Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education on Monday night voted unanimously to accept the district’s annual financial report, chose an insurance carrier for property and liability, and authorized the Superintendent to apply for an administrative expenditures waiver.

Following a lengthy executive session, the board also voted 4-1 to expel an elementary student for the remainder of the school year, one of the youngest students the board has ever cited for expulsion. Board member Peyton Bernot cast the sole negative vote. Board members Amanda Ross, Dennis Tiburzi, Kelli Vesper and Weye Schmidt all voted to approve the disciplinary action. Board member Bill Carter was absent. There are no alternative school programs for students below the sixth grade. The expelled student reportedly will have an opportunity to continue classwork via an online program and will be provided with access to school counseling services.

Ken Loy, an accountant with Loy-Miller-Talley Public Accountants, Alton, told board members that the annual audit resulted in a “clean, unmodified” opinion from the auditors, meaning there were no descrepancies in the district’s accounting procedures for the fiscal year that ended June 30. The audit, which is required by state law, contains three opinion letters, all of which were positive in regard to the district’s accounting and fiscal management.

One letter is a general report of the auditors’ findings, indicating the district’s financial records “present fairly, in all material aspects, the assets and liabilities arising from cash transactions of balances of each fund.” Further, the report affirms, “the revenues (the district) received and expenditures it paid for the year . . . (are) in accordance with provisions of the State Board of Education.”

A second letter describes the scope of the auditing process, while a third letter addresses the district’s handling of federal funds. Loy said the federal letter is required when a district receives more than $750,000 in federal funds. For the most recent fiscal year, the district received about $2.5 million from federal sources. While that revenue triggered the need for a separate opinion letter, Loy said the amount was down somewhat from the past few years when the district was receiving COVID recovery funds. As with the general letter, the federal report reflects “a good, clean audit report,” according to Loy.

“All of these opinion letters are good as they have been in the past,” Loy said.

Zeroing in on some details of the 75-page audit, Loy noted that all funds ended the fiscal year in the black, except for the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund which spent about $33,000 more than it received in revenue. However, Loy said, that deficit was a planned deficit that drew down on surplus balances. 

“All of your other funds were positive,” he noted.

The district’s total equalized assessment value, the basis for property tax extensions, increased to $112,324,042 from $103,564,334 a year earlier, which was up from $95,324,343. The property tax extension for 2024, payable in 2025, was $3,599,569. The board typically sets the levy for the upcoming tax year in December.

The per capita tuition charge, determined by dividing enrollment into the total cost of education, increased from $8,892 for fiscal 2024 to $13,248 for fiscal 2025—due, in part, to a dramatic decrease in enrollment. The report notes that enrollment dropped from 1,005 in 2024 to 871 in 2025. That decline in enrollment, according to Loy, resulted in about $2,000 of the increased tuition charge. 

Loy said the enrollment erosion is not unusual in downstate school districts.

“Our rural communities are aging,” he said. “We don’t have the size of families we used to have.”

Loy noted that the district’s state financial profile score increased from 3.7 out of 4.0 for fiscal 2024 to 3.8 for the most recently concluded fiscal year. The score identifies the district as a “Recognition Status” district, the highest ranking for financial health and stability.

“Your score went up a little bit because your debt went down,” Loy said. “At the same time, your capacity to borrow went up.”

Of the four criteria the State Board of Education uses to determine the score, CUSD 7 fell short of a 4.0 score in only the area of debt to income ratio. 

“If not for the substantial debt, you would have had a perfect score,” Loy noted.

Supt. Shane Owsley told the board that some of the debt that’s bringing down the district’s financial score is lingering debt associated with the loss of Benld Elementary School and the construction of the BenGil Elementary School. The district secured special state legislation allowing it to exceed its normal debt ceiling to deal with the mine subsidence crisis. While that debt does not count toward the district’s debt ceiling, it is included in the financial report.

“Overall, you had a good year financially,” Loy said. With a $1.8 million increase in cash and investment balances “you are on solid footing and keeping up with inflation.”

INSURANCE POLICY

After several minutes of discussion, the board opted to switch from Wright Specialty to the Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust to provide property and liability insurance coverage at a cost of $235,061—about 26 percent less than what the district paid in premiums last year to Wright Specialty.

Richard Sedlak, an insurance broker with Schmale Insurance Agency, Belleville presented two options for the board to consider and discussed some of the advantages of one over the other. Wright Specialty proposed a policy similar to what the district currently has, except that the deductible for wind and hail damage was increased from one percent to two percent. 

“A two percent deductible for wind and hail on three buildings could be a lot of money,” Owsley advised the board.

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Wright’s proposed premium was $318,852—an increase of about 12 percent over what the district paid to Wright last year.

Wright also fell short on mine subsidence coverage, setting a claim limit of $750,000, compared with ICRMT’s limit of $10 million. The Trust also offered replacement costs on roofs up to 20 years in age. Wright’s coverage for earthquake damage topped out at $15 million, compared with ICRMT’s $10 million limit.

“If your concern is with earthquakes, Wright has the better program,” Seldom said. “If you’re more concerned about mine subsidence, the Trust has a better program.”

Sedlak said ICRMT is a stable company that has been in business more than 30 years. “It’s a non-accessible trust,” he said, meaning that if the company experiences a large loss, it cannot come back and reassess policy holders.

Going with ICRMT, Sedlak said, would give the district up to $30 million in coverage on the high school/middle school.

“This will be the first time you’ll have coverage that equals the value of that building,” he said. By going with the Trust, he said, “You’ll be giving up a little earthquake coverage for a lot more subsidence coverage.”

Later in the meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve ICRMT’s proposal for the coming year. The proposal includes Workers Compensation coverage through Zenith Insurance Co., the district’s current Workers Compensation carrier.

BUS PURCHASE

On a motion by Peyton Bernot, seconded by Amanda Ross, the board unanimously accepted Supt. Owsley’s recommendation to spend upward of $153,000 for a new bus from Central States Bus Sales to replace an older bus from the district’s fleet of buses. Owsley said he will pay for the vehicle from the Transportation Fund which was projected to end the year with a surplus of about $564,000. Financing the purchase, he said, would unnecessarily cost the district about six percent in interest.

“My goal is to make sure that none of our buses are more than five years old,” he said, “because that’s when depreciation ends.”

The fleet currently consists of 13 buses, seven of which are older than five years. 

“We don’t need 13 buses,” Owsley said, reporting that Transportation Director Tim Besserman said he’d be comfortable with 10 buses. The district currently runs seven full bus routes.

Owsley said two buses already have been surplused, and he expects to surplus two more inoperable buses soon. The surplused vehicles are being scrapped, he said, “because scrap prices right now are more than what we can get for trade-in.”

ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS WAIVER

Following a mandated public hearing, the board approved a resolution directing the Superintendent to apply to the State Board of Education for a waiver freeing the district from keeping increases in administrative costs at five percent or less. ISBE requires a waiver whenever administrative cost increases exceed five percent. Owsley said those costs for this fiscal year are likely to increase by eight percent.

The resolution applies solely to administrative costs that fall under the Superintendent’s office. Owsley said the increased costs are attributable to mandated increases in staff salaries and increasing costs for supplies.

As part of the process, the district was required to notify the Macoupin County Federation of Teachers Local 528, along with state legislators representing the district.

PERSONNEL

The board accepted the resignation of Jennifer Brown as the high school Student Council sponsor, effective at the end of the current school year, after several years of serving in that position. 

“She’s been the Student Council sponsor for a lot of years,” Bernot noted. “She was the sponsor when I was in school.”

The measure to accept her resignation also directs the district to post the position as vacant.

Board members also voted unanimously to accept the resignation of Jake Kellebrew as the district’s Bass Fishing coach and to post the position as vacant.

The resignation of Jeremy Smith as high school head baseball coach was also accepted after 16 successful seasons with the team.

DISTRICT FOCUS

During a District Focus segment, Elementary Principal Angela Sandretto introduced new teachers Nick Davio, who teaches music and fifth-grade band, and speech instructor Karen Robertson.

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“Students are very excited to be in his classes,” Sandretto said of Davio. “We’re very happy to have him.”

She said the district is “very lucky” have Robertson, whom she described as a “great addition to the elementary staff.”

High School Principal Jill Rosentreter noted newly hired paraprofessionals, Shari Scott and Foli Seferi, along with newly hired custodian Tom Turiglatto. Rosentreter described the paraprofessionals as “self starters.”

GRANTS

Owsley reported the district recently received a $20,000 grant from the Illinois Arts Council to buy equipment for the high school art classroom. He also reported a $15,000 donation from Dr. Ross Billiter, and the receipt of a $50,000 matching grant for facility improvements.

Owsley singled out the administrative staff for praise following the conclusion of  Principals Appreciation Week.

“I’d take my team over any other team in the state,” he said. “I can’t thank them enough. They’re here everyday and they care about every student in the district.”

“We have not had a Superintendent who has brought the amount of grant money into our district as you have,” Board President Mark Hayes told Owsley.

OTHER ACTION

In other action, the board approved moving the regular monthly board meeting for December from Monday, Dec. 22, to Monday, Dec. 15, to preclude conflicting with the holidays and winter break. 

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Members of the Benld City Council on Monday night accepted an annual audit completed by Scheffel-Boyle Certified Public Accountants, Alton, approved a new building permit form and renewed a risk management insurance policy through the Illinois Municipal League.

Accountant Kara Fuller, Scheffel-Boyle, told the council that the auditors gave the city a clean bill of health regarding accounting procedures for the fiscal 2025, which ended April 30. 

“There were no material weaknesses,” Fuller said. “You have an ‘unmodified opinion,’ which is the best you guys can receive.”

Fuller reported a slight decrease in total revenue for the General Fund revenue because of grant funds received in previous fiscal years, Fuller said. “So, we expected that decrease,” she added.

Municipal expenses increased “quite a bit” but, again, much of that increase resulted from spending down grant funds reported as revenue in previous years. Among the major projects reflected by the audit are $307,000 spent on developing the new Benld Community Sports Center; $72,000 for tuck pointing; and $56,000 for a new truck.

“It’s nothing to be alarmed about because you’re spending down those grant funds,” Fuller noted.

The city paid off a loan to purchase a backhoe, reducing the city’s total indebtedness by $20,000. 

Fuller commended the council for investing more than $600,000 in Certificates of Deposit to generate interest revenue for the city.

The General Fund ended the year $174,597 in the black while Proprietary Funds (water, sewer and refuse) posted a $63,508 loss. Coupled with existing balances at the start of fiscal 2025, the General Fund ended the year with $2,506,710 in assets, while the Proprietary Funds ended the year with $2,016,354, putting the city’s total financial position for cash and assets at $4,523,064.

A separate audit for the Benld Public Library shows $205,142, including $156,851 in donations. Library expenditures totaled $182,083. With $382,013 on hand at the beginning of the fiscal year, the Library ended the year $512,268 in the black.

IML INSURANCE POLICY

On a motion by Ald. John Balzraine, seconded by Ald. Jerry Saracco, the council agreed to renew its umbrella insurance policy with the Illinois Municipal League’s Risk Management Association insurance policy for an annual cost of $26,155.53. The renewal includes a $250 membership renewal for the Municipal League and a one percent discount for early payment.

The policy is basically a pool policy for dozens of municipalities in Illinois, covering property loss, workers compensation, auto liability and damage, and portable equipment owned by the city.

BUILDING PERMIT

The council voted unanimously to adopt a more comprehensive building permit application prepared by City Clerk Terri Koyne. The new form outlines the process for obtaining a permit and identifies eight categories of construction for which a permit is required: new construction; deck, patio or porch; fence; portable shed or carport; swimming pool or water features with a depth of two feet or more;  sidewalk of driveway paving; and solar panels of any kinds.

For new home construction, the form collects data on square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and other information collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.

NUISANCE COMPLAINTS

City Attorney Rick Verticchio said the city obtained a court judgment requiring property owner Brian Komanetsky to pay a $500 fine for a nuisance violation involving an infestation of feral cats on the property. Verticchio said he refilled the ordinance complaint and will continue to refile it until Komanetsky either abates the nuisance or the city generates enough revenue in fines to cover the cost of removing the animals. A hearing on the new complaint is set for Oct. 23.

“We will refile until he gets rid of them,” Verticchio reported. “If he doesn’t do it, we’ll continue until we collect enough in fines to pay for us to go in and do it on our own.”

At the request of several aldermen, Verticchio agreed to file nuisance ordinance violation complaints against property at 500 North Seventh Street, 100 North Seventh Street, 407 South Illinois Street, and 708 North Main Street.

SUPPLIES REPLACEMENT

At the recommendation of Ald. Dustin Fletcher, the council agreed to spend $5,072.52 to replenish the Street Department’s supply of culverts and materials.

STORM DAMAGE PAYMENT

Council members voted unanimously to pay a $795 claim for damaged caused to guttering when a tree on city property fell on a house on South Main Street.

ITALIAN CLUB IMPROVEMENTS

Ald. Balzraine reported the Italian Club has completed the majority of the work it pledged to do at the City Park. Balzraine said the club has black-topped areas in the park, replaced the floor in the women’s bathroom and repainted bathroom walls. The council voted last month to accept the Italian Club’s offer to perform about $15,000 in improvements at the park.

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Macoupin County Board members on Tuesday night agreed to enter into a $190,000 contract with Hampton, Lenzini & Renwick, Inc. Springfield, to engineer and design Phase II of a project to improve Emmerson Airline, and voted to approve a resolution condemning political violence. The board also approved a largely symbolic resolution opposing the Safe Gun Storage Act, recently approved by the General Assembly.

In other action, the board approved a contract with County GIS Coordinator Aaron Coe, adjusted the budget for fiscal 2026 to account for increases in insurance premiums, and approved a long-awaited amended subdivision ordinance.

According to County Engineer Tom Reinhardt, Hampton, Lenzini & Renwick will complete engineering associated with the second phase of the Emmerson Airline Project. Originally built in the 1930s, the 12-mile roadway connects Girard with Palmyra, crossing Otter Lake at about the mid-point. Successive applications of asphalt and chips raised the road surface above the gutters on each side of the roadway, creating hazardous driving conditions.

The rehabilitation project includes removing the old pavement, widening the roadway and reconstructing the pavement.

The project has been ongoing since 2014 when Thiems Construction was retained to rehabilitate about 4.5 miles of the roadway between Girard and Carlinville Cut-Off. Completion of that $5 million project was delayed when the contractor encountered unreported underground utilities and other factors.

Phase II will focus on the section between Carlinville Cut-Off and Quarton Road. Eighty percent of the project is covered with federal funds, with local funding making up the balance.

BOARD VOTES TO CONDEMN POLITICAL VIOLENCE, OPPOSE GUN STORAGE LAW

The board approved a resolution condemning political violence by acclamation, with one member voting “present.” The resolution originally was proposed as a measure to declare Oct. 14 as Charlie Kirk Day in remembrance of the political activist who was assassinated on Sept. 10. After hearing citizens concerns, the Administrative Committee revised the resolution to put the board on record in opposing all forms of political violence.

District 3 board member Kristi Dunnagan initially objected to the resolution, calling it a “waste of paper,” but later voted to approve it when it came to a vote.

“To me, this is unnecessary,” Dunnagan said. “This is just common sense to me. We all respect the views of other people and we would never call for violence. This is a Republican majority board, but even when it was a Democrat board, they would never have called for violence. I think it’s ridiculous.”

Ryan Kilduff, District 1, who later voted “present” said he concurred with Dunnagan’s assessment.

District 5 board member John Blank, however, said the resolution was not directed at board members but was a condemnation of political violence in sphere.

“I think this is necessary, not for us but for the things that are said outside this room,” Blank said. “If we don’t condemn political violence, it’s going to be in our back yard someday.”

Molly Rosentreter indicated the resolution resonated with her since she and her family, as political figures, had experienced threats first hand.

“Political violence is on an uptick,” Board Chair Larry Schmidt commented, adding that the resolution condemns political violence regardless of its source.

The board unanimously approved by acclamation a resolution opposing the state’s Safe Gun Storage Act and affirming the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners. The resolution asserts that the new law infringes upon the rights of gun owners who have guns in their homes to protect their families and homes. The strict requirements for gun storage and trigger locks, the resolution says, would prevent gun owners from quickly accessing their firearms in an emergency. The resolution further argues that enforcement would require unreasonable intrusions into gun owners’ homes.

Chairman Schmidt acknowledged the law has already been passed. “This is just us going on record in opposition to it,” he said.

Earlier in meeting Eleanor Harms, Carlinville, appeared before the board to commend the Administrative Committee for listening to citizen concerns and drafting a resolution to condemn political violence across the board.

“I would like to commend the members of the General Administrative Committee for putting forth a resolution condemning all for forms of political violence and encouraging the people of Macoupin County to engage in civil discussion,” she said. “At the same time, I would like to encourage you, as leaders of our community, to set an example of kindness and respect, and to vocally denounce expressions of violence and threats against political opponents. When you see something, say something. If you hear someone joking about bringing a gun to a political rally or driving a car into a peaceful protest, your words can make a difference–or your silence can speak volumes.”

Gillespie resident Jim Cloud also addressed the board, expressing concerns about comments appearing on the Macoupin County Republicans Facebook page. With a 15-3 majority on the board, Cloud asserted the actions of the party reflect on the board. He singled out Aaron Stayton, District 6, administrator of the GOP Facebook page for allegedly misleading the public regarding COVID and, more recently, the administration’s claim that Tylenol is linked to autism.

“If one of your members is lying to the general community, it makes the Macoupin Republican Party look like liars,” Cloud said, “it undermines not only your private organization’s credibility it undermines the entire County Board’s credibility.”

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Cloud presented screenshots of a Facebook thread about the Mt. Olive parade that descended into a discussion of the federal and state response to COVID. Cloud accused Stayton to disseminating erroneous information and deleting opposing comments and/or blocking the poster.

“You’ve blocked me from the Macoupin Republicans page for simply sharing credible and accurate information,” Cloud alleged. “You have also made false claims on the same page that you have not blocked me. You have also limited other Macoupin citizens free speech by either deleting comments or limiting the view of comments. These are not comments that would get one banned from any other reasonable and relatively unbiased local Facebook page, especially from one that is supposed to represent the principles of free speech.”

Cloud had expected to call for Stayton’s removal from board committees and to remove him as administrator of the party’s Facebook page, but exceeded the time limit imposed for public comments.

“I do not care if you are a Democrat or Republican,” he said.  “I firmly believe that any deception by any local government leaders hurt all of the fine citizens of Macoupin County regardless of party affiliation.

GIS MANAGER

Following a 15-minute executive session to discuss personnel, the board voted unanimously to extend GIS Manager Aaron Coe’s contract by three years with annual salary increases of four percent each year. Coe has managed the county’s Geographic Information System for the past seven years. GIS is used to update maps and has several applications in county government, such as defining taxing district boundaries and recording deeds.

In a related matter, the board approved, on Coe’s recommendation, a contract with Bruce Harris & Associates, Batavia, to upgrade the county’s GIS software at a cost not to exceed $7,000. Coe said the current software has been in use since 1996 and will become obsolete by March next year.

The new software should increase efficiency. The cost is covered by the GIS line item in the county budget.

BUDGET ADJUSTED FOR INSURANCE

On the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the board voted to increase the appropriation for health insurance premiums by $58,000 to cover an increase in insurance costs. The action increases the insurance appropriation in the current budget approved in August from $1,004,684.18 to $1,063,379.18.

The measure also increases the county’s budgeted revenue expectations by the same amount, making the increased expenditure “budget neutral,” according to Duncan. Duncan said revenue estimates used for the original budget appear to have increased.

The board voted last month to renew a policy with Blue Cross-Blue Shield with premium increase of nearly 20 percent. The premium increased from $946.75 per month to $1,049.35 for each employee. The county pays 90 percent of the premium for each of the county’s more than 190 employees.

SPECIAL SERVICE AREA AUDITS

The board voted unanimously to require Special Service Areas in the county to file their annual audits with the board’s General Administrative Committee. With few exceptions most local taxing bodies are required by state law to file appropriations, budgets and audits with county. The newly approved measure will also require Special Service Areas, providers of regional ambulance services, to also file their annual audits with the County Board.

Chairman Schmidt said the measure will ensure accountability on the part of Special Service Areas that collect local real estate taxes.

“You’re voting to accept these audits and place them on file,” Duncan advised before the vote.

Duncan said he has received audits from Special Service Area 1, serving Mount Olive; 2, serving Bunker Hill; 3, serving Staunton; and 4, serving Gillespie/Carlinville. Prairieland Ambulance Service Area 5, serving the Virden-Girard area, has not been audited since 2021 but reportedly will be audited for the past fiscal year.

SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE

By a unanimous vote, the board approved a long-awaited amended subdivision ordinance. States Attorney Jordan Garrison told the board that most of the changes were “clerical” changes to ensure the ordinance is congruent with state statutes.

The ordinance clarifies the definitions for major and minor subdivisions, and it places time restrictions on minor subdivision permits. The time restrictions for minor subdivisions are aimed at preventing developers from applying for successive minor subdivision permits to circumvent the permitting process for major subdivisions.

“We modified it to make sure there were temporal restrictions on minor subdivisions,” Garrison said.

The ordinance applies only to rural subdivisions that are not subject to municipal oversight. It generally describes major subdivisions as land divided into parcels of less than five acres, with improvements such as streets, sidewalks and utilities. For the most part, minor subdivisions are instances when a landowner wishes to divide a parcel in order for a family member to build a home.

COURTHOUSE HVAC

The board unanimously to spend $42,000 from the Capital Outlay fund to replace ceiling tiles in county offices on the ground floor of the courthouse. Building and Grounds Committee Chair Harry Starr told the board the existing tiles were removed as part of a year-long project to replace the HVAC system. The original plan was to reuse the removed tiles, but workers found that they were unsuitable for reuse.

“They’re old, they’re crumbling and some of them are nasty,” Starr said, adding that some of the tile were stained with water marks. The $42,000 will replace the tiles and the supporting grids. Starr suggested using the Capital Outlay fund to pay for the work in order to conserve the project’s contingency fund as the project nears completion.

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In a related matter, the board gave the Building and Grounds Committee power to act on unexpected expenses as the HVAC project wraps up. The committee is restricted to a maximum of $10,000 per item.

“Things come up in the middle of the month when we are between meetings,” Starr said. The power to act provision will allow the committee to deal with unexpected expenses without having to wait for meeting of the full board.

APPOINTMENTS

The board approved the appointment of Jeffrey Sudduth to complete the unexpired term of of Kennedy Timpe expiring May 1, 2026, on the Scottville-Modesto Fire Protection District board. Timpe reportedly moved out of the district and could no longer serve on the panel.

The board also appointed Frank Schwab the the Macoupin County Housing Authority board to complete the term of Roger Kratochvil, whose term expires in August, 2027.

COURTHOUSE HOLIDAYS

The board unanimously approved a schedule of court-designated holidays during which the Courthouse will be closed. Schedule holidays for 2026 included: New Year’s Day, Thursday, Jan. 1; Martin Luther King Day, Monday, Jan. 18; Presidents Day, Monday, Feb. 18; Memorial Day, Monday, May 25; Independence Day, Friday, July 3; Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7; Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 12; Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3; Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11; Thanksgiving Day holiday, Thursday and Friday, Nov. 25-26; Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24; Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25; and New Year’s Eve, Thursday, Dec. 31.

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