Finance and Budget Committee Reaps $11,444 Premium Refund, Shifts Administrative Expenses

Montgomery County Finance and Budget Committee | March 2026

Article Summary: The Montgomery County Finance and Budget Committee processed a nearly $11,500 workers’ compensation premium refund and approved shifting universal office supply expenses into the General Administrative budget to relieve individual departmental shortfalls.

Financial Operations Key Points:

• The county received an $11,444 premium refund from the Illinois Public Risk Fund following an internal audit.

• The committee approved shifting $1,378.59 in accounts payable, payroll check, and toner expenses to the General Administrative budget.

• January’s coal royalty payments totaled $64,120.37, leaving the Coal Fund 375 balance at roughly $10.7 million.

• The committee finalized the FY2026 Special Service Area Ambulance contract with the Raymond-Harvel Area Ambulance Service.

The Montgomery County Finance and Budget Committee on Thursday, March 5, 2026, reviewed strong revenue figures and approved strategic budgetary reallocations to streamline countywide administrative expenses.

During the meeting, Treasurer Nikki Lohman delivered positive news regarding the county’s insurance premiums. Lohman reported that as a direct result of a workers’ compensation audit conducted by Chief Deputy Treasurer Trish Roemelin, the county successfully secured a premium refund of $11,444 from the Illinois Public Risk Fund (IPRF).

The committee then addressed a request from County Clerk Sandy Leitheiser regarding the rising costs of universal office supplies. Leitheiser explained that the expenses for accounts payable checks, payroll checks, envelopes, and secure toner are currently draining the individual budgets of the County Clerk and Treasurer within the General Fund. Because these supplies are utilized to process payments and payroll for every county office, Leitheiser requested that they be reallocated to the General Administrative budget, mirroring how copy paper is handled.

The committee agreed that the continuing increase in supply costs would run over the budgeted expense lines in the specific office budgets. Board member Patty Whitworth made a motion, seconded by Chris Daniels, to recommend paying three specific vouchers from line item 100-047-540.012 in the General Administrative budget: $353.52 to Quill for checks, $690.08 to Quill for envelopes, and $334.99 to Paragon Micro for MICR secure toner. The motion carried unanimously. The committee also noted plans to budget a separate line item for these expenses in FY2027.

Reviewing the county’s primary capital resource, Treasurer Lohman reported a January coal royalty payment of $64,120.37. The latest influx leaves the overall Coal Fund 375 balance at a healthy $10.7 million. From that fund, the committee unanimously recommended paying a voucher to GTSi for a Sheriff’s Office vehicle build and a voucher to Victory Lane Chrysler for an EMA vehicle.

Under Special Service Area Ambulance Contracts, the committee reviewed the final FY2026 agreement with the Raymond-Harvel Area Ambulance Service. Evan Young made a motion to recommend approval of the agreement between the Montgomery County Board and the ambulance service, which received a second from Daniels and passed unanimously.