The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Changes were approved in the Hancock County recycling program supported by the WIRC Tri-County Collection grant, at the board’s regular meeting Dec. 16.
The service will change in January 2026. At that time, electronics and paint can be brought to the collection site for recycling from 8 a.m. to 12 noon every Friday morning. An attendant will be present to assist people bringing these items for recycling, and to assure that only the proper items are left. The recycling center is at the Hancock County Highway Dept. garage on the corner of First and Wabash (101 S. First Street).
Until the official date for the change of hours is announced, residents can still bring items from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For a list of items that can be included in this recycling program, see hancockcounty-il.gov/county-engineer/recycling.
At the meeting, the board approved an amendment to the county levy of $6,176,524 that was approved in November.
Justin Greeley of Bellwether explained that the amendment corrects a clerical error. The amount of the levy remains the same.
On the subject of the levy, board president Mark Menn made a statement urging all entities to work to keep their levies low.
“I believe this county board has worked hard to make sure we come in with a very low levy to keep the county in financial good standing. I commend the county for that,” Menn said. “I believe it is time to start calling out the other entities in this county.
“I get complaints every year from citizens of this county, asking ‘When are our property taxes going to go down?’. We don’t have control of that. When I read in the paper that school districts are going up 7 percent up to 23 percent, it makes me mad.
“We work hard in this county to make sure we give the residents the best bang for their dollars. I think it is about time for other entities to do the same thing, to follow the steps of the county. If you want to complain about taxes being high, go talk to those districts that levy the money.”
Board member Lee Ann Lambert reported that a candidate forum is planned at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 12, at the Eagles Club in Carthage. It is sponsored by the Hancock County Republican Central Committee as a time for candidates, with or without opposition in the March Primary, to address voters and answer questions.
The board approved two building permits for solar projects in the county. The Zebrawood project, near Niota on property owned by Mark and Beth Gnann, was approved. The Odyssey Sonora permit was approved, with the contingency that a final piece of paperwork arrive to the county by 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 19.
Heather Brown from Nautilus Solar Energy, representing the Odyssey Sonora project, was at the meeting via Zoom, and explained that the necessary document, sent by FedEx, had been delayed. The paperwork in question has no changes from a copy the county has already received. However, original documents must in the county’s hands before final approval is allowed.
The board updated travel expense reimbursement payments, adopting the GSA rates for per diem meal expenses, and increasing mileage rates to 70 cents per mile. Refunds will not be made without receipts.
In other action, the board: