Major Changes Ahead for Multi County Extension
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Perry County Board heard from the interim director for Perry, Randolph, Jackson, Franklin and Williamson County UIUC Extension units.
Julie Mumbower said she took over the Perry, Williamson and Franklin County units on Aug. 15. She had already been serving as director in Randolph and Jackson Counties.
Larry Paszkiewicz retired as head of the Perry and Washington County UIUC Extension units on Aug. 15.
Mumbower said the University of Illinois is $119 million in debt. As a result of the financial crisis, the 76 extension units have been reorganized into 27 units.
A committee with two people from each county met to determine where the head office will be for each multi-county unit. Jane Chapman and Tricia Hoffman represent Perry County. The committee has recommended that Jackson County serve as the main office for the new five-county unit. The main office will house the educators and the fiscal secretary. Satellite offices will be maintained in each county.
The official changes will take place on July 1, 2011.
The Perry County Extension Service rents office space in the Perry County Government Building.
In other business, the board:
passed a resolution approving a contract with the Perry County Farm Bureau for joint publication of a new plat book. The Farm Bureau will sign a contract with the mapping and publishing company. Perry County agrees to pay half the cost of the printing. All profits on books sold will be split equally between the County and the Farm Bureau. The initial press run would be 1,000 books at a cost of $14,000. The first installment would be due when the proof book was complete. The second installment would be paid when the books were completed. Marceline Mapping of Lathrop, Mo. will publish the book.
passed a resolution approving a one-year extension on the current property-casualty insurance coverage with Illinois Risk Management Trust. Commissioner Sam Robb was asked to share the changes found during his insurance survey with the insurance company and find out how much it would cost to cover previously omitted property.
heard that Circuit Clerk Kim Kellerman and the AFSCME Union have agreed to suspend the timetable on a grievance over health insurance. The county approved a similar agreement at the Aug. 5 board meeting for an FOP grievance over the recent change in health insurance.
approved 10-year special use permits for mobile homes for Kandy Rury in St. Johns, Lillian Longshore at City Lake, Dennis Bruns on Mueller Hill Road and Vernon Williams on Foxglove Road; five-year permit for mobile homes for Robert Zettler on Bluebird Road and Debra Mason on Lost Prairie Road and a seven-year permit for Dennis Partain on Gardenia Road. The state has approved a change in how mobile homes are taxed. Mobile homes purchased or moved after Jan. 1, 2011 will be taxed at the same rate as other real estate unless placed in a mobile home park. Existing mobile homes will continue to be taxed under the special mobile home rate until they are moved, sold or replaced.
heard from Vicki Hagene that parking on the square is difficult when court is in session. She is worried that parking will become impossible for her customers when the coming murder trials begin. Mayor Joe Holder accompanied Hagene, who owns Movie Time and Tan. They were told that the parking around the square is public parking. The city could create a few short-term parking spots around the square and throughout the town.
heard from County Clerk Kevin Kern that the cost of changes in absentee voting is unknown. The new law says that anyone may vote using an absentee ballot and that ballots no longer have to be obtained from the County Clerk. Political parties and candidates may distribute them. Kern said the cost of mailing a single absentee ballot is more than $1.
heard from Kern that budget preparations for Fiscal Year 2011 have begun. Office holders have been asked to submit their budgets by Oct. 4. The county is still behind on bills, but was a able to pay a significant portion of the backlog since the previous meeting. Treasurer Bill Taylor said he collected about 59 percent of the real estate taxes at the first disbursement. He hopes to have collected 90 percent after the second installment on Sept. 17.
approved the appointment of Byron Stricker to the Tamaroa Community Fire Protection District.