The Macoupin County Board on Tuesday night approved a program to provide grant writing assistance to local governments and tabled action indefinitely on a resolution opposing the construction of data centers in the county, but it was the appointment of a controversial nominee to replace the late Gordon Heuer as a District 2 board member that took center stage.

Three county residents had expected to speak to the board opposing the appointment of Staunton resident Derek Spudich, Staunton, to step into the vacancy resulting from Heuer’s unexpected death last month. After convening Tuesday night’s meeting, however, Board Chair Larry Schmidt altered the agenda to vote on Spudich’s appointment immediately after roll call and before the public comment period.

“The way democracy is supposed to work is people have an opportunity to address their public officials before a decision is made,” Gillespie resident Kelley Hatlee told the board after he was allowed to speak after the vote. “That did not happen today.” Hatlee, representing Macoupin County Indivisible, said he plans to contact the Illinois Attorney General and ACLU to determine whether or not it was legal to appoint Spudich without first hearing from constituents who had registered to speak on the issue.

The Republican Central Committee chose Spudich as its nominee on Feb. 26, nine days after Heuer’s death. Committee Chair Kristi Dunnagan, who also serves as a District 3 County Board member, signed the letter to Schmidt to put Spudich’s name before the full board. Dunnagan also made the motion Tuesday night for the board to consider the appointment.

“Chairman, should we allow these people to speak prior to voting?” asked John Blank of Gillespie

Schmidt, however, called for a roll call vote, indicating it was not unusual to seat a nominee at the beginning of the meeting. Fourteen members voted to affirm Spudich, while board members Tony Wiggins, Carlinville, and James Ibberson, Virden, voted “no.” Ryan Kilduff, Staunton, voted “present.”

Immediately after the vote, Circuit Judge Thomas Denby administered the oath of office to Spudich, after which Spudich took his seat on the board. The appointment is effective through Dec. 8 this year.

An angry Chelsa Pruden, Staunton, who had requested an opportunity to address the board, left the meeting immediately after the vote. “You guys are (expletive) cowards,” Pruden shouted. “He keeps bullying and harassing women online, and I’m going to stay on your ass.”

County Clerk Pete Duncan said considering appointments to the board immediately after the opening roll call was common practice. He said the board seated Andy Manar to replace Beverly Bertagnolli in 2003 after roll call. Likewise, John Gay was appointed to replace Mike Zippay in March 2011, Chi Pelo was appointed to replace Mike Trantor in April 2020, and Molly Rosentereter was appointed to replace Charles Siegel in February. 2023, all immediately after the roll call.

“That’s how it’s been done,” Duncan said. “That’s the way it was done under four different board chairmen.”

In an email response to the Lovejoy Desk, an online media outlet, Schmidt defended his decision, saying it was the right of the Chair to alter the order of business as long as no new items were added to the agenda. 

“The reason is to get the new board member installed at the beginning of the meeting so he can fill the vacant seat and represent his district,” Schmidt wrote

Spudich allegedly has a reputation for online bullying and harassment, according to those who opposed his appointment to the board. Elected as a write-in candidate last April to Staunton Board of Education, Spudich came under fire for his online activities six months later. Last October, after hearing from five residents who voiced concerns about Spudich’s online behavior, the Board of Education voted to disavow Spudich’s comments but stopped short of officially censuring him.

Two members of the public who asked to address the County Board about Spudich were allowed to speak several minutes after Spudich was seated. James Cloud, Staunton, who was among those who addressed the Staunton School Board, cited disparaging online remarks directed at former County Board members Sissy Vojas and Chi Pelo. Additionally, he said, other women reported they also had been harassed by Spudich online.

Spudich’s post on the Macoupin County Republicans Facebook in page in October prompted Cloud and others to approach the Staunton School Board with concerns about a sitting board member making jokes about discharging firearms around liberals.

“Chi (Pelo) is MAGA compared to the new Staunton liberals out there,” Spudich posted. “They seem crazy enough that I consider carrying wherever I go for self defense. But I wouldn’t want that pesky gun to be in its holster and go off on its own.”

Hatlee also zeroed in on Spudich’s online persona, saying Spudich is known for “bullying” people who disagree with his political positions.  He also referenced Spudich’s alleged “thinly veiled threat to shoot people.”

“What is the process and the logic in even considering appointing an individual with a history of that kind of behavior?” Hatlee asked. “We’re not talking about a one-time mistake, we’re talking about a pattern.”

Hatlee noted that when the board agreed to approve a resolution opposing political violence, Blank had urged “lowering the temperature” on political rhetoric in Maoupin County.

“He (Blank) said there’s political violence in our country and it’s going to be here in our county if we don’t turn down the temperature,” Hatlee said. “Congratulations, the people who promote political violence are in this room now.”

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Additionally, Hatlee suggested Spudich’s appointment tarnishes the dignity and reputation of the county board. 

“I’ve lost respect for the board,” he said. “What are you going to do to claw back respectability for the office?”

In his emailed statement, Schmidt said “Spudich . . . is very controversial to the radical left wing group that has been a constant presence at our meetings,” apparently referencing Macoupin County Indivisible. Hatlee, on the other hand, identified the organization as a nonpartisan group committed to democracy. 

“Spudich is on the Staunton School and they tried to get him removed from there because he doesn’t believe in their left-wing agenda,” Schmidt said in his email. “They said they would take any actions they could,” Schmidt said, “pretty much saying to make trouble for us.”

A year ago, Pruden and others publicly criticized Schmidt for what they called homophobic comments online. Schmidt declined to step down from the chairmanship or resign from the board. Prior to a board meeting during which Pruden and others were set to speak against Schmidt, Schmidt conducted a straw poll among county board members asking whether or not he should resign or continue in his role as chair. Pruden later filed a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Office, which issued an opinion that the telephone poll was in violation of the state’s Open Meetings Act. Attorney General opinions are not equivalent to a court decision, but generally go unchallenged.

Macoupin County Indivisible emerged, in part, from the confrontation between the board chairman and members of the public last spring. The group held weekly protests against Schmidt for several weeks, which later morphed into a more general demonstrations against MAGA politics and President Donald Trump.

Heuer was re-elected to a four-year term on the board in 2024. A two-year term for the seat will be on the General Election ballot in November this year. 

Spudich is employed by the State of Illinois as an investigator. Earlier in his career, he was a police officer in Bunker Hill and Williamson, and Sergeant in the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department, according to his LinkedIn profile. He was a Border Patrol Agent for nearly six years and was a Postal Inspector for seven years.

GRANT WRITING SERVICES OFFERED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Board members unanimously approved the Finance Committee’s recommendation to offer grant writing services to units of local government in Macoupin County, using $15,000 set aside from an Energy Transition grant received by the county. Grant writing services will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The county’s only obligation under the intergovernmental agreement will be to provide assistance in writing grant applications. The county offers no guarantees regarding the success of grant applications, and the unit of local government will be solely responsible for administering any grants awarded.

Units of local government may use the county’s assistance for only one grant application. If funds remain available for the program at the end of the grant cycle, units of local government may apply for assistance with a second grant application.

Joseph Chirwa, the county’s grant administrator, presumably will provide assistance to local communities seeking grant writing assistance.

Last November, the board approved a measure directing Chirwa to focus his efforts solely on grant applications for the county. At that time Holly Klausing, Finance Committee Chair, said the committee might recommend offering his services to local communities at a later date.

DATA CENTERS RESOLUTION

On a motion by Dunnagan, the board voted to place a year-long moratorium on a resolution regarding the siting of data center facilities pending more information. Several surrounding counties have adopted resolutions in opposition to siting Data Centers in their communities, citing potential strains on local resources.

Data centers have become an issue with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence which requires complexes with massive computing capabilities. The centers are said to consume large amounts of electrical power, creating a potential for higher utility costs for local consumers. In addition, the facilities use excessive amounts of water to cool computer servers. At the same time, according to opponents, the facilities offer little in the way of economic benefits to the communities where they are located.

Chairman Schmidt noted that some data center designs recirculate cooling water, reducing strains on local water resources. Dunnagan suggested the county does not have the information it needs to make a decision on whether or not a data center would benefit the county economically.

Board member Ibberson seemed to urge action on the resolution Tuesday night.

“We kicked this down the road last month,” he said.

Board member Harry Starr said he would like to have more information before making a decision.

While noting the nearest proposed data center would be in Sangamon County, Bernie Kiel said the resolution on the table “is to protect our resources in Macoupin County.”

Ultimately, the moratorium was approved with nine board members voting “yes.” Four members voted present and four members cast “no” votes.

ANNUAL AUDIT, FINANCIAL UPDATE

The board accepted the county’s annual audit fiscal 2024-25 after a brief presentation by Kara Evans of Scheffel-Boyle Certified Public Accountants. Evans said the accountants provided three opinion letters confirming an unmodified opinion which is “the best we can give you.”

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The auditors found “no material weaknesses” in the county governments financial reporting. Minor deficiencies were identified in the preparation of financial statements, maintaining depreciation schedules and preparing journal entries. Such deficiencies, however, are common among counties the size of Macoupin and resulted in no substantive findings.

While the county received clean opinions, the auditors did suggest improvement on monthly reconciliation practices, particularly for the Highway Department and Emergency Telephone System Board.

The county’s cash on hand decreased by about $3 million during the fiscal year, primarily due to spending down American Recovery Program funds (funds distributed to local governments after the COVID pandemic). Property tax revenue was down by $5.2 million because of delays in distributing tax bills and collecting revenue.

Evans said county expenditures increased by about $1.2 million last year, primarily due to increases in payroll.

“That sounds like a lot, but its not uncommon for a county this size,” she said.

While the county received clean opinions for its accounting practices, a mid-year financial review once again reflected a tightening financial future. At the fiscal year’s midpoint, County Clerk Duncan said county expenditures are inline with the budget approved last fall.

With $10.4 million budgeted for expenditures for the year, the county has spent slightly more than $6 million in General Funds–about 58 percent of the budget. Based on those numbers, the county is now projected to end the fiscal year with $10,057,000—less than the $10,315,000 originally budgeted.

On the revenue side, the county has taken in only 38 percent of the $10.4 the budget anticipated—down $216,000 from the revenue collected at this point last fiscal year. Based on those numbers, Duncan has trimmed revenue expectations for next fiscal year to about $10,389,000.

The dismal outlook could get worse, Duncan warned. The state budget proposed by Gov. JB Pritzker calls for reductions in fund distributions to local governments, which would further reduce revenue projections for next fiscal year.

With mandatory salary increases and increasing insurance costs, the county shows a potential for a $3.9 million deficit in five years without adding any new positions or programs.

FARM LEASE TERMINATED

On a motion by Holly Klausing, the board agreed to terminate a lease with tenant Dwight Behme on a parcel of county-owned farmland north of Carlinville. The lease, which has been in place since April 2021, will end on Oct. 31, after which the county plans to lease the property to the Carlinville High School FFA program for agriculture education programs.

Last year, the board declared the property surplus and attempted to sell it. Negotiations with potential buyers, however, failed and prior offers reportedly were below the appraised value.

Behme will have until Oct. 31 to harvest this year’s crop but may be granted an extension in the event weather precludes completing the harvest by the deadline.

COUNTY TOURISM FUNDS

Andrea Duncan address the board seeking input from board members regarding tourist attractions throughout the county. Duncan said the county has been allotted $20,000 from the Energy Transfer Grant to promote tourism county-wide. While volunteers involved with Old Jail and Courthouse have information about attractions in the Carlinville area, Duncan said information is need from other parts of the county to be included in brochures and other promotional materials.

She ask board members to provide information about festivals or other events, and recreational opportunities in their communities.

“It would be hard for us to go around the county and get every bit of information,” she said. “We thought you could go back to your communities for us.”

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FUNDING

In separate actions, the board approved a series of measures aimed at facilitating the county’s application for federal grant funds for the Macoupin County Public Transit program, administered through the Macoupin County Public Health Department.

The measures authorize the County Board Chair to sign the grant application, and ensure the county is in compliance with technical requirements for the grant.

STAUNTON AMBULANCE TAX ISSUE

As a matter of information for the board, Dean DeVries of the Staunton Area Ambulance District told the board that the agency erroneously paid more than $2,900 in property taxes last September and has been unable to recover the funds. He said the agency received a phone call in September indicating the ambulance owed property taxes and that the delinquency was about to be published, setting the stage for the property to be sold for back taxes.

DeVries said a clerical worker was unable to contact him about the issue. She withdrew funds to cover the taxes and paid the bill.

“We’ve been tax-exempt since 1997,” DeVries said. “We’ve been fighting with the state to prove we’re tax exempt and get our money back.”

OTHER ACTION

In other action, the board:

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• Approved a minor subdivision in rural Bunker Hill allowing a property owner to split a four-acre plot from a 17-acre track. The parcel already has a house and will require no further improvements.

• Approved a measure authorizing the Board Chair to sign letters of support for communities seeking federal Congressional grant funds.

• Approved a resolution adjusting the Motor Fuel Tax appropriation upward by $1 million to authorize expenditure of Build Illinois funds awarded for construction on the Staunton-Bunker Hill Road.

• Adjusted the E-Citation Fund appropriation upward by $10,307 to cover the cost of training and set-up associated with implementing a program allowing police to submit law enforcement citations to the Circuit Clerk’s office electronically.

• Approved a measure to distribute a copy room appropriation to individual offices for copy machine purchases and supplies.

• Approved the reappointment of Lori Hopkins and Mark Vaughn to the Bunker Hill Fire Protection District for three-year terms ending April 30, 2029.

• Approved the appointment of Bernard Joseph (Joey) Boente III to the Henderson Water District for a vacancy with a five-year term ending March 31, 2031.

• Approved the reappointment of Jim Marsaglia, George Murphy and Eric Allison to the Virden Cemetery Association for six-year terms ending Dec. 31, 2031.

• Approved the reappointment of Martin Jones to the Virden Fire Protection District for a three-year term ending April 30, 2029.

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