The White County Animal Control department is relatively small, and it’s hard to maintain not just the pound but also the well-being and happiness of the dogs.
An idea was presented to the White County board members regarding volunteering at the White County animal shelter, also known as the pound. Citizens would be able to fill out a waiver and walk and play with the dogs, giving them the affection they so desperately deserve and want. Board member Ken Usery had other thoughts about the topic,
Usery: “90% of them dogs going in that dog pound are either pit bulls or pit bull crosses. If we allow somebody to go out there and lead dogs around, and they happen to get aggressive, and they get loose from them, what the hell is right down, half a quarter down the road? City park that’s got kids in it. I’ve got cows over there, I’m going by there every morning. If it wasn’t for pit bulls or pit bull crosses, we wouldn’t need that dog pound. But I’ve got issues with this.”
Neal: “But if it’s in the pound because it bit somebody, I don’t think that would be one where we would want the volunteers even helping with.”
Usery: “With that breed of dog, you don’t know when they’re going to turn. Pit bulls were bred to kill.”
Budget-wise, Animal Control doesn’t acquire much. The dog pound is small in comparison to other counties in the area, and the department does what they can. The rest of the board members agreed that volunteers would be a great idea, but they unanimously tabled the matter so Usery could discuss it with Animal Control.
Moving on to the new business portion of the meeting, the VET Environmental bills totaled $24,774.48 for White County. State’s Attorney Chris Neal read the letter clarifying that the bill needs to be paid by the municipalities within the county. Carmi’s portion of that would be 33%. Neal will send bills and a letter explaining the settlement agreement, as well as the percentage each municipality will be required to pay.
Supervisor of Assessment Gary Baxley brought before the board a flood plan ordinance. Baxley would like Michael Brown to oversee the department for the ordinance, with Baxley indicating a pay range of $1,000 to $2,000 per month for Brown. White County will need to re-evaluate its current flood plan, which is due in August. The plan is county-wide, not specific to only the flood zones; however, the board will create a proposed plan for re-evaluation in August.
The last item for new business concerned a possible lawsuit from Integrity Investments, which is suing every county in the state of Illinois that it purchased tax sales from. Neal explained,
“They’re saying they bought the taxes from somebody. That person may have a greater interest in what they paid, so that person may come and sue them since they bought it from a government. If the government needs to indemnify them against that possibility. I don’t know that it’s a good suit, but we can’t just not defend it. And it’s in the federal court, and it’s civil, and I’ve never done anything in the federal court or civil. I think it’s 84 counties out of all the counties in Illinois that got sued.”
Neal went on to say that he has talked with other state attorneys in the state and recommended to the board that they hire a law firm from Springfield. Neal doesn’t think the suit will go far, but he wants to cover the County in case.
At the board meeting, items on the consent agenda were approved, which included an increase in state-mandated salaries for the Public Defender and the Sheriff.
Lastly, the Bellwether representative presented the county’s budget. Looking ahead to the following year, the county’s revenue is projected to be down 12%. Talking with Sheriff Weiss, the Sheriff’s department will raise fees and add other costs that were not previously acknowledged. The board will also look into strategies for levies and special funds.
The county needs to make up as much ground as possible to achieve a balanced budget for next year.