Meeting Summary and Briefs: Montgomery County Board for July 14, 2026

All 14 members of the Montgomery County Board were present when Chairman Doug Donaldson called the regular monthly meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in the County Board Room on the second floor of the Historic Courthouse in Hillsboro. Keith Hancock led the Pledge of Allegiance. The board approved mileage and per diem claims on a unanimous roll call and approved the minutes of the June 9 meeting, then adopted a 17-item consent agenda of department reports on a motion by Hancock seconded by Patty Whitworth.

The board’s largest actions of the night were a $94,888 boiler contract for the Historic Courthouse, a $247,564 engineering agreement for the Walshville Bypass, and $197,749.77 in coal fund vouchers headed by a $173,712 payment to Truck Centers Inc. — all covered in separate stories in this package, along with three shared-cost culvert projects, a $40,000 loan for a Hazmat truck, the fiscal 2025 audit presentation, new salaries for three elected officials, a stalled $22,000 payment to the Village of Waggoner, a resident’s questions about a coal refuse disposal area, and a coming request for portable message signs. Members approved the five committee reports and minutes as a block on a motion by Mark Hughes seconded by Chris Daniels, voted unanimously to pay all approved bills and payroll, and adjourned at 6:53 p.m. The next regular meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.

Return to Work Policy Adopted

The board adopted a Montgomery County Return to Work Policy on a motion by Chairman Doug Donaldson seconded by Ethan Murzynski, carried unanimously. Donaldson reported that the Coordinating Committee reviewed the policy, which he said was recommended by the county’s human resources consultant, Bushue HR, and by the Safety Committee. The item appeared on the agenda under the heading “HELP Safety Committee Update/Approval”; the minutes do not expand HELP or describe the committee’s membership. A copy of the adopted policy was filed in Resolution Book 24, pages 2-13. The policy’s terms were not summarized on the floor and are not described in the minutes.

County Using Consultant’s FOIA Screening Advice

Donaldson told the board the county is now utilizing recommendations from Bushue HR on verifying suspicious Freedom of Information Act requests. No motion was taken and the minutes give no further detail — they do not describe what the recommendations require, when the county began applying them, how many requests have been affected, or whether any request has been delayed or denied under the practice. County materials reviewed in recent months included a template verification letter over the state’s attorney’s signature, but the minutes do not connect that document to the Bushue HR recommendations.

Election Judges Commissioned Through March 2028

County Clerk and Recorder Sandy Leitheiser asked the board to approve the commission of the list of election judges so the names can be submitted to the Circuit Court. On a motion by Connie Beck seconded by Jeremy Jones, the board voted unanimously to approve the commission “as presented terms from November 2026 through March 2028.” Leitheiser publicly thanked election judges as the unsung heroes of elections. The registrant lists submitted by the two party central committees contain each prospective judge’s name, date of birth and home address; consistent with standard practice, no names are published here.

$151,075 Solar Tax Credit Refund Reported

Committee Chairwoman Connie Beck reported a federal tax credit refund of $151,075 for solar projects at the county Health Department, Highway Department and Senior Center. The minutes do not say when the refund arrived, which fund received it, what the three solar installations cost, or what the county intends to do with the money. No action was taken. The county’s separate treasurer’s report for May does not identify a line item matching the refund. This newsroom has asked the treasurer’s office for the underlying documentation, including the engagement under which the credit was calculated.

Sheriff’s Office Agreement Draws No Action

An item titled “Sheriff’s Office Intergovernmental Agreement Update/Approval” appeared on both the agenda and in the Finance & Budget Committee report. The minutes record the entire disposition in four words: “No action was taken.” No party to the proposed agreement is named, no terms are described and no timetable is given. County records in recent weeks have described a draft agreement between the Sheriff’s Office and the City of Nokomis as pending in rough form, but Tuesday’s minutes make no such identification. Sheriff Tyson Holshouser was not present.

NOAA Weather Radio Headed to Cress Hill Tower

EMA/EPA/911 Director Dan Hough reported that the National Weather Service and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney have both approved a contract to remount a NOAA weather radio in the county at the county-owned Cress Hill Tower. The item came before the board under the consent agenda, and no separate vote was taken. Cress Hill Tower has appeared repeatedly in county reports this summer: Information Systems Director Curt Watkins has been finishing building work at the site, Hillsboro Electric serviced the tower’s generator in early July, and maintenance crews have sprayed weed killer around the tower hill. The minutes do not state a cost or an installation date for the radio.

Nokomis Business Competition Applications Open Aug. 1

Development & Personnel Committee Chairman Chad Ruppert reported that Nokomis Community & Economic Development Fellow Audra Elam addressed the committee on a small business competition the city is launching, with a grand prize package that includes a building. Ruppert said the application period opens Aug. 1, 2026. The minutes do not describe the rest of the prize package, the eligibility requirements, the application deadline or who will judge the entries. Elam’s title — a community and economic development fellowship at the municipal level — is unusual in the region, and her employer and the term of the position are not stated in the record.

ASARCO Cleanup Expected to Begin With Ponds, Homes

Ruppert reviewed the report of Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Kaitlyn Fath, noting that EPA cleanup work at the ASARCO site in Taylor Springs will likely begin with ponds and residential properties. Taylor Springs residents have a direct stake in which properties fall into that first phase, but the minutes give no property list, no start date and no schedule. Redevelopment of the ASARCO Taylor Springs Superfund site in partnership with the village is the first listed priority in MCEDC’s program of work. Fath’s report also covered an IHDA Strong Communities grant application, meetings with Small Biz Grant recipients, tourism, the community calendar, cellular coverage and the COAD project timeline.

Animal Control Handled 37 Calls in June

Ruppert reported that Animal Control responded to 37 calls in June and adopted out 15 animals in the first week of July. The department’s incident report, filed with the consent agenda, breaks the month down as 13 bites, 11 strays, five neglect complaints, two aggression calls, two rabies non-compliance cases, two running-at-large calls and two sick or injured animals, in communities including Litchfield, Hillsboro, Nokomis, Raymond, Coffeen, Witt, Irving and Coalton. The June inventory lists 11 dogs, two puppies, three cats and 11 kittens on site — and 16 dogs and puppies plus 48 cats and kittens in foster care. Warden Tricia Papin was present for questions.

MCEDC Seeks Increase to $15,000 County Contribution

Ruppert said the Development & Personnel Committee discussed a request by MCEDC to increase the county’s $15,000 contribution for fiscal 2027, and possibly to move the contribution out of the General Fund and into Coal Fund 375. He said the committee will make a recommendation next month, before August budget hearings. No figure has been proposed on the record and no rationale for the increase is described in the minutes. Treasurer’s records show the county’s $15,000 economic development contribution for the current fiscal year was paid in full out of the General Fund’s economic and infrastructure line.

Grant Program Nears Close of First Phase

Ruppert said the Development & Personnel Committee continues to monitor the status of seven Small Biz Grant recipients who have yet to open, and that the committee reviewed new applicants and will invite them to its August meeting. In a related item, he reported that with the award of the final Small Biz Grants, the county will close out Phase 1 of the DCEO Energy Transition Grant, that Phase 2 is 73% complete and that a grant agreement for Phase 3 is anticipated in the next few weeks. The grant program is the same one reimbursing $78,050 of the county’s new courthouse boiler contract. DCEO is not expanded anywhere in the county’s records.

Information Systems Cites Continued Phishing Uptick

Chairman Doug Donaldson reported that Information Systems Director Curt Watkins continues work on secure door access, phone system upgrades, replacing PCs and finishing Cress Hill Tower building work. Donaldson said the uptick in phishing emails has continued and that Watkins is also collecting applications for potential additional staff. A growth report Watkins prepared for the county documents the department’s expansion since 2020: security cameras up 58.6% from 70 to 111, video monitoring stations up 160% from five to 13, wireless access points up from 15 to 32, and remote access users up from five to 20. The report states that roughly half the county’s IT operational knowledge rests with a single individual.

Maintenance Crews Complete 64 Work Orders

Buildings & Grounds Committee Chairman Mark Hughes noted that the Maintenance Department completed 64 work orders in June and also worked several overtime hours. Maintenance Director Phil Ernst’s handwritten monthly report, filed with the consent agenda, runs to 77 numbered entries covering all county buildings — among them mowing and weed control at every facility, five weekly generator checklists, panic alarm battery replacements at the assessment office, an inmate air conditioning unit that went down at the jail, a clogged cell toilet cleared with an auger, a ceiling grid leak at the old courthouse traced to condensation, and monthly checklists at nine buildings.

Sheriff’s Office Logs 553 Incidents, 90 Detainees

The Sheriff’s Office report for June, filed with the consent agenda, records 553 law enforcement incidents dispatched to the Sheriff’s Office, along with 665 dispatched to Litchfield police, 125 to Nokomis police and 37 to other agencies. The office generated $3,406 in revenue from process service, sales and bond fees, served 70 civil and criminal papers, and handled 90 detainees — 64 men and 26 women — with a daily average of 33.60 and an average length of stay of 22.07 days. The communications division logged an incident count of 2,394. Traffic stops, at 127, were the single largest incident category.

Clerk’s Office, Assessment Office Mark Milestones

Two personnel milestones were noted during the consent agenda. County Clerk and Recorder Sandy Leitheiser said Chief Deputy Clerk Tricia Maulding had achieved 20 years of dedicated service the previous week; a copy of Leitheiser’s comments was filed in Resolution Book 24, page 1. Supervisor of Assessments Tysha Mullen reported that Field Assessor Larry Lemon had completed training and earned his Certified Illinois Assessing Officers credentials. Mullen’s written July report, prepared two weeks earlier, said Lemon had completed five of six required classes. Her report also noted the Farm Committee met June 17 and certified 2027 farm values, and that the office has issued 56 certificates of error since tax bills went out.

Volunteers Turn Out at Specialty Court Annex

Probation Office head Banee Ulrici reported that 35 volunteers worked at the Specialty Court Annex building the previous week, with supplies donated by local businesses. The building at 127 N. Main has been the subject of months of county-funded renovation work against a $100,000 repairs and improvements budget, and remains the site of an unresolved ramp and porch replacement. Ulrici’s monthly statistics report a total caseload of 634 cases as of June 30, including 80 felony, 25 misdemeanor and five DUI criminal cases, five juvenile cases, 18 recovery court cases and 501 administrative cases, and $8,898.53 collected in fees and restitution during June.

Liaison Reports and Upcoming Meetings

Board members serving as liaisons to outside bodies reported briefly. Russell Beason said the CIPT transition to Effingham County continues. Patty Whitworth said the Health Department budget meeting is set for Aug. 18. Chris Daniels said the Senior Citizens Board will review bids for DCEO kitchen work at its next meeting. Rob Corso said the next UCCI meeting is July 28 in Galena, Chad Ruppert said the U of I meeting will be held later this month, and Jeremy Jones said the next WCDC meeting is Aug. 20. Ethan Murzynski, Keith Hancock and Cody Gudgel had nothing to report from the 708 Board, the ETSB/911 Board, the Illinois Association of County Officials and MCEDC. Chairman Donaldson announced a Mayors Meeting for 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in the County Board Room. No appointments were made.