A good financial report card from auditors made Jacksonville city council members happy at tonight’s meeting.

            Adam Withee of Zumbahlen Eyth Surratt, Foote at Flynn delivered the good news during the workshop session.

            Withee says he always looks at cash reserves, and the city’s reserves dropped from nine and a half months in 2024, to a little over 8 and a half months last year. Withee recommends at least 6 and a half months of cash reserves.

            Jacksonville mayor Andy Ezard says the drop in numbers don’t surprise him given the ongoing projects in the city.

            Withee says the general fund, pension funds and utility departments are all in good shape, thanks to some extent to returns on cash investments. He says the pension funds are up $6-point-4 million on the asset side.

            He says the utility department can brag of about 10 and a half months in cash reserves.

            The council gave its verbal consent to providing $460-thousand in matching funds for a grant that will help the city buy and install new playground equipment at Nichols Park.

            Ezard says that’s a good example of the use of cash reserves.

            The council unanimously said yes to providing a liquor license for the Patio on West College across from the Jacksonville Public Library. A couple of aldermen, Joe Lockamn and Mark Sorrill voted no two weeks ago, based on a few items that still needed to be worked out. Both voted for it tonight.

            And, three aldermen voted no on the request for zoning for a new solar field along Black’s Lane from the railroad tracks south to East Morton. Aldermen Brett Henry, Mary Pollock and Mark Sorrill were among the minority who voted against the rezoning request from Nexamp.  The final reading was approved by a 7-3 vote.

            Four probationary firemen were recognized tonight by the council for moving from probation to full time status…Devin Frietag, Jacob Shannon, Brady Hayes and Caden Moore.

            And, Jason Hoyle urged aldermen in the comments period tonight to work at removing flock cameras from the city. Hoyle claims the cameras are doing more than just reading license plates, without people’s permission.

One of the residing judges in Morgan County died Saturday after a lengthy battle against Parkinson’s Disease.

Morgan County associate judge Jeffrey Tobin died Saturday at the age of 65 at his home.

Morgan County coroner Marcy Patterson says Tobin died of natural causes. Tobin had been on medical leave for some time.

The position will be declared vacant, and the appointment process goes through the Illinois Supreme Court.

The chief judge in the 7^th circuit requests authorization to post the vacancy, and eligible attorneys apply to fill the seat.

The replacement is then voted on by judges within the 7^th circuit. A newly appointed judge serves an initial term expiring on June 30^th of the fourth year of the term cycle.

Meanwhile, funeral services for Jeffrey Tobin are pending at the Williamson Funeral Home.

The winner in the WLDS 1180 Summer Jubilee promotion is a neighbor of the station.

WLDS general manager Gary Scott pulled the name from all the entries in the promotion earlier this week.

It was Laura Davidson of Knollwood Way.

We talked with Ms Davidson briefly Friday morning. She was surprised, and look forward to using the voucher for a trip.

She will have the chance to take a trip with the help of World Travel. Sherry Blair of World Travel provided us with the grand prize of a $500 travel voucher, and Davidson can use that voucher in her travels.

A big thank you to all the sponsoring businesses in the 1180 summer jubilee promotion, and congratulations to Laura Davidson.

It’s audit time for the Jacksonville city council tonight.

The council will hear from representatives from Zumbahlen, Eyth, Surratt, Foote and Flynn during the workshop session.

Aldermen will be asked to commit to matching funds for the Open Space Acquisition and Development Grant Program. The OSLAD grant for new playground equipment for Nichols Park.

The grant requires matching funds from applying towns and cities.

The council will be asked to increase the number of liquor licenses by one, to 20 to accommodate the Patio.

Aldermen will look at the final reading for zoning that clears the development of a solar farm east of Black’s Lane from the railroad tracks to East Morton by Nexamp.

The workshop meeting starts at 6, and the regular meeting starts no later than 7 at city hall.

Pike County deputies have arrested a homeless man in connection with the alleged criminal sexual assault of a child under 13.

The man has been identified as 36-year-old Jack Green, described as homeless.

Chief deputy Zach Orr began the investigation August 5th, after getting a report of a sexual offense against a child under 13.

The investigation identified Green as a suspect. Orr says an arrest warrant was issued Tuesday of this past week, and Green was found in Mount Vernon.

Green is charged in thee warrant with two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child under 13, both Class X felonies.

Green appeared in court Thursday, and was ordered detained by Judge J Frank McCartney. At the time of his arrest, court records show he was on pretrial release from Greene County for meth possession, and unlawful use of a debit, or credit card.

Green remains at the Pike County Jail.

Orr says his department received help from Roodhouse, Carrollton and White Hall police, Greene County deputies, Mount Vernon police, the Pike County Child Advocacy Center, and Unified Child Advocacy Network in Jerseyville.

Morgan-Cass-Scott Crimestoppers is targeting a burglary in Jacksonville in its latest crime of the week.

Jacksonville police say the break in occurred on Mound Road sometime between Monday of this past week and Tuesday.

Police say the unknown person or persons broke into a home in the 11-hundred block of Mound between 11 Monday night, and 7 Tuesday morning.

The burglar or burglars got away with a Segway E2, gray scooter.

Anyone who has information about the crime is urged to call Crimestoppers at 243-7300, or report the crime to the website or Facebook page.

All tips are anonymous, and cash rewards are offered for recovery of the stolen items and/or arrests.

Survey teams sent out by the Jacksonville Salvation Army for the homeless have had success in the early going.

That’s the assessment of Jacksonville Salvation Army captain Justian Corliss. He has been organizing the teams for the survey process.

He thinks that’s the best approach to finding some solution for the homeless situation in Jacksonville.

Corliss says the early success has prompted him to bring in more training help.

Corliss is sending out the teams every two weeks. He says agencies are also partnering to conduct the surveys.

He says he has enough personnel for more than two teams, and welcomes anyone else interested.

He says the surveys are self contained and easy to administer.

He says the surveys pop up on pads and computers from drop down menus.

Corliss says the teams are finding out why the people ended up in Jacksonville, and asked about the long term intentions. He says the people they have surveyed have been willing and eager to talk.

The survey process will continue for at least a year, and will be done in the winter months.