Fulton County Board- Finance & Insurance Committee Meeting Minutes
Fulton County Board Office, 257 West Lincoln Street, Lewistown, IL 61542
Phone 309-547-0901-Fax 309-547-3326-email csimpson@fultonco.org
Committee: Finance/Insurance Committee
Meeting Place: Fulton Courthouse, 100 N. Main St., Court room 201, Lewistown, IL 61542
Time: 5:45 pm
Date: April 12, 2022
CALL IN INFORMATION:
Call in number: 425-436-6352
Meeting code: 262 8269#
1. Call to Order
Time: 5:49pm
Members:
Barry Beck (present/xxxxxx)
Susan Duquenne (present/xxxxxx)
Laura Kessel (present/xxxxxx)
BJ McCullum (present/xxxxxx)
John Spangler (present/xxxxxx)
Lisa Thompson (present/xxxxxx)
OTHER BOARD MEMBERS: Nestor Madson, Mary Deushane, Steve Bohler
STAFF: Cindy Simpson – Fulton County Board Administrative Assistant, Audra Miles – Comptroller
ELECTED & APPOINTED OFFICIALS: Staci Mayall-Treasurer, Patrick O’Brian – County Clerk, Julie Russell – Supervisor of Assessment, Jeff Standard – Sheriff
GUESTS:
Media: John Froehling – Fulton Democrat
2. Roll Call
Roll call was taken, quorum was present
3. Call for Additions/Deletions To and Approval of the Agenda
Member Spangler pulled Old business 10d from the agenda.
Member McCullum moved to approve the agenda with a second from Member Thompson. Motion carried by roll call vote (6-0).
4. Approval of Previous Minutes – No minutes presented.
5. Announcements, Communications and Correspondence – None
6. Public Comments – None
7. Claims
a. Discussion/Action: Claims
Member Thompson moved to approve the claims with a second from Member Kessel. Motion carried by roll call vote (6-0).
8. Transfer of Funds – None
a. General Funds Transfers
b. Other Funds Transfers
9. Immediate Emergency Appropriation(s) – None
a. General Funds Immediate Emergency Appropriations
b. Other Funds Immediate Emergency Appropriations
10. Old Business
a. Discussion/Action: ARPA funds
Treasurer Mayall reported discussed the next report is due to the US Treasury on April 30, 2022.
b. Discussion/Action: Setting of Salaries for County Clerk
Member McCullum discussed he would like to look at the average salary for the Treasurer and County Clerk’s positions. The salaries are all over the place and a statistical reason for the salaries needs to be determined for Fulton County. The average salary for any position needs to be based on job duties not the personnel.
Treasurer Mayall provided materials that compares salaries from the last 14 years. There are six elected officials and the salaries are all over the place. At one point in history the salary for the Treasurer and the County Clerk were the same, but in 2018 the Treasurer’s and the Sheriff’s salaries remained flat.
Mayall feels the salary should be based on job performance and seniority. Treasurer Mayall inquired how the Finance committee will base the salaries, by position, performance or years of service.
Member Spangler stated he would like to align the salaries of the Circuit Clerk, Treasurer and County Clerk.
Member McCullum discussed Fulton County has the lowest tax assessment in ten counties and with the loss of the Duck Creek Power Plant, the assessment value for property taxes collected will be affected. Member McCullum discussed the Finance committee needs to find a basis for the salaries and be fair going forward on where salaries are set, and as elected officials, the tax payers of Fulton County need to be kept in mind.
The EAV (Equalized Assessed Value) is a driving force to set property values and this is a comparatively small value. When looking at other counties to compare salaries to, in some counties, the Treasurer serves as the CFO, Treasurer and auditor. The same can be said for the County Clerk’s job some counties have a County Clerk, Recorder and Tax or TIFS calculations. If the Finance committee is going to use the EAV as a basis, this needs to be used on all salary negations with the Union, Appointed and Elected officials.
Supervisor of Assessments Julie Russell stated the EAV has been brought up a couple of times in the past couple of meetings, Fulton County’s EAV versus other counties EAV. Fulton County does not have the commercial or industrial industries for a large tax base and all of the taxes fall back to the farmers and home owners of Fulton County.
The EAV should not be looked at as a mechanism for what people’s salaries are worth. The Assessment office cannot assess a property for more than or less than it is worth. Currently, the prices are up but the prices will come back down. The assessor can only set the value of the EAV to the best of their knowledge for Fulton County. Member Thompson stated the EAV (Equal Assessed Value) for Fulton County represents that the County is a poor county.
Sheriff Standard discussed that: In some cases, there are sergeants making more than the Sheriff set a salary is set flat. This occurs when you give elected officials are given .05 percent of a raise and the union receives three and four percent raises. This brings some of the staff making more than the supervisor or elected official. Sheriff Standard stated that $2.00 and $4.00 raises were just given to the CNA’s at the Clayberg.
Comptroller Miles stated the Fulton County Board gave themselves a raise effective in December 2022.
Member Kessel stated with the new Sheriff’s salary, the County will save money as the State of Illinois will pay 66% of the Sheriff’s salary. Member Spangler inquired if the Sheriff’s salary is currently being reimbursed by the State of Illinois. Treasurer Mayall stated currently the State does not reimburse any of the Sheriff’s salary.
Member Thompson provided documents from UCCI that compare salaries. The committee needs to make a basis for the salaries. Provided in the information is a comparison of salaries for 9 counties and an average, medium and other for the County Clerk and Treasurer.
When reviewing the numbers, the Treasurer is on track where the salary should be. However, the Clerk’s salary is low now according to the averages from UCCI.
When looking back at the salaries history for Fulton County in, 2009 and 2010 the Treasurer and the County Clerk were paid exactly the same salary.
Member Thompson would like to use the UCCI median for the salaries and this is for counties of similar size.
The UCCI median is not good for the Treasurer and this would decrease the salary.
Treasurer Mayall stated that not every country participates in the UCCI survey. Treasurer Mayall stated that colleagues have also looked at the number of staff that is in the Treasurer’s office of similar size.
Member McCullum discussed the Finance committee needs to find out what the County can afford to pay and what makes it a good quality salary with the medical and retirement benefits that are offered with the jobs. Member McCullum discussed equity and the effect it has when fairness is not being done. It is hurtful to employees and it is not right. There are great employees in Fulton County. The Finance committee has to be fair on the salaries.
Member Kessel stated the bigger the county, the more staff that the office has, as opposed to than the smaller counties. Member Spangler and Member Duquenne discussed that the salaries for the Treasurer and County Clerk should be $70,000.00.
Member McCullum asked what is the basis for this salary and will this be the starting point for new Elected Officials.
Member McCullum stated the positions are the positions not the people.
Member Spangler stated the he felt that the 1.5% need to be higher for the Treasurer and County Clerk. Union employees have received 3% raises and elected and appointed officials have received 1.5 % or less.
Member Spangler stated the raise needs to be at least 2% per year for the Treasurer.
Member Beck stated the county needs to look at what the basic income will be for the county the next four years.
Member Kessel discussed if the Treasurer had received a 2% raise for the last four years the salary would have been $71,000.00.
Treasurer Mayall stated that some of her colleagues are receiving higher salaries from the counties are using ARPA funds.
Member Spangler asked if a bonus, and could be done this next year. Sheriff Standard stated no Elected official can receive a bonus this would need to be included in the salary.
Member Spangler suggested the salaries for the Treasurer and the County Clerk be $70,000.00 and a $5,000.00 per year bonus for the next two years.
Member Thompson stated no bonuses were given to the employees. Treasurer Mayall
suggested that part of the Treasurer’s wages can be justified as a use of ARPA funds.
Member Thompson and Member Duquenne stated the bonus needs to be reviewed further, as this is a lot for bonuses when other employees are not receiving a bonus.
Member McCullum stated he would be OK with a $2,000.00 bonus from ARPA funds.
Member Spangler suggested the Finance committee table the discussion until the next Finance meeting on May 4, 2022.
Member Duquenne moved to approve the Treasurer’s salary at $70,000.00 with a two-year bonus from ARPA funds of $2,500.00 and a 2.5% increase each of the next four years with a second from Member Beck.
Member Duquenne and Member Beck rescinded the motion and second.
c. Discussion/Action: Setting of Salaries for County Treasurer – Tabled
d. Discussion/Action: Setting of Salaries for Sheriff Pulled
11. New Business
a. Discussion/Action: DaCott Energy- Gas and Electric Contract
Elia Streltsov from DaCott Energy, discussed the Dacott Energy savings from the 2019 contract. The total savings for electricity was approximately $16,025.00 and this was based on an hourly supply of service.
With Fulton County doing a fully fixed contract this avoided increases and prices surges to the contract price.
The Ameren projected rate for six months is $.10 and would increase. The monthly spend would be an additional $693.00 and this is not suggested by DaCott.
Compared to the agreement with Ameren versus AEP Energy for a six months contract the monthly increase spend would be $5,265.00.
Option 1: a six-month term and it is a bridge contract. This would protect the county throughout the summer but could possibly blowout after the six months. If the markets drops, Fulton County could do a lower price than what is currently being offered.
Option 2: Constellation is a 24-month term and this is what is being recommended. This contract protects against current and forecasted market volatility. Speculators believe it will take the next 12 – 18 months for the market to turn around. This contract could be broken if the price decreases significantly but the contract would be very expensive to break. There is the possibility for a one-time $1,000.00 credit when combing the gas and electric contracts.
Option 3: is to return to the utility and Fulton County would not be under any contractual obligation.
The down fall to this is with the current market volatility there can be drastic changes both up and down in the market and is fully dependent on market movement.
Natural gas:
Option 2: Constellation is recommended and this is a 24-month gas contract at $6.58. The current gas contract for Fulton County expires May 2022.
This market is very volatile market, as most of the prolific basins have declined over the past years and half of the producers face labor and supply constraints.
Member McCullum inquired how DaCott earns their money from doing the contacts. Elia stated DaCott is included in the price and is .001% and the suppler pays DaCott directly. The approximate charge annually is approximately $720.00.
Member Thompson inquired why the difference in the information received last week versus the information provided tonight by DaCott.
Elia stated with the volatility of the market, prices are changing within the same day. The prices provided tonight are not guaranteed today and would be updated when the market opens tomorrow.
Member Kessel moved to approve the 24-month contract for gas and electricity with Constellation with a second from Member Beck. Motion carried by roll call vote (5-1) with Member McCullum voting nay.
b. Discussion/Action: Ordinance: Lost Revenue Standard Allowance
Treasurer Mayall discussed the ordinance is for the US Treasury that Fulton County will be using the lost revenue standard allowance for the ARPA funds.
Member Thompson moved to approve the resolution with a second from Member Kessel. Motion carried by roll call vote (6-0).
c. Discussion/Action: Resolution: $10.00 fee Mobile home local service tax enforcement Act.
Member Thompson moved to approve the resolution with a second from Member McCullum. Motion carried by roll call vote (6-0).
d. Discussion/Action: Resolution: $60.00 fee Property tax code Delinquent tax sale
Member Kessel moved to approve the resolution with a second from Member Beck. Motion carried by roll call vote (6-0).
e. Discussion/Action: Resolution: $5.00 duplicate tax bill to mortgage lenders
Member Beck moved to approve the resolution with a second from Member Thompson. Motion carried by roll call vote (6-0).
12. Transit – None
13. Treasurer’s Report – None
14. Assessment Report – None
15. Executive Session: – None
16. Misc. – None
17. Adjournment
Time: 6:56pm
Member Kessel moved to adjourn the meeting at 6:56pm with a second from Member Beck. Motion carried by roll call vote (6-0).
Minutes F&I April 12 2022
