Morgan County Making Use of Pandemic Funding

By Jeremy Coumbes on November 8, 2021 at 2:49pm

Morgan County is making use of some federal funding made possible during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Morgan County Commissioners approved more than $400,000 in bills during their regular meeting this morning. Chairwoman Ginny Fanning says the bulk of the payables this time are for a major improvement project.

Our bills are in the amount of $431,379.36. The routine payables in that amount are in the stated amount of $20,484.09. The bulk of that total amount is the second payment for the health department remodeling and those are American Rescue Plan funds and that totaled $410,895.27 so our ARP funds will cover that.”

The Health Department is currently in the process of remodeling the former MacMurray College Putnam-Springer building at the corner of South Clay and East State Street to serve as its new home. The Health Department is hoping to move into the new facility around the first of the year.

Morgan County Highway Department Director Matt Coultas gave the board an update on work being done in the county as of late. He says he is currently in the process of reviewing some right of way concerns with the Arnold Road bridge project which was made possible by Rebuild Illinois funding.

Coultas says he anticipates the county will receive the last two installments of RBI funds in the spring and early summer next year.

In other business, the County Commissioners approved an Intergovernmental Agreement to fund the Adams, Brown, Cass, Morgan, Pike, and Scott Counties Educational Service Region. Fanning says the cost to the county of $124,081.78 is only slightly higher than the previous agreement and was mainly attributed to employee wage increases. Commissioner Bradley Zeller added that the Educational Service Region had not had a wage increase in a number of years.

Also approved was a collective bargaining agreement with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 965. Fanning says the three-year agreement will run from September 1st of this year through the end of August 2024.

She says the bargaining process went smoothly and fairly quickly. She says the county is currently continuing negotiations with the Deputy and Jailers Union and hopes they will be finalized soon.

Fanning also reminded those present that the Morgan County Courthouse will be closed on Thursday in observance of Veterans Day.