest or anything like that. So um roll call vote, please. Mr hess hi.

C

Mrs polk aye mr snipes aye, mr siroi aye, mr lear aye, mrs weber, aye mr peyton aye, mrs parker aye, mr kenzinger aye, mr fairfield aye, mr eckhoff, mr swanson aye, mr featherling aye, mr dunhill aye, mr miller aye, mr long aye, mr kirkstra aye, mr hunter aye, ms brian aye, mr collins, aye, ms hudson aye, mr smith, aye, mr alexander aye, mr wheeler aye,.

A

Motion carries thank you, um and just uh just to mention, mr arnold get you just saying just to mention. Normally those would have went through our subcommittee process for the arpa funds, but we had to get them on order because with the state of parts and lead times and the world is upside down on when you're going to get stuff, we want to get them on order as soon as possible. So, mr hunter, yes.

J

Thank you, mr chairman, dan, upon receipt, will you do a demonstration for us absolutely okay? Thank you.

C

More demonstrations- and you probably want to uh be part.

A

Of uh so the next item authorizing excuse me 277. Can we get the title read in the record? Please resolution.

C

Of the county board of kanke county illinois regarding authorizing the amendment of resolution, 2000 number 2021-05-11-245, all righty.

A

And is there a motion on this to start with mr hess? Second, mr long brief explanation, it was just an adjustment uh based on the need for the computers and the the holders for the computers and the in car. You know cameras and things like that. It was a price adjustment, but then we also got a grant to cover off most of, if not all of that and then some so in the end we're going to spend less than we were to start with, but we have to go through this mo this process.

A

Any questions, roll call.

C

Vote, mr huss, mrs polk aye, mr snipes aye aye, mr siroid aye, mr lear aye, mrs weber, aye mr peyton aye, mrs parker aye, mr kenzinger aye, mr fairfield aye, ms rakhoff aye, mr swanson aye, mr fatherling aye, mr donnell aye, mr miller, aye, mr long all right, mr kirkstra aye, mr hunter aye, ms brian aye, mr collins, aye, ms hudson aye, mr smith, aye, mr alexander aye, mr wheeler.

A

Aye motion carries uh under 278 if we can get that regular record. Please.

C

Resolution of the county board of kenke county illinois regarding transportation, grant agreement between the state of illinois idot and can key county for fiscal year. 2022.

A

Is there a motion on this one to start with mr hess? Second, oh: we'll go with this poke uh and uh trying to think. If there's anything, this is the one that we've already signed. I believe correct. We had to sign this one ben to get it because they needed it by the end of the month.

F

That is correct, mr chairman, by january july, 1st was the request for my dot. So, okay and.

A

We talked about it in committee, but we had to get it signed into them, or else we would have been ineligible so.

F

Yeah, this is a recurring uh intergovernmental agreement that we always have with with with idot for the mpo okay, so.

A

Is there any more questions about that? It's just a formality now, because we already had to send the paperwork in uh all those in favor, say hi same sign motion carries. Thank you uh openings. Would you like to mount some openings today.

C

One opening on the raymond drainage district, one opening on the spring creek drainage district, one opening on the canavan drainage district, one opening on the gar creek drainage district, one opening on the little beaver special drainage district, one opening on the mcgill very special drainage district, one opening on the mini creek drainage district, one opening on the moments yellowhead drainage district number, one one opening on the essex township fire protection district.

C

One opening on the zoning board of appeals must reside in the township three openings on the mantino number: nine drainage district; six openings on the can key county regional planning. Commission.

A

All righty, thank you, uh and so you know we're sending press releases out with all of these openings now on a regular basis, we're updating the county's website. So these openings on all these commissions committees are appearing right at the top of the current website, which is awful. To be honest, our website is just awful uh and consider critical infrastructure. So it's my hope that will not hope we're going to be asking the committee that is on reinvestment, the subcommittee to invest in an update on this website.

A

um It's it's still living in 1997., uh so we need to get that at least up to maybe 99, no, I'm just kidding, but you know what I mean we it needs help it's not intuitive it's hard to search. uh So that's one of jasmine's projects as soon as we get through this committee stuff that we're working on mr lear.

D

Thank you, mr chairman. uh The the one opening zoning board of appeals it says, must reside in township. That's a little unclear to me.

A

Yeah, the list of the townships was supposed to be in there I apologize um the week. You can't have more than one person per township on the zba. Do you remember those townships dell.

G

We currently have a member from sumner township, mantino township pilot township, limestone kankakee and uh that's five.

G

The other one is.

G

Bourbon, a township, that's bourbon, a township yeah.

A

It's we'll list it on the website, but yeah. It said that that was the only reason to let people know that there was certain things in there and then we well I'll just say we dropped the ball. We didn't get it on the agenda right at the end of the week, so don't mind admitting that um so beyond that, if you know anybody, that's interested in one of those areas, we could it's a pretty important committee uh of public input and vetting of these.

A

These types of projects and planning things like solar farms, wind farms, uh all these rezonings, any changes to the code, uh the county code, not the um mechanical contractors code. That goes through the border review, I believe, but those.

G

Types of things- that's saint anne township, not bourbon, a say that yes, okay, so that's our current.

A

Members, you listed okay, all right moving on new business. Is there any new business? uh Mr hunter.

J

It's not necessarily new business, but uh could you uh send with the cover letter amendment 272 to the kenke county naacp attention uh theodore space.

J

uh Also, the uh uh hispanic uh partnership.

A

272 just to make sure.

J

Sony, that's the one that uh ron had a concern.

A

K

J

Amendment and that should the hispanic partnership should be uh sent to the attention of natalie ojeda o-j-e-d-a.

A

Thank you, mr chairman sure, and, and so you know, they're in resolution form. I believe these are all posted on the websites too. I just want to make sure you knew that I know.

J

But it shows the the uh interfacing with this, this board.

A

So, let's see here with with that um old business versus every old business, where we get into the next item, all right, just uh just a brief announcement before we go into the other business that we have here is a week from yesterday, which is next monday. We'll start our subcommittee meetings uh in your packet is the all of the times for the committees. Everybody is, is on um we're hard stopping these in an hour, uh so you know if we have to suspend it we'll.

A

Just I can't remember the correct motion I haven't written down upstairs, but there's a way you don't adjourn the meeting you just kind of suspend the meeting, so you don't it. Everything carries over to the next one. So.

J

A

Yeah, it's a recess. I believe right, we'll make sure it's there he's. Usually my parliamentarian but see he's got street correct too. In this area.

J

A

But that all starts we're we're also looking uh the press release went out. Hopefully it'll make the paper that we're looking for subject matter experts in a lot of these areas: people in the community. We have workforce professionals from kcc in the workforce board and mr pace is on our workforce subcommittee.

A

If there's business people that could put particular input into certain things on our business subcommittee or any really anybody else, and if the public has a suggestion for a project they can come in at public comment, make the suggestion we'll put it on the big board. It'll be up to the the subcommittees. Then the executive committee, then the finance committee to rank and fund these and prioritize these. So everybody won't get their projects funded, uh but that's just the nature of the process, uh but everybody's voice is gonna, be heard. It'll all make the board.

A

Unless it's immediately not allowed by the law, uh then there's we will have to call that out and make sure that you know we're not going to waste anybody's time saying: that's, not a loud use of the money.

A

But beyond that uh we're looking for all the input we possibly can there'll be a lot of hard decisions coming up. uh We don't want to tax everybody's time. That's why I came up with the monday thing, so you can always predict every couple of weeks that there'll be. These you'll have your meeting or two as in the case of some people, but you can come to any of them. You can have input into any part of this process so more to come on this once we start these meetings, it'll become clear.

A

What we're doing um so beyond that now, let's, let's talk about.

J

Chairman, yes, sir yeah, thank you very much just to reaffirm what the chairman has indicated um that, and he indicated that if you know people with certain expertise, community people, professionals etc, who have expertise in those particular areas in which the money is going to be allocated.

J

Additionally, too, if I'm sure the the chairman is amenable to any other recommendations that maybe not be reflected in the documents that have been prepared, uh not everybody's immensa, but uh but I think that there may be something we were overlooked but uh bring that forward to the chairman. Additionally, um you know I take my hat off to the chairman in terms of interfacing with the underserved communities that historically have not been involved in in the process.

J

In fact, mr pace and I had a discussion about that in terms of previous administrations in terms of how this particular administration has been open in terms of holding meetings with, as I said, underserved and amenable to recommendations and comments, uh the chairman is explained thoroughly uh at each point in terms of what is transpiring regarding the the guidelines and providing documentation um to those uh uh communities and those uh stakeholders, and I just want to say, we should feel uh positive about how open the process has been and that the county administration- and you guys are part of it- uh have been open to suggestions, comments, additions, amendments uh that might be germane to the whole process.

A

Thank you, mr snipes.

I

Thank you, mr the. uh uh I know this is dealing with the uh uh the funding uh this uh that we are asking the input of. I just want to be clear.

I

Are we directing this in the non-incorporated areas, because the cooperated areas have received their share of the funding so.

A

I have to answer that. Yes and no we're focusing on the inner corporate areas, but we're purposefully reaching out to the municipalities to see where there's a synergy between between what they're talking about and what we're talking about and then pooling resources to target things that impact the rural and municipal areas. So.

K

A

Know, there's there's things that impact county government, county resources, funding institutions, uh departments that also impact municipal governments. So if we can figure out where those synergies are as part of this process and that's part of jasmine's job as well is to make sure we have that open line of communication.

A

So we can look for those because then our money goes further together and the impact goes further and you know we're not. I don't see us repairing roads in the city of kankakee, okay, which seems to be a popular thing for us to do these days, but but what we will is look for those ways that we can impact public safety, other types of services that reduce the the tax burden on county residents as a whole and and reliance on on our, which is mainly our public safety systems.

A

I think that's a logical place to look for a partner with kankakee, because that's a large percentage of of where our cost comes from both in human and financial capital. Does that make sense? So we are looking for those partnerships, whether it's here, whether it's hopkins park, whether it's well broadband for the whole rural county- it's not just hopkins park, but it's there's places elsewhere, altor hirscher, essex, that they don't have broadband, so we should be looking. What can we do all over the place?

A

Make sense? Okay, any other thoughts on this and believe me, this is just the start. I mean it's backwards. If you think about it, usually you identify a project. Then you have to go chase the money. Well, now we got the money now we're chasing the projects and it's kind of dangerous. If you think about it, because everything sounds good. When you got a bunch of money, it's like going shopping, grocery shopping when you're hungry.

A

You know it's it's, so we want to make sure that what we do has a long-term impact rather than just throw money out the window. That makes sense. There has to be a structure. There has to be a policy, there has to be a ranking and we have to get input from everybody. That's out there. So it's just a start marathon, not a sprint, but by the way I do want to say this. There are going to be some sprint things that you know, because there are some people still hurting from the pandemic.

A

We have to address some things up front and those will get fleshed out, hopefully in the first month of meetings, okay, um moving on unless there's no more old business, anything um andy. Yes, dr pope,.

B

I wanna know: will I ever get to have my red tie affair at the courthouse.

A

You know I I will ask the chief judge when I see him, you know I think they've relaxed everything and since we have addressed the the date, certain ada things at the courthouse, uh the things that had to be done by a certain day uh that the attorney general was going to sue us over. uh If you may remember that we got that done, but we still have other ada things to do in the courthouse that are not dates. Certain that we have to address like uh compact offices, people too close together things like that.

A

um But what dr polk is talking about is like a community event at the courthouse to kind of show off what we did during the year of kobe, because people don't really realize how much work we did in the courthouse with grant money. Other types of funding that wasn't from the local taxpayers and we have another round getting ready to go. We got a 400 000 grant from our allocation from the state of illinois to redo the basement.

A

The jury assembly room uh create some offices down there, a couple more bathrooms to make them more functional, not just for today, but for the next 25 years.

A

So those are the types of decisions we're making right now, so we don't have to spend our local taxpayers money on things that we are mandated to do by the state of illinois, the attorney general and really what's right. People with disabilities should be able to work in the courthouse, not just attend or sit on a jury or those types of things and ask or to be a judge. To be honest, so thank you for asking soon and I will ask the chief judge, if he's comfortable, doing something like that.

B

Okay, thank you.

A

A

uh Moving on the the next item came up last week uh because it came up last week and uh just out of the blue, um the u.s fish and wildlife released their land protection plan, which was in mr miller, can explain this a lot better, but it's the linchpin that allows for the establishment of the refuge.

A

It is the one thing that they are legally left to re required to do in order to establish the refuge in the moments area. It's really, I don't know say a third of eastern will count. I mean a kanke county. Am I correct in that? It's a big piece of land yeah, so I we we. You know we were part of this about three years ago, when we were talking with our congress people our senators all of our local constituents, this those around the board in 2016.

A

Remember this um there's a people that are very actively involved in conversation that were part of the board, then, and that are now that are very concerned about the way that this was being handled back then in 2016..

A

Well, now it's back and it's back funded with a four million dollar land sale before they didn't have any money. Now they've got about four million dollars that has to be spent in kankakee county on more land acquisition.

A

So we, it is a real thing now, as far as- and it was real back then, but now it's the full court press is on. So if I I kind of prepared some some things in your packet um of where this stood back in 2016, some of these numbers need to be updated. Things don't get less expensive, they usually get more expensive.

A

So this the impact of this, I just wanted to run through it a little bit and then mr miller has some things from the farming side of it and some other aspects that I think the board should hear as well and then obviously questions and discussions. So the first item was there are concerns with the process of how the refuge has been established without an update environmental assessment study, the ea is what they're called were released in august of 99 and it's obviously 20 years old.

A

The river has changed in the last 20 years and we can all see it with our very own eyes. It's not the same river that it was 20 years ago because we have so much increased rainfall and so much increased sediment load that what we have is the result of what has happened in indiana over the past 100 years. It's here and frankly, it's all the way to the locks in the illinois river. So it's it's! It's progressed exponentially over the years and the iroquois has exacerbated the situation downstream.

A

But we're talking about just that area from the state line to moments right now um and then the other part of this is on the map. Could we zoom in a little bit, so I can show the board just from the top of it to the bottom.

A

So if you see yeah the bottom they've established, the 66 acres down here is established as the kankakee national wildlife refuge, correct. Chad, that's already established, and it's way down there, just south of the kanke county line. It's a small footprint, highly unmanaged, I I could just say unmanaged, but the full footprint you could zoom back out a little bit. Is this whole area and including what is up to moments if we could zoom in on that top part?

A

I want the public to understand this. You see hopkins park first of all down in the bottom. If you could just scroll up just a hair, I will first go yeah, the other one yeah other up. Sorry, the uh hopkins park is, is in that footprint with critical infrastructure in that footprint and amaze, amazingly, a natural gas line going through that footprint.

A

So there are those of us who think that this is no coincidence. This has shown up again right um and I'm not saying anything, but I'm not not saying anything, because this this has all become.

A

When you look at this land protection plan, um I don't say it's thrown together, but it is kind of half baked um and that's from a conservation side of things as well. So I just wanted to show the board what this footprint is and how massive it is and how much land it takes off.

A

The tax rolls there's a cost for this, feds aren't paying for it, taxpayers are in this county or they lose what those taxes pay for so we'll get to that in a second additional study is required to access the impact of of no sedimentation mediation in the footprint of this massive project.

A

It's different now, and they need to do another environmental study on what this is going to do before they even start moving forward on this. There have been changes in populations, residential areas, agricultural practices, land use, blah all that it needs an environmental assessment that is relative today and relevant. Today. uh The land protection plan just released question mark.

A

Are we getting infrastructure into the area that supports community growth and economic development, uh u.s fi, u.s, fish and wildlife releases, the half-baked lpp land protection plan? Because that's what I see when you go to their website? That's what you see. It looks good.

A

It's really good propaganda but, as I said it's it's a great idea: the conservation area, if you don't live there, if you're not from here, if you're not being impacted by your land being devalued, because it's now part of or next to a new marsh one that may be reformed from the old grand grand kankakee marsh, but as we'll see later they're, not addressing that where that actually was in indiana they're, just doing it on the illinois side, so we'll get to that in a minute. So what's the role?

A

What role is the nature conservancy in the field museum played in all of this? I think that's a question that should be asked uh because they've been the big lobbyers for this situation out there against the will of the people who live there my mind you and I would say, not everybody, but vast majority at least 85 documented.

A

So the timing of this is a rush plan. Obviously it's no coincidence. The 90s proposal included large areas of indiana the focus area. This time uh areas do not include any of those areas in indiana. Why is that? um So? If we could, could you throw up the the grand kankakee marsh? I just wanted a little comparison. You see where this is now the old, the old marsh it's basically, the footprint is where the old marshes well, what about the rest of it in indiana?

A

All of that has been substantially changed and it's basically a straight. Ditch that's been dug, there's no more marsh there. So what do you do when you're shooting water and sediment load down a ditch into illinois which, if it goes unmanaged much longer, it's like a cork?

A

It bottles everything up and shoves it back into indiana there we wanted. We, we formed this kankakee and yellow river basin commission to help address the sediment load and build the banks back up to stop the sediment from coming down. So then illinois could get the sand out of the way. Well now, if the fish and wildlife owns both sides of that river, they don't let you have access to dredge anything out of there. They don't give you access for your equipment. That's not me saying that that's history!

A

The federal government blocks you out of access to these lands. That's the history, it's not me making it up. Chad can attest to this. This is they've gone around and gone to these different places. So it's really important to note that I love that idea. Why don't we talk about that?

A

If you want to do something, restore the marshland and the meanders back in the river, just don't make us pay for what they did to us a hundred years ago, but don't, as they say, half baked, I'm not going to use the other word a plan and just shove it on the illinois side of the border, where we have to deal with the loss of revenue and all of the problems that associated with that. So an effort involving uh the u.s fish and wildlife.

A

Other outsiders, the nature conservancy and field museum and a small group of individuals not opposed to the refuge, created a sustainability plan that paragraph basically says they created a plan and 80 or most of the people that were on this. If not all of the people were not from the area. If you disagreed with it, then they didn't make you part of developing a sustainability plan. Mayor of hopkins park wasn't included the the people in the area of pembroke township weren't included, except for a few select folks, that's a big problem.

A

So if you had a dissenting voice, you couldn't be part of the process. It doesn't seem very transparent to me. Sounds like something's being shoved down to our throats. The size of the focus area in kanke county is 18 000 acres over 28 square miles, which is equal to 4.15 percent of our county's total land.

A

I apologize it's uh it's staggering. The eighteen thousand acres includes two point: nine percent of kankakee county's farmland. um This means that kanki county could lose over 43.6 million dollars in economic output from agriculture annually. That also translates into a loss of 124 jobs in our community.

A

There's no way any economic development or tourism related to a refuge could make up for that annual loss. There's just absolutely no way: there's not enough draw for people to come and sit and watch what is arguably some of the most beautiful land around and to experience it guess what we can do that today without the federal government, so I think we're doing all right managing it ourselves and the people that live there. The moments township assessor conducted a study showing the property in the moments focus area generates 1.2 million in property taxes annually.

A

Of that total 800 000 goes to the moment school district annually every year. If those funds are removed from this, and that's just on the footprint. Okay. So that's just not total. That's in the footprint of what you lose. If those funds are removed from the schools, budgeted it'd be nearly impossible to continue functioning what they. Obviously, what happens? Is they readjust the levy and those that are paying property taxes pick up that extra 1.2 million dollars?

A

So good luck, moments, residents and property owners? That's awful to do that or they have to slash the budget and then it's awful for the kids who may not have. However, they figure out how to mitigate those cost losses within the moment school district.

A

With 68 of pembroke township being in agriculture production over 400 3 000 in property, taxes was payable in 2020. Removing 40 percent of the farm land brings it down to about 161 thousand dollars. It's not doesn't sound like a whole lot, but it's a whole lot for the the hopkins park school district out there I mean it's, it's a big chunk.

A

It's it's who's already dealing with not a lot of revenue in the first place, so you know the we can guestimate on what the impacts are going to be, but they're not going to be positive to the schools and the residents in that area. uh They. This is a big one and they're.

A

When I talk about propaganda, this is where this starts to fall. The 1935 refuge revenue sharing payment act basically said that three quarters of one percent of the assessed value of the property is going to be paid by the federal government. Three-Quarters of one percent, so they're, taking a very small sliver of what the school districts and municipalities collected in property taxes and say: they're gonna pay three quarters of one percent.

A

Okay. Well, first of all, they don't make the payments that is documented over history. They don't make those payments, um they don't fund it, it's all subject to funding and they never have funded it. Well, I can't say: never, but very rarely have funded it, um but then also what happens when the property is up now wetland instead of a house, the assessed value goes down, so you're still getting even a lower fraction of what it's worth. I'm just trying to put some reality into this for people. So they understand.

A

This is not just a feel-good hunting reserve and all that stuff which we all like. This has a real impact. This isn't like john muir sitting there on the rim of the grand canyon saying this needs to be a national park. This is not building a community. This is destroying one.

A

So uh the I already talked about the sand mitigation, uh the the the it's impossible to access the river when the feds on both sides of it, you can't get the dredging equipment. What if the log jams are on the other side of the state line bridge and we can't get them out of there- I mean that's, that's a huge problem right now, we're working with indiana and they're, getting the large ams out of there and they even pluck some out of our side.

A

For us, that's not going to happen anymore, and if you're you know that area. It's a problem.

A

The infrastructure, transportation improvements near an established refuge would be almost impossible to carry out many times, if not all times, they don't allow access to the ditches if they're on their side of the center line um and chad has seen that firsthand as he's taking trips around. So I just you've seen it the tile yeah, all the tiles get smashed and broken, and they let the land go back to natural state which, in a perfect world that should include that whole area.

A

If you want to have the what 20 million waterfowl return and all that other stuff that was basically destroyed when they did this in the first place. Well, you can't fix the illinois side and then have the other side be a straight ditch. I keep getting going back to that. It's not functional.

A

So on november 2016 the board voted 20 to zero to reaffirm their opposition to the refuge. The city of moments passed resolutions in 2017., senator hutchinson's, issued letters opposing in 2018 uh representative parkhurst opposed in 2018 as well. Pembroke township in the village of hopkins park also opposed the refuge and furthermore, there were almost 1500 individuals who uh circulated a petition and sent it to us fish and wildlife in 2016..

A

So with that uh chad did, you did, I say anything wrong.

L

No thank you, mr chairman. You hit the nail on the head you're at the nail on the head. Mr chairman, thank you uh for covering all of that important information.

L

uh Just to reiterate, the chief concerns loss of tax base that shouldn't just concern residents on the eastern side of kenke county shouldn't concern everyone in kankakee county, because this will severely disrupt the tax base for the entire county.

L

It will also disrupt, as you said, the established drainage, the kankakee river. Watershed extends farther than uh the borders of kankakee county and, as you mentioned, if u.s fish and wildlife service acquires both sides of the kanki river from the city of moments east to the state of indiana line uh that entire kinky river watershed in that area will cease to drain as it has been established. Currently that will impact residential areas, farmland areas that will further drive down property values and make land unfarmable.

L

Along with that, as you mentioned, 2.9 percent of the kinky county's farmland could be removed from production. The economic output annually from kankakee county agriculture is over 1.5 billion b billion dollars annually, just a straight line. Calculation of removing 2.9 percent of that is 43.6 million dollars lost annually to our economic output here in kenky county that would be devastating.

L

Loss of access to the kinky river is another chief concern access for recreation and also, as you mentioned, access for maintenance of the river another concern is fire suppression. What we've seen in refuge areas in other parts of the nation is that this refuge property is severely unmanaged. It grows up as scrub rush. What if there were to be a fire, a wildfire, a forest fire in those areas are our local fire departments equipped. Many of them are volunteer fire departments.

L

Are they equipped to handle such a fire suppression issue, especially if there's any structures nearby homes, schools? That is a great great concern.

L

Another one is, as you've heard, the community by and large does not want this federal project. Why should the federal government deep in debt, spend our scarce federal taxpayer dollars on a project in our community that we do not want? I would put forth this idea. Aren't there greater needs than to spend federal tax dollars on something that our community doesn't want?

L

Another concern would be what if this was to turn back into the everglades of the north, it becomes a marsh a swamp.

L

Would the 100 000 residents, who rely on potable water from the kankee river? Would that cease to be available? If this water becomes brackish swamp land would aqua illinois be able to draw clean potable water? If that, if that were to happen, those are the chief concerns that I want to reiterate. Thank you again, mr chairman, for putting this on the agenda and uh explaining this so well. Thank.

A

You thank you just so we're clear what I'm asking for with the reaffirmation of that resolution via vote here today would be able to. I could send the governor uh a letter asking him to sign the natural gas bill because that's still not signed.

A

uh That's, I think, is that is directly connected to this, um in my opinion and others uh to go to the u.s fish and wildlife, refuge and voice opposition on behalf of the board, uh to speak for the board in that aspect, because their public comment period is over, I'm gonna got one more slide on that. Can we put that up there? I'm sorry that might be a good idea to have that sitting up there for the public too, so and then zoom out just a hair.

A

I don't know if we can yeah in the right hand corner, because I think there's some stuff at the bottom yeah.

A

Oh sorry, there we go so so we can submit those comments and then also send letters to the legislators on the board's behalf, uh because we want them to get back behind us make sure robin kelly's still with us. uh Congresswoman kelly makes sure that you know our senators have not been with us on this. uh You know they both have supported the refuge um so we'll see if they'll switch positions once we're able to. um You know elucidate a little bit on that. So I don't know mr snipes. Thank you.

A

I will give you credit every time. um So if there's any, let's questions comments, uh you know, I don't have every answer. Chad has a lot more than I do, but mr mr honor first yeah.

J

Just I'm going to ask for a roll call vote which would, as opposed to just doing a voice vote on the resolution, which would show unanimous uh consent on this resolution.

J

Do you have any any betting any problems with that? Well, let's look can we.

A

Start with the motion to prove to reaffirm and approve yeah, that's what I'm saying and the okay now yeah. We can do that and if it's, if it's unanimous, then we can obviously stress that um mr snipes.

I

Yeah yeah three questions: could you go back to that? uh The uh formal slide that you had with the line showing.

I

The one previously yes, if I'm not mistaking uh this, looks like it's going through um the areas of like ralph, 114, um 10 and 41, and I guess it's grabbing some of 17 uh and if that's true and that's in moments, especially if it's on 114, then it directly affects our private coffee right on the river on this side of 114 and also on this side of 114..

I

uh So it looks as if and we're on the river.

I

So if they, uh if, if what I'm seeing in this grand, can't keep marsh so that means we will be directly affected and um there is a lot of good land in moments, even though we're on the river- and I think uh the government bought up like five acres or whatever, but it's still 20 acres about probably on that side, I I am um you know it raises your eyebrow and and concern has to um not only economic base in canyon key, but the aesthetic base uh of you know, because on that other side, the river, because of the flood overflows the property and made our property that we once farmed on this side, uh it was almost like inhabited because of the flooding you know when they uh had the sludge or whatever and it backed up on the property.

I

So I see the argument there firsthand. uh I would have to be in supporters, but also I would ask the question uh in paragraph 23, where it says being further further resolved uh down. There says uh in that last sentence says uh kenki: county board of kenky county illinois supports the u.s fish and wildlife draft environmental assessment, alternative number one, and then it says no action. What does that mean?

I

Take a look here. Is that paragraph 23, one that says, be it further resolve on page, I guess one. Two, three yeah.

L

I can speak to that. Mr chairman, please thank you. So when the u.s fish and wildlife service conducted their draft environmental assessment, they gave several options for the community to consider. One was moving forward uh with the varying degree of which ways to move forward and one option was no action, uh no refuge, no moving forward.

I

Okay, that was good, okay and then the uh in the last one, where it says the local agriculture community accomplished uh accomplishing conservative goals more harmonious with the citizens of kangaki. That means that we did some type of uh hearings or whatever and got their input well.

A

They held hearings, okay and solicited input from the public back then I was at a few of those. Oh.

I

Okay, um u.s fish wildlife source actually recorded that all this was taking place. So when we state our opposition to this project, we do have that background information. Well,.

A

From then, but the problem is, is that next that that other word document sorry um yeah uh comments can be submitted in person at the open houses or electronically by emailing that r3 planning at fws.gov with the correct subject line by july 30th. That's why we're doing this now and I did not wait because we had to get this approval, so we can voice opposition or support whatever I'm not, but if, as a board, we're going to do opposition, um it needs to be done by the 30th.

A

But tonight is the first meeting. Okay, they just launched the land protection plan and then they shoved the public meetings down your throat less than like what a week later um and they put it on their website. But there's no times is that intentional? That's what about.

L

That it will be 3 30 to 7 p.m. Okay, but.

A

I mean it's like: if you look it up, you can't even tell what's going on um that that kind of transparency wouldn't fly with this county how's it going to fly with the federal government, so um so the 13th is in uh is in pembroke, township and uh tomorrow the 14th is island park in the the west pavilion near the playground in moments. So if you want to write something up and bring it there and drop it off, that's fine or you can go onto the web, send an email to that.

A

R3 planning- I believe, can't really see well from here, but I'm just asking the board for the authority to to be able to voice that opposition um at this point. So any other thoughts comments. Mr eckhoff.

K

Thank you, mr chairman. uh You and chad did a fantastic job with this presentation. uh You hit every point that I had. I read the 40 page document, uh it's all rosy and it looks great, but theoretically, at the end of the day for our budget, it doesn't work for us so sure. uh Thank.

A

You, okay, you're, welcome, I'm sorry about some of the typos in that I I typed this up last night and some of this morning. So there was a a few typos in my my notes here, because literally we had to scramble, I mean it was not. They didn't give us any time at all.

K

And also, on top of that point, uh you brought up earlier on about how to bottleneck the river. It wouldn't just affect moments. It actually affects aroma park even more right now, so that's something to go ahead and consider even further right.

A

And it's part of the what's going on with the the the way the river's flowing these days is, is there's so many sand dams throughout indiana and as you get into illinois, they say. Illinois is the natural state of the river. It hasn't been that natural state for 100 years, since they dug the ditch in indiana. It has changed, and now it's even changing exponentially as you you get to that point, and so when these these these sand, um you know really dams that have that are set up along the river.

A

The water builds up and then all sudden it pushes through and then it launches large amounts of sand down the river. Now that's what you're seeing like when you saw the flood events and across from riverside over here on kennedy, drive you'll, see the sand dunes that appear well, that didn't happen. 10 years ago, 20 years ago, you had a little bit of it. You know, but you didn't get like we're getting now and it's exponentially worse.

A

It's because we're getting more rain- and it's finally here so to say that we're in the natural state here in illinois is highly inaccurate. It's closer to the natural state than indiana is and but we'll never get back there unless we can mitigate some of these issues with increased sediment load. So, mr collins, please.

M

Thank you, mr chairman, just to piggyback off of everything that I've heard here so far, and I very briefly got to touch on this with mr eckhoff yesterday.

M

uh Landowners will always be the very best stewards of the land property rights are literally what our entire nation is founded off of, especially when, from an ideological standpoint you extend that to self-ownership and when you point out all the hurdles that this would put in our way as far as infrastructure and improving the river on our side, it's important to step back and realize this entire problem was caused by government 100 years ago and then, when you look at the hurdles that it would put in front of us currently uh when we are the people that live in this community- and we know what's best for our own river, it's it's foolish to think that government would be the solution to government.

M

um So it's important that we, everybody loves the the libertarian standpoint, but it's literally what our country was founded on our it would destroy so many things in our community at the sake and it bounces off or it banks off the fact of people saying: oh it's for the for the uh for the environment, it's for the environment. We also use those things for it's for the children. You gotta raise money for the children. It's it's no different and my other point was that any time your government is buying large swaths of land.

M

That means they've taken too much money from their taxpayers.

M

That's all. I have to say thanks. Thank you.

A

H

Mr hess, thank you chairman again. It says right there you can electronically by emailing, so anybody outside the state could be for it. You know they don't take the local community's input on. What's going on.

A

Yeah, if you looked at the public comment from previously from 2016, east and west coast, almost exclusively major big cities that don't have conservation areas that wish they did, I can't fault them for that. Come.

H

Live there, I believe that the open house that they had or the the open forum that they had at the high school the auditorium- I don't think there was one person in the audience that was for it, the only people that were for it were the panel that was up on the stage and I I believe chad was there so sure there was not one local person that supported it. Yeah.

M

Just like that,.

A

Let me first first time, first time let me get to everybody else first time and then we'll come back around miss brian. Did you have something? I'm sorry I gotta have like one of those auction placards. I'm sorry! I missed you over there. What do you got.

N

um The problems that we're having a lot of them stem from the straightness of the ditch in indiana. Why are they not putting this four million dollars in indiana and putting simple curves in that? Ditch, because that land is just as cheap as the land that we have.

A

uh Actually, we are um in indiana, they've funded the bank restorations and the sand mitigation projects. It's just the start of it. The river didn't wait for people. The river started to be a river again almost immediately, but now it's back to a channel meander in in the the the ditch.

A

If you will, the river's now dug out a new meander and starting to be itself again, uh but we're focused on on the indiana side, because I'm on that commission on retention, so letting the river flood, where it should, because that's part of the natural cycle of a river, but just not where your wastewater plant is or where your hospital is, you know making it out in the rural areas.

A

um You know so they're just starting to slope this, because right now, you've got almost like icebergs in long stretches of the river where it's sand the calving into the river. So it is when a big flood event which they're more frequent now comes in it's taking more sand with it and the the levees that were in indiana to keep the sand out. If you will or keep the water in the channel. We're built with the spoils of the dredging, so it's basically every time it floods, it's pulling that back in the river too.

A

So that's what they're addressing over there. They need us finally to keep the river moving because they became a fishbowl. So it's with that that whole mutual destruction thing like the cold war. You know like we know that we got to do something about this. Well, they finally realize that and we're working together. But now, if u.s fish and wildlife gets that, there's no more of that, so we weren't going to dredge here, potentially until they stopped the sand. It's a longer term project, because that would be just stupid money right, dredge it!

A

Well, then more is going to come and you got to spend the money again. So you address it here and then you move into that when it's time for that, if this goes we're not going to have it so I just want to mention that that they are funded by the state of illinois. Senator joyce got us seven million bucks to start addressing this on our side, um to the point where we were considering some equipment to start addressing some of these things on our own.

A

If that happens, we can't even get it in the river up there because they won't let us in the river- and that's just not me saying it that's their pattern. They have done this everywhere. They don't allow access to the refuge to local infrastructure needs. So, uh mr clown, second time you got.

M

Just to piggyback off of what you just said there we can look across the country, especially in the last year, and see the quality of care that the government has given to the land that they already own, and that should be a huge re which is horrible.

M

We look at the state of our national parks and our state parks and then to think that the solution to be good stewards of our land would be to allow the government to control them, and you point out the contradiction of our own senator pat joyce, who worked so hard to get us the grant money to improve this side of the river uh for him to to support this refuge, which would very likely impede our ability to act as our own stewards of our own land is, is something that we should address with him yeah.

M

I don't know where he stands on this, but I thought you said that our senators said both.

A

Fed veterans.

L

Sorry, sorry yeah, our state are very.

A

Clear I haven't spoken with senator joyce yeah. I was going to do that as a result of this meeting very good. I kind of think I know where he's at, um but I won't assume that until I asked.

M

Him I don't see how anybody who lives- and I also like to point out how fortunate we are on this board. I know several people in this room who absolutely love not only our community but our natural resources and appreciate what we have here and have done lots of work.

M

Our chairman in particular, who I've been paying attention to for years before I even considered running for this board, has been a champion of of doing what's right for our area on a voluntary basis and really evaluating what the future would bring for the improvements we can put in.

A

Thanks so much this is just uh hopefully not the end of this. It's the start of it, the very least they need to do another environmental study, because it's not the same river that they've family studied before so so do we have a motion in a second, it's been a while. Yes,.

G

A

Okay, all right so can we do a roll call vote, see where we all stand on this. Thank you.

J

C

And I vote is to affirm the.

A

Affirm 2016 and allow me to do those other things. Mr.

C

H

C

Mrs pogue hi mr snipes aye, mr siroi aye, mr lear aye, mrs weber, aye mr peyton aye, mrs parker aye, mr kenzinger, mr fairfield aye, mr rakhoff aye, mr swanson aye, mr featherling aye, mr dunhill aye, mr miller aye, mr long aye, mr kirkstra aye, mr hunter aye, ms brian aye, mr collins, aye, ms hudson aye, mr smith, aye, mr alexander aye, mr wheeler aye,.

A

Thank you um and then just in case anyone out. There is a conservationist. This resolution does reaffirm our commitment to conservation, but there has to be large parts of local input and control into that. uh It's we just can't be told what to do so.

A

All right. Does anybody want to stay any longer? Mr hess.

H

I'll make a motion. I.

A

Think that speaks to that. Mr kirkster, do you have a.

B

A

All those in favor of adjournment say aye aye. Those opposed.