Meeting Summary and Briefs: Montgomery County Board Roads & Bridges Committee for August 5, 2026

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — The Montgomery County Board Roads & Bridges Committee met for 22 minutes on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at the county highway department on Illinois Route 185 in Hillsboro, taking no items under its standing “Update/Approval” heading and hearing no public comment. All of the meeting’s substance was recorded under Other Business, and the committee’s only votes were to pay the bills and to adjourn.

The committee was told that Illinois Route 185 has closed for approximately six weeks for mine subsidence repairs, with traffic detoured onto county highways and repair costs for any county road damage to be submitted to Hillsboro Energy afterward — covered in a separate story, along with committee member Evan Young’s report on subsidence damage to township roads 14th and 7th. Also covered separately: a $144,932.70 oil-and-chip voucher to Louis Marsh that County Board Administrator Mike Plunkett said must be roll-called at the full board. Remaining items appear below.

New Tandem Plow Trucks Expected in Mid-September

Committee Chair Ethan Murzynski reported that the county’s new tandem plow trucks are at Koenig Body & Equipment in Peoria and are expected to be finished around mid-September, ahead of the winter season. The minutes do not state how many trucks are involved, what they cost, when the county ordered them, what fund is paying for them, or when the county board authorized the purchase. No motion was taken and no supporting document appears in the minutes. The report was recorded under Other Business.

Route 16 Condition Raised Between Hillsboro, Litchfield

Vice Chair Dr. Patty Whitworth addressed the poor condition of Illinois Route 16 between Hillsboro and Litchfield and between Irving and Ohlman. The minutes record no detail beyond that — no description of the deterioration, no cost estimate, no timeline, and no indication of what the committee or county intends to do about it. Route 16 is a state route designation; the minutes do not state which agency is responsible for the stretches Whitworth identified, and no motion or referral was recorded. Residents of Hillsboro, Litchfield, Irving and Ohlman have a direct stake in the condition of those segments.

No Public Comment; Agenda Carried No Action Items

The committee recorded “None” for both public comment and its standing “Update/Approval” agenda heading, leaving Other Business as the only substantive portion of the Aug. 5 meeting. The two recorded motions were to pay the bills — Whitworth, seconded by Rob Corso — and to adjourn — Keith Hancock, seconded by Whitworth. Both carried with all members in favor. Present were Corso, Whitworth, Young, Hancock, Murzynski and Doug Donaldson; Cody Gudgel was absent. Plunkett attended and, as deputized by County Clerk/Recorder Sandy Leitheiser, submitted the minutes as acting secretary. The meeting adjourned at 8:52 a.m.