Meeting Summary and Briefs: Clark County Board for May 15, 2026

Clark County Board Regular Meeting | May 15, 2026

The Clark County Board moved through a full regular agenda in 49 minutes on Friday, May 15, 2026, approving a union agreement covering lateral transfers into the sheriff’s office, a new VOIP phone system for the courthouse with no price recorded in the minutes, an engineering services resolution tied to soil cement road work north of Casey, and two board appointments — before setting aside a proposed per-dog kennel fee in favor of an existing $6,500-a-year contract. Chairman Rex Goble called the meeting to order at 8 a.m., County Clerk Laura H Lee led the pledge of allegiance and Sheriff Bill Brown opened with a prayer. The board held no executive session and adjourned at 8:49 a.m., to reconvene immediately afterward as a special meeting and hearing on the county’s renewable energy ordinances.

Full coverage of the ambulance service’s April level-zero report, the dog kennel vote, the HLR engineering agreement and the courthouse phone system appears in separate stories. The board’s next regular meeting is set for June 18, 2026, at 8 a.m.

Sheriff’s Office Union Agreement Allows Lateral-Pay Transfers

The board unanimously approved a memorandum of agreement between the County of Clark and the Illinois Council of Police. Sheriff Bill Brown explained the agreement to the board: the union and county board are allowing a transfer to come in at a lateral pay based on their qualifications and number of years worked. Mike Parsons moved for approval and Susan Guinnip seconded; all members present voted aye. The minutes note “(See attached),” but no copy of the memorandum was among the materials released for the meeting. The record does not state the agreement’s term, its cost, how many positions it affects, or whether a specific transfer prompted it. Jerry Woodfall of IBEW 725 appears on the attendance line; the minutes do not record him speaking to the item.

Board Fills Board of Review, Health Department Seats

The board voted unanimously to re-appoint Dave Yocom to the Board of Review and to appoint Melissa Finkbiner to the same body, on a motion by Mike Parsons seconded by Todd Kuhn. The minutes carry conflicting term dates: the narrative describes Yocom’s as a two-year term expiring 5/31/2026 and Finkbiner’s as running 5/31/2026 to 5/31/2028, while the motion the board adopted states both terms will expire on 5/31/2028. The motion is what was voted. Separately, on a motion by Randal Stephens seconded by Susan Guinnip, the board unanimously re-appointed Brandi Parcel to the Clark County Health Department Board for a three-year term expiring 6/30/2029.

Solar and Wind Ordinances Moved to Same-Day Special Hearing

Two Old Business items — listed on the agenda as “Adopt Amended Solar Ordinance 2026-01” and “Adopt Amended Wind Ordinance 2026-02” — were not taken up at the regular meeting. For each, the minutes state only that the item was moved to the public hearing immediately following. The board reconvened as a special meeting and hearing at 9 a.m. the same morning, May 15, 2026, and took up the renewable energy ordinances there. That session is covered separately; nothing about it is reported here.

Moonshine Solar Road Work Begins; Mowing Season Starts

Reporting under Highway Discussion, County Engineer Dallas Richardson said road work for the Moonshine Solar project has started, with crews putting in culverts and doing road widening. The minutes record no location for the work, no cost, no contractor, no completion date, and no description of the project itself. Richardson also told the board that mowing will start next week. He reported no new business to the highway agenda.

Hogue Town Project Clears Funding Hurdle

Richardson reported that approval was received for all the funding for the Hogue Town project and that a material proposal was submitted. He said he hopes to hear back from the State soon and can then move forward on the project. The minutes do not describe what the Hogue Town project is, where it is, what it will cost, which funding was approved or by whom, what the material proposal covers, or which state agency Richardson is waiting on. No motion was made and no vote was taken.

Rotten Red Bud Tree by Bandstand to Come Down

County board member Susan Guinnip reported under Committee Reports that she met with Alex Mason from Lawn Pride regarding the Red Bud tree by the bandstand. The tree trunk is rotten in the middle and could be a liability if it fell, according to the minutes. The board gave permission to have Lawn Pride remove the tree. No motion or vote on the removal appears in the minutes, and the record does not identify which bandstand, state what the removal will cost, or say whether the work was bid.

Public Comment: Westfield Sirens, Storm Alerts and an Invitation

Village of Westfield Mayor Sandy Wheeler thanked the board for the Sirens for Westfield. Board member Todd Kuhn said that when the tornado sirens went off during a recent storm, everyone there received notification about the warning even though some of the people were from outside the county; the minutes do not identify where “there” was. Sheriff Bill Brown invited all board members and their families to an employee appreciation event to be held June 9 at Sassafras Ridge. The minutes record no county action on any of the three items and give no further detail on the Westfield sirens — no cost, no count, no timeline, and no explanation of the county’s role.

Former Board Member Jim Bolin Honored in Springfield

Board member Brandon Burkybile informed the board during public comment that former county board member Jim Bolin was honored in Springfield for everything he had accomplished in Casey and surrounding areas. Bolin’s family was presented with a six-foot-tall proclamation stating his accomplishments, Burkybile said. The minutes do not say who issued the proclamation, when the ceremony took place, when Bolin left the board, or what accomplishments the proclamation cites.

County Website Redesign Enters Content-Gathering Stage

IT Director Alex Carrell reported under Old Business that all offices should be receiving an email asking for what they would like their web pages to look like. The item was listed on the agenda as “Update on the Redesign of County Website.” No motion was made and no vote was taken. The minutes do not record a vendor, a cost, a launch date, or when the redesign was authorized.

Claims, Bills and Mileage Approved With No Totals Recorded

The board took five unanimous money votes in which no dollar figure appears anywhere in the record. It approved general claims (Burkybile/Parsons), county highway claims (Parsons/Stephens), preceding bills for the April 17, 2026, board meeting (Parsons/Guinnip), preceding bills (Kuhn/Stephens), and one day and mileage claims (Parsons/Guinnip). The board also unanimously accepted all office reports for April 2026 — from the county clerk, circuit clerk, sheriff, county treasurer, supervisor of assessments, probation and public defender — on a motion by Parsons seconded by Burkybile, noted “(See attached).” No claims list, bill list or office report was among the materials released. The board also unanimously approved the minutes of its April 17, 2026, regular meeting.