Edgar Co. Board Study Session 2-24-2014 (VIDEO) –

PARIS, IL. (ECWd) –
During the Edgar County Board Study Session on February 24, 2014, board member Jeff Voigt talked about the email from Hanson Engineering and IDOT in reference to the airport fuel farm and apron expansion projects. View the conversations starting at the 1:23:24 mark in the video below (or click HERE).

Guess what? Somebody Lied!

There was absolutely NO MENTION, by anyone in the room (or in the email), about IDOT saying “nothing wrong with application” OR “Bogue’s claims are without foundation”. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Just thought I would put that out there again…read the article about the email (HERE).

Heltsley: “Why Are We Doing This?”

On a different subject, Mike Heltsley talked for quite awhile about wanting to “get out of the ambulance business” if the County wasn’t required to provide the service. He thinks it is a burden on the citizens of the county. Quite surprising coming from him. So let’s have some fun with it…
Mike, since you want to eliminate things the county is not REQUIRED to provide, let’s start with something that services less than one dozen county residents.
…Wait for it……..wait for it……..YES – the Airport! Now that is a “service” that all of the Edgar County residents could certainly do without! No, wait, that wouldn’t fit your agenda would it? – Just kidding, I know it’s nice to have, but I think an ambulance service would be a little nicer to have.
How about, uhmm, the Health Department? That is certainly NOT a required service! Get rid of that one first, the Paris Community Hospital can perform all of those services in place of a county health department…AND it would lower the burden on the taxpayers.
(55 ILCS 5/5-25017) (from Ch. 34, par. 5-25017)
    Sec. 5-25017. Discontinuance of department. Any health department may be discontinued; 1 - by resolution of the county board or county boards, if established in such manner; or, 2 - if established by referendum, then by a referendum initiated by petition and submitted to vote in the same manner as for adoption. The proposition shall be stated "For the discontinuance of the county (or multiple-county) health department" and "Against the discontinuance of the county (or multiple-county) health department." If a majority of the votes cast upon the proposition in any county is for discontinuance, the board of health shall proceed at once to close up the affairs of the department. After the payment of all obligations, the money in the "County Health Fund" shall become a part of the general funds in the county treasury. All other property shall be devoted to such county purpose as the county board or boards determine.
After the Health Department, grab that axe and lop off Animal Control – the only animal control requirement is to appoint an Administrator and have a program – almost everything else is optional – think of the money we can save!
I’m sure there are a few other optional programs out there some where, but if he was truly interested in saving the taxpayers of Edgar County some money, he would DEMAND that the elected officials of the county follow their own county policy, and not allow any elected official of the county to participate in Health Care coverage at taxpayer expense.
How about it Mike, does that sound like a good starting point?