GPP 2.19.20

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GREENE PRAIRIE PRESS

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)(%58$5< – Vol. 151, No. 8 – &DUUROOWRQ ,OOLQRLV

INSIDE NEWS

Potential future Carrollton cheerleaders show off their moves. See page B5

SCHOOL Section 13 FFA winners. See page A5

SPORTS

Carrollton Council considers purchasing third new squad car By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press After the issue of purchasing a third new squad car was quashed last year, the issue came before the council again at the Feb. 13 council meeting. Police Chief Terry Gross told the council that the 2010 Explorer that he drives is currently out of commission. “I had an estimate to make repairs and for parts and labor the amount came out to $4,700,� he said. “We ran the Blue Book trade in value on the vehicle and it is only worth $4,400 and that is if it runs and drives. It is my recommendation that we strip that vehicle out and sell it as is with full disclosure and put it up for sealed bids and get out from under it as far as a liability

to the city.� Chief Gross also included in the council’s packet the fact sheet on the 2020 squad car that would replace the 2010 Explorer. Total cost of the new vehicle is $34,899.40. “A grant has been submitted for a portion of that and we are past the first round of that grant process,� Gross said. “I have been in contact with the USDA and the last information that I had from them was not to take any action at this point in time until we complete that second round and wait for them to notify us.� The grant would provide $12,215 of the total price of the vehicle. “We have $8,460 in the Equipment Replacement Fund to replace the vehicle which would bring down the total

payout for the city to $14,224.40,� he said. “If you recall, in the authorized budget for fiscal year 2020 we budgeted $26,249 for a squad car so we are coming in well under the budget.� Chief Gross proposed the council take sealed bids on the 2010 Explorer and once they are notified of the grant disposition, place the order for the new squad car. The council agreed and the Explorer will be let for bids with full disclosure of its condition. Alderman Larry Gillingham gave a report on the progress of the Safe Routes to School Grant the city received last year in the amount of $200,000. “We are on target and we have met the first deadline, which was having the initial plan submitted to the appro-

priate agencies on Jan. 24,� Gillingham said. “The next important deadline is the IDOT letting which is April 24. We will probably be doing several approvals in the next few meetings but tonight we need to approve this portion of it.� The plan includes new sidewalks on both sides of Fifth Street (Rt. 67) near the grade school, east side of Fourth Street, which is a block east of the Grade School and both sides of the street at St. John’s coming off Locust Street. The city is supplying 20 percent of the project cost and Gillingham said some of that will be reimbursable. The council approved a resolution between the city and IDOT saying that (See, SQUAD CAR, A2)

County readying to take over 911 signage By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press

Albrect hits 1000th career point. See page B6

ONLINE JUHHQHSUDLULHSUHVV FRP

WEEKEND WEATHER FRIDAY, FEB. 21

40 24 High

Low

SATURDAY, FEB. 22

48 34 High

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SUNDAY, FEB. 23

40 34 High

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Greene Prairie Press

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Š 2020

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W

hile the State paid for the 911 signage to be put in place when the county approved the E-911 system two years ago, once all of the signs are in place, the County is responsible for the maintenance of those signs. County Highway Engineer David Marth informed the County Board at the Feb. 12 board meeting that his department was in the process of going township by township noting signs that were missing or in need of repair. “This has been drawn out over two years and in that time signs have been destroyed and others weren’t put up right to begin with,� Marth said. “Part of the State’s responsibility was to get coordinated with Google so you can do a search and find an address and we still can’t do that in some areas.� Board Member Chris Elliott is concerned about the county taking over responsibility for the signage. “It’s kind of unreasonable for us to take them over when the job hasn’t even been finished,� he said. “My point is, two years later and the initial job is not done yet and we keep having to repair damage to the signs.� It is one of many unfunded mandates to come out of Springfield. “The legislature snuck this through that once the signs are up then they don’t have a responsibility of maintaining them,� Board Member Joyce Clark said. “My thought is that we are getting charged on our phones for 911 and all of a sudden they don’t want to take responsibility for it and no funds have been appropriated for it. That is kind of a sore point for me.� The lack of integration with Google is even affecting the election process. “When we went to the 911 system the GIS (Global Information System) was supposed to get a file that would be imported into our system so our rural routes would be updated to the new address,� County Clerk Debbie Banhart said. “That has not happened yet. During the elections we are having a difficult time trying to figure out when we get information from the state. It will say the new address but we don’t know where that is.� Also discussed in the meeting, the county will continue to go by the process it has used for many years regarding the sale of delinquent tax properties. Although it is not stated in any ordinance, the practice has been to allow a municipality first chance to purchase a property being sold for taxes for the minimum bid before it goes up for public bid. “The municipality in which the building was located was given the first chance at the property and usually they take down the building, which is often what needs to be done,� Board Member Michael McNear said. “That wasn’t the way it was specifically written in the policy so before we did that we wanted to make sure there wasn’t any issue with it being done that way.� McNear went on to say that there wasn’t anything for or against it and it is the practice of other counties in the area. The finance committee decided they would continue with the practice of first offering it to the municipality for the minimum bid and after that it goes to the public for the open auction process. The board approved a proposal from Scheffel and Boyle or a management (See, 911 SIGNAGE, A2)

Carmen Ensinger/Greene Prairie Press

Scout leads council in pledge

Boy Scout Sam Droste, 12, leads the Carrollton Council in the Pledge of Allegiance Thursday night, Feb. 13. Droste attended the council meeting and led the pledge to earn a badge in his scout troop. His troop has a fundraiser pork chop dinner at Third Base on March 1 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Left to right: Tim Reif, City Attorney Bill Strang, Mayor Joe Montanez, City Clerk Karen Kirbach, Larry GIllingham, Kevin Scoggins and Dwayne Freand.

Residents voice discord over courthouse security By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press Even though the Greene County Board approved the installation of courthouse security at the January meeting, several county residents were in attendance at the Feb. 12 meeting to voice their concerns over the measure. Greene County Sheriff Rob McMillen could not be in attendance at the meeting because he was at another meeting, so county board members had to address residents’ concerns. A metal detector will be placed on the first floor at the north entrance of the courthouse. The south entrance will be closed off to entry, and the elevator will be reprogrammed to stop at the first floor and visitors will have to get out and go through the metal detector before

“Eventually this is going to come back on the taxpayers to keep this person that is going to man the metal detector‌It looks to me like the money would better be spent on another patrol officer.â€?

Joy Shafer Eldred resident

continuing to the second floor or the basement. Items such as cell phones, iPads, computers, recording devices and any items that can be used as a weapon will have to be left in lockers and will not be permitted within the courthouse. Courthouse employees, however, would be allowed to

have their cellphones. The Courthouse Security Fund, which has around $100,000 in it, will pay the $4,800 for the metal detector and the $8,000 to reprogram the elevator as well as pay for half the cost of the Sheriff’s Deputy (See, SECURITY, A2)

Greene County Health Department welcomes new administrator By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press Molly Peters is no stranger to the Carrollton area. Her husband is originally from Carrollton, so when the opportunity to come back to the community in her new role at the Greene County Health Department came up, she was interested. Peters began her duties as the new administrator on Feb. 3 following the retirement of Ruth Ann Flowers who had been with the Health Department for 30 years back in January. Flowers gave the County Board plenty of time to find her replacement, and the word went out that the Health Department was looking for

a new administrator. Peters has been working for the Madison County Health Department for the last 11 years but felt a change was needed. “In April of last year, I had been saying prayers and thinking about what we are supposed to do in life and wondering if our family was supposed to come back to Carrollton,� Peters said. “Carrollton is where our heart is, and after praying about it, I had this overwhelming feeling to put in my resume and apply for the position.� After submitting her resume, Peters came to the Health Department and spoke with Flowers and felt she would be a good fit to become the new administrator.

Peters graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Education from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville and is a Licensed Environmental Health Practitioner. In her time with Madison County Health Department, she has had experience as an Environmental Health Coordinator, Sanitarian, Inspector, Health Educator and Public Information Officer, as well as in Incident Command Structure, Emergency Preparedness and Clinic Services. Peters said she has some ideas to make the Health Department run more efficiently. (See, ADMINISTRATOR, A2)

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