Flooding Damage Tops County Board Meeting
DEBORAH SIMCOX
Correspondent
Three people had concerns/issues during the Public Comments portion of the June 10 Fayette County Board meeting. The first speaker was Natalie Evans, Public Affairs Specialist for the Office of Disaster Recovery & Resilience at the SBA (Small Business Administration). This was regarding the flooding damages from the April 2 through April 6 storms. Evans offered resources for filing for financial assistance. The next item was an accounting from Fayette County Animal Control Administrator Loralyn Valencia, who said that there have been nearly daily reports regarding feral cats. She explained the procedure for addressing that issue. The third speaker was Susan Petty from Congresswoman Mary Miller’s office (District #15), who wanted to introduce herself. She will be available at Evans Public Library on the second Tuesday of the month from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Consent Agenda & Items Continued From Finance Committee Consent Agenda:
• Renewal of the liquor license for BarN at St. James,
• Reappointment of Julie Aderman, Glenn Skow, Tammy Sasse, and Julie Gordon to the Board of Health for a three year term ending 6/30/28,
• Appointment of Jared Morrison as St. Elmo Fire District Trustee for a three year term beginning June 1, 2025 & ending May 31, 2028,
• Appointment of Maggie Boehler as Mulberry Grove Fire District Trustee for a three year term beginning May 1, 2025 & ending April 31, 2028,
• Approval of liquor license for Vandalia Moose Lodge #1447 for a special event for the 4th of July, 2025 holiday, and
• Reappointment for three year terms for Beth Flynn (PSAP Rep), Doug Engeljohn (Emergency Service Agency Rep), and Darrell Schaal (General Public Rep) to the 9-1-1 Board.
Items in New Business:
• Approval of the Jurisdictional Transfer Agreement and related Addenda to transfer 0.21 miles of FAS 2720 (Interstate Drive) to the City of St. Elmo,
• Discussion of Washington School building – PBC Building & Grounds Chair Mack Payne stated that many options were considered regarding what the building would need to be used for the jail. He also said that for Washington School to be used, part of 8th Street would have to be “Closed down,” which would not be possible. Member Merrell Collins added, “Sell it. Now would be the perfect time.”
• Ordinance #2025-06-10-A to control BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems), and
• Approval of Ryan Scott as the Emergency Management Agency Director, pending a confirmation letter from the Union.
Board Members’ Comments and Non-Action Items:
Regarding the 911 Center, Sheriff Ronnie Stevens related the low bid of $378,700 from Johannes Construction, Centralia. The County will be applying for a 911 Consolidation Grant from State of Illinois.
The next regular Fayette County Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 8 at 7 p.m. at the City Hall. The Public is encouraged to attend.
