PIKE COUNTY BOARD ACCEPTS 2023 AUDIT, APPROVES COMMUNITY GRANTS AMID INSURANCE DEBATE

PITTSFIELD, Ill. — The Pike County Board accepted its fiscal year 2023 audit Monday night after auditor Brad Porter reported an unmodified opinion, the firm’s cleanest opinion on the financial statements. The audit covers a period that ended November 30, 2023. Porter said the fiscal year 2024 audit is scheduled for late fall.

Porter identified approximately $650,000 held at Farmers National Bank at the end of the 2023 fiscal year that lacked supplemental collateral beyond federal deposit insurance. He recommended that the county work with its banks to secure balances above the insured amount. The management letter also revisited 11 recommendations from the 2022 and earlier audit cycles; Porter said one or two were addressed in the 2023 cycle.

A lengthy discussion followed about property and casualty insurance for 2027. Board members, the state’s attorney and representatives of the local agency chosen by the board disagreed over the handling of a notice of nonrenewal, whether the current insurer would recognize the new agent, and how information needed for quotes had been routed. The state’s attorney said the county could withdraw its nonrenewal notice. The board took no new action on insurance Monday, leaving its coverage choice unresolved.

The board also returned from a closed session on the Griggsville solar projects and announced it would take no additional action that night. The chair said the board’s July action remains in place.

The board approved two accommodation tax grants: $5,000 for the City of Pittsfield’s Music with a Mission event and $10,000 for Heartland Lodge’s 2027 sporting clays series. Members acknowledged that the Pittsfield event had already taken place. Its application was considered in this round after arriving too late for an earlier one.

A public safety committee report counted 246 ambulance calls in August and 1,694 calls for the year through August, about 100 more than during the same period last year. The service also reported 55 transfers in August and 410 for the year. A new transfer ambulance was expected within about 30 days of the committee meeting.

The ambulance service plans a flag raising at 2 p.m. October 8 at its building to honor Riley Lemons. The report said Lemons, who died at 21, had shadowed ambulance crews while studying to become an EMT and was an organ donor.

Members discussed an electricity purchasing contract expiring in early October. A 12-month rate from another supplier was presented, but the board decided to seek more information and additional offers before choosing a supplier. The issue is expected to return to the Finance Committee in October.

Facilities discussions included a $100,000 grant application to reimburse completed courthouse security door work and a separate $350,000 infrastructure grant for projects the county still needs to select. Members were told the state’s review could take about six months after an application is submitted. The Building and Grounds Committee is compiling possible projects. Its report also raised concerns about cracking at the jail and the need to obtain a repair quote before winter.

The board approved an amendment to court assessment schedules reflecting changes made by Illinois lawmakers. It recognized September as Workforce Development Month, approved a tax sale certificate resolution concerning a property on East Quincy Street in Griggsville, and scheduled additional October meetings to work on the fiscal year 2027 budget.

Source: Pike County Board meeting recording, September 28, 2026. Courthouse photograph: Mingusboodle, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.