Meeting Events

Meeting: fxq9s6pmvmo.2026-6-15_freeport_township_meeting

Meeting date: 2026-06-15

Meeting type: township_board

This is a deterministic derived artifact, not official meeting minutes. Related records may be grouped for review while complete machine provenance remains in the JSON artifact.

Decisions and Votes

• Approval of minutes for June 1st, 2026 meeting — Passed

  • Summary: Vote on approval of minutes from June 1st, 2026 meeting.
  • Evidence: “The first total business is the approval of menace for the June 1st, 2026 meeting. I need a motion for the second, please. So motion, Wilken?”
  • Evidence: “Are there any questions on the minutes, trustees? Seeing that there are none, all in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries.”
  • Source timestamp: 01:12

• Approval of bills payable — Passed

  • Summary: Motion to approve bills payable.
  • Evidence: “The next of the minutes is approval of bills payable. Are there most in the second, please? So moved. Second.”
  • Evidence: “Seeing that there are none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Motion passes.”
  • Source timestamp: 01:24

• Presentation and audit findings from Benning Group

  • Summary: Motion to approve the presentation of the audit from the Benning Group.
  • Evidence: “The next order of business is the presentation of the audit from Benning Group. I need a motion and a second please. So moved. I’ll second it. Motion to approve the presentation of the audit from the Benning Group.”
  • Source timestamp: 01:58

• Trustees Report and Adjournment — Passed

  • Summary: Motion to adjourn until Monday, July 6th, 2026 at 4:30 PM.
  • Evidence: “I intend a motion to adjourn until Monday, July 6th, 2026 at 4:30 PM So moved. Second.”
  • Evidence: “All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Being adjourned.”
  • Source timestamp: 22:04

Procedural Actions

• Procedural Actions

  • Summary: The board considered a motion to approve.
  • Evidence: “Alright, So Mike, we need a. We have a motion on the floor to approve. It’s been made and seconded.”
  • Source timestamp: 12:49

• Procedural Actions

  • Summary: The board discussed the item.
  • Evidence: “Do you need any discussion? Yes, any discussion.”
  • Source timestamp: 12:57

Presentations and Reports

• Presentation and audit findings from Benning Group

  • Summary: Audit findings presented by Kyle Davis (Benning Group).
  • Attribution: Kyle Davis (Benning Group)
  • Evidence: “My name is Kyle Davis. I’m a CPA with Benning Group here in Bigfoot. … Our team did the audit over the last month. … We do all of it remotely from the office. … The audit this year went very well. Had one little hiccup that we ran into with some payroll stuff, on the very last page, we have one item that we consider to be a significant deficiency.”
  • Source timestamp: 02:53

• Financial Oversight and Audit Report Details

  • Summary: The independent auditors issued an unmodified opinion, meaning the financial statements are clear in all material aspects and believed to be fairly stated for everything above a certain threshold.
  • Evidence: “So if you get past the table of contents there at the start you’ll see the letter that’s on our Letterhead. It’s headed independent auditors report. So we have to give an opinion on your financial statements. We give what’s called an unmodified opinion, which means that the financial statements are clear in all material aspects.”
  • Source timestamp: 07:07

• Financial Oversight and Audit Report Details

  • Summary: All cash deposits are secured by FDIC insurance at the bank or collateral pledged to secure those deposits.
  • Evidence: “On page 16 it talks about your cash deposits. All of your cash deposits are secured by FDIC insurance at the bank or collateral that they pledge to you to secure those deposits.”
  • Source timestamp: 10:27

• Supervisor’s Report on Food Insecurity Assistance

  • Summary: The supervisor is gathering numbers to total the people assisted through the food bank, including 3,200 with the Salvation Army and around 2,600 with Joseph Pantry.
  • Evidence: “I am working on gathering numbers for how many people we assisted through the food bank when we did the funding to help with our pantry. So I’m running numbers down. We already know that we helped 3,200 with the Salvation Army. I’m looking at around 2600 with Joseph Pantry.”
  • Source timestamp: 13:34

• Expenditure of the budget report

  • Summary: The speaker requested that attendees review the expenditure of the budget report and noted that the first disbursement, likely for real estate tax, should occur at the current or next meeting.
  • Evidence: “So please take a look at our expenditure of the budget report. At our next meeting we should have maybe our first disbursement, either that meeting or the next meeting we should have our first disbursement. Disbursement of what? Real estate tax.”
  • Source timestamp: 16:45

• Assessor’s Report: Property Tax Appeals and Appraisal

  • Summary: Two owners filed property tax appeals with the Board of Review: one residential and one commercial strip mall.
  • Evidence: “So after Board of Review, we had two properties, two owners that filed their property tax appeal board. One was a residential, one was a commercial, one of the strip malls that we revalued this past year.”
  • Source timestamp: 17:37

• Assessor’s Report: Property Tax Appeals and Appraisal

  • Summary: The speaker recommended getting a full appraisal on the commercial strip mall with Board of Review and IA3 to minimize costs.
  • Evidence: “And Board of Review and IA3 is in our best interest to get an appraisal done on that one, a full appraisal. Appraisal.”
  • Source timestamp: 17:50

Metrics

• Financial Oversight and Audit Report Details

  • Summary: Payroll Deposits for the period were $19,708 because QuickBooks Online draws money two days before payroll is paid.
  • Evidence: “I just want to call attention to one number on here, which is unusual compared to what we’ve Payroll Deposits, 19,708. This only exists because QuickBooks Online actually draws money on your checking account two days in advance of the payroll being paid.”
  • Source timestamp: 07:07

• Financial Oversight and Audit Report Details

  • Summary: The total operation resulted in a surplus of just shy of $80,000.
  • Evidence: “But in total, the number there all the way to the right, you operate in a surplus of just shy of 80,000.”
  • Source timestamp: 10:04

• Financial Oversight and Audit Report Details

  • Summary: The General Assistance Fund operated at a $3,500 deficit for the year.
  • Evidence: “So just a minute ago I referenced that the General Assistance Fund operated at a $3,500 deficit for the year.”
  • Source timestamp: 11:12

• Financial Oversight and Audit Report Details

  • Summary: The budgeted deficit for the General Assistance Fund was over a quarter of a million dollars.
  • Evidence: “If you look at those two columns to the left, your budget was budgeting just over a quarter of a million dollar deficit for the year.”
  • Source timestamp: 11:43

• Financial Oversight and Audit Report Details

  • Summary: The General Assistance Fund operated $260,000 better than what it had budgeted for the year.
  • Evidence: “So even though you operated at a $3,500 deficit, you were still $260,000 better than what you had budgeted for the year.”
  • Source timestamp: 11:50

Discussion

• Presentation and audit findings from Benning Group

  • Summary: Discussion regarding the ‘significant deficiency’ finding from the audit.
  • Attribution: Benning Group representative (Kyle Davis)
  • Evidence: “Lack of segregation of duties just there’s not enough people employed within your accounting department to satisfy the accounting standards So Liz does too much for the accounting world’s liking. We have no concerns about her involvement or the oversight of all those We recognize the checks and balances and things are in place and we obviously give recommendations to strengthen those as best we can But that is that is there just out of a technicality that we have to include it.”
  • Source timestamp: 04:13

• Presentation and audit findings from Benning Group

  • Summary: Discussion on potential solutions for the lack of segregation of duties without hiring staff.
  • Attribution: Benning Group representative (Kyle Davis)
  • Evidence: “I do wonder if there’s some things that simply we could have some routine functions done by someone else where it wasn’t a major part of their duty and understanding of accounting wouldn’t really be critical in doing it, but they could be doing an aspect of, I mean you talked about things like opening the mail, you know, I mean So it would seem that there might be a possibility of doing some of those things And the extent or not that you could accomplish that with the staff you have would then either determine whether you would give us enough confidence that those duties are segregated enough. And that would be the challenging part, where you could identify some of those pieces, but the likelihood of accomplishing the segregation of the person who records all the activity, the person who reconciles it, the person who has the authority to approve it and issue checks, that would be the challenge where you could definitely find pieces that would strengthen that oversight, but I don’t think with the staff, the number of people you have, you’d be able to eliminate it to an extent of where you could remove the comment.”
  • Source timestamp: 04:13

• Financial Oversight and Audit Report Details

  • Summary: The formal audit report is bound with other documents, and the annual financial report to the comptroller’s office is still being prepared.
  • Evidence: “Good questions. Okay so then the thicker copy that you have they’re all bound together that’s our formal audit report so we’re still in the process of preparing the annual financial report that goes to the comptroller’s office I believe that just opened up for filing last week so we’re in process of that but this is uh this is the official audit report from us”
  • Source timestamp: 07:07

• Financial Oversight and Audit Report Details

  • Summary: All funds operated within their budgeted expenditures for the fiscal year.
  • Evidence: “So um, and all funds, so all the funds operated within your budgeted expenditures for the fiscal year.”
  • Source timestamp: 12:05

• Supervisor’s Report on Food Insecurity Assistance

  • Summary: The supervisor noted that food insecurity is expected to increase as different things are introduced for SNAP benefits.
  • Evidence: “Now, guys, understand this. This food insecurities thing is not going to go away. As different things are introduced for SNAP benefits, we’re going to have more and more people with food insecurities.”
  • Source timestamp: 14:26

• Food insecurity and assistance programs

  • Summary: The speaker noted that food insecurity is ongoing, predicting increased need for SNAP benefits, and suggested introducing food into emergency assistance.
  • Evidence: “Now, guys, understand this. This food insecurities thing is not going to go away. As different things are introduced for SNAP benefits, we’re going to have more and more people with food insecurities. So I’m going to make sure that I’m keeping a close eye on this. I’m also going to make sure that when we get to that point, we can also introduce food into our emergency assistance thing.”
  • Source timestamp: 14:26

• Food insecurity and assistance programs

  • Summary: The speaker expressed concern that federal funding cuts to Feed America could negatively impact local food pantries.
  • Evidence: “I have a feeling that what’s going on with SNAP benefits is going to affect food pantries in a different way because Feed America gets some of its funding from the federal government, and if they cut that funding to Feed America, that means the food pantries won’t be able to get any food from anybody, so that could be a possibility.”
  • Source timestamp: 14:55

• Food insecurity and assistance programs

  • Summary: The speaker advised others to report any information heard regarding neighborhood issues.
  • Evidence: “And if there’s anything else that you guys hear about, it may not have to be about food and security as if anything is happening in our neighborhoods you’re hearing about. Let me know.”
  • Source timestamp: 15:54

• Assessor’s Report: Property Tax Appeals and Appraisal

  • Summary: The cost for the full commercial property appraisal was estimated to be between $3,200 and $3,500, with the township splitting the cost with the county.
  • Evidence: “So is there an average cost associated? I mean like when you do an appraisal and you split it with the county? So this one is, I believe the estimate was right around $3,200, $3,500 for a commercial. For the commercial?”
  • Source timestamp: 19:09

• Assessor’s Report: Property Tax Appeals and Appraisal

  • Summary: The strip mall in question is located by Joanne’s and is fully occupied, containing Cellular and Sherwin-Williams.
  • Evidence: “Can I say it, Mike? Is it a public document? Yeah, yeah, so it’s the strip mall by Joanne’s. Oh, okay. Okay, thank you. Well, they probably picked this because there’s a lot of empty spots in there. Well, they aren’t empty. Oh, they’re not. And Joanne’s is not part of it. They are fully, yeah. So, that strip mall is fully occupied. Okay. Good.”
  • Source timestamp: 20:16

• Trustees Report and Adjournment

  • Summary: The speaker noted the expected dire need for assistance when children are out of school, as community support must fill the gap left by not providing breakfast and lunch during the school day.
  • Evidence: “We have more assistance than when they are in school. We obviously feed them breakfast and lunch during the school day, and when that is not happening on a regular basis, that then is falling on the community to take notice and to provide for them.”
  • Source timestamp: 20:55