Meeting Place: Fulton County Board Office, 257 West Lincoln St., Lewistown, IL 61542
Time: 6:30 PM
Date: August 4th, 2026
1. Call to Order
Time: 7:08 PM
2. Roll Call
Roll call was taken, quorum was present.
MEMBERS:
Barry Beck (Present)
Laura Kessel (Absent)
Brian Platt (Present)
Lauren Southwood (Present)
John Spangler (Present)
Andy Steck (Absent)
Karl Williams (Present)
OTHER BOARD MEMBERS: Chris Southwood
ELECTED & APPOINTED OFFICIALS: None
STAFF: Halle Tindall – Fulton County Board Administrative Assistant
GUEST(S) – None
3. Call for Additions/Deletions to and Approval of Agenda
Member L. Southwood moved to approve the agenda, with a second from Member Beck. Motion carried by voice vote with all ayes.
4. Approval of Previous Minutes – May 5th, 2026
Member L. Southwood moved to approve the minutes, with a second from Member Platt. Motion carried by voice vote with all ayes.
5. Announcements, Communication and Correspondence – None
6. Public Remarks – None
7. Reports from Committee Chairs
a. Community Development, Zoning
No reports at this time.
b. Health
Member Platt reported that Clayberg is at 44 residents currently with a capacity of 48. The facility had a public health survey with approximately 10 tags, with seven being paperwork-related issues. One complaint involved a resident’s cell phone being damaged in the laundry, which the facility is responsible for paying. The facility is working on the budget. Liability insurance costs increased significantly from $50,000 to $100,000, which is a substantial jump. The facility is trying to reduce costs in dietary staffing and food expenses by moving to more ingredient-based cooking rather than ready-to-serve items. There is limited buy-in from the head of dietary on these changes.
Rising insurance costs continue to be a major financial challenge for the facility.
c. County Highway
Member Beck reported that the highway department is performing well, conducting ditch work, patching, and general maintenance. There will be a purchase of a new tandem truck to replace an older model and work on bridge undercarriage repairs including bearings on two bridges (starting with inspections) in the near future. A bid was accepted for road resealing work near Ipava where solar farm construction damaged the road. The solar farm company will be reimbursing the highway department for the full cost.
d. Finance, Insurance, Personnel, Legislative
Member L. Southwood reported that the ROE budget review showed no substantial changes and the county will be paying approximately $2,000 less than last year. The county will continue the $40,000 annual contribution to the Spoon River Partnership for the upcoming year.
e. Property
No reports at this time.
f. Campground
The campground currently has 223 campers and is at full capacity. A recent electricity bill for three months of service totaled $61,000. The committee voted to implement a policy of turning off electricity for non-payment. The new policy includes a $25 fee after 10 days and a $100 reconnection fee if service is turned off after 15 days of non-payment. This policy will be included in campground contracts. The shower house fell apart last week and was beyond repair. Rod Lynch was called out and spent approximately three hours assessing the situation. Parts needed for repair have been ordered and expected to arrive next week. While the shower house was closed, someone stole the metal cap that covers the sewage dump (weighing over 40 pounds). A replacement cap was ordered and cost $480. Discussion was held about installing cameras at the campground. Plans are underway to purchase a side-by-side utility vehicle for campground operations rather than a golf cart, which is not suitable for the terrain. The campground will begin running criminal history checks on all incoming campers and reserves the right to deny entry. This policy change follows an incident with a registered child sex offender who was staying at the campground. Illinois law does not classify campgrounds as parks, so the 1,000-yard restriction from playgrounds did not apply. The individual left behind a camper, vehicle, over $700 in utility bills, and two dogs that were rescued by animal control after three days. Plans are underway to work with MSD on boat ramp repairs and to begin road repair work at the campground starting the week of August 10th.
8. Old Business – None
9. New Business
a. Discussion/Action: Contract Negotiations
Member Spangler reported that contract negotiations are ongoing and progressing well. A meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 13th with courthouse staff. Member Spangler updated the committee about Staci Mayall not running for re-election as Treasurer. Since she was the only candidate on the ballot, the Democratic Party is responsible for selecting a replacement. The Democratic party has until the end of August to make the appointment and have interviewed several candidates with mixed reviews. Concerns were raised that this elected position is being filled by party appointment rather than voter choice. It was noted that Treasurer Mayall believed both parties would be able to run candidates and voters would decide, but she was incorrect about the process. Write-in candidates are not permitted at this point as the deadline has passed, and no Republican candidates have come forward. Committee members expressed surprise that many candidates view the treasurer position as largely a figurehead role with minimal responsibilities. The committee emphasized that counties with limited budgets cannot treat this as a figurehead position and encouraged substantial oversight of whoever is selected.
10. Executive Session – None
11. Misc. – None
12. Adjournment
Member Platt moved to adjourn at 7:24 PM, with a second from Member Beck. Motion carried by voice vote with all ayes
