Last Friday a Carmi man filed a theft report saying that his car had been stolen. 64 year old Mark Winters told the White County Sheriff's Department that his silver 2005 GMC Yukon had been stolen sometime between August 1st and August 5th. Winters stated that there is a 4 inch by 4 inch section of the chrome plated bumper that was missing on either the front or back bumper of the vehicle. No more information about this case has been made available at this time. The Clay County Board moved swiftly through their agenda during Tuesday evening's regular monthly meeting at the Clay County Courthouse in Louisville. At the outset of the meeting the board approved the amended meeting agenda and past meeting minutes and then moved on to unanimously approve the Claims Committee Report. It shows Paid County Claims totaling $2,957,735 and Unpaid Claims of $945,099. Clay County 911 Coordinator Jennifer Brown presented her monthly report and shared details of the 911 Board meeting from July 11 as well as updating the board on various 911 issues including equipment and software as well as working on 911 quality assurance and quality improvement. C.R. Smith with the Clay County Soil and Water Conservation District presented his semi-annual report and highlighted some newsworthy items. Smith recalled that during the Spring Fish and Tree Sale in March, 36,000 fish and 970 trees were provided to eligible landowners in Clay County. The district awarded three $500 Jake Klein Scholarships for the 13th year to graduating seniors from Flora, Louisville and Clay City high schools. Recipients this year included Elaina Kessler from Clay City, Clay Warren from Flora and Jennifer Fulk from Louisville. Soil Conservationist Tyler Pokojski has accepted a position in Carmi and the local office is being staffed by two NRCS employees from Mt. Vernon and Harrisburg. Also, Brandi Schumm from Wayne City is the new FSA County Executive Director with 20 years of experience. Smith also reported that parts of the county have received 15-20 inches of rain in recent weeks and Grass Waterways and Water and Sediment Control Basin construction is delayed for the second straight summer due to wet conditions. Smith closed out his report by noting the Fall Fish Sale is coming up September 14th at 1:00pm. The deadline to order Grass Carp is August 31 and for all other fish varieties is September 7. Call (618) 665-3326 ext. 3 for more information. Tammy Byers with the Clay County Health Department presented the Board of Health Report in Administrator Jeff Workman's absence. Byers touched on several topics including Clay County's Covid-19 status changing from High Community Risk to Medium, which is a good indicator, but also noted that with the winter months approaching Covid spread will likely continue. She also noted the health department is losing some staff members who are returning to college classes. Staff are working on the preparation of grant applications and plan another immunization clinic this Friday from 9am-4pm, as students prepare to return to the classroom. Byers also noted that they are offering a CPR course through IECC and interested persons can contact the health department to learn details. She also offered an invitation for residents to participate in a community health assessment. Clay County Sheriff Andy Myers presented his monthly activity report. Myers announced that the long-awaited body cameras are now deployed and in use and he feels the cameras will be beneficial to the sheriff's office. Myers reported the safe discovery of Clay City resident Shadie Thomas on July 27 thanks to the investigation by Clay County Sheriff's Deputy Luke Durre with the assistance of others in the office. Myers then introduced new Sheriff's Deputy Jason Abner. Myers explained that Abner is from Clay County and served here from 1994-96 before moving to California and working for the Los Angeles Police Department. He retired from the LAPD earlier this year and is now serving in Clay County. His wife and children and a sister all witnessed Sheriff Myers administer the oath of office. Next, Clay County Treasurer Jana Tolliver presented her monthly report and noted that all county funds are in good standing. Before she could be asked about property tax bills, Tolliver volunteered information that indicates there was a problem with their computer software that has taken longer to overcome than was expected. The problems have now been corrected and the process is beginning to move forward. She stated property tax bills should go out in a couple of weeks. The first installment property tax payment is due Monday, September 26 and the second installment is due Friday, October 28. County Highway Engineer Darin Koelm presented two action items for the board for work to completed on 8 miles of Hickory Hill Lane or Racetrack Road (CR700N) from County Highway 6 to Greenwood Hill. The board approved Koelm's request for an Engineering Agreement with Gonzalez Companies at a cost of $97,500 to be paid for with Rebuild Illinois Grant Funds. Next, Koelm asked, and the board approved a resolution between Clay County, Gonzales Companies and IDOT for $1.1 million to perform the specified roadwork for Hickory Hill Lane. Koelm also noted that the highway department is in discussions with Invenergy about the condition of local roads. He says it's likely the road will be changed from oil and chipped to aggregate or a rock-based road for the immediate future. He noted that with an aggregate road they can quickly make repairs during winter months while there's not much that could be done if the road is oil and chipped. The change would likely only be temporary while construction continues. Koelm also pointed out that after delays, oil and chipping of county roads should begin Wednesday. The roads to be oiled and chipped include Ingraham Lane to Wendelin, Indian Ridge Road, Fairfield Road south of Xenia, Vandalia Road from CH6 to the Fayette County Line and Songer Township Road to the Marion County Line. Jennifer Venable presented the Clay County Hospital Report in CEO Bob Sellers absence. She presented information and asked board members to approve the purchase of a new portable X-ray unit to replace an outdated model. The cost $108,500 and will be paid for with Covid grant funds. The board approved her request. The board also approved medical staff credentials for various health professionals. Venable then updated the board on other hospital news. She reported Clay County Hospital has hired numerous new employees and set a record for the size of a recent orientation class. She also reported that CCH's finances are on solid footing and workers are making great progress on the addition to the Flora Medical Clinic. She also reported that the hospital audit is complete with results coming at the next board meeting. New CNA Training sessions are planned in conjunction with IECC. In addressing challenges, Venable said the hospital continues to experience staffing problems and there are continuing issues with the lead times in securing new equipment and even routine hospital supplies. Executive Finance Committee Chairman Chris Rinehart presented information concerning the purchase of new computer equipment for Clay County State's Attorney Phillip Givens office. The board approved the request at a cost of $5,583. The final issue before the board was the introduction of Jacob Jansen with Snedeker Risk Management. He invited interested board members to attend upcoming training in Peoria in September that covers the Hope Trust and Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust (ICRMT) which Clay County is an active participant in both. Just before the meeting adjourned, Board Chairman Joe Goodman announced that a strategic planning session is scheduled at the end of August. The Carmi City Council will meet for the second of their two monthly meetings on August 16th at the City Council Chambers at 5:30 PM. There's only one topic on the docket for consideration, discussion, and/or approval: The refinancing of the revolving loan buyout. Wade Carty is also set to addre