The Wayne County Board met last Thursday evening in the upstairs courtroom of the Wayne County Courthouse after a one-week delay.
Chairman Daryl Hargrave called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. Bill Bruce then gave the prayer and led the Pledge.
County Clerk Elizabeth Woodrow called roll with 10 members present and 4 absent. Answering roll were: Gene Kollak, Steve Manning, Quinton Greenwalt, Randy Hedrick, TJ Vaughan, Steve Troyer, Greg Keyser, Cody Ehrhart, Bill Bruce & Daryl Hargrave. Absent were: Eddie Barbre, Matt Shreve, Brandon Bittles & Vern Hutson
Recapping the June Minutes, Gene Kollak requested a correction stating the minutes read the gutter work had been completed at the jail while it actually had NOT been completed. Clerk Woodrow noted that. Steve Manning made motion to accept the minutes with the amendment added. Quinton Greenwalt seconded the motion. All were in favor.
Chairman Daryl Hargrave appointed the following to the Sheriff’s Merit Commission as requested by Sheriff Chris Otey: Jerry Vaughan, Ben Gardner, Keith Wilson, Brian Keck and Mark Tipps. There was no opposition to the appointments.
Chairman Hargrave then stated that he had an envelope going around for a donation in honor of a former Board Member Gordon Endsley who had recently passed. The donation would go towards the West Cemetery in honor of Gordon.
Chairman Hargrave referred to a letter he had received from the Department of Agriculture giving notice to the County of the intent to construct a Livestock Management Facility that was obtained by Ty Warren of Rinard, IL. Hargrave stated Mr. Warren had spoke to him a couple of times about it, wanting to make sure he was doing everything right as he proceeds. Hargrave stated he felt they would do a good job managing the place and adhering to all rules set by the Department of Agriculture.
The next part of the meeting was dedicated to the various Office Reports.
In Highway Department business, Steve Troyer stated the department had stayed busy with side work. The Resolution that was on the Agenda was delayed until more information is gathered.
States Attorney Kyle Ellis was in attendance and stated everything was going well and he was available for questions, if any.
Circuit Clerk Ellen Sitzes was in attendance and reported she was adding Elizabeth West to her banking accounts as a signee as she does all deposits. Sitzes also reported she would be seating a Grand Jury on Friday.
Sheriff Chris Otey reported still quite a bit going on at the courthouse. Otey reported a couple of his officers had been named to an investigative team and that he thought it would be a great asset for the department.
County Clerk Liz Ann Woodrow reported Early Voting for the November General Election will begin September 24, 2026. This is also the first day a Vote By Mail ballot can be mailed out. Consolidated Election for 2027, petition circulation can begin as early as July 28, 2026. Filing period for the Consolidated Election is October 19, 2026 thru October 26, 2026. Woodrow also reported she had completed all tax work, sent abstracts to the State and rolled all tax bills to Treasurer Yvette Anderson to print or have printed, and complete whatever work she has to do on her side of the tax process. Woodrow said the tentative dates for tax collection are September 4, 2026 and October 16, 2026.
Treasurer Yvette Anderson reported the 15th was the last day to register for pre-payment of tax bills. She is hoping to get everything to the vendor that prints and mails the tax bills soon. Anderson stated Fairfield Banking Co. has come on as a place where tax bills can be paid. Anderson stated that Wayne City, Mt. Erie and (3) banks here in town are all places tax bills can be paid.
Supervisor of Assessments Jodi Poole stated she didn’t have anything new to report but was available for any questions.
Coroner Shari Winter reported she had an Administrative person paid thru a Wadi grant, January through July and she has finished her time the Grant
allowed. Bill Bruce asked Winter if someone else could be hired for that position thru Wadi? Winter answered “yes.”
In Health Department business, Clerk Woodrow had a question concerning an invoice she had received for payment from Nicole Schoenborn. It was $3500 for what Woodrow thought was air conditioning. There was some discussion concerning the agreement the County has with the 708 Board/Health Dept concerning who would be responsible for payment. Ownership of building was discussed. Matter was tabled until next meeting after everyone had talked to Schoenborn and had more of the particulars. It was also stated that the original agreement needed to be revisited by the Co. Board at some point.
The next item on the agenda for the Board were Committee Reports:
In Claims/Finance business, Gene Kollak made a motion to pay all claims as presented. Steve Troyer seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously
Emergency Management Agency head Jeff Jake reported crew had been busy with local events such as the County Fair, Fireworks, etc. Jake reported in the last month 4 tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service in Wayne County. Jake stated he had a couple of teams that actually tracked 2 of them. Jake spent 2 days with the National Weather Service doing damage assessments and put 2 families in touch with the Red Cross Hotline.
Under Animal Control/Welfare business, Bill Bruce reported he & Cody Ehrhart had met with Animal Control. He felt there was good communication. Bruce stated they were happy with the direction things were going. Greg Keyser stated he had a couple of calls about them not having room for animals. Ehrhart & Bruce both stated the facility was full. There was no room for surrenders at this time.
Road & Bridge head Steve Troyer said the crew was mowing and doing some road work. Quinton Greenwalt reported they were supposed to start asphalt work on the south part of Orchardville Blacktop. Greenwalt said that would probably begin on Monday depending on weather.
Insurance/Education: No report
In Building & Grounds & Safety discussion, Quinton Greenwalt & Steve Troyer reported on courthouse project progress. Things are going well. Greenwalt reported on the Gazebo issues on the front lawn of the courthouse. Needs re-roofed and some of the trusses are bad. You can see daylight thru a part of the roof. Greenwalt said “we fix it or we tear it down. It’s in disrepair.” Greenwalt said he had a quote from Jeff Grieve & Ronnie Vaughan (who had done the work at the Health Dept), and the price for material & labor would be $11,990.00. Chairman Hargrave stated “we can’t just let it fall down.” Bill Bruce stated he thought that was a fair price and Greenwalt added that Grieve & Vaughan treated us well and did a great job at the Health Dept. Quinton Greenwalt made motion to approve Grieve & Vaughan to do the work for $11,990.00 and for 50% to be paid down and the rest upon completion & approval of work. Cody Ehrhart seconded the motion. Motion approved 9-Yes 1-Abstain. The abstain vote came from Randy Hedrick.
In Economic Development business, TJ Vaughan reported that all were current except one. It had been brought up to date but was currently behind about a month.
Rules & Policy: No report
Liquor Commission: No new applications. Clerk Woodrow reported all licenses had been paid in the month of June
Chairman Hargrave asked for a vote to adjourn. At this point, Randy Hedrick informed him he had skipped new business. Hedrick wanted to discuss property taxes for the County. Hedrick suggested that all tax bills in the system be pulled back until the whole County had been assessed. Clerk Woodrow told Hedrick she had already sent abstracts to the State. She wasn’t sure anything like that could be done at that point. Tax bills were already in the system. Hedrick was questioned a little closer about his intention. Hedrick stated he felt his district (being 100% assessed) and the rest of the County not finished, that he would in a sense be paying more taxes than everyone else. It was addressed that the Board had formed a committee that was working to try and get the situation rectified. Hedrick also addressed the state of the roads in his district. Hedrick made a motion to freeze the 2025 Pay 2026 Tax Bills and the payment thereof until the County was totally assessed. Another discussion ensued concerning
schools, townships, Villages, etc. not getting their money from tax levies. “ It’s not their fault the assessments aren’t done!” Hedrick’s motion died for lack of a second.
Greg Keyser made motion to adjourn. TJ Vaughan seconded the motion. Voice vote all were in favor