Meeting Place: Fulton County Board Office, 257 West Lincoln Street, Lewistown, IL
Time: 5:30 PM
Date: July 7th, 2026
1. Call to Order
Time: 5:32 PM
2. Roll Call
Roll call was taken, quorum was present
MEMBERS:
Dave Barbknecht (Present)
Jim Barclay (Present)
Susie Berry (Present)
Laura Kessel (Present)
Chris Southwood (Present)
OTHER BOARD MEMBERS: None
ELECTED & APPOINTED OFFICIALS: None
STAFF: Halle Tindall – FCB Administrative Assistant, Audra Miles – Comptroller
GUEST(S) : None
3. Call for Additions/Deletions To and Approval of the Agenda
Member Southwood moved to approve the agenda, with a second from Member Barbknecht. Motion carried by voice vote with all ayes.
4. Approval of Previous Minutes – June 2, 2026
Member Barbknecht moved to approve previous minutes, with a second from Member Berry. Motion carried by voice vote with all ayes.
5. Announcements, Communications, and Correspondence – None
6. Public Remarks – None
7. Claims
Member Berry moved to approve, with a second from Member Barclay. Motion carried by roll call vote (5,0)
8. Old Business
a. Discussion/Action: Sally Port updates
Member Kessel reported that soil borings were completed two weeks ago after rescheduling. They are still waiting on results, but things are expected to start moving quickly once results are received.
b. Discussion/Action: DG Storage Project
Member Kessel expressed that Cole McDaniel, of Hometown Consulting has been working on the project and reached out to Hitchcock Scrap Yard to come and get metal items that needs to be recycled, including possibly an old x-ray machine. Cole is planning a trip on Friday, July 17th to box some of the final items. A walkthrough was previously conducted with Laura Kessel, Cole McDaniel, Jon Webb, John Spangler, and Judge Beal before the last Board meeting to figure out where to relocate some of the state’s attorney items into an unused room. The team is working with WHKS to determine what can and cannot be done regarding changing the purpose of that room. Member Berry asked about the historical building designation. Member Kessel expressed that the courthouse is not on the official historic register but went with a lower tier designation to avoid stiff restrictions. Historical things happened around the building, but the building itself is not necessarily historical. Changing the use of space drastically could trigger some historical restrictions.
c. Discussion/Action: Courthouse Renovations
No updates at this time.
d. Discussion/Action: FY27 Property Budget request
Comptroller Audra Miles presented draft budget recommendations. She explained the different line items and pointed out each line item on a handout that each committee member received. Revenue appears down by $75,000 due to the one-time reimbursement for the property purchase for the dispatch consolidation building land in Canton that will occur this year. Contractual increased $2,000 for trash pickup, grass, and other services. Office supplies budget includes cleaning supplies, toilet paper, and paper towels, decreased by $500. Courthouse telephone and internet kept the same. Office telephone and internet kept the same. Utilities for courthouse kept the same, with solar credit program expected to offset the 3% rate increase. All remaining buildings are expected to be added to solar credits around April 2027, with first billing in June 2027. A new line item will be needed for courthouse solar credits. Utilities for Board/Zoning office building and Dollar General reduced based on solar credit amounts. Water for courthouse decreased slightly, water for the Board/Zoning office increased $100. Courthouse repairs and maintenance kept the same. Transfers to capital improvements is $595,000, which is subject to change based on the direction of the Finance Committee.
Member Southwood moved to send to the Finance Committee, with a second from Member Barbknecht. Motion carried by roll call vote (5,0)
9. New Business
a. Discussion/Action: County Board Office (Zoning section) Roof & Gutter Replacement
Member Kessel expressed that two estimates were reviewed for roof and gutter replacement. The roof replacement estimate is just under $11,000 and the gutter replacement is right at $1,500. The roof on the Board Office side was replaced previously, and now the Zoning Office side needs replacement. The work is necessary because the roof was leaking after one of the big storms recently.
Member Southwood moved to send to the full board, with a second from Member Barclay. Motion carried by roll call vote (5,0)
10. Executive Session – None
11. Misc. – None
12. Adjournment
Member Barbknecht motioned to adjourn at 5:49 PM, with a second from Member Barclay. Motion carried by voice vote with all ayes.
