Morgan commissioner recap: East Morton development, budget update

By Gary Scott on July 25, 2016 at 12:35pm

Morgan County Commissioners approved a purchase agreement with a developer for several mobile homes at this morning’s meeting.

The homes are at Pleasant View at 1033 East Morton. Mike Hayes is part of a real estate group that is purchasing property on that stretch of Morton with the intent of redeveloping.

County commissioner Bill Meier says Hayes has done an excellent job keeping the board informed on the group’s progress.

“Of course, he had to work with the city to purchase the land. If anybody’s gone out there, you see everything’s all cleaned up and looking very nice. What he had to do with us is come in and get the titles for the mobile homes and also had to pay back taxes on some of them. That’s where the county became involved,” he says.

“But right now, he’s taking care of that, and it looks like those homes will be gone. We don’t really have a definite timeline; he’s going to use the ground that’s there for more development. He’s done a wonderful thing for Jacksonville and East Morton,” adds Meier.

Commissioners wrapped up two weeks of budget hearings from various county departments on Friday. Meier says there were no big surprises from department heads, and now the commissioners will focus on the revenue side ahead of September 1st, the start of the new fiscal year.

Commissioners also approved the appointment of Patrick Bonjean to the Alexander Rural Water District for a five-year term as a trustee.