The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by Anne de Jong-Correspondent -The Journal Pilot
The Hancock County Board held its regularly scheduled monthly meeting Tuesday, Aug. 16 at the Hancock County Courthouse in Carthage. Fourteen members were present and one was absent. Those present were board members Mark Menn, Tom Rodgers, Jan Fleming, Tom Bergmeier, Patsy Davis, Gary Stansbury, Harry Douglas, Mark Hanson, Pat Cramer, Wayne Bolin, Andrew Asbury, Stephen Finney, Dennis Castlebury, Chairman Delbert Kreps, and County Clerk Holly A. Wilde-Tillman. Absent was board member Katherine Phillips. Flanking the sides of the County Board room a handful of visitors were also in attendance — with one visitor being there for the purpose of discussions that have been ensuing on the EMS and ambulance issues — and two visitors being there representing the City of Warsaw — Warsaw City Clerk, Julie Haack present on behalf of Warsaw Mayor Mike Heisler, and Warsaw city council member and Warsaw Public Safety Chairperson Priscilla Blecha representing the committee Blecha chairs and the city of Warsaw. However, neither Haack nor Blecha spoke at the meeting.
It had been anticipated that State’s Attorney Rachel Mast would have available a report of an ongoing investigation she has been conducting concerning alleged attacks on citizens by dogs in the county to include a review of the currently in-place neighboring counties and cities ordinances for handling such in the State of Illinois. However, the investigation and the report are still not ready with it being reported that Mast is awaiting the forthcoming “from Madison County.”
Health and Miscellaneous Chairperson Pat Cramer read in his report at the Tuesday meeting that at the Aug. 8 Health and Miscellaneous meeting “Mr. Rodgers asked if we needed to talk about the dog situation. Mr. Heisler, [who attended the Aug 8 meeting] stated this is why he [Heisler] came to the meeting.” Cramer further then noted that “conversation was had on the Warsaw dog situation [with] Mr. Heisler present to discuss [it and that] there was discussion on Mr. Wright and his duties and the county’s role.”
While it was true that Mayor Heisler had attended the Aug. 8 County Health and Miscellaneous Committee meeting, in a subsequent meeting held in Warsaw at City Hall on Aug.10, called by Warsaw City Council member and Warsaw Public Safety Chairperson Priscilla Blecha, to discuss the recent August County Health and Miscellaneous committee meeting among other local public safety concerns — with also having County Board member Tom Rodgers visiting in that meeting — Mayor Heisler stated he had “felt discouraged and disappointed” by his experience speaking at the Aug. 8 meeting but that he too was awaiting the report to be issued by Attorney Mast.
The August Hancock County Board meeting didn’t see much attention being spent on the matter either given that the report is yet to be made available. It was noted, however, that Mast’s investigation “had found” some things and that the report would be forthcoming awaiting on Madison County.
There was no wasting of time at the Aug. 16 meeting to get the business at hand done. Committee chairpersons gave their reports by reading the minutes that had been prepared for approval and one by one the Hancock County Board etched off their agenda. The agenda included from the County Highway, Road, and Bridge Committee the resolution for construction of a bridge in Durham Township, from the Finance, Fees, and Salaries committee a resolution for taxing districts, approval to get an appraisal on EMS buildings (collectively and individually), and buildings, grounds, and insurance, and lastly, a report from the Health and Miscellaneous Committee on the animal control discussion.