Henderson County Board

Henderson County Board Updates Tow Ordinance

Andrew Postle, The Quill

The Henderson County Board convened on Tuesday, April 14, at 8:30 a.m. for its regular meeting at the Henderson County Courthouse in Oquawka. Present were Richard Bigger, Jon Corzatt, Patty Daniels, Brad Flatt, Kim Gullberg, Dan Jack, Bill Knupp, Kurt McChesney, Sean Meyer, Deborah Pflasterer, and Janet Stubbs.

The board swiftly approved the minutes from the March 10 meeting, along with claims paid and the County Treasurer’s monthly report for March.

The board also approved the Health Department claims, monthly report, and meeting minutes, as well as the department’s annual report. More details on the Health Department annual report will appear in next week’s Quill.

The board approved the joint funding agreement for the federally funded construction of the County Highway 15 Lone Tree Ditch structure replacement project.

The board unanimously approved the following reappointments:

• Deb Pflasterer, Henderson County Board of Review (2-year term) 

• Theresa White, Trustee of the Biggsville Fire Protection District (3-year term) 

• Linda Reaves, Trustee of the Oquawka Fire Protection District (3-year term) 

• Ronald Bielser, Trustee of the Gulfport-Gladstone Fire Protection District (3-year term) 

• Barry Dowell, Trustee of the MST Fire Protection District (3-year term) 

• Marcus Doyle, Henderson County Supervisor of Assessments (4-year term)

The board tabled the setting of salaries for elected county officials until the May meeting. 

Members and elected officials agreed to discuss the topic further in the Finance Committee meeting scheduled for Monday, May 4, at 9:30 a.m. at the courthouse.

The board approved, by a 9-2 vote, a resolution to place a referendum on the November 3 general election asking voters about separation from Cook County (Richard Bigger and Patty Daniels voted no). The board had previously approved the addition of the referendum at its prior meeting.

State’s Attorney Kristen Petrie provided an update on the solid waste management plan. The county has until August to prepare the plan. Petrie has been working with Erica Pence, sanitarian at the Health Department, who manages solid waste issues. Petrie is working to schedule a committee meeting to develop the plan for submission to the state.

Sheriff Matt Link and Petrie discussed proposed updates to the county’s Administrative Tow Fee Ordinance, originally adopted in 2021. The changes are needed due to updates in state law, including the legalization of cannabis. Petrie noted that she and the sheriff believe the updated ordinance will be a valuable tool for the county, particularly in addressing repeat offenders who drive while their license is suspended or without a valid driver’s license.

“I don’t want to say it’s entirely due to the Safety Act, but due to the fact that there is less and less we can do while someone is repeat offending while they’re still out on pretrial release, this would be one way to help try to curb some of that,” Petrie said.

The board unanimously approved adoption of the updated ordinance.

The current janitor for the jail and courthouse requested a change in compensation, asking to receive a flat $1,500 per month instead of her current hourly rate (approximately $1,300 a month). After receiving strong reviews from courthouse staff, the board unanimously approved the new pay structure.

Jon Corzatt briefly discussed the ongoing ambulance situation. The Oquawka ambulance remains out of service with no improvement reported. Richard Bigger inquired about possibly adding a tax increase question to the ballot for ambulance service funding. Corzatt said officials are still compiling information to determine an appropriate amount.

The meeting adjourned at 8:56 a.m. The next Henderson County Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12, at 8:30 a.m. at the Henderson County Courthouse.