Are you live?
I'm on the call to meet with the court services committee, Wednesday September 9th, 2026.
It's 6.30.
So meeting is called in order.
First I'll order a business prayer and I'll take care of that.
By Heavenly Father, I thank you for allowing us to get together tonight to do the county business.
Thank you for your leadership, Lord, and we ask that you would continue to bless our county and this committee and continue to give strength and wisdom to do our job to the best of our ability.
This will be asked in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Okay, so approval of the general agenda.
We don't do any of that, no.
No motions, no points.
So the claims?
We'll go to finance.
We'll go to finance, okay.
There's no public comment.
Hey Dale, you can talk about the claims, you can ask if anybody has questions, you can tell talking about just can't make any action.
Oh, okay.
Thanks.
The claims.
Claims are $39,407.50.
So Pat, right here.
You have any questions, so.
Should we wait till, sign it later?
Right here?
Oh, yep, okay.
All right.
Okay.
Don't go over that.
Not there.
On that report from committee, from the presiding judges in here, public defender, Mr. Loops.
Yep.
I emailed a copy of it, everybody.
I guess the two of you should have.
If somebody else has got questions, I will likely answer any of those, but it's the two of you.
Otherwise, it's just been fairly steady for us, which is an okay thing.
Yeah, there's not much of an influence, so hoping that kind of stays this way and kind of get to the, what I always thought as a trial season, summer starts to wrap up, and I think it starts to get resolved, although the summer was not quite the best, and also the difference, so other than that we're doing pretty well.
So you're saying they're a little busier than normal?
So the summer was a little bit, just with the trials and some of the kinds of trials that we did, and we don't normally get those kinds of things.
Are you fully staffed?
Yeah.
Well, we had the, I had a full-time position, but that was just put into part-time and then back down and I had no need to seek from one way to get it full-time at this point.
I think we're doing just fine.
Okay, thank you.
Thank you.
Dr. McGee.
Good evening.
So tonight, I don't have any things about saying, just wrapped up completing the annual plan.
So waiting for approval on that.
Our new supervisor has started.
I think that it's just taking it all in right now.
But the, obviously a profound difference between Cook County.
So we've just been discussing kind of the differences and how things are done at Client Cup.
I hope so.
You know, she's like three weeks ahead, so you know, we'll see.
Praying for the best.
I see on electronic devices, see no adults around about four juveniles.
The judges put them on that?
That's in order.
That's a court order?
Yeah, um, the state makes the recommendation often times.
That just alleviates anybody going to the county jail or something like that.
They just want an electric monitoring.
It's an alternative, yes.
So a decision maybe is made whether or not.
Like we still going through an agency in Texas.
At one time we, the electronic monitoring was out of Texas.
Well, you have my report in front of you.
I'd be happy to answer any questions on that.
This couple of weeks back, our second assistant state's attorney resigned.
That leaves us with three attorneys.
So I think we're at the point where we're going to have to be making some changes.
Now one of the things that we're doing is later for approval and hopefully this can go to finance or the County Board, but we've got a contract for a legal recruiter down there.
That's what approval of contract with Robert Half is.
We can go more into the details when we hit that point of the agenda, but hopefully we we can get that moving this month, so that those guys can get to work for us.
Additionally, next month, I am going to come to this board with a personnel request to increase the salaries of the assistant state's attorneys.
We're down four attorneys right now.
We've been down two attorneys for more than a year.
I think to be competitive, we're going to have to seek additional money for that budget line item.
I don't know that we need to go into it a whole lot right now, but just wanted to let everybody know that that's essentially coming.
Do you have a number yet that you're going to request?
We're going to look at it.
You're still working on it?
Yeah.
Okay.
We're working through everything.
And I mean, I've got a pretty good idea right now but I don't want to say anything because I want to reserve, and it won't be more than what I'm thinking, but I want to reserve the right to revise it over the next month.
We'll take that contract full board.
Thank you.
Anything else?
Now coming to us next month, we're going to do all the personnel ones and then you'll send us the sheet out like you did for the supplements and stuff.
Yes.
Okay.
Thank you.
Next, Carl. Thank you.
Next, Ms. Burdell.
Good evening.
You shouldn't have my report.
If you have any questions, let me know.
I did receive the access to justice grant, $7,500.
So that's nice to receive that grant again.
We can use it towards our mobile app, carbon copies orders, envelopes, reminder slips.
We're going to get new printer, not printers, yeah, new printers in the bookshelms.
And it'll also allow me to attend the Access to Justice Conference next month in Cincinnati, Illinois.
That's all I have unless you have questions.
Sharing your income tax, is this the most you've ever had come in one year or is that just about average.
I don't know that question.
Okay.
So, but you're still having some come in yet or?
Yes.
That looks like a pretty good number.
You get a lot of complaints.
No. Good program for us to tell you to get that much.
Yeah.
Thank you.
If you did notice behind the report, there is an end of program report that was submitted.
Well that's just from, that's from Brian.
Yes, that's their end of program report of how they spent the $1,600.
I just wanted to make sure you saw that one.
And all four checks have been cashed?
Yes.
We figured out which one it was and I contacted them and they had it cashed.
Anyway, the month's addition is $508.73.
$4,173, Leaving us a total of $4,164.03.
So that's program, which is going well.
Old Business.
We have none.
New business.
The first new business is the approval and prioritization of supplemental requests for the public defender.
So we can take care of that next month yet?
Yes.
And then I see there's the personnel thing that would be next month also.
Yeah.
Okay.
So this one is, is this the health club?
Yeah.
I'm just curious, did you shop around to other places and that was the best deal?
This is the one that I based the amount off of is the sheep that spawned out of the compostable kids.
So it was based on the Wallace number and that also was based on the discounted rate from the Blue Cross Blue Shield app or the online service, you guys want to do that again and get your membership through the insurance benefits that we already have.
So it was based on that alone.
All the other places are mainly.
Did they pick up a percentage of the Blue Cross Blue Shield?
My understanding is that you pay your fee, I think that was 19 bucks a month, to the Blue Cross Blue Shield, and then they reimburse the gym every time that you log in for however, whatever discounted rate they can figure out.
I don't know the back end so much, but I know that you pay your upfront fee and that fee goes to Blue Cross and Blue Cross deals with the reimbursement of the gym in some fashion.
They kind of like the Silver Sneakers does with, I think it's a great program.
I just don't, the other departments don't have the financial wearable to be able to do this.
We can do the common law.
I don't necessarily think it should be a key.
I just can't say it for everybody else, but Well, let me ask you this question, I'm just thinking out of the box, you know, this will be up to future county boards to do this, but you know, right now, I think we're paying paying like, the county's paying like 24% of the health insurance.
You know, what happens if the county came to an agreement and said, all employees, if they go, they have to show proof and everything that will pay 24%.
You know, that's something that the future County Board can look at.
You know, we're not out the whole hundred percent of something like that.
You know, we're just, you know, 20, 24% of a membership.
Well, again, I had thought that, because when we did the insurance before, if you, at the end of the year, you had to go to the Y, which is where I go.
But anywhere, you get a print off of how often you go, and it averages it all out.
And then if you average to the three times a week, you get 100% of it's two.
I mean, I don't remember exactly what the breakdown was, but it's a tiered system to kind of can convince you to go, I understand that Adrian did that, started that, so maybe I need a pep spoton to Adrian on this.
In our showroom, there was a, there were wellness dollars included, so we found those dollars, I think was a $500 per year allotment, so got reimbursed based on the number of times that you attended the gym, but it was earmarked for that.
Yeah, I agree, it should be a countywide program and the ones that really want to do it, we just can't get memberships for everybody, it has to be shown that they really want to do it and that's an alternative too when you say well, we'll pay 24% and so if it's $100, you know, we're paying $24 and they're paying I mean, the other $76, you know, and that's legit, if you want to do it, you know, and stuff.
Yeah.
Now, everybody in your department wants to do it or?
Yeah, I would say that they're all, most of them are engaged in the gym anyways.
How much of that was forced by me?
Or like pushed.
After you did the walking challenge and you did all of that, the previous ways that generally weren't doing it, they still go every day, sometimes twice a day.
So they'll show up to work early and walk with a couple of people, one of them from the state's attorney's office and walk for work.
And then one of them stays late after work to walk.
They used to have to watch stuff.
And I've seen a bunch of people in the county that have traditionally not been doing all of that, that are actively walking out.
So it's definitely the things that we have started, you know, the county started during the growth, take off.
It'd be nice to push it over the edge.
Not that I expect this to get pushed over the edge.
But we appreciate your enthusiasm.
I mean, if you can get people up moving, that certainly is a great thing.
This is expensive.
Yeah, I figured maybe tie it under the floor and bring some of it.
It's not actually false.
Thank you.
We'll discuss this.
Okay, moving on to 9.2.
Mr. Larson, would you like to.
Yeah, we've began interviewing legal recruiting firms in an attempt to locate people to hire as assistant state's attorneys, the first firm I contacted wanted $30,000, $7,000 upfront.
I said, man, they wanted to lock in all of my open positions and have me agree not to look for people myself.
I responded that maybe we could do that with one position and, you know, I asked if with that $7,000 upfront would be refundable in the event that they didn't within a set period of time and they immediately responded that they were no longer interested in working in phishing.
So we moved on to Robert Half, their fee is 25% of the first year's salary of the individual.
So I think that that will end up being about $20,000.
But I think we are at a point where we need to, and we're under no obligation to hire because they bring two wells.
But I think we're at the point where we got to start turning over all the stones and next Thursday night, I would encourage you to approve this.
So, Carol, you base the 20, this is going to be for one person only or multiple people on this?
Well, we're going to keep all our options open.
If they bring us three good people, we'll hire three good people from them.
But if it's, if it's only one for none, then we'll hire one or not.
So you don't have, what's the base salary, we're going to start off, did you tell them Well, it's going to depend a little bit on the personnel request next month, but what we've been discussing is the low 80s.
Entry level coming in, the low 80s, and then there's just one flat.
So let's say it's $80,000.
There's one flat fee that we have to pay them.
And that's 25% based on the. 25% Of 80, so $20,000.
$20,000.
Which I have in my budget, so we could pay that this year.
We, okay, so, but you're going to be requesting to beef up some of the salaries of the states during this next month then?
Yes.
This is not for this or anything, add more money under?
Well then, whether or not that's approved will determine what I can pay and how many positions I can have, but we're going to start right now.
Yeah, it sounds like this is a good program.
I have done LinkedIn, I've done Indeed, I've done lawcrossing.
Com, I did the law schools have like a subscription service, I've done.
Friction Service, I've done those things and it's like fridges.
I read something in here about a bonus.
Is that if we allow a bonus that we have to give them a percentage of that too?
Maybe, but I don't know if there's, it would be a percentage of the bonus, but we have not discussed bonuses and I have not contemplated doing any bonuses.
Well, you know, law enforcement, that's been a big thing in all over the United States with law enforcement to get officers in.
You're given bonuses, you know, and that might be another thing you might have to walk down the road to, you know, first year.
I don't think anything has lost the table, Bill.
Bill.
Yeah, I mean, I feel bad that we can't draw people in the Seeds County, but it's pretty much, I mean, the cost of living is very reasonable here compared to where they're getting jobs maybe in the bigger cities and suburbs and stuff.
I agree.
I say that every interview I get with people, but we don't have any interviews.
I mean, when I stop in a super, you know, supermarket in the suburbs or something and price something and say, oh boy, I get that way cheaper out of Freeport, you know, but I mean, the cost of living to go out here.
So, but, well, I hope, I support, I'll support this next week.
Any way we can get it, you know, it's, you need attorneys.
You cannot do it all by yourself.
I appreciate it.
Yeah that's an impossible district.
For what it's worth the three people that are left in their office is going to be unmatched more than it will be unmatched if it's just not a way that there's not a way to do that without absolute burnout.
Are you willing to trade for heavy I'm just saying that there's, you might get lost into that thinking that there's still three people there and that's not, you'd like to have more spending open positions for a while.
Maybe I shouldn't even talk about this, but I think it's coming up.
Go ahead and give them.
Yeah, we are on the verge of crisis without a doubt.
How is the retired police officer working out for you?
Hopefully he's still with you.
Yeah, he's there.
He's doing great.
Good.
That's alleviating a few problems for him.
It is.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
You and Tom are playing pickleball right now.
Oh, shit.
Good exercise.
Okay.
All right.
This completes our meeting.
Thank you.
Thank you all for your reports and the fine work you're all doing.
Appreciate it.
I do want to thank you.
So I'll see you next week.
Schedule all messed up because of the holiday.
Well thank you, I can introduce you.
Thank you, go on please.