Clock having arrived and slightly past the board will come to order. Invocation by Miss Shepard. Pledge of allegiance by Mr. Thomas. >> Lord, we ask that you grant this county board wisdom and discernment as we make decisions for those we serve. We ask for
your protection over all those serving in the military. We also lift up our veterans and first responders and ask that you watch over them and keep them safe. We ask this in your precious name. Amen. United States
andice for all. >> The clerk will call the role. >> Excused. Here here. >> Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Uh quick business reminder to board members, Mr. Keman, all those months in hair and makeup are
finally paying off. We are broadcasting live this evening for the first time. Those anyone watching remotely, please bear with us as we as we uh learn to broadcast live, but we are broadcasting live for the first time. A reminder to everyone, please speak directly into the
microphone. And for any public speakers that we have tonight, a reminder that we can adjust the height of the podium from which you're speaking so that the microphone is properly positioned so you can hear. Next, um we have an this is an
evening of conversion of converting telephones for board members to the new uh email system. Uh Mr. Deljo was sort of led the charge on this so that we are fully compliant with foyer regulations. If you have not converted your phone
yet, uh it will be tapping you out during the meeting and you'll be able to go next door and get your phone updated. Uh we are broadcasting simultaneously next door. So if we're not if there any we don't have enough seats, anyone can welcome to sit next door. You'll be able
to hear and see the meeting or can see the meeting both uh in the in the committee room next door. All right, with that uh preliminary business out of the way, the ch Mr. C, >> I make a point of uh >> Mr. Cam, you're I don't think you're
close enough to your mic. >> Yeah, we we talked earlier this I think it was earlier this week about the fact that a uh former member of the county board, I wasn't even aware he was a member of the county board had recently passed away. I'm talking about Herb
Smith and uh I think it might be appropriate uh to have a moment of silence for our former county board member who recently passed. >> Happy to do so. >> Now proceeding in the regular order. Uh the chair is pleased to recognize Miss
Venzi, Mrs. Shepard, and Mr. Deljouro. >> Hello. This is our annual uh gift for our staff uh presentation. So, I would like to call down our newly anointed deputy county administrator, Jeff Wilhigh. I get to be a Santa this year.
Um, all the board members appreciate all of Jeff's help. He's been with us for a few years and I think he's probably been tested to the limit and I think he earned this uh promotion to our deputy county administrator. He's been through a lot of controversy as our press person and I think a lot of us rely on Jeff for
information and for our constituents and for assistance. So, it's well welldeserved promotion and we're very uh happy to give you this gift from all the board members. I I I can't I can't help but note for board members uh when we first signed
Jeff on, Bernie Shonberg, who many of you will remember with the Asserbic newsman in this community told uh Brian, "This is the best thing you've ever done." Right, Brian? >> Mr. Deljouro, >> I just have to raise the podium. I'm a
little tall. Um, I looked forward to uh being able to present uh this gift uh for the holidays this year to the power behind the throne. But alas, I got stuck with Brian. >> And Brian now realizing that he's uh um
aging out uh has now asked for a deputy. Whoa. Thank you. well has now asked for a deputy. So, we've given him a deputy administrator. Um, but Brian, thank you for uh being the taskmaster that you are, for knowing everything about
everything that goes on around here, uh, even when you don't. Uh, so thank you very much and merry Christmas. And I am here. Mary, sweet Mary, it's your turn. Before we give this gift, we need to recognize the woman who actually
runs the county board. We may sit up here and vote, but Mary Mary manages the rest of us. Agendas magically appear, deadlines somehow get met. And when things start to go sideways, Mary is already there, three
steps ahead, quietly fixing it while the rest of us are still debating. Putting up with the count is not easy. Putting up with them is not easy. I'm pretty easy. Mary puts up with last minute changes, repeat questions, strong
opinions, occasional confusion, and meetings that were supposed to take an hour but mysteriously turn into a miniseries. She answers emails with that start with quick question. She survives reply all moments. She keeps a straight
face when we ask something that was clearly explained already. And answers anyway, calmly, professionally, and without pointing it out most of the time. If Mary ever took a surprise vacation without telling us, this building would instantly descend into
complete chaos. We'd be wandering the hallways with empty folders, missed deadlines, and absolutely no idea what we're supposed to be doing. She keeps this board organized, accountable, and functional, which quite honestly might be her greatest accomplishment. And
truly, Mary, you make all better. You handle everything we don't see, fix everything we don't know is broken, and carry more than anyone realizes, so this board can serve our county well. You are appreciated more than you hear, valued
more than you know, and relate relied on far more far more than I probably admit. So, this gift is just a small thank you for your patience, professionalism, and your incredible ability to put up with all of us and show up every day smiling.
We'd say we'll try to make next year easier on you, but let's all be realistic. Merry Christmas. Thank you. >> Okay, proceeding now to the regular business and the the main feature of this
evening's meeting. Uh we have a presentation from the Massie Commission and if our presenters want to proceed to the well of the chamber and adjust their uh podiums as they see fit. I just want
to say by way of welcome ask everyone in the room although it's a bit painful to take yourself mentally back to uh a little over a year ago uh
and uh the trauma and frustration that the community felt really as one in the face of Sonia Massiey's tragic murder and consider
the incredible good work of this commission in taking that frustrated energy and turning it into positive energy for good. We are as a community so thankful to you and we have
lots of good work here to to get done. So now to the work to do. Please tell us. >> Thank you so much. Uh good evening. Um the county uh board members, you all have a copy of this. Uh it is a compendium. This is not the not the full report. The full report will
remain online for a little while, but I wanted to walk you through this because it will follow exactly how we're going to go through the presentation. You have space for notes. Uh page three is a le letter from our commission leadership. Um, page five is our executive summary
and that also lists our four workg group titles that the commission had. Page seven, um, you can see that at the top it reads part two. You're not missing part one. It's just that we did not bring all those things forward. Um, and part two, uh, are our signature priorities which we're going to share
with you this evening. Um then you will note that beginning on page eight is the first of your five signature priorities which we're going to go through this evening and the actual calls to action begin on page 13. Um this is not as I
said the full report. We also, for those of you who are here um in the audience, we also have copies that are in the back that have some of the uh the same sort of materials just not printed in this really beautiful booklet that has Sonia's picture on the front of it. Um
I also want to thank you and say I I think that most of my emails began to marry with quick question. So I am also guilty of that same thing. So, thank you for giving us this space tonight. We're really glad to be here and we're glad to see new members at
this table. The work that we are going to share is this being seen by the way. >> They're figuring it out. Okay. Uh the work that we're going to share belongs to the community and anyone who is joining this conversation is pulling up a chair to a table set with that that
residents set with their stories, their expectations, and their courage. The commission's work began with a simple truth. Health is something we must practice with one another and something our public systems must protect. What we
heard over these long months is that health isn't only about clinics or crisis response. It's about safety, dignity, accountability, and the conditions that allow people to live without fear. Tonight is not just a
presentation. It's an invitation for every person in this room to take their place at this table tonight that the community set with courage and clarity. And before we walk you through the work itself, we want to introduce you to the
team that sat at that table. Some from the very beginning and others who joined later. Adam will start us off. >> Thank you, Kelly. When we talk about pulling up chairs to the table, this group did that day after day. >> Adam, would you hang on just a minute?
>> Do we have a technical problem that >> trying to get this screen here? >> Yeah, if we we I think we'd like to wait. So, >> Mr. Chairman, I was wondering if the speakers like Adam could identify
himself and what his title is and so on. >> Thanks. I will start. I'm Dr. Kelly Hurst, the managing director of the Massie Commission. >> I'm public engagement coordinator. >> Joan, you want to Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Yes, of course.
>> I'm Sante Massie. Uh, I am the associate director and S Massiey's cousin. Joanne Johnson, co-chair signing commission. >> Jerry Cruz, co-chair Massie Commission. Let's uh cover a few other routine
matters and we'll come back to the presentation. How about a motion for the approval of the minutes of the November 10th, 2025 meeting. >> Move. >> Money, second by Mr. Deljouro. All in favor signify by saying I. >> Opposed? No. The eyes have it. Minutes
are approved. Correspondence motion by Mr. Deljouro. Second by Mr. Medonia. for the approval of the correspondence be placed on file with the clerk. All in favor signify by saying I >> opposed. No. The eyes have correspondence be placed on file with the clerk. Uh Mr. Hall, did you did you
seek recognition for something? Why don't we just work through some resolutions and as they work through this and we'll come back to that. Okay. If you folks don't mind standing by. Resolution uh resolution number one. Mr. Clerk, will you please read resolution number one? >> Resolution one. Resolution approving the
county bridge petition number 453 for Springfield Township for removal of the Chinkapin road bridge over the Sangaman River. >> Motion by Mr. Frzy, seconded by Mr. Stump to place resolution one before the board questions comes to members of the
board on resolution one. Seeing none, the clerk will call the role. >> Ears. >> Yes. >> Camman. >> Dco. >> Diner. >> Deljouro. >> Hi. >> Depy. >> Hi. >> Focus Williams. Forsight >> Frzy. >> Hi >> Fulgenzi. >> Hi
>> Gayton. >> Hi >> Hall. >> Krelll. >> Hi >> Lean. >> Hi >> Monia. >> Hi >> Mcuire. >> Hi >> Menhal. >> Hi >> Miller. >> Hi >> Raider. >> Hi >> Scave. >> Hi >> Shman. >> Hi >> Shepard. >> I
>> Small >> Stump. >> Hi >> Thomas. >> Hi >> Chumlin. >> Hi >> Trux. >> Hi. >> All 27 approve. All those voting having voted in the affirmative resolution number one's adopted. Resolution two, Mr. Clerk. >> Number two, resolution approving the
purchase of a 2027 Pitts LB5122DC lo excuse me, Loboy Trailer from Aerrol Trailer and Equipment Cove. Springfield, Illinois on a joint purchasing contract in the amount of 78,000. >> Motion by Mr. Frezy, second by Mr. Rider
to place resolution two before the board. Questions, comments, members of the board on resolution two? Seeing none, Mr. Money, do you have a motion? >> I move the roll call vote for resolution one. Stand for the roll call vote for resolution two. >> All in favor signify by saying I.
>> Poss. No. The eyes have it. Resolution two is adopted. Resolution three. Mr. Clerk, >> are we ready? Okay. Very good. We're back in operation. We'll back to the mass commission. >> Problem. We'll just level set here and say that if this was the worst problem we had through this commission, that's
okay. Um, we had plenty of issues going on. Also, is going to run the PowerPoint. Mary, this will be easy for you. Uh, every time you see a new speaker, there's a new slide. I know. So, that's me. So, go to the next one. That's that.
Right. When we uh talk about pulling up chairs to the table, this group did that day after day. Not as figureheads, but as partners in a process shaped by the community. Dr. Cruz, Dr. Hurst, Joanne, Sante, and I each brought different forms of experience. medical, community, law enforcement, lived and operational.
And like many of you, we learned more from this work than we ever anticipated. What was primary and grounding from commission leadership from the beginning was the importance of always centering Sonia in everything we did. But the names here aren't the only people who carried this work forward. They stood
shoulder-to-shoulder with community members, clinicians, researchers, and advocates. And all of that kept us grounded in live realities. This leadership team reflects exactly how we approach the work. Shared responsibility, shared expertise, and shared accountability. And that includes
all the commissioners who showed up monthly as well as the other four work groups comprising nearly 50 community members. This team reflects the principle that guided the entire commission. No one leads this alone and none of us move forward without each other.
>> Thank you, Aaron. I speak tonight not as a commission, not just as a commission member, but as Sonia Massiey's cousin. This commission wasn't created out of theory. It was created out of pain.
Her death was not a moment. It was a breaking point. And it revealed what so many families in this county have lived through quietly. systems that fail, systems that harm, and systems that refuse to see us until the worst happens.
When the community called for this commission, they weren't asking for condolences. They were asking for transformation. And that is why we're here. We kept this process simple and disciplined. First, we listened deeply, consistently,
and without filtering out the discomfort to the families, residents, experts, officers, clinicians, and organizers. Then we learned through history, data, expertise, national best practices, and
lived experience for an honest accounting of our lived realities in the local sector. and only then did we act by shaping and producing the calls to action you now hold. They are specific, implementable
and grounded in what the community actually asked of us. Also, this wasn't theoretical. It was an iterative process. It was relational and re and evidence-based. These are not symbolic ideas. These are
operational blueprints and many of them fall directly under the authority of this board. Thank you, Kevin. The five priorities we will be sharing with you this evening emerged across every listening session, every data review,
and every community conversation. They are not abstract categories. They reflect what people told us they need in order to live with dignity. Each priority is anchored in values that came directly from the community and
each one serves to organize the 26 calls to action in a way that makes long-term structural change possible. The plus signs you see are intentional. The first word listed is a value and the second is
an outcome. The two words cannot be uncoupled. No one should ever fear for their life when asking for help. Safety plus dignity was created because community members repeatedly told us
that crisis response should never introduce additional harm. As one resident put it, when someone is in crisis, they shouldn't have to fear for their life when police show up. That's not an extraordinary request. is the
basic standard of what safety should be and what leads to the truth captured in this signature priority quote quote seen in the blue box on the lower left. We are safe when we are seen when systems
see the whole person their fear their humanity their need safety becomes possible when they don't harm becomes predictable this priority is about building systems where where being in crisis doesn't cost
you your dignity or your life because being safe is being seen. That's the standard and our systems must rise to meet it. The Massie Commission found early on that the lack of accountability
accountability has caused a deep wound. Accountability and trust were completely lacking. A community member put it plainly, quote, "Don't tell us to trust you. Show us why we should." He went on to say, quote, "We've been told to wait,
to have faith, to be patient. We are done waiting on accountability." End quote. Of course, he was right. Trust isn't something that can be requested. It must be earned. and earned consistently.
So this is not a rebuilding of trust. Trust hasn't been present to begin with. The commission's insight in this slide captures the essence of accountability. Look at the blue box on the lower right.
Face it, fix it, never forget. Facing the truth means naming the harm without defensiveness and without excuses. Fixing the problem requires transparency, data, information, action,
consequences. Never forgetting is how institutions prevent history from repeating itself. Don't make the same mistake twice. Accountability is the backbone of public trust. The county, you
now have the central role in building that accountability and in building that trust. And it's time to build that trust. Now, access with belonging doesn't work. Access plus belonging begs a simple question. Who were our systems built
for? And who were they built without? One person reminded us that people can't belong to a system if it wasn't built for them. They went on to say, "The same people keep getting invited to the table, then it's not the people state." That statement captures the architecture of exclusion that shows up in
transportation, language access, appointment systems, and service coordination. And the principle that guides this pri priority is equally direct. If it's not for all of us, it's not justice. Access without belonging is insufficient. And as this community has
stated unequivocally, it's not acceptable. Services must work for the people who need them most, not just the people who fit the existing structure. Systems built for yesterday will continuously fail to meet our needs for tomorrow.
Prepare doesn't just happen through acknowledgement alone. Communities were clear resources must follow the rhetoric. One resident said that justice is a budget line and the balance is overdue.
She spoke plainly to go on to say, "Stop telling us there's no money when there's always money for punishment. We need investments in people, not prisons." That's a moral and financial indictment
and also a road map. Our guiding phrase reinforces the truth and is a directional quote of her words, "Justice is a budget line. We expect long-term change. We must
invest in prevention, trauma, recovery, and community-led solutions. Budget reveals priorities. Repair plus investment asks us to align our funding with our
values. Justice is a budget model. Education plus liberation is where imagination becomes policy. A resident told us, "If we don't teach the truth, we'll keep repeating the same lies." They weren't just talking about school curriculum. They were talking about all
the ways in which a community learns, including how this county teaches itself to tell the truth about harm, responsibility, and possibility. Because this commission has been a curriculum, too. A curriculum in learning, to listen, in accountability, in
confronting the limits of our systems, and in imagining a different future. We have learned alongside each other, and the community has been our teacher. This is a process of becoming learning isn't just academic. It's how communities
interrupt violence, inequity, and fear. This priority calls for youth curricula, workforce development, and public education that empowers people to participate in building a safer county. And the truth is this. We are smart
enough to know how to navigate the formalities and political constraints that come from federal and state overreach. The real question is, do we have the courage? Courage to teach our children and ourselves what it means to imagine something better. Courage to
resist the status quo that keeps producing preventable tragedies. And the courage to act on the lessons of this commission rather than file them away. Our guiding phrase says, "When we know better, we become better." But knowing
requires telling the truth. It requires imagination and it requires the county to treat this moment as a part of its own civic curriculum. A chance to learn publicly and to lead publicly. Education plus liberation calls us to build a
county where truthtelling, civic purpose, and collective imagination are not extras. They're how we prevent harm in the first place. When we choose what we choose to teach and what we've been taught through this commission will determine what our children inherit. And
we have learned too much to pretend that we do not know. >> In all 26 calls to action, the county is in direct control of 13 of these, exactly half. These calls sit squarely within the county's authority, including crisis response, data transparency, and
accountability mechanisms, strengthening our public health initiatives, and the structure and oversight of a mental health board referendum. These are areas where the county doesn't have to wait on partners or state agencies. You can move now and these calls were written with that clarity in mind. These calls of
action are not hypothetical. They fall squarely within the authority of this board. You control these levers. And to name a few, the sheriff standards, 708 board strategy, county health data, economic equity initiatives, housing equity studies and pilot programs,
public transparency mechanisms, civil rights accountability summit, and the official review of this report. This is the county's work. No one else can do it. Other calls to action require shared
leadership with city government, health systems, law enforcement agencies, and community based organizations. The county doesn't own these systems alone, but your participation is essential. Co-leership means aligning policies, reducing fragmentation, and ensuring that community- centered solutions don't
get blocked by jurisdictional silos. To name a few, there are unified accountability systems, a coordinated scorecard summit, a transit equity study with county approval authority, and something that we heard loudly requested from from every community was subpoena
power for oversight, citizen oversight boards. These are achievable, actionable, and long overdue. And for the areas which uh the county must champion, the county's voice and influence can accelerate change even if you don't have
direct operational authority. Championing means using your political, civic, and moral capital to set expectations, encourage collaboration, and support the systems that must evolve. Change at this scale requires champions. The community told us clearly
that they want the county to be one of them. When Sangaman County advocates with clarity, our legislators listen. The heart of this work isn't the policies, it's the people. Every call to action and every page of
the final report was shaped by community members who share painful stories because they wanted something better for their families. Sonia's story is one of them, but there are countless others. That's already too many.
So all of this, every recommendation, every meeting, every data point comes comes back to one truth. We cannot lose another life the way we lost son. This work is not political. It's not abstract. It's human.
And when the human cost is this high, the moral obligation becomes non-negotiable. So the question you're now asking is how do we do this? We do this with trusted frameworks and a theory of change. Our theory of change is rooted in what
we heard. The need is clear. The approach is community centered. The work is structural. and the expected results is a county where safety, dignity, and belonging are real and not aspirational. This is the architecture of how change
happens in a system like ours. This commission wasn't just an exercise in policy. It was a process and learning. We want to be transparent about that. This work shaped us as much as it shaped the recommendations. We have learned from this community and we intend to
remain connected to the work long after this commission sunsets. A community deserves leaders who are willing to learn and we count ourselves among them. We're here and we're not going anywhere. That's the foundation of our theory of change. Real transformation requires
honest learning, shared courage, and the willingness to stay committed beyond the moment that sparked the work. This slide shows you the Whoops, not Yeah, there it is. This slide shows you the path to racial equity. This path to
racial equity is not hypothetical either. It's a measurement tool. This slide reminds us that racial equity, any equity, is developmental. Individuals, institutions, regions move along this path at different speeds. But the goal
is movement. Because of the work of the Massie Commission, the county board now sits at the transformation stage. Uh we're past the awareness stage. We're past the stage of understanding. We've got it. So, uh, we can't operate from
either of those first two. We are in transformation now and the public expects transformative change. The data demands transformative change and the Massie Commission and this report has given you a road map to get there. It's
now your responsibility to do it. In regards to short-term actions, these are actions the county can take immediately, many within months. They include policy alignment, improved data reporting, early mental health infrastructure, and setting up governance structures that will carry the call to action into implementation.
These are high impact steps and demonstrate momentum and seriousness. Some of these immediate steps the county can take within the next 24 months include establishing the implementation oversight group, setting 708 board priorities, completing countywide equity and accessibility reviews, launching or
enhancing crisis response pilots, and publishing annual equity and access reports. These are not heavy lifts. They are decisive ones. The long-term actions in this report can't sit on a shelf and can't be put away. They actually have to be put into practice immediately. And now is the
test of that learning because we have to get back to our work, our institutions, and our systems with the courage to resist the easy path of status quo. We were asked to imagine something different for this county and we did as a community. The question is whether the
county and everyone whose names are connected to implementing these 26 calls to action will treat it as instruction, not suggestion. Let's be honest, many people in this county have never been invited to imagine operating differently. And
that's why this moment right now matters. We've established the imagination. We built the curriculum. Now we choose whether to follow it. And let me say this plainly, courage is fear walking. We've already taken those steps. We need the county to walk in
lock step, not cautiously behind, not waiting for perfect conditions, but moving with us in real time. Long-term actions will institutionalize the learning from this commission. And over the next three to seven years, some of the things for sustained accountability
include institutionalizing equity accountability, building integrated behavioral health systems, advancing economic mobility, reforming education partnerships, expanding housing and transit equity, and maintaining open
dashboards and public reporting. This is the long arc toward justice, and Sangaman County gets to shape it. My family didn't choose this path. The community didn't choose the conditions that made this commission necessary.
But we do have a choice today to move forward and with honesty, courage, and commitment. The calls to action aren't just recommendations. They are promised that this county can
be different. My cousin deserved that. Your families deserve that. And our community is asking you to help us build it. When my family lost Sonia, the community stepped forward and said, "This can never happen again."
This report is a prom is the promise. You, the county board, are the fulfillment of that promise. We're not asking you to agree with every line. We're asking you to lead because safety, dignity, and justice
demand nothing less. Let's show the community what courage looks like. Tonight, all of us pulled our chairs up to the table. The community built from grief, truth, and hope. The question now is what we'll do with the seat we've
been given and how we're and how we use it to protect the people who trusted us to be here. Wait, wait, wait. Don't run off. We have uh we we may have some questions. And while we've got the experts here, it's a good time to any questions or comments
from members of the board. That was a I think that was the best presentation I've ever seen to the county board. That was an excellent presentation. Mr. Stump. >> Chair, I don't want to ask any questions of you tonight. What I want to say is I'm very glad, chair, that you started
off with a an applause because we've been painfully awaiting this report as you're going to see tonight. And I know you've seen other things that the county board is already starting to implement and try to get things in uh in what your
report is. I I really uh look to the county board members to uh work hard on this report. Our community does deserve a lot better. Your family does deserve a lot better. And I'm so glad you started
with as applause because it's the first thing I was going to ask for this whole room to stand up and applaud the work that you've done because it's been very painful just to even watch what you've had to do. So I really hope we implement a lot of things that you've and work with you and I'm sure he has a structure
that uh that we're going to move paths forward. So thank you so much and please I asked the room again please applaud them. I I did see a number of other hands, but I want to just take a moment to and she's gonna probably be mad at me for doing this, but I want to acknowledge in
the audience Risha Fellain. Rkesha, I probably got your last name right. Rkesha was a staff person when nobody knew what the Massie Commission, how to organize it, how to get it going. and she was the organizer and the the the the brains and brawn behind the the
first first tentative steps and she got us started in the right direction. Did did a wonderful job. >> Other questions or comments from members of the board? Miss Lean? >> Well, first of all, I'd like to and I don't think we could go any further
without once again acknowledging and honoring Sonia Massie. I also want to just acknowledge and recognize that even in spite of her tragic, horrific death, she has served as a beacon of light through this entire process. And thank
you so much for even sharing her beautiful photos throughout your presentation and did not go unnoticed. I also would like to acknowledge the leadership of the Massie Commission and all of the community members that came out from all walks of life throughout our county and served on the Massie
Commission. You all did an exceptional job. Thank you for your hard work. I know we as county board members, some of us really uh grapple with what do we do next and how do we do it? And thank you so much for this well constructed
document because it really speaks to next steps in terms of a blueprint with the actions and who our partners are. So I could go on and on but I just want to let you know that you're all appreciated and we thank you. >> Chairman, can we acknowledge there are several people here in the audience who
are actually um co-chairs uh commissioners. Would you please stand to be recognized at this time? any of you who showed up. >> Other questions or comments from members of board? Miss Fuljazzi, >> I just want to thank you all for all your hard work. I think uh I've watched
the last 10 years that I've been on the board. So much growth in our community addressing a lot of the issues and sometimes tragedy has to occur to get to some of the most important issues. And Miss Massie will not be forgotten. So, thank you very much,
>> Mr. Cameron. >> Thank you. I'd also like to thank uh Chairman Van Meter and Senator Turner for coming up with the idea of the Massie Commission in the first place and and thank you chairman.
>> Well, you know, it's easy to come up with an idea. The hard part is implementation, and that's what these folks are doing. And for that I want to thank all the hard work all the commissioners for all the hard work they did as well as the members of the various committees. There were many
different committees that worked very hard and funneled information to the commissioners. So and that was I'm sure very important and tedious work that uh all of you guys engaged in. And the PowerPoint was an excellent presentation
and I like the fact that you kind of compartmentalized the tasks that are for the county board only and are mixed for a county board and other entities. And I was wondering could you get that PowerPoint to our
county board office so it could be shared with all the county board members? >> Absolutely. I think Mary you already have it. You have our permission to pass that up. And I noticed there were um other on I was looking on your website today and I noticed there were a number of other resolutions that the commission
had uh endorsed various things. Some of them made it in the 26 final recommendations and some didn't. I mean those whatever you endorsed the fact that it wasn't in may not have been in the 26 final recommendations. Those are things you still support. Is that
correct? >> That's correct. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. I'll just Yeah. the the resolutions are new. Uh I know that the the calls to action are new. Those resolutions and the other actions that we've taken clearly uh some of them we've done, some of them we still support. So all of our work in totality
from all of our documents, including the interim report and this final report, still stand for sure. >> Okay. So that would include the uh your recommendation that we should adopt recall for the office of the county sheriff. >> Correct. >> Thank you.
>> And that's Mr. came's favorite. Other questions or comments from members of the board? Mr. Deljono, >> I want to thank all of you uh for your work. Um I want to also remind everybody about 18 months ago um when Sonia was
tragically murdered. Um several of us on this board were chomping at the bit to try to address things in the moment. and uh our chairman uh rightly or wrongly um told us wait for the Massie Commission
to do their work because in hindsight having a bunch of politicians try to come up with the answer is probably not the smartest thing in the room. So or smartest thing to do so I will commend the chairman for that um guidance. The first thing I notice here is
implementation of an oversight group. Is it your recommendation that the county put together a new body, be an elected official oversight
committee that goes through all of this and make sure that it gets appropriately tasked and followed through on? Could you put a little more meat on that foot first bullet point on your recommendations? >> Um, so a couple of things. One, that that body that would be created would
also have to um actually check our work right to see uh in a year's time how many things have been implemented. So yeah, I would suggest absolutely coming up with that. Um Adam, do you want to take any other o oversight questions?
Adam is our politician. I told you we brought some expertise here. I'm going to let the experts speak to that. >> We we would like that. Um and and I think it would be very important for that imp implementation oversight group to be have members from the commission
that were part of writing these and have inepth understanding of the vision and and can catch things if if it's offkil and you know reset course and things like that. So absolutely. >> Okay. Quick followup. Do you think that that should be a county centered
um committee uh so to speak or should that be >> I think the county should should fund the the salaries for that but but the people who compile that are not of the county court if that makes sense. >> Okay. >> So members of the community the the
commission work groups uh staff I I would suggest that group >> Okay. Thank you. Mr. Harris, >> job well done. Joanne, Jerry, Sante,
Adam, Kelly, thank you. The chairs and co-chairs, all the working group members, uh, members of the public that came out and, um, gave testimony and and suggestions. Thank you everyone that was involved in this. The report's impressive. It's I mean, I'm just going
to take some time to go through it a little bit later, but I like how you broke out. I like how you broke out the responsibilities and duties that that are assigned to us, level of impact, accountable parties. Uh you made it easy
for us and I I really appreciate that. I asked this question not so much to the commission but to chairman Vaymond. Are you in caucus? I asked earlier about what was our next step for this and can you just for the public do we disseminate these 13
recommendations to the standing committees that we have? Is that the next step? >> Yes. As you might have the impression from the presentation this evening, this these folks are about getting things done and they've already convened one
meeting um and we we got some of the players around the table, but we're hoping to have another meeting in the very near future with a a very broad group of people around the table that can that can take the assignment and run with it. and um and the the the
concepts that are that identified for the county board, we're hoping to be able to assign those to one of the discipline committees. Some of the uh projects may require sort of a interdisciplinary group of community leaders, but uh we're we're we're
working through those assignments, but the idea is to assign each project to a group of some kind. >> Yeah, please. I just don't want us to forget community members in that. Uh there were over 200 people who applied to be on the commission and I just
recently learned a couple of them were outside of our county. Um which means there's a need for this work. And so please remember that this community has already put in the work and then continue to make sure that they're at the table. I often ask the question who's not at this table so that we can
remember uh what what pieces we might be missing. So, thank you, >> Mr. Gayton. >> Um, thank you for saying that because that was one of my what I was going to say. Um, not only thank you for um all of your incredible work for this well
thought out, well put together presentation, but for also providing a pressure release valve for the community. Um, there were a lot of people that were upset and understandably so, rightfully so. Um, but a lot of people were sitting in
unrest with anxious energy, had no idea what to do. And to be able to um put these meetings together to make them accessible for people who could not be present, I I think that
it it does not go without enough saying that that was exactly what we needed for the moment. So, thank you for your hard work. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your fortitude. This was not an easy task. I I can imagine. Um and uh I hope that we continue to uh bring the
community into conversations like this because that's the only way that we're going to make sure that everybody's heard. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any other questions or comments? Well, thank you. Thank you all very much for the work that you've done and uh
we've got lots of work to do. >> Thank you. All right. Proceeding in the regular order. If the chairman could remember what order we're in. Are we at three? Three. Very good. If the if the if the clerk will read resolution three. >> Number three. Resolution approving the
purchase of two batwing mower decks from Cyber Equipment Company of Auburn, Illinois on a joint purchasing contract in the amount of 51,200. >> Motion by Mr. Frzy, seconded by Mr. Hall to place resolution three before the board. Question was the board on
resolution three. Seeing none, Mr. Money, you have a motion. >> I move that the roll call vote for resolution one. Stand for the roll call vote resolution three. >> Second by Mr. Deljouro. All in favor signify by saying I. >> Opposed? No. The eyes have it. Resolution three is adopted. Resolution four, Mr. Clerk,
>> number four, 202518, Springfield Sea Store LLC 6490 and 6492 North Walnut Street, Springfield, granting reszoning, conditional permanent uses with conditions and a variance. >> Motion by Mr. uh Mr. Mendall, seconded
by Miss Fgenzi to place resolution four before the board. We're now entering the zoning portion of the meeting and it's our policy to ask if there are members of the audience who feel it's necessary to who wish to speak in opposition to the proposed zoning. The members of the audience who wish to speak in opposition
to the proposed zoning? Seeing none, are there members of the audience who feel it's necessary to speak in opposition to the proposed zoning? Did I say that right? Are there members of the audience who wish to speak in support of the proposed zoning? Seeing none, are there members of the audience who wish to speak in opposition to the propos?
Seeing none, Mr. Moni, Mr. and I'll hold you motion please. >> I move that we wave the staff report since we have no opposition. >> Is there objection? Without objection. So ordered. Questions, comments from members of the board on resolution four. Seeing none on the question. All those in favor of adopting resolution four
signify by saying I. >> Opposed? No. The eyes have it. Resolution four is adopted. Resolution five. Mr. Clerk. >> Number five. Resolution approving the procurement of goods and or services for the sheriff's department from Motorola Solutions for the purpose of utilizing the Star Cam Starcom communications
network in the amount of $85,136. >> Motion by Mr. Chum and second by Mr. Ays to place resolution five before the board. >> Mr. Deljar. >> Mr. Chairman, at this time I move to consolidate resolutions 6 through 14 and with five. >> Second by Mr. Medonia. Mr. Clerk, would
you please read resolutions 6 through 14? >> My pleasure. Number six, resolution approving the procurement of goods and/or services for the sheriff's department from Bob Barker and multiple vendors for the purpose of jail and inmate supplies in the amount of $145,230. Number seven, resolution approving the
procurement of goods and/or services for the sheriff's department for Allison Long for the purpose of inmate dental services in the amount of $53,195. Number eight, resolution approving the procurement of goods and/or services for the sheriff's department from Ray O'Hirin for the purpose of uniform
expenses in the amount of $63,870. Number nine, resolution approving the procurement of goods and/or services for the auditor's department from Kim's auto body auto body LLC for the purpose of automobile repair in the amount of 70,000. Number 10, resolution approving
the tax levies for fiscal year from December 1st of 25 through November 30th of 26. Number 11, resolution regarding deputy merit commission member compensation. Number 12, resolution approving the procurement of goods and or services for the county board
administration from Maro Brothers and other vehicle vendors for the purpose of fiscal year 26 county vehicle purchases in the amount of $546,166. Number 13, resolution approving a grant application for the County Board Administration from the Illinois
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for the Energy Transition Community Grant in the amount of 771,251.7. Number 14. Resol resolution approving a grant application for the county board administration from Illinois Department of Human Services for the Greater
Springfield Chamber of Commerce Workforce Development in the amount of $797,693. >> On the motion to consolidate, all in favor signify by saying I >> opposed. No. The eyes have it. Motion to consolidates agreed to. Questions or comments from members of the board on the resolutions as consolidated?
>> Sh. Mr. Cman. >> Yeah. On number five, I have a question for the sheriff. There was an article in USA Today, one week ago, December 2nd, about that um dozens of police departments around the country,
including in Illinois and Indiana, are now using u Axon body cameras that come that are equipped with real time translation capabilities so that uh if an officer encounters somebody who's not fluent in English,
they could talk to them through this device. And I was wondering if you have are aware of this and have looked into this or considering getting any of these for your officers. >> We do have Axon body cameras right now. That functionality is not part of our
program package, but we are in conversations on a variety of different items with the Axon package. So, that's something I can look into, but I have not looked into that as of today. >> Okay. Very good. Thanks. I'll give you this article here. >> Yes, sir. Thank you.
after the meeting. I guess it's hard for me to get over there right now. >> I'll find you afterwards. >> Yeah. >> Other questions or comments from members of the board on the resolutions? >> Mr. Chairman, I did have a qu on resolution 14 where I know it's state
money state grant, but it's almost a million dollars going to the greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce to do a jobs something with helping high school kids get jobs. And I was wondering is there a budget item as to how they're
spending this and are we going to get you the different you know broken out as to how they're going to spend it and also will we get an accounting when all this money is spent as to how it was spent. >> The answer to the second question is absolutely yes. Let me I we we were
hoping to have a presentation on this uh at in the earlier part of the meeting, but as an accommodation to the Massie Commission, we asked the Chamber of Commerce to come to the to our meeting later and make a presentation later. So, you will get a full presentation on this, but but for the moment, let me
just refer to this your question to professional staff. Uh, I think Brian can give you a little background where the money is really coming from and how and how we anticipate it being used. >> Yeah. So, this is a grant that we received from the state probably two
years ago, close to a million dollars in total. We've already spent over $100,000 with the Urban League on a youth training job training program. Um, we've transitioned away from that and we met with the chamber of commerce along with Senator Turner who secured this grant
for the county and we basically asked the chamber to come up with a program for youth employment. It's I think it's detailed in the packet but there's internships or talking about sponsoring mentoring programs, shadowing programs, different types of training programs. I think the budget is about 130 grand a
year. The way the grant is structured, we can continue to to spend it over multiple years. So that that amount is not a one-year item at all. It's it's a multiple year item. And the money will be audited by both the state and >> the county auditor's office.
>> So the urban league is not any a part of this at all anymore. >> Not anymore. No. >> Okay. Why did we decide >> not to use the urban league and to use the chamber or not to use maybe both of them at the same >> I think. I think the experience was that
the chamber could bring the businesses to the to the program and I think that the there it is possible the Urban League may still be involved but the chamber is going to be the leading responsible party for it. >> Yeah, the the the chairman's absolutely right that the Urban League could still
be involved in this. Um but one of the challenges that they faced was getting employers to the table. It doesn't really do any good if you have the youth but you don't have the employers. So that's the commitment that the chamber has made. Mike Murphy will be here later in the meeting to explain that. But uh >> yeah, I don't want to steal his thunder,
but there's a lot of enthusiasm for this on the chambers part and the business's part and they they've developed a a youth summer employment pro fair around it. And I don't want to steal his thunder. >> Yeah, Mr. Chairman, I move that out of the consolidated
resolutions we're voting on that we remove 14 from that those uh ordinances and hold that off until Mr. Murphy can speak to us. >> Is there second? >> I'll second. >> All in favor signify by saying I. >> I
>> oppose. No. >> No. >> Opinion of the chair. The no the nose have it. The resolution will stay consolidated. Any other questions members of the board? Seeing none, Mr. Money, do you have a motion? >> I move that the res roll call vote for
resolution one stand for the roll call of 5 through 14 as consolidated. All in favor signify by saying I >> opposed. No. >> Mr. Chairman, I'd like to be recorded as abstaining on 14. I may change my vote after we hear from Mr. Murphy. >> The record will reflect Mr. Camman is
abstaining. Uh proceeding in the regular order. Motion by Mr. Madonia, seconded by Mr. Deljouro for the waiver of the 10-day filing period. All in favor signify by saying I. >> Oppos? No. The eyes have a 10-day filing period. Wave resolution 15. Mr. Clerk. Number 15, resolution approving a grant
application for the elections department from the federal government distributed by the Illinois State Board of Elections for the 26 polling place accessibility grant in the amount of $38,716.84. >> Motion by Mr. Miller, seconded by Misscape to place resolution 15 before
the board. Mr. Deljourro. >> At this time, Mr. Chairman, I move to consolidate 16 through 20 and with 15. >> Second by Mr. Medonia. Mr. Mr. Cler, will you please read resolutions 16 through 20? >> Number 16, resolution approving a grant application for the elections department
from the federal government distributed by the Illinois State Board of Elections for the 26 Illinois voter registration state grant IVRs in the amount of $83,639.15. 17. A resolution approving the procurement of goods and/or services for the elections department from inclusion
solutions for the purpose of purchasing 868 ADA United adjustable single voting booths for express vote units in the amount of 38,71684. Number 18, resolution approving the procurement of goods and or services for court services from Gateway Foundation,
Inc. for the purpose of providing recovery coaching to problem solving court participants in the amount of $60,765. Number 19, resolution approving the procurement of goods and or services for court services from advanced correctional health care for the purpose
of providing on-site medical services at the juvenile detention center in the amount of $166,215. And number 20, resolution approving the procurement of goods and or services for court services from various Illinois detention centers for the purpose of out of county bed space for juveniles in the
amount of 100,000. >> On the motion to consolidate, all in favor say I. >> I opposed. No. The eyes have it. The motion consolidates agreed to. Questions or comments members of the board on the resolutions as consolidated? >> Mr. Cam >> 20 I we now have the juvenile center.
It's in operation. Why are we county facilities to house juvenile detainees. >> We would like not to. I think that's a question for professional staff. Mr. Mr. >> Yeah. Thank you, chairman. Uh so there is on occasion a need to house a juvenile outside of the county. We
currently have one juvenile that is housed in Cook County. Um he is a codefendant with another juvenile that is in Sangaman County Juvenile Detention Center. The court has determined that those two codefendants should not be housed in the same location. So we have situations like that that arise over
time. >> Any other >> any other questions or comments from members of the board on the resolutions as consolidated? >> Seeing none, Mr. Monon, you have a motion. >> Yeah, I move that the roll call vote for resolution one. Stand for the roll call vote of resolutions 15 through 20 as
consolidated. >> Second by Mr. Deljourn. All in favor signify by saying I >> opposed. No, the eyes have it. The resolution as consolidated or adopted. Resolution 21. Mr. Cler. >> Number 21. Resolution submitting a binding referendum to Sangaman County voters in the March 26th primary to
establish a fund to establish and fund a mental health board. >> Motion by Miss Lean, seconded by Mr. Shapman to place resolution 21 before the board. Questions, comments, members of the board on the res on the resol Mr. Camman.
>> Mr. Mr. Chairman, I uh move to amend this resolution to correct uh probably a error. I move to amend resolution 21 by striking the words establish and from its title and from the paragraph
beginning with the phrase now therefore be it resolved. The reason for this is uh amendment is that it it's not proper to put the question of forming the mental health board before the voters. If the voter, the only question that should be before the voters under the
law is the question of inc uh leving the tax for the purpose of funding the meal mental health services. The voters approve this referendum on March 17th. The county board will then have the opportunity to create a mental health
board that doesn't require a binding referendum. have a copy of resolution 21 showing the words I move to be stricken which I would like to give to the clerk if the clerk or his assistant could maybe meet halfway part of the way
>> thank you thank you Mr. Cameron we appreciate your eagle eye review of that resolution and the state's attorney concurs with your reading is there a second to Mr. Kman's motion >> second chairman >> Mr. Thank Thank you. Now questions or comments from members of the board on
this resolution. >> This I just >> M Mr. Cameron >> just this is you know this is one of the very recommendations that the Massie Commission just recommended to us. So I would urge urge a yes vote uh on this.
Thank you. when I think all of this was none of this was planned, but it just turns out that we had this on the on the ballot the same this agenda. >> Just so happens that the deadline for us to put this on the March ballot is December 30th. So, this is our last
meeting before then. So, >> thank you. >> Oh, no. I'm sorry. Thank you. That the clerk reminds me uh we have the amendment. You have the amendment at the desk now. The >> the >> Let us let us first consider Mr. Mr. Camman's amendment. All in favor of Mr.
Cam's amendment signify by saying I >> I >> opposed. No. The eyes have it. The amendments adopted. Miss Leam, >> I would like to add that um this is in response to one of the recommendations made by the mass commission. the uh
mental health commission used a very uh specific and uh process in terms of assessing existing documents uh conducting a somewhat of a um a a
loose but uh efficient gap analysis. We conducted surveys and did the uh the data analysis as well as we were had the opportunity to do a significant number of provider interviews and from that some of those findings that I think
stood out and should be shared is that 40% of Sangam County residents reported unmet mental health needs and 90% of comm community members supported uh the need for mental expanded mental health
services which is um definitely in response to this referendum. We um also drilled um drilled down and identified uh specific populations that uh
definitely uh had um unmet services because of the lack of services that were available and housed our youth um rural and urban um uh populations as well as there was limited um ability to
coordinate services uh throughout the county. And we also can't for kid that um by doing and then also our incarcerated populations in particular, those that enter our county build, our county jail, and they continue to
circulate through our our system because their mental health needs are not being addressed. And so um as a result these uh this referendum if if voted and moved forward will straighten strengthen and
expand services based on need leverage be able to come together and leverage state and federal resources as well as um it is very it's very much intended that we do not have an administrative heavy uh um use of our funding but that
the majority of our funds go out into our communities and meet the needs and a minimal amount of our funds will be used for admin administrative oversight as well as ma management. Um the referendum
um is a increase in county sales tax uh not including groceries by 050%. 5% on a $10 purchase, 50 cents on a $1 purchase. And um this will be on our
ballot March 17, 2025. And currently um there's probably more u closer it was 50 around 50 I think we're moving closer to 75 community members are coming together and starting to organize around educating um uh for this particular
referendum. The other piece that I did not make mention of which is very important is that there is a component of this that deals with outreach education and the reduction of stigma because we al we also know that even when mental health services are available because of the stigma
associated with mental health services people don't access them. So there's definite need for education and stigma reduction. >> Thank you. >> Thank you Miss Leon. Mr. Jackman, you worked with arm in- arm with Miss Lean on this project.
>> Yeah, I I've told you, Gina, in private, I won't say it publicly. Uh it's a real pleasure to work with you on this. I uh I've had the pleasure of chairing the public health committee for a number of years now. And I joke around all the
time that when you look at me, I'm the epitome of public health. I'm not healthy. Um but but I I appreciate professionals uh like Gina, like Dr. Wolf, like Josh
Sabbo, uh and members of this commission that that chairman through your help, through the vote of the public health committee about a year ago. And from this board, we're allowed to uh examine
this and put findings uh in front of us tonight. Um we heard from a lot of uh professionals. We've heard from a lot of individuals that needed services. We heard from a lot of individuals
that probably need services but don't know where to access them uh throughout that that time. And the the vote on this referendum, and I apologize, I don't like to talk too much in this chamber, but the vote on
this referendum, I I I struggled um because I I I I have a daughter that lives here and she owns a home, and I don't want to put more strain on her through a tax, but
when you look at the meat of the data that comes from these things, and the the overall potential for a cost savings. We we have a chance to change the trajectory of where we put our money
here. I I on the civil liabilities committee. I see where we've hemorrhaged money in areas that we can simply help folks come come to some resolve and be healthier people and be more productive
in our own society. and be our neighbors. And that's what this board is supposed to work with our professionals in coordination and spearheading efforts and seeing through analysis, you know, actual data
where our professionals need to focus and then they have the the strength behind them through funding these things to get everyone involved and and go along with it. And it's it's a tremendous tool. It's it's used around
the state of Illinois. It is something that that we can utilize here. We've seen it numerous times. Um that these things uh can be a benefit
and a cost savings. And I would I would re I would strongly urge a yes vote on this. >> Thank Thank you, Mr. K. Sh. Any other? Sorry for talking so long. >> Any other questions or comments from members of the board? Is everyone wishes
to speak speak spoken words? >> Very well there, Mr. Le. >> I do also want to add and just remind that the funds would be generated from sales tax, not property tax. as well as um over time there will be a significant
cost savings when we think about and we recognize the reduction of inmates um circulating through our our county jail. That's a cost savings when we were able to once they work with them while they're inside the jail and then transition their services to case
management, intensive case management and other services outside of the jail. That's cost savings because we're working with them initially in um intensive services and then reducing the level of services and working with them to be more independent. Also uh cost
savings when when individuals are on medication and they have disability oftentimes of housing to stabilize them and to allow them to access the services to for them to maintain their treatment regiment. And then we will also be
reducing um as a result of these services reducing our emergency room visits as um as opposed to um um but instead having them on a treatment regimen and I have a full um intensive
uh treatment in uh team that is able to work with them. So I did want to add that. >> Thank you. Any other comments members of Mr. Deljaro? >> Uh thank you Mr. Chairman. Um, I want to commend both u James and and Gina for
for their work uh with uh with this and that and to point out to everyone that this is probably the most one of the most consequential things uh that we may do as a board as a result of Sonia Massiey's murder. Um, as a point of
clarification, I did want to ask the chair to direct this question to uh to Miss Laam to with regard to the tax the sales tax amount if you could repeat that again just for clarity as to what
the amount would be and what that would be on a $100 purchase. >> So for a $100 purchase that is a 1.50% 50% 50 cents. >> A $10 purchase 0.5 cents a nickel.
>> Okay. I just wanted to make sure that that was clear. >> Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Deljaro. Um I might state by just point of order here that the board by state law is
prohibited from endorsing um the referendum. We're voting tonight to place it on the ballot, but no individual but all every individual board member can certainly endorse the referendum. And as Miss Le as Smith Lean indicated, there is already a tremendous
ground swell of people who are many of them who know firsthand the need for additional mental health services in this community that have already forms formed a citizens committee to support uh this this referendum. I think you
said 70 there's 70 people already signed. >> Initially there wereif 50 50 in one group but I um was informed that there is another group forming that will be doing the same type of education and they have around 25 individuals.
>> Great. So so um so the the community support is definitely being generated to to uh to adopt the the referendum. Any other questions? Seeing none on the resolution, the clerk will call the role. Those in favor of adopting the
resolution as amended by Mr. Cam's amendment vote yes. Those opposed vote no. The clerk call >> Davco. >> Diner >> deljouro. >> Yes. >> Deppy. >> Lucas Williams. >> Foresight. >> Frzy.
>> Fulgenzi. >> Oh, excuse me. >> Gayton. I >> Paul >> Lean >> I >> Magguire >> Menol >> Miller. >> Hi >> Raider. >> Hi
>> Scave. >> Sheman. >> Hi >> Shepard. >> Hi >> Small. >> Hi >> Stumpf. >> I'm sorry I couldn't hear you. >> Thomas >> Chumlin. >> Hi >> Trux. >> Hi.
>> Minus Miss Fenzi. That' be 26. Yes. Zero. No. All those voting having voted in affirmative resolution 21 is adopted and the referendum will appear on the March 17th ballot. >> Resolution 22. Mr. Clerk. >> Number two, resolution approving the procurement of goods and/or services for
information service from coverage one, Inc. and other various vendors for the purpose of updating Sangaman County's network in the amount of 175,000. >> Motion by Mr. Rder, seconded by Mr. McGuire to place resolution 22 before the board. questions, comments, and
member of the board on resolution 22. Mr. Deljono. >> Uh, Mr. Chairman, I move that we consolidate 23 through 30 in with 22. >> Second by Mr. Medonia. Mr. Clerk, will you please read resolutions 23 through 30? >> Number 23, resolution approving the
procurement of goods and or services for information systems from Dell Marketing LLC and various vendors for the purpose of updating the county's personal computers and other endpoint equipment in the amount of 175,000. 24 resolution approving the procurement of goods and or services for information systems for
Dell Marketing LLC for the purpose of updating all Microsoft Office licenses as the current ones have gone end of life in the amount of 250,000. 25. Resolution approving an intergovernmental agreement between the county of Sangaman on behalf of the Sangaman County Information Systems
Department and the Springfield Mass Transit District doing business as Sangaman Mass Transit District. Number 26, resolution approving the procurement of goods and/or services for the auditor's office from National Indemnity Company for the purpose of fleet auto
insurance for smart in the amount of 120,000. 27 resolution approving the procurement of goods and our services for smart from 1800 East LLC for the purpose of office and vehicle storage in the amount of 66,000. 28. Resolution
approving the pyramid of goods and or services for smart from WEX for the purpose of vehicle fuel rides throughout rural Sangaman and Menard counties. 29 resolution approving an agreement between Sangaman County and Hartland Housed for the purpose of providing
staffing. And finally, number 30, resolution approving an agreement between Sangaman County and Hartland Housed for the purpose of addressing homelessness. >> On the motion to consolidate, all in favor signify by saying I. >> Opposed? No. The eyes have it. Motion consolidates. Read two questions or comments from members of the board on on
the resolutions as consolidated. Seeing none, um I just want to mention to the board that we we typically ask Hartland House for an update around this time of year when we renew our agreement with them. And again, in the interest of uh efficiency with the Mass Commission's
presentation this evening, we're going to get them scheduled for perhaps the January or the or the fe February meeting. Um any other questions or comments from members of the board on the resolutions consolidated? Seeing none, Mr. I move that the roll call vote for resolution one stand for the roll call
vote 22 through 30 as consolidated. >> All in favor signify by saying I >> opposed no the eyes have it motion the resolutions as consolidated or adopted appointments. Oh business new business Mr. Canon
>> at the beginning of the meeting uh our former colleague county board member former county board member Tyrone Pace was here and I wanted to if we could recognize him, but it looks like maybe he's gone. I think he he was just here because I understand he was recently
appointed to the merit commission and he wanted to make sure that we passed resolution number 11 increasing the uh the pay for the merit commission. But that but anyways, I just wanted to recognize our colleague, Mr. Pace, even
if he's not here. >> Mr. Mr. Pace was a a wellrespected colleague from his years of service here. >> Very good. Uh mo appointments motion by Mr. Money, seconded by Mr. Deljono for the approval of the appointments is submitted at your desk. All in favor signify by saying I
>> opposed. No. The eyes have it. Appointments are approved. Uh public comment. We have uh 10 people signed up but we Yes. Good. Uh but we we by special
accommodation we asked uh Mr. Murphy the chairman of the uh president of the chamber of commerce if he would defer his presentation till this portion of the meeting and Mr. Murphy, if you if you'd be our first member of the public,
while you were not here earlier, there there were a couple of questions about uh the the program that that you're putting together and we didn't want to steal your thunder because it's a really great opportunity to talk, but we thought you could explain it a little better.
>> Sure. This came about uh from Chairman Van Meter actually. Uh I don't know if you guys know this several years ago uh three years ago at the state of the greater where uh chairman Van Meter gave the very first uh state of the county he
uh mentioned to me surprisingly that the chamber needs to do more about youth employment and so we started a youth job fair and it went really well and then last year after the second youth job fair and this youth job fair has been tremendous um the first year I will
always remember a young lady she wasn't telling me she was telling the world, I got a job. You know, we've had several actually get hired on the spot and several get summer employment, which is so important for them to enter the the workforce. But then last year, uh, Chairman Ben Meter asked if we could
step it up and do more as far as youth employment. And that came about from his speech at the state of the greater. And when he mentioned that the one area of population that Sangon County is doing poorly in is the
age between 18 and 35. We are just not retaining that age group here in Springfield and we need to do more. And so he and I and several others talked and I finally told him I said we would be happy to take on this task but I never have anybody from my staff come in and say hey I don't have anything to do
today. You got something for me? I told him this would take a additional p person in some revenue and I said we don't have that revenue in our budget and uh so he found us some revenue with the help of >> Senator Turner found Senator Turner
found us found the revenue and so we put together a a plan and I want to want you guys to know it is a plan um but we're going to focus on high school and college employment. We we've have some programs. I I reached out to other chambers and other uh entities who do
workforce plans all across the country and try to get some best practices on some things that would work. U some examples of what we're planning on doing is every high school in the county. We want to touch them four times with four different programs a month that we will
we will work on res resume. we will work on in educating them on on what's available in Son County that you don't have to leave Sangon County to do that. So, that would be a big part of it. Another aspect that I want to incorporate is a job shadowing program.
Uh I have two children and they both work to one's 40 and one's 37. So, they they're no longer children, they're adults and they both work in the field that that they job shattered when they were in high school. So, I know it can be a valuable tool. I want to do that.
um and other aspects of of youth employment. And so the vast majority of this effort will be on youth employment. However, uh something that's near and dear to my heart is uh re-entry employment, people who are coming out of the prison system. I know it can work because we uh we had great success at
Charlie Parker's. Uh I believe in opportunities and I I would like for us to eventually not at the beginning the beginning focus is going to be on youth employment but then I would hopefully that this would grow and we would be able to help uh people reenter the job
force there and also um with veterans that that would be the three things but it would always be probably 90 90% involved in youth. >> Thank you Mr. Murphy. Earlier there's a question about the Urban League because initially this program had been operated
or funded to through us to the Urban League but um uh my recollection is the Urban League was part of the original planning group on this. >> Yeah. You know we have a great relationship with with Marcus over at the Urban League and we will I won't
duplicate any programs. We're going to work with and try to make sure that uh we have a strong program but I have no intent of trying to do something somebody else is doing, but I I will work with every organization. They will have a seat at the table. We had Boys and Girls Club there that day. We had
District 186 there. Um we're going to have the players involved in this. They will have a seat at the table. >> Other questions for for M. Murphy. Mr. Cameron. >> Uh also I wanted to take the opportunity, Mr. Murphy to thank you for
your work on the mental health commission which you know we passed the binding referendum. >> Just keep in mind that wasn't with the chamber. >> I know but you you wear a number of hats so under that hat but you're still the same person. >> Yes sir. >> But um this this grant of 797,000 I
understand it's uh over it's not a in one year it's over multiple years. How many years is this? Well, our initial budget for the first year was about $130,000. And this budget will be, you know, as we as we spend the money, we get the money.
You guys are not getting us $130,000 and then we get to play with it. We we will turn in monthly uh receipts on our our body of work. But our estimate the first year is 130. So if we have the whole 700,000 plus, I would hope we would get
five six years out of this. >> Okay. And a large part of that chunk will be to hire a new employee to to manage this program. Is that correct? >> Yeah. A little over probably 50% of it by the time you get benefits and everything in there. We're hoping to to attract somebody around the $60,000 mark
plus benefits. >> Thank you. >> No problem. >> Any other questions for Mr. Murphy? >> Well, thank you very much. We know you had a sec another engagement tonight and we appreciate you making this one as well. >> I was able to see everybody I needed to see at the first one. So, thank you. Thank you.
>> Thank you for accommodating me. Thank you very much, >> Mr. Chairman. >> M Mr. Cman, >> I'd like to change my vote on resolution 14 from abstaining to yes vote. Thanks to this great presentation by Mr. Murphy. >> I thought you would the clerk clerk the
clerk's already done that. Mr. >> All right. Um proceeding now to uh public comment. Uh, the first person who signed up to speak is Tara Bergneider.
Tara Bergneider. We're not not here. Okay. We're working this evening under our new rules. So, uh, all public speakers regarded regardless of their subject will have four minutes to make
their presentation. Um, the next person who signed up to speak is Shan Riley. Sean Riley not here. Okay. The next person who's signed up to speak is Kathleen Campbell.
I see I do see her. Welcome. Many of you will remember Miss Campbell from CO2. My name is Dr. Kathleen Campbell from Glenn Arm, Illinois. I'm here to speak as president of Citizens Against Hartland Greenwashing Projects, which
evolved from the navigator pipeline opposition. I thanked the Saga County board for the public hearing. I listened to all the panels and questions, but I was not feeling well and I was unable to stay for the public comments. But I did send mine for posting. I will point out
that while Cyrus One and the Growth Alliance had months, if not years to prepare their information, we only had a few weeks in a new area. Yet, our concerns are well grounded. Over time, more problems will probably be revealed
as they were with Navigator. Please don't rush us. As a rural electric customer and a rural land owner approximately 10 miles from the proposed data site, I have several concerns. First, apparently the growth alliance is
substantially funded by Sangman County and thus ultimately by the taxpayers and should not function in secret. Therefore, I ask that the growth alliance immediately inform us of all plans under consideration for the next six months, the next year, and the long
over the next years, particularly if other data centers are being considered. We should know that now along with possible locations. If the Cyrus, we need to know is the Cyrus one data center a oneoff or is it
a Trojan horse? All cards on the table now before the permit is even considered. Please, we impacted citizens should never be blindsided like this again by a taxpayer funded program on such a major issue. We also should have
been informed of the zoning change proposal and all of its implications before it was approved in July. If full information and its implications about the data center were withheld from the zoning committee as it was the public, I question whether the applicant acted in
good faith. But I'm not an attorney. But my non attorney view is I thought it was sneaky. For a rural electric, they talk about us being a cooperative, but I see no transparency or cooperation. Our annual meeting was June 12th and
they said nothing about the data center. We read every magazine and mailing and they said nothing. Now real electric Q&A states that the data center will get secret and preferial rates. That is unacceptable
because because they are so certain that there will never be blackouts or brownouts. Then they should give us a written enforcable guarantee that in the event of a blackout, residents, not the data center, will take priority and also guarantee that our rates will not go up,
which they promise, but they have elsewhere around other data centers consistently. If residents around D could give Yelp reviews. It appears that data centers would not even get one star. Let's learn
from the mistakes of others. Yesterday, December 9th, 2025, the National Food and Water Watch revealed that 233 organizations across the country have now signed a letter to Congress calling for a national
moratorium on data centers. That shows the depth of concern and the Let's wait. Let's not let this happen to us. I was going to end there, but I have another minute. So, these data centers are taking enormous
amounts of power. In Iowa, Google just announced that all of its data centers, they plan to bring in natural gas with CCS. That means carbon dioxide pipelines. We fought this battle. They can't sequester
CO2 in Iowa. Guess where that's coming? Probably here. If we have data centers here, they will probably also bring in natural gas with CCS. That seems to be the national plan. Thank you. I'll see you at the zoning committee.
>> Thank you. The um the next person who signed up to speak is uh Donald Handrean. Mr. Han, thank you. uh with just a woefully inadequate zoning rule in place. As a
retired lawyer, I have many many questions after the board hearing on uh December 3rd regarding the data center and I thought of another one as I listened to the Massie Commission. How does this project square with call to
action number 21 which uh is about economic development? How does it square with it? When you read it, I think we're a long ways away from meeting the requirements of Massie Commission call
to action number 21 with this proposed data center. Cyrus one claims it's not requesting any property tax abatement. That's uninforceable. What if they apply for certification as a mega project under proposed legislation that freezes
the assessed value at pre-development rates? Will Cyrus One commit a legally binding contract that they and their successors will not appeal its property tax assessments or apply for programs that
reduce property sales, use, and occupational taxes? Will they commit to that? Vague statements of intent are not contractually binding. If you want their bonafidees, uh, get it in writing. As the county
verified that Cyrus even spoke to MYSO about grid reliability, for three years, MYSO has been screaming about demand increases that threaten rolling blackouts. And now suddenly adding a whole city's worth of power to the grid
are taking away a whole that amount of power from the grid is somehow just fine. Now that evaluating reliability for just half the project means the second half is going to be fine. How? Why approve this before the
grid analysis is even complete? What enforcable contract will ensure Cyrus One pays for all grid upgrades, including future upgrades? What recourse will rateayers have if it turns out increased demand did jack up the rates
as it's done in data centers all over the country? Cyrus says they'll prioritize local workers. Okay. What percentage of construction and permanent jobs will contractually be guaranteed to Sang County residents? And what enforcement mechanism exists? What is
the economic value of permanent loss of productive farmland? Has anyone assessed that? What analysis shows how many county jobs are going to be lost lost to artificial intelligence enabled by this
data center. Getting temporary construction jobs to facilitate permanent job elimination is ludicrous. Cyrus 1 won't disclose its customer base. How can the county assess
the long-term viability and its impact on local jobs if it can't even verify the business model or its customer base? Industry analysts note that functional obsolescence occurs in as little as six to 10 years. What contingency planning
has the county done for that? Will Cyrus One legally commit to a minimum operating period? They just had a major failure 10 days ago that shook the whole stock market. Now, Goldman Sachs paused their planned
1.3 billion mortgage bond sale for Cyrus One. If they cease operations or sell or abandon the facility, if it becomes a stranded asset, why no guarantees for remediation? Where's the development agreement covering tax payments,
employment, environmental compliance, and operational duration? This is not obstruction or hyperbole. It's due diligence. Please do it. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Henryan. Mr. Henryan, Mr. Henryan,
>> would would you provide a copy of your remarks and the same would you also you don't need to do to tonight, but if you get a copy to your to the clerk? >> Thank you, >> Mr. Chairman. >> Mr. John, >> under our new rules, is it possible to
ask a couple questions? Professional clarification. Um, first one I have is for uh legal counsel. Um, in terms of what the public commenter uh mentioned with regard to being able to contract for these various things, uh, does your
office have an opinion as to whether we even have the authority to do that as part of the zoning process? >> I would have to look into that, but I suspect we do not have that power. >> Okay. Is that something that you could get back to us on? Okay. The second question I have is with regard to the
zoning ordinance that was passed in July. Um can someone if someone knows off the top of their head when was that first introduced at the zoning committee? When was it um you know put on the agenda? How many public meetings
were there about that? >> I don't think we have professional staff from that office here, but I don't know if the Can the administrator answer that? Do do you know? >> I I can get the answer for you. We'll we'll get the answer for it, >> but we know at least at least one zoning meeting and one county board meeting
when it was on the public agenda. I don't know if any of the zoning committee members were called. Tony, >> I can't tell you exactly what, but I mean it came up and then I think you know Trust was talking about it and I think it was discussed at least two or three meetings >> because it was amended and and all of
this was posted on the website. >> I don't know. And that's my point. >> Yeah. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. And I I think your point is well taken because we may error in the decision we make, but we really trying to be fair and open about the process that we're going through. And the
implication that we're not that we're not trying to be fair and open about it is is is just incorrect. Um uh but I think it would help to get the the the presentations we had this evening as
well as the presentations we've had earlier just so we can research the answers to to a lot of these very good questions that are being asked. Um okay. Uh the next person who signed up um in order to speak is Ken Pesa.
Yes, but Mr. Per, we're operating under our new rules which allow afford every speaker four minutes whether it's on a subject before the board or not. want to talk about uh the Massiey's final report and what comes next for everyone. Um I think there's a lot of
things that as a county and as a city with Springfield as the largest city in the county, um there's a lot of decisions and choices that are going to have to be made as we move forward. Uh this report represents a lot of great ideas and directions, but it's going to be more than just you guys sitting in
rooms making decisions for the rest of us. I strongly encourage all of you, and I don't say that rudely. You've been elected, but I think the thing is is there's more to this than just getting elected and deciding that we represent our citizens. You have to come out and hear from them. I don't see a lot of
people at these listening sessions that come from the county board or the city or the school district. And I want to challenge our leaders to come out and actually participate in this. As Mr. white noted for you guys, you have the political, social, and economic capital as board members to put your weight
behind movements, whether it be the mental health board funding or even just the establishment, as Mr. Cannam noted, you guys could start that tonight. You could pass a resolution to make the mental health board a absolute 708 mental health board right now. You could do it tomorrow morning. The funding is
going to come from that. But I think that's one of those key things. You guys have these choices in front of you and the funding is important, but we're going to have to make forward effort to get this to happen. The mental health board, as noted it during the previous presentation, has been present in other counties for well over 50 years, since
the 60s in some cases. It seems like there's no good reason why Sangaman County should continue to run behind because a lot of these programs, I'll encourage you to look, have been done in other areas already. We've lagged behind in terms of development, which is why we're all standing here right now. What happened
with Sonia Massie was a preventable tragedy. We could have had better systems in place. We could have paid attention to cities that had these sort of programs already operating and headed this off at the past long before we lost a gray citizen of this city.
And I think it's really important when we talk about the resolution that passed tonight, which I'm great to very grateful that it looked not uh completely uh 100% all of you approved of that passing, but what comes next with that? Now, we have to publicly campaign for the public to inform them.
There's a lot of people that are already opposed to that increase in the sales tax just simply because, as noted, times are tight. But the simple fact is is those are the kind of things that is I'm I'm don't quote me on which one of you said it tonight, but the deferred cost of getting ahead of it. Think of how
much it's cost you guys in time, effort, bad press, communication with your constituents, and all the effort this is going to mean if we had done the work ahead of time. if we had paid attention to the gaps that already exist and put the money in to prevent these kind of
outcomes because we're millions away from finding real resolutions to a lot of this. But we can save that money by investing in it ahead of time such as when we passed for the mental health services in the jail. We're going to see great results from that from getting inmates that kind of treatment before it
gets to the point that our guards and our sheriffs are being attacked by them or suffering the outcomes. But I think it's really important that you guys take part in coming out into the community and hearing from all of us, not just people like me that take the time to sign up because most people don't have that time, especially nowadays, as we
mentioned, when times are tight. So, I want to take my last few seconds to invite you guys. You may not be aware at CAP 1908 tomorrow night, the Purple Coalition, which I'm a part of, and then the Massie Commissioner partnering to have a listening session with the public. We usually get pretty great
attendance at both group sessions. So, we'd like to invite all of you to come out. Every single one of you. I know you guys have other commit commitments and I won't take it personal if you're not there, but do know that you're welcome. We would like for you guys to come out. Be a part of that conversation and give
your constituents a chance to be a part of that conversation as well. Thank >> you. to 8:30 tomorrow night. Wonder All right. Next person to speak is Oh yes, I guess you can. Yes, you can.
Thank you, county board members. I'm here to follow up on a question posed at last Wednesday's public hearing about what other municipalities in Illinois were doing to regulate data centers. Tonight, I have information about Betavia, Illinois. Betavia is a far west suburb of Chicago, just north of Aurora.
The population is approximately 27,000 residents. They have a municipallyowned utility that generates about $49.6 6 million per year. Their data center is a 50 megawatt center. It's in an industrial park. Betavia managed this
project using a master service agreement and approved the project in September of this year. The master service agreement defines the city's requirements for the project. An interesting piece is that Betavia is requiring the developer to purchase their energy directly from the
open market from PJM, which is the grid operator, the equivalent of our miso. The data center will not be using energy from the city. Although the master service agreement doesn't specifically call out closed loop cooling, they force they're forcing
closed loops uh closed loop system by limiting the amount of water that the data center can use. The MSA also dictates the use of the data center. No Bitcoin or blockchain services will be allowed to run in that data center. I want to point out too that even though
Cyrus 1 states that they will never have to refill their closed loop cooling system, Betavia's MSA has a stipulation that any intent to discharge the cooling system requires giving the seven days notice. So they must assume that there's a reason that they might need to
discharge that water. The city of Bavia is paying for off-site electrical upgrades and the developer is paying for on-site electrical costs. The city will incur $18 million in upgrades that the developer will pay upfront. Once the data center completes its first phase
that will use 20 megawatts of power, the city will begin repaying the $18 million over a seven-year period. So, the city will not make a profit on the data center for at least seven years. Betavia's selling point is the revenue they will generate from their municipal
utility. Once they do make money, the project will re uh generate $8 million a year from an energy cost adjustment of 0.005 kilowatts per hour used at the data center. They have annual distribution charges and they have
franchise fees. So tax revenues are unknown at this point for the project, but they're minimal compared to the revenues that are generated by the utility by the city owned utility. um they have the advantage of that revenue that we don't have here in Son
County. So my point here is not to compare the Cyrus One project with Betavia's data center, but to show you that the possibility is there for negotiating a data center project. You don't need to accept what Cyrus 1 is offering as is. I ask that you use your
due diligence in researching the water issues that were mentioned by Prairie Rivers Network on Wednesday. Um, you can require Cyrus One to use higher standard um, standards on their diesel backup generators. Neighborville is requiring those. Um, many other requirements. So,
I ask that you listen to the public's concerns and determine which of those concerns can and should be addressed to approve the project. You can vote no to Cyrus One if they don't resolve these issues and if they don't meet your terms, send them back to the drawing board if they don't resolve these
issues. They obviously want to be here because of these large transmission lines. So you have the upper hand. We're depending on you to work through this that way. Thank you. >> Thank you. This is very interesting. Thank you.
>> Okay. Uh the next person who signed up to speak is Abby Pal. Chairman and members of the Sang County Board, thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening and thank you for your leadership and holding the public hearing on the proposed Cyrus One Data
Center. My name is Abby Powell and I'm the director of business development for Springfield Sang Growth Alliance and I want to highlight why this project represents a significant economic development opportunity for Sang County. First, the economic impact is
significant and immediate. This project brings a largecale capital investment to our county and will create substantial construction activity, which includes a project labor agreement that ensures union jobs throughout the build. Once completed, the data center is expected
to support 100 permanent full-time jobs and along with an estimated 350 additional economic or additional indirect and induced jobs. These are high quality positions that support families, strengthen our workforce, and
help retain talent in our region. Second, the long-term fiscal benefit to Sangaman County is exceptional. On average, a project like this $26 in taxes for every $1 of public services it
requires. That means meaningful property tax revenue for schools, for fire protection and infrastructure without placing additional burden on existing taxpayers. Third, the project has been thoroughly evaluated by experts and partners. Both
the rural electric convenience co-op and the county's independent electrical consultants have affirmed that no rate increases are expected. result of the data center and the cost of necessary electrical infrastructure upgrades will be covered by Cyrus 1, not by local
rateayers. It's also important to note that the facility's electric demand, to put this in scale, represents less than 1 half of 1%, it's about 0.47% of the total generation available on the
MYO grid. Fourth, the facility's design meets or exceeds all standards related to noise, light, and environmental impact. Shielded lighting protects dark skies, and sound mitigation elements ensure noise stays well below county
thresholds. Similarly, the closed loop cooling system ensures no negative impact from water use, keeping consumption levels comparable to a typical office building. Fifth, this project supports a broader business ecosystem. Data centers require
ongoing partnerships with local contractors, service providers, and utilities. They also send a valuable signal to other technology and logistic companies evaluating Sangaman County as a potential site. A successful project of this scale strengthens our
competitiveness for future investment. Finally, it's important to note Cyrus 1's track record. This is not a new or speculative company. Cyrus 1 has been in continuous operation for over 25 years. They a variety of national and international customers including
companies in technology, finance, construction, insurance, and other sectors. They are proven stable operator with a long history of building and maintaining missionritical infrastructure. On behalf of the growth alliance, I want to thank you for your continued
leadership and supporting responsible economic development in Sang County. >> Thank you. M >> um I understand I can't ask a question to the person who's speaking but I can ask a question to our staff
>> personal staffing person here >> I don't think we have zoning staff here at this late no but >> go ahead and ask your question maybe >> okay my question to uh poning staff or the entire room here would be um the 50
decimals is hard thing to read. We've experienced that with outdoor beer gardens trying to figure out how loud something really is is and I understand it's our our staff doesn't have equipment to be able to read that. Um
we've contacted Illinois trying to get them to help us read volumes amounts. I I guess my question to the staff would be uh 50 to decimals to the home adjacent to that or is it to
the property line? Because if it's to the property line, I don't see how a company like this could meet that because you're talking about 360 uh generators. Sure, they're all not going to be running at the same time, but they're over 2,000 horsepower each.
That's probably as many combines as we may have in this county. >> I I think >> so I guess I'm asking to the staff is how do we know that they're going to hit that number or not hit that number? >> I think your question exceeds the technical knowledge of those currently
present in the room. So we'll we will get you an answer to that question, but we'll have to get our international staff. >> Any other questions or comments from members of the board? The next uh speaker who signed up to speak is Ethan Manning.
>> Uh to answer his question, look how they treat the people down in Chile. want more information on that got quite loud. So, I'd like to thank uh Mr. Ays uh for uh answering some of my questions that kind of uh led this speech tonight. Um but I
kind of I want to take a different approach to this. Um I agree with most people in opposition to this, but I kind of want to look at this uh situation from more of a 10,000 foot view. And I I want to uh reiterate that, you know, I'm
America first and I'm pro business, but I'm very skeptical of data centers. Considering three years ago, no one knew what a data center was. It's important to point out that the data center explosion just in the last few years has t is literally tied to a tech bro
fantasy of birthing a godlike ASI. I like to call this privatized communism. If this was proven, as in the case of gas or oil or gold, I'd be out there with a shovel helping you dig, but it's not that and it's unproven. So,
currently that giant sucking sound Ross Bro talked about is our money going to Silicon Valley. So, with that said, I'd like to point out some facts, concerns, and possible outcomes to the board. We have to consider the S&P 500 bubble is so big right now, a 5-year-old could
point it out on a map. When when bubbles pop or the powerful attempt of wealth transfer, it always rolls over to the poor, the young, and the middle class. They always suffer and the marginalized. Boomer regonomics isn't a catch-all solution. And the economic crash
typically pushes the young into the arms of the socialists. 2008 was tied to homes. That's an asset. 2025 is tied to the promise of AGI, which does not exist. We It doesn't exist. they just say well give us more
money and we'll get there someday right there are numerous studies that state mass computation which is data center is uh is not the best way to advance to advanced AI but rather small computation at a device level opposed to an AI for
everything model now to the point of power the energy expert stated that the mso grid can support the data centers as of now what he did not speak to is how many data centers will come on uh will come online over the next few Somebody else pointed that out earlier, which is
a very good point. Or the upgrades needed over time to keep the grid functional, which is where the real energy bill increases come from. It's over time. One answer, as said by the Trump administration and big tech, is small nuclear reactors. That's where
this goes. But how will how will this look? How will it be paid for? And do the citizens want nuclear if and when the bubble pops? I'm not saying it is, but I suspect it's going to pop. That does necess that does not necessarily necessarily mean Cyrus the
Cyrus Center goes out of business, nor does it mean that AI uh ceases to exist on the other side. But if it does by losing its AI renters, how does that unfold? We can't just reappropriate a defunct data center uh like an out of business restaurant. Once a data center,
always a data center. These comp companies openly state that they are targeting smaller conservative counties to push their centers. So it appears data centers are are the AI conservative version of the green new scam. We are decades away from zero carbon and we are decades away from super intelligence if
we can even get there. So I want to say in conclusion as I wind down here I think it's fair to say that one can bow at the altar of Milton Friedman while also bowing at the idea of antirust. Thank you. >> Thank you Mr. The next person who signed up to speak
is Aaron Kirkpatrick. >> Good evening. I'm Eron Kirpatrick. I live in District 11. Thank you again for allowing the opportunity to address you tonight. First, I am baffled as to why we as a county Representative Mendenhal
are planning to give 250,000 local tax dollars to a $15 billion company rather than something locally relevant such as implementing Massie Commission instructions. And I would echo what I heard last week regarding union jobs. We all want local labor to thrive and I
strongly believe in unions. Unfortunately, with Cyrus 1's self-touted modular design enabling rapid deployment of large scale facilities, those union jobs will be relatively brief. Cyrus 1 is currently building a 1.9 million square foot
singlestory data center in Texas in a projected 18 months. I know we tend to think local, but I still wonder how many net jobs will be replaced due to the AI contained inside this proposed data center. As for long-term jobs, remember data centers
don't create anything. It's more like a warehouse for computers running on really expensive chips. So, the jobs that data centers do create locally are typically those low-wage, non-technical positions such as security, maintenance, and janitorial work. An 11 billion data
center in Alabama is projecting just over 100 jobs. If approved, this data center will use one to two times as much energy as all current residential use in Sangaman County. No one can guarantee this won't raise rates, and it certainly
won't lower them. Lori mentioned PJM. PJM, the largest regional transmission organization, had a 500% increase in its energy auction for 2025 26. And it was found that data center demand made up
63% of that total power capacity bill. And in the latest auction, prices jumped another 10%. Data centers already receive uh tax incentives at the state level where states lose out on 52 to 70 cents for every dollar given away on data center
sales and use tax exemptions. Companies now also benefit from that permanent bonus depreciation to help avoid paying federal taxes. A stud from this year found firstear tax benefits for data centers now exceed half the value of the project in deductions compared to about
1% under traditional depreciation which could amount to 113.7 million in federal tax savings for this project in the first year alone. What we control is our zoning. I call on you to
update our zoning of data centers. Now data centers are not just another business. Imagine it was you living two miles away and make all zoning decisions based on this. I would expand on Representative Hall's question. When the
data center exceeds noise regulations, what happens? Does the individual resident have to sue the 15 billion company? Will the county, if they violate it x number of times, do they lose their zoning permit? We are responsible for how these centers
impact the welfare of our Sangaman County neighbors. I continue to urge you to delay approval until the state legislature has an opportunity to pass data center regulation in the spring session to help avoid the numerous hardships other communities and counties just like ours
have already experienced. Thank you. Let let's use our professional staff question time to answer at least one question in that very good presentation. Um, what happens if uh if a uh business is zoned uh to do something and they
violate those zoning regulations or they violate public health and safety regulations? >> Is there what's the enforcement? >> I think there's enforcement mechanisms But what is the enforcement? What happens? >> Well, you know, I don't know what the
example say >> they operating >> they build their building too tall or they're operating too loud. >> So you go in and say it's resist. >> Who goes to court? >> Uh the same same kind. >> You go to court.
>> Yeah. >> Okay. So that exists now. >> Okay. Very good. Um then the last person who signed up to speak is Bob Paskki Passic. Podlasic not here. Okay. Very
good. And that's uh all of the people who signed up to speak this evening. And we are left with reports of county officials, reports of special committees, reports of standing committees, reports of the committee on claims. Motion by Mr. Mr. Deljono,
seconded by Mr. Moniaon, the reports be placed on file with the clerk. All in favor signify by saying I. >> Opposed? No. The eyes have it. Reports be placed on file with the clerk. Motion by Mr. Mononia. Seconded by Mr. Njono that we do stand in recess until the regularly scheduled January meeting. All
in favor signify by saying I. >> Merry Christmas.