A big topic during the Hamilton County Board was whether or not Hamilton County should pay Discover Downstate Illinois Tourism. The county pays that $250 yearly, except the board agreed to spend $500 for extra advertising last year. Board member Adam Little was hesitant about spending that much again. The McLeansboro Kiwanis Club and the Hamilton County Chamber of Commerce use Discover Downstate to promote the Fall Festival and other attractions year-round in the region, with several out-of-town ticket sales submitted. That could also be due to the fact that the major buzz in the Southern Illinois region was the Solar Eclipse. The board members went back and forth about whether the Fair can use the funds to bring in more revenue or if it’s solely Kiwanis and the Chamber of Commerce. The item was eventually tabled.
Another significant topic of discussion was the Ambulance Department. Despite the challenges they face, the department members continue to demonstrate their unwavering commitment to their duties. A situation arose around speculation that two emergency calls were made and quick action did not take place, but a representative from the department was on hand to clarify the situation. The representative went over the time stamps of the day’s events, demonstrating that both calls and transports took seven minutes and 25 seconds.
“We can’t find paramedics and EMTs. I mean, we have sign-on bonuses. We have tuition reimbursement for EMTs, and we have tuition reimbursement for EMTs to go get their paramedics. Pretty much the best silver platter we can offer them. And nobody wants to work in emergency, or first responders. That’s pretty much what we’re finding because the pay is terrible. And if I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times. You don’t do it because of the pay, you do it because you love what you do. And those people are beginning to be few and far between.”
The County helped purchase the ambulance truck, which is doing well and almost ready to hit the streets. You can read that story at the link: https://www.wrul.com/local-news/hamilton-county-…lance-department
Up next was the signing of a proclamation for April. Chairman Kelly Woodrow signed the declaration for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Hamilton County Coroner Dewain Wellen shared a letter with the board members stating the price increase of fees from the Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office. The fees are going from $100 to $300. Franklin County has offered the use of its facilities for just $150 each time. Wellen gave a copy of the letter to each member.
Moving on to approvals, a 5-year lease agreement for the courthouse office space and the county’s health insurance plans were accepted. Two appointments and seven reappointments were also agreed upon, except for one, for which Chairman Woodrow shared his concerns about the appointment to the Saline Valley Conservancy District.
“Gallatin County wanted Jamie Scherrer appointed. Well, the way these appointments work is that whoever’s on that board will bring a petition back to their county chair. That’s the way it’s going to be, and you sign the petition. So the way this is working is the board’s pretty well hand-picked who they want, whether that county wants them or not.”
In the end, the board approved the appointment of Jamie Scherrer.
The other appointments included Landon Vaughn to replace Kelly Woodrow on the Hamilton County Emergency Telecommunications Switch Board. Dr. Alec Hood, Jeremy Varner, and Alesha Storey were reappointed to the Hamilton County Board of Health for three-year terms, and Woodrow abstained his vote for Alesha Storey. John Carrell was appointed to the same board for just one year. Brad Brock, John D Ventress, and Eugene “Penny” VanWinkle were reappointed to the Hamilton County Board of Review with two-year terms for each.
