What happened at the February Boone County Board meeting ?

 

I always feel it is better to give a third party opinion as to the county board and my actions so here is a break down on some stories across the media regarding last month’s meeting.

1. Even if you attended the meeting you may not know that there was action taken  after the closed session regarding some litigation regarding jail personnel.  (Bill requested that in the future that if action after an executive session is “probable” that the agenda reflect that matter so the public is aware of the situation)  A newspaper report of the action regarding the required but unpaid briefing period for jail staff is available at:  http://www.boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2013/03/bcj-county-reaches-accord-without.html  or   http://www.rrstar.com/updates/x711928178/34-Boone-County-Jail-staffers-unpaid-work-now-paid-for  If you wish to see the formal union complaint go to: http://www.boarddocs.com/il/boone/Board.nsf/files/956KDW50F925/$file/Corrections%20grievance.pdf)
2. An additional Assistant States Attorney for civil litigation was approved despite effort to delay the decision by sending it back to subcommittee.  Bill requested a roll call vote on the motion to send it back to committee; the motion failed and Bill voted that the new attorney be added .The additional staff which will be financed in part by revenue generated by the States Attorney Office.  See the second half of the BCJ article which discusses the matter at:  http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2013/03/bcj-funding-was-subject.html
3. Tentative agreement to pursue a possible refunding of Administrative Building bonds to possibly save $200,000. See the first half of the above BCJ article:  http://www.boonecountyjournal.com/news/2013/Boone-County-News-03-01-13.pdf#page=1 (Bill was very hesitant to agree with this plan because the county is using an advisor they selected in 2007-8. This will be generating commissions in the $10,000’s. Is this still the proper choice of advisor?  Because of the importance of having a plan available right now (in case interest rates start to rise) Bill did not question the action beyond a simple email question regarding the process of selecting the current advisor.)
4. A number of appointments were approved.  Bill abstained because of Mr. Walberg refused to reappoint Mr. Luhman(see: http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2012/12/mrwalberg-decides-not-to-reappoint-bill.html       ).  To read Bill’s statement justifying abstaining go to:  http://boonecountywatch.blogspot.com/2013/02/bill-abstains-from-voting-on.html   In the future I will attempt to post all of the openings for appointments across the county, the most recent is at:  http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2013/03/boone-county-needs-you.html
5. The full agenda for February’s county board meeting is available at: http://www.boonecountyil.org/sites/default/files/CBAgenda%2002-20-2013.pdf
6. A special meeting regarding the Irene Road Toll Way exit was schedule for Monday, March 4, 2013.  SEE:  http://boonecountywatch.blogspot.com/2013/03/special-boone-county-board-meeting-on.html

Special Boone County Board Meeting on Monday, March 4, 2013

 

The meeting will be about the purchase of property for the Irene Road interchange project.

Employment Opportunities | Boone County, Illinois

Current Job Openings :

Public Health Nurse

The Boone County Health Department is currently hiring a full-time Public Health Nurse to serve as a Case Manager in our Family Case Management, Lead and Vision/Hearing programs.  Must possess a strong desire to work with children and families.  Bilingual in English/Spanish encouraged to apply.  Must be a registered nurse licensed to practice in Illinois.  Excellent working environment and great benefit package.  No weekends or evenings.  For a more detailed job description, click here.  Send resume to Amanda Mehl, Boone County Department of Public Health, 1204 Logan Ave., Belvidere, IL 61008 or submit electronically to info@boonehealth.org.  EOE

Download the employment application here

The above job posting is from:  Employment Opportunities | Boone County, Illinois

Boone County officials look to fill six vacancies - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

 

Boone County officials are looking for volunteers to fill six vacancies on local government boards.

Fire Protection Districts 1, 2, 3 and 5 each have a single vacancy. Selected volunteers would serve three-year terms, which expire in May 2016.

Leaders are also looking to fill a vacancy on the Garden Prairie Street Light District Board. The individual would serve a three-year term, which expires in April 2016.

The Sanitary District Board of Trustees is looking for another person to serve on its group. The three-year term expires in May 2016.

If you are interested in applying for these boards, send a letter and resume to the Boone County Board Chairman Bob Walberg by March 22. Information can be sent to 1212 Logan Ave., Suite 102, in Belvidere. -

Click on the following for more details:  Boone County officials look to fill six vacancies - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Zoning Board of Appeals meeting for 2-26-2013 cancelled due to weather

FYI

The ZBA meeting scheduled for tonight at 7:00PM has been cancelled due to the weather.

The next meeting will be on March 26, 2013 at 7:00 PM, unless otherwise informed

Thanks.

Kathy J. Miller, AICP

Interim Planning Director

815 547-8644

Bill abstains from voting on appointments of Regional Planning Commission, Housing Authority and Capron Rescue Squad

I will be abstaining tonight on the vote for appointments. I thank the appointees for coming forth and volunteering their valuable time and please do not consider this an affront to your personal abilities or motivation. However I cannot condone the actions of the County Board Chairman whose process of soliciting and selecting candidates appears not to be in the best interests of people of Boone County.

The Chairman with the advice and consent of the county board makes numerous appointments to fire districts, county advisory boards, the Health Department and other semi-autonomous boards representing the people of Boone County. These appointments occur at various times during the calendar year and are not well known by the general public. The dates and length of terms are not always even available in the Boone County Year Book, the unofficial government fact book compiled by  Boone County’s Clerk & Recorder.

In my opinion, actions by the Chairman and the administration have not enlightened the public regarding the need for citizen participation nor granted a real opportunity for new people to apply for these open positions.

• · The Chairman and the administration of the county have the responsibility to advertise and post vacancies for such appointments. In today’s electronic age this is usually done by use of email news releases and special postings on the county’s website. I fail to see that this has been even attempted.
• · Please note the appointments for less than full term terms with the Regional Planning Commission. These positions were occupied for over a year by individuals who continued their duties despite their appointed terms being expired. Some submitted requests for reappointment months ago. One member of the Planning Commission with several decades of professional experience in planning withdrew his application and resigned because of the Chairman’s inaction on his request for reappointment.* This is not right.
• · It is standard business practice for an applicant for any post to submit a letter of introduction or a resume. One of the proposed appointee has submitted only a one sentence request to be appointed to the position. Is this acceptable? I do not criticize the applicant but rather the Chairman, who apparently did not give a suitable request for written information and who accepted such a short letter.

For the above reasons, I regrettably will be abstaining from voting on these appointments this evening.

SEE the application letters:  http://www.boarddocs.com/il/boone/Board.nsf/files/94WU4H7A3C79/$file/appointments%20Feb.%2020%2C%202013%20mtg.pdf and http://www.boarddocs.com/il/boone/Board.nsf/files/94WU527A5026/$file/planning%20commission%20appointments%20Feb.%2020%2C%202013.pdf

*See Mr. Luhman’s letter of resignation:  http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2012/12/mrwalberg-decides-not-to-reappoint-bill.html

I have been advocating a more open process since 2010.  As a private citizen I addressed the county board in 2010 in part in support of Ms. Terri Glass’ questioning of the appointment procedures used by Mr. Walberg.  SEE:http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2010/06/public-imput-to-county-appointment.html

Belvidere Daily Republican’s story on the vote:http://www.belvideredailyrepublican.net/news/appointment-process-brings-scrutiny-from-county-board-member/

Boone County Zoning Board of Appeals meeting changes location

 

BELVIDERE - BOONE COUNTY
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
401 Whitney Boulevard, Suite 400 - Belvidere, Illinois 61008 – 815 544-5271 - FAX 815 547-9214
February 20, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For additional information contact:
Kathy J. Miller, AICP
Interim Planning Director
401 Whitney Boulevard
Belvidere, IL 61008
815 544-5271
kmiller@boonecountyil.org
The Boone County Zoning Board of Appeals will have their regularly scheduled meeting
on Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 7:00 pm at the Poplar Grove Fire Station, 305 West
Grove Road, Poplar Grove, Illinois due to the Primary Election in the Boone County
Board Room. The wind energy conversion system setback text amendment is one of
the items on the agenda. The preliminary agenda is attached.
For further information contact Kathy Miller at the Belvidere-Boone County Planning
Department.
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Click on the photocopy to enlarge: