Tempers were short hours earlier when board Chairman C. Pius Weibel, a Champaign Democrat, came to a meeting of the county board Republicans. He said he wanted to explain his decision earlier in the week to unilaterally order the county auditor to make a payment of about $40,000 to vendors who refused to do business with the nursing home unless they were paid immediately.
Among the supplies and services in jeopardy, he said, were toilet paper, hand soap, oxygen services and pest control. Weibel admitted his decision was not in line with a recent county board rule to cover payroll first and then “critical” vendors in an orderly fashion.
“What are you going to do? There was a fire and I put it out,” Weibel said.
“When a tsunami of vendors comes,” said Mahomet Republican Brooks Marsh, “then everything will be an emergency. We can’t allow that.”
Soon it escalated into a shouting match, although that ended quickly.
“It’s not right. It’s not a one-man rule,” Marsh said.
“I don’t like it either,” Weibel said. “But I had to make a choice.”
By the time Weibel left the meeting, they thanked him and apologized for the outburst.]
I was running behind this week, so there's already an update to the County Board post I was working on as well as video on the County Clerk's YouTube page here. The Nursing Home vote at this week's regular County Board meeting (more on that below) appears to need to be taken again at a special meeting this upcoming Tuesday. From the News-Gazette website last night:
County board to reconsider nursing home management voteFull article on that update here. A lot of the anger stemmed from the Nursing Home running out of Toilet Paper. Traci had a summary write up of the regular April 19th County Board Meeting:
Champaign County Board members will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday to reconsider the vote they took Thursday night to reject extending a contract with the firm that manages the county nursing home.
The board voted 10-9, with Republicans in the majority, against extending for an additional two months the county's contract with SAK Management Services through July.
The move jeopardized the operation of the home, which the county is attempting to sell for $11 million to two Evanston-based companies. But any possible sale of the facility likely wouldn't be consummated by July 31...
"We didn't have the votes counted right," he said. "We have to have management at the home. We may not be happy with the management but we have to have management.
Board approved $336,000 funds from the County Highway Fund for Installation of Stop Signs in Champaign County. Only 10% will come from county tax dollars as the bulk of the project will be paid for with a Highway Safety Improvement Program grant. Even though the motion was ultimately approved, there was some concern about the necessity of the stop sign and if stop signs would help prevent auto accidents and death. Having driven rural roads in Champaign County when the corn is high, I think the $.16 is well spent. http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/letters-the-editor/2018-03-05/stop-signs-good-response-accidents.htmlThe News-Gazette had coverage in yesterday's paper as well:
The County Board's Justice and Social Services committee presented funds from Illinois Counties Association to several local social service agencies including CASA, First Followers, and Champaign County Health Care Consumers.
The Board failed to vote on Resolution No. 2018-98 to approve County Board facilitation of the collection of racial/ethnicity data within the county criminal justice system. Jim McGuire speaking on behalf of Katie Blakeman, who's office likely would ultimately be responsible for collecting the data, about her reluctance with implementing the program.
Grants approved and received included:
$698,511 from the Secondary Preschool for All Expansion Grant. The funds will allow expanded Summer classroom programming and enhanced service provision to an additional 51 children and their families. The grant will also support significant infrastructure improvements including replacement of aging playground equipment and classroom upgrades.
$25,000 from the Pritzker Children's Initiative Planning Grant The funds will be used to update the Community Assessment and identifying strategies to address gaps.
$40,000 from Ameren Illinois to support an Energy-Focused Summer Internship Program for 15 Students
The Motion to Allow the Agreement with SAK Management Services, LLC to Automatically Renew for the Second Renewal Term from June 1, 2018 through July 31, 2018 failed by a vote of 10 to 9. Motion was called to a vote after vigorous debate about SAK's poor management including a recent incident when they requested emergency funds because, along with other items, they ran out of toilet paper. The purchase request was sent to Board Chair Pius Weibel and after consulting with Deb Busey, interim County Administrator, he approved of the funds to be spent. There was no discussion about what if any management company will replace SAK when their contract ends on May 31, 2018.
The meeting then went into closed session to consider litigation which is probable or imminent against Champaign County.
County board vote puts nursing home management deal in jeopardyThat article in full with more of the Nursing Home management "dramatics," as they call it, is here.
Republican members of the Champaign County Board on Thursday night voted down automatically renewing a contract with the management company that runs the county nursing home, potentially leaving the facility without a manager at the same time the county is trying to sell it.
The vote to renew the contract with Northfield-based SAK Management failed 10-9 on a party-line vote. Three Democrats — Shana Jo Crews, Stephanie Fortado and James Tinsley — were absent from the meeting, giving board Republicans a rare opportunity to win a partisan vote.
But after the meeting, Republicans wondered if they had gone too far. Their intention, Champaign Republican Jim McGuire explained, was to send a message to SAK after a problem earlier this week when the company had to make a special request to pay a vendor that threatened to cut off service for lack of payment...
County board members approved appropriating $336,000, mostly in federal funds, for the installation of 660 stop signs so that every rural intersection in Champaign County would have two-way coverage.
"If this prevents one death, it's worth it," said Republican Brad Clemmons, who also is the road commissioner in Tolono Township and said he already has placed stop signs at every intersection in his township.
County Engineer Jeff Blue said he hoped the installation of the signs would begin around the Fourth of July.
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