[0:02] uh it's recording I'm not promising that it's live okay the is

[0:16] on okay it's 601 we'll call this bar meeting

[0:21] order and roll call everybody's here Jeremy Heath Tim Sean and Carol yeah

[0:28] that's great so uh I didn't agree to have anybody

[0:41] comment we'll go first okay um last meeting we had a lot of discussion about

[0:48] um Investments of the the money off the sale of the

[0:52] farm we have how many ACR is it total two it's it's like 197.4

[1:00] close to 200 some of them been calling it two and it's okay let's call it two

[1:05] let's say we get this money from the sale of a

[1:10] farm and uh we're going to invest it what kind of investment numbers are we

[1:16] talking over the last let's say a couple years what's like what's a what's a

[1:20] common number right now do you know anybody C easier make than 6 and a half%

[1:25] I think okay they are yeah I'd like to see one six month

[1:33] ones I've seen are like 5.4 and that might be un likee we were

[1:39] discussing at church I think and they were six and a half or seven six seven

[1:43] months 54 I was just that all the banks up here yesterday 5.4 okay so let's say

[1:49] it's an even 5% for fairness um I mean yeah I guess that sounds like a good

[1:57] number compared to the 01 we were getting a few years ago I mean there was

[2:01] nothing and of course savings doesn't draw nothing um but when you look into

[2:06] the way that our monies are being invested I just happen to have a whole

[2:10] stack of statements so we've got a

[2:16] 1.1 0 1 1.0

[2:23] 1.12 um and these are two different banks 0. five. five let me just put in

[2:29] the middle here 1.01 another 1.01 here's a 1.12 again

[2:34] 1.01 1% um lots of

[2:39] ones5 1.26 there's a biggy so we've got millions of dollars and I think it would

[2:46] be fair to say that byy and far based on those just you know going through there

[2:51] you can look through them if you want but they're mine um the we're talking

[2:55] about 1% okay we're not talking about 15%

[3:00] when you pull a crop off that farm and you put it in the bank and you can

[3:03] invest in it let's say 5% put in C for 5% um every year you know you can add to

[3:09] your dollar amount make more money but the current state of our investment

[3:15] policies is not to make money apparently because all of our accounts could go

[3:20] through the Illinois first program I think the last I knew was 5 25 something

[3:25] like that so we're already missing out on 4% there so if you take the 4% let's

[3:30] say just let's say an average of 4% on I don't know how many millions in the

[3:36] budget right now I I can't tell it's Millions it's more than more than enough

[3:41] to pay our bills a couple years over um and then we've got tax money coming in

[3:45] that's a lot of money when you miss 4% on that kind of dollars you know if you

[3:50] got 50,000 you miss 4% not a big amount but you start putting a million behind

[3:55] it you got a lot of money so you take that you take um

[4:01] you know everybody's talking about liability I don't know how the rest of

[4:04] y'all I think some of you guys know about cash rent and know about what kind

[4:08] of liability there is if you own a piece of ground Jeremy you should know I know

[4:11] he knows um there is no liability there no it's 200 Acres times whatever the bid

[4:19] was and you put the money in the bank it's done there's no liability if

[4:23] everything dries up and goes to crap that's just the risk the farmer takes

[4:28] it's not the risk on the count count is risk of a farmer so that liability issue

[4:32] is gone with cash R and that's what I advocate for because we all can't seem

[4:35] to get along to negotiate anything else we kind of we've kind of made our local

[4:40] vendors angry because we don't want to pay our bills that's our fault we have

[4:43] to correct that but when you start talking about this man account this

[4:47] isn't all of them and that kind of dollar amount and then our Treasurer

[4:51] said over here a couple meetings ago and said um well but we don't really need

[4:57] 40,000 I got news this is a community what 25 26,000 people you take that

[5:05] 40,000 all the interest lost on this all that interest adds up and I doubt very

[5:12] much that anytime soon any of you or anyone on the board that has Farm ground

[5:17] or has Stander at Farm ground a lot of us have Farm ground in our family I

[5:21] doubt anyone of you is going to put a sales sign in the front of your field

[5:25] so uh this notion of it not being you know not having a public purpose and all

[5:30] that nonsense I haven't seen anybody with

[5:34] actual the actual sorry but the actual balls to go to the state and say look

[5:39] here's the deal I want to sit down with somebody I want to R this get this done

[5:42] once and for all what you know is has there been a determination that it's

[5:47] unlawful there hasn't and the next thing we could do is if we're concerned about

[5:52] that being an issue I mean we've had a rescue squad issu solved recently um

[5:58] using our legisl later so why not propose an amendment that you know it's

[6:04] been determined that the purpose of the um income off the farm is to supplement

[6:09] the the running of our government and then we're done but nobody wants to do

[6:13] that they want to sit and tear little piece of paper in a strips and say why

[6:17] they want to sell it um I've had constituents I'm not currently a board

[6:20] member but I will be I've had more than I can count call me and say what is the

[6:25] end game this has been going on since 21

[6:29] this is just a fleeting thought and my way of thinking if you're here to sell

[6:34] our farm you probably need to you probably need to resign because people

[6:39] are not going to put up with it and that goes for all y'all I'm not looking at

[6:43] Carol because I know where her heart is I think I know what Tim feels about it

[6:47] and Heath and I have talked about it jeremi have had words Sean I'm sorry I

[6:50] don't know you very well you you come to meetings we appreciate you being here I

[6:54] hope you listen to each of us and ask us if you have questions but when it comes

[6:58] right down to it if you're on our Farm committee you don't want to see our farm

[7:01] tended to as it has been you need to find a different committing or quit

[7:06] because these people out here is a pretty good representation of what your

[7:10] constituents expect and my constituents are HED and these are people that farm

[7:16] and they know what the risks are they do it every year they do it every season

[7:20] they take a risk every time but you know what they keep doing it and there's

[7:23] going to be years they're not going to make a lot of money and then there's

[7:25] going to be years they do but the easiest way to get through this is to

[7:29] start farming our ground put our money in the bank and when the state's

[7:33] attorney or when the U attorney general if there would be a time that they would

[7:37] come at us and say Here's your letter it's not

[7:40] constitutional The Next Step handle that the way the law works is you go to your

[7:45] legislator and you ask for how do we make it constitutional solve the problem

[7:50] we all somehow lose our our problem solving abilities I think we need to

[7:55] start thinking about how we solve problems we don't quit give up and sell

[8:00] what the hell would our world be if we just quit every time said well somebody

[8:03] told me I couldn't so I couldn't I mean you know it's it's time that we really

[8:08] think about realistically what your constituents want and I know what mine

[8:12] want they want they want this nonsense to be over I mean what are they going to

[8:17] do there's been all these threats about what they would do here and there and

[8:20] know they they file charges against us what they going to do send it to Vietnam

[8:25] you're County Board member you're supposed to do with the r rules that you

[8:29] see your your job is not to determine if it's constitutional that is their job

[8:35] and if you need help with that there's numbers you can call there's people you

[8:38] can sit down with and I'm sure that there would be a couple people even that

[8:42] are non- board members that would go with you to ask some questions that

[8:45] would be important so I think we need to try a

[8:48] little bit harder to find a solution because boy if you give up in life that

[8:52] easy that's that's really a problem any other public body comment

[9:00] as Farm chair are you able to put on the agenda to resend the sale of the County

[9:04] Farm for the next board meeting I don't know I don't know the

[9:09] answer to that question and my question is is anybody

[9:13] that voted to sell the farm would you consider resending the sale Mr

[9:19] Marks I'd like I wanted to table it so I could get some M from my new State's

[9:25] Attorney and do some more research and it didn't go twice so well it's already

[9:32] recent I mean it's already been voted to sell so it would need to be enable to do

[9:37] that we would need to resend the vote so would you be a willing to vote to resend

[9:41] the sale of the farm if that was on the agenda I cannot com I cannot commit to

[9:47] that at this time but you you you're saying that you want better legal advice

[9:54] or different legal advice our new States Attorney advice I wanted to postpone so

[9:59] the new State's Attorney could provide her legal advice I always like to have

[10:03] as much legal advice as you can get I I understand thank you for your for your

[10:09] maybe I can find out I don't I don't know the rules on that

[10:13] sorry but I mean I my uh so my my purpose of asking that question is I

[10:19] remember a meeting oh I believe it was a couple years ago maybe three uh where

[10:25] decision was made on EMA and then I believe you were sended the vote uh I

[10:29] can't quite remember what that was over but I think it had something to

[10:33] do with um Ambulance Service of some sort and I

[10:39] believe a boat was resented anybody remember that I do I remember yep so

[10:45] that is a possibility and I think Carol as Farm chair you could put that on the

[10:50] agenda and I'd like to see it there and so like Christine said the people that

[10:55] live in her districts which is the same district as Mr Williams don't want to

[10:59] see our farm sold and I would I would like to see

[11:02] Bruce send the sale of the farm on the next agenda you have a new State's

[11:08] Attorney and you would have time to get legal advice on what her opinion is if

[11:12] it's constitutional uh and and her view on

[11:17] public purpose and so if you could get I I'm

[11:21] requesting and I know she's busy because she just came into off came into office

[11:27] but I would hope that maybe she could give a few words on

[11:33] what her position is on Farming and then put that back on the

[11:38] well put it back on the agenda and see what the advice is and then let's see

[11:43] what happens because I think it's important

[11:48] uh to to let the people have a an opportunity to think about the decision

[11:53] they made I think some people went home after they made the decision were not

[11:57] really comfortable with it when they found out the consti is were not uh

[12:02] happy so just something to consider okay thank you I'll find

[12:07] out any other public body

[12:12] comment I feel like Christine does it should be um

[12:18] farmed um once it's sold there will never be any other

[12:24] income off of that land it'll be gone so I just think it should be

[12:33] fed any other public body comments I have a

[12:37] question I recently received my tax bill you did it

[12:43] yes interesting I'm wanted a but anyway it's gone up

[12:50] $400 is my tax bill gone up because there's no money coming in off this Farm

[12:56] why is my tax bill going up that much I have a townhouse I don't have a farm I

[13:01] don't even have a freestanding house that my tax bill went up

[13:07] $400 that would be a question for Debbie dway in the assessor's office did you

[13:13] see where I'm coming from her tax bill tells her where it went

[13:18] up the multiplier or it's usually this it's usually the school stuff driving it

[13:24] up or this that kind of thing but the state mandates

[13:32] yeah the state mandates that and the multiplier is that what you're I think

[13:36] that's is that right

[13:41] anybody we as a county we voted on that 20 years

[13:46] ago didn't we to go to be yeah and that's we don't have control over

[13:54] that so the budget you have for next year has nothing to do with our tax

[14:01] we don't have a budget for next year yet I thought it was already agreed on

[14:06] not not 2025 we don't do that till July I believe every Department then gives

[14:13] their budget to um what's his

[14:21] name BR budget committee will begin putting next year's budget together

[14:26] there's a long there's a guy that does it with us that calls us and tells us

[14:30] bther yeah bellweather yeah Bruce Bruce bellweather he goes

[14:35] over um the budget with all the committee people like they called me

[14:39] last year about the farm budget you know how how I wanted what I wanted in it and

[14:45] just decided to have it the same as it was the year before it was kind of easy

[14:49] for me but you know other departments have a lot bigger budgets um Carol but

[14:55] bellweather yeah Teresa the last time I talked to bellweather he hadn't gotten

[14:58] the letter from a return letter from the county requesting his services does

[15:03] anybody know if they've even contacted him about

[15:07] helping last time I talked to him he hadn't been contacted but the 25 budget

[15:12] will be worked on in July I believe and then the new year starts December 1st so

[15:19] what we're working on now goes through November 30th the 2024 budget use the

[15:26] mic sorry people around here saying they can't

[15:31] hear did you all hear me did that answer your question somewhat okay but I would

[15:38] suggest you talk to Debbie dway and the assessor's office and I think they can

[15:42] explain it or the board of

[15:48] review they're back in session okay and I think they're there on Wednesday

[15:53] Thursday Friday they're not here every day they're not here every day Wednesday

[15:57] Thursday Friday certain days only till noon and they're the I believe they're

[16:03] the ones I expected it to go up some what nothing STS to say in this economy

[16:09] but well a few months back we all got like a projected tax thing and I think

[16:16] everybody's went up and it was because of that multiplier and something else

[16:21] I'm sorry I'm not a tax person

[16:26] so any other public m

[16:42] there is so we'll go to number four I know if you all have an agenda or not so

[16:46] number four is to discuss and V to send to the full Lord two foxes offered to

[16:51] plant beings again um the county will have to P for the chemicals amounting to

[16:58] about 23 468 and the insurance is $83 actually

[17:04] the insurance is in with I sent you all that projection that he sent me the

[17:10] chemicals and the brought Insurance together he came up with $

[17:14] 22,4 70 did you all get

[17:19] that um he has the SE beans donated we had noxious weeds at the farm

[17:27] if we um if we plant beans it will take care of

[17:31] the noxious weeds we won't be in trouble with the health department he has also

[17:36] offered to mow the waterways the road the

[17:40] cemetery the lane at no cost to the county which is quite a saving I mean

[17:48] this is this is huge I think what he is offering just because

[17:53] he loves to farm and doesn't want to see doesn't want to see the farm

[17:59] so I'm going to make a motion that we send this offer to the full

[18:04] board do I have a second I'll

[18:10] second can I make a comment second just a second we'll

[18:24] talk sorry I have to write all this down that's all right tra

[18:30] now now we comment discussion thank you m

[18:36] um but do we not need that resolution to go to the board first to

[18:44] farm the farm and then this could go we aren't hiring a farmer okay all right he

[18:51] isn't this isn't a private farmer that is making a profit from this this is

[18:57] what I understand not making a profit he is donating his

[19:03] time and his resources and what we're paying for are

[19:09] basically the [Music]

[19:11] inputs so my question is this if the if he plants this crop and the farm gets

[19:18] sold he gets he gets the the harvest okay we would have to make

[19:25] a something in there that he plans it he would get the Harvest from that well he

[19:31] would get it because he would sell it and give it to the

[19:34] county okay okay just like he did last time we got

[19:38] $174 for left two years ago when he did this so he would Harvest

[19:43] it have a check made out to the county so the county is not losing anything I I

[19:50] was more worried about him being offended or upset because of something

[19:55] in there so what what you mean well if if you know

[20:02] if he planted the crop and was taken care of it and then it sold and then oh

[20:06] and that person got the got the crop or whatever you know he had donated his

[20:11] time and and equipment and then but with you I think we put that in his provision

[20:17] that he gets that the county gets the proceeds

[20:23] from yes so this is a this is a type of custom farm uh arangement

[20:29] then I guess last time gave us a dollar it was a

[20:34] [Music] dollar um has has this has this been bit

[20:41] out doesn't have to be bit out he's doing it for free do you know somebody

[20:45] else is going to do it for no what I what I what I do what I do

[20:53] understand is that it needs to be bit out the law says it needs to be bit out

[20:56] it wasn't last time it wasn't last that doesn't make last time right it

[21:01] still needs to be bit out think so not I mean he he's offering

[21:08] he could go out there right now and pl those be he's offering to do this for

[21:12] free it's a donation no money it's a Don but I believe the law requires it to be

[21:17] bit out can you show me that law I don't have the statute right in front of me I

[21:21] just it just occurred to me I believe just you might you might want to ask

[21:26] before we take anything to the board or anything here I might want to ask the

[21:30] state attorney about that statute there

[21:37] too why wouldn't you be that it's a it's a free

[21:41] donation it is it's a donation it's a free donation he is saving do you know

[21:45] how much many he's saving us by [Music]

[21:50] mowing it's $500 every time K Compton moves out there and he mowed

[21:56] twice the cemetery looks like H I'll call Bru and ask

[22:03] her theary needs to be Tak care of we have two Civil War veterans that are

[22:09] buried out there that we're just we don't pay any attention to these people

[22:14] these 75 people that we know of that are buried there there at least 100 that are

[22:20] buried than we're showing no respect whatsoever

[22:25] by letting that Cemetery but I was there the other day and and the weeds are past

[22:29] my knees I can't even find Melinda fluky

[22:33] Stone and I have a metal flag in there to show her her spone is and I can't

[22:38] find it to me that's so disrespectful Sue has offered to mow

[22:46] that Cemetery as many times as needed right now he could probably bail hay up

[22:51] there it's so it's so tall so um and you can't drive down Lane because the weeds

[22:59] are taller than your knees it's you can't go down get a

[23:04] car so I I I I believe this may still need to be bit out um but one I think

[23:13] she I think Miss mlock stepped out to call the state's attorney and that's

[23:17] that's fine but I want to um I want to in encourage us to get uh to get

[23:26] something in in writing and not taken off the cuff opinion that hasn't that we

[23:33] know of been thoroughly researched um so you know taking an

[23:39] offthe cup opinion winds up getting me in trouble sometimes

[23:44] because I I think if an opinion what's that what are you talking about an

[23:49] opinion a written legal opinion on whether or not it needs to be bit out uh

[23:55] so because if it does and we don't then then that's that's a violation of the

[24:01] law canot be done and still added on next week's agenda Carol is it time for

[24:05] you to do that actually next week is about the last week we can probably plan

[24:10] meetings and he knows that and you know that this is this is a stall IDE you not

[24:18] want to farm you're a correct I do not want step off the F because we would

[24:24] rather spend 10 $220,000

[24:29] you we would rather spend 10 to $20,000 to burn the

[24:35] weeds and and to disc we have to get rid of the weeds yes we are going to get

[24:40] fine if we do not get rid of the weeds so we're going to spend money and get

[24:46] nothing in return or we're going to spend money and

[24:50] and be guaranteed about $100,000 with insurance we are

[24:55] guaranteed $100,000 the other the other concern that I had

[25:00] was um the county will pay for chemicals and and insurance so those those are

[25:07] part of the inputs which are part of the investments in in operating a farm and

[25:14] um any any any farmer will tell you there is some risk associated with

[25:18] farming and any any investment into the input would be an

[25:24] investment into a risk we have have no risk because if we

[25:29] buy insurance we're guaranteed in insurance insurance does

[25:34] not mean you're not taking a risk Insurance everything's a risk Insurance

[25:38] actually acknowledges and admits that we are taking a risk and that risk would be

[25:43] taken with taxpayer money there is there is no permission

[25:47] $74,000 there is no permission anywhere in statute that I'm aware of to invest

[25:54] taxpayer money in anything that bears any risk so you want to so you want to

[25:58] $20,000 to kill the weeds and that's taxpayer that you don't

[26:03] care it's that means nothing that would be that would be maintaining our

[26:07] property which we have statutory authority to do and it's not a

[26:12] risk it's was money how do the how do the rest of you guys see this that are

[26:17] sitting there quiet what do you guys think on this the uh the only kinds of

[26:21] things that the public funds investment act permits investment in are things

[26:25] like interest bearing accounts things that bear no risk to the principal oh

[26:29] there's risk in Shelby County there's a lot of risk like 4% worth the risk there

[26:33] so 4% minimum it's things like bonds and I've got it pulled up right here it's

[26:39] it's bonds it's going to be savings accounts it's going to be CDs things

[26:43] that bear no risk to the principal but taking out insurance yes is a risk

[26:48] mitigation tool but it acknowledges and admits that

[26:53] we still take the risk it it it is it is proof that we are

[26:59] taking a risk with taxpayer money and this is your legal

[27:03] opinion no

[27:06] actually yeah I

[27:12] am I feel like it's a mistake to sell the farm

[27:17] however at the last board meeting there was a vote

[27:21] taken and the majority voted to sell the farm I don't agree with it I think it's

[27:28] a mistake but that's what the vote was 12

[27:35] to9 I believe 12 to S okay there were 19 people there

[27:43] okay I but that doesn't mean we can't have a

[27:48] crop this year before it sells we don't know when it's going to

[27:53] sell it could be next winter

[28:01] I mean right it hasn't been appraised it hasn't been surveyed you make a good

[28:06] point I I feel like the vote was taken to sell

[28:13] it you voted the for we did without legal

[28:18] opinion I'm sorry I voted yeah yeah I voted yes yes I did yeah but we lost we

[28:27] lost so do you feel like we shouldn't grow a

[28:31] crop while it's while we have all the weeds out

[28:36] there get as much as we can and then when it setts it

[28:44] yeah what would it hurt to have Ruth come and discuss the options and the

[28:49] legalities of it I don't know if you I don't know if that matters Crystal we

[28:55] well not we but the board the board voted to sell the farm but without a but

[29:01] without a current legal opinion do you think that's going to

[29:04] change the vote I think it could Sean expressed concern that he'd like to

[29:08] speak with Ruth about it and I he didn't really elaborate on how he tried to do

[29:11] it twice and it didn't happen but I would think Ruth would be approachable

[29:15] for him to discuss it with her and to get some answers because I think

[29:18] everybody needs some answers because Jeremy's legal opinion is not a legal

[29:22] opinion it's his opinion he's not each of you should be Ruth on your own but it

[29:26] would be prudent I think for everyone to step and say well we got to stop this in

[29:29] his tracks this is a very Bal issue we need Ruth to come in and sit down and

[29:33] let us answer some questions what we have on the agenda

[29:37] right now is about St it isn't about selling the

[29:41] farm can I say some I am on the board sure why is it such a hard thing to

[29:50] think that you could have stew farming you can get some Revenue off of it and

[29:55] even if you sell it that money goes into into the general fund to help pay bills

[30:01] how hard is that for people to understand I don't if any one of you had

[30:07] that option with your own personal finances you would walk away from

[30:12] it yes you would no I wouldn't oh God then why are you doing that with our

[30:17] farm J because it is

[30:21] not Mr chairman if I if I may it is not the role of the government

[30:28] to be a proactive player in the private sector it is not the role of government

[30:34] to compete economically with its own

[30:40] constituents legal

[30:44] opinion it is if it were private ground as was just just said then a private

[30:50] citizen would not have this problem they could do any of the above options that

[30:55] we've discussed and probably a lot that we haven't but I I am going to make the

[31:00] motion to table until we can do exactly what has been suggested and that is get

[31:06] a written legal opinion from the state's attorney on on specifically

[31:14] addressing uh whether or not we can invest taxpayer funds in in in a in a

[31:22] risk and whether or not the uh whether or not it needs to be bid out if I could

[31:30] get a second take a vote there's already a motion on the table

[31:35] sorry I think Jeremy talked to Mr Handlin more than anybody sitting up

[31:40] there and he I know that they've had conversations about

[31:46] it okay Jeremy has made a motion to table is there a second

[31:56] [Music]

[32:01] so we just so let me State your motion again I I made the motion to T until we

[32:07] get a written legal opinion from the state's attorney on whether or not we

[32:11] can invest and knowing if you too late money into into a risk investment

[32:19] no risk and on on whether or not it needed to be

[32:26] out there was no second table it don't go on the meeting next

[32:30] week too late can you table it and have have call meeting next week before the

[32:34] board meeting why is he so generous to do this

[32:39] because he's a farmer he's always been a farmer he's like a third generation

[32:43] farmer May before he hates to see the ground and girl in Weeds he did this for

[32:51] two years ago the county ended up with

[32:56] $174,000 which more than paid for uh the St the assistant States Attorney

[33:00] severance package and other person um $12,500 that nobody knows

[33:10] um who and it's not taxpayer money that is revenue from the crop it is not

[33:16] taxpayer money and I know Jeremy likes to say once you put that money into the

[33:20] general fund it's taxpayer money but it is not we sold that crop it went into

[33:27] the F and it goes out and pays for all sorts of stuff it is public funds it is

[33:33] public funds it is public funds it is not taxpayer money those those tax it is

[33:38] not taxes on your tax form that paid for any that that is free money from the

[33:45] sale of that crop but those two terms are

[33:48] interchangeable but it's not taxpayer money like you said okay so it's public

[33:52] so it's public funds it's still public funds but it is not taxpayer money so

[33:56] taxpayers if you look on your tax bill it did not say that this money went to

[34:02] the farm it just went into the general fund and it paid for the State's

[34:06] Attorney's Office it paid for a de gunway or anybody it it was a huge

[34:11] amount of money who was donating

[34:17] somebody I don't know who it is but if you want me to

[34:25] call up any more discussion on I'm kind of

[34:31] leaning toward let's go ahead and plant B

[34:35] yes

[34:39] sense the public purpose of doing so is what the public purpose of the use of

[34:45] the land when planting beans is what she just told is to pay

[34:50] for um County expenses and to relieve the burden of the taxpayers

[35:01] so so so making money then we're going to call making money a public purpose

[35:06] that's that's what you're saying we're going to go into private business when

[35:09] when the Supreme Court has already ruled that counties are not are not authorized

[35:14] to go into private business the Illinois Supreme Court has held that the statutes

[35:19] are presumed to be constitutional and the Supreme Court has held that the

[35:23] legisl decides what a public purposes so in uh dun versus the county

[35:29] of Rock Island and versus Johnson when the Supreme Court ruled that counties

[35:34] are not authorized to enter into private business we're going to compete with our

[35:39] own constituents our local farmers with

[35:45] anybody with you absolutely we are the new Farm Bill recognizes the

[35:51] farming as serving a public purpose in that the revenue is used to pay County

[35:55] expenses and it relieves a burden on the tax taxers ex ex there you GOP didn't

[36:04] they didn't they didn't they remove that wasn't that in this first the first

[36:09] amendment in the Senate CU they had in there funding the operations of the

[36:13] government like was said earlier and the Senate removed that

[36:17] language they removed that before they passed HB 1076 because they saw the

[36:22] Constitutional concern I do remember that the they

[36:26] asked the senator if he was trying to change the

[36:29] Constitution and he said no he was not trying to change the Constitution I do

[36:33] remember reading that when I did all the research on that 1076 bills yeah Senator

[36:38] Plummer was asked that in in in Springfield in session right before they

[36:41] voted on that no we still 76 says you do not have to have a specific purpose

[36:47] correct and that that is uh that you don't you don't designates like a couple

[36:53] years ago the board considered farming the farm and allocating

[36:58] the profits to courthouse maintenance right you can't you

[37:02] can't do that just go the general Cas for stuff it's paying is $74,000 to what

[37:08] name so law designating designating the profits from the

[37:15] farm is a specific public purpose you don't designate a specific public

[37:19] purpose we're not desting going to put your we're not designating anything it's

[37:23] going into the general I didn't say we were I'm giving an example while I lead

[37:27] into something if we were to designate that

[37:31] would be a specific public purpose die there's no second that would be a

[37:36] specific public purpose but we can't do that and that's why that's why you don't

[37:41] have a specific public purpose it removed the requirement because you

[37:45] never have a requirement for that so but you still have to you have to have a

[37:50] public purpose you don't you don't put it

[37:53] toward this or put it toward that or put it toward the next thing it has to have

[37:56] a public purpose in a in a general sense okay we're going to vote on this yes

[38:02] could I I yeah wouldn't farming the farm be a

[38:06] public purpose in itself it's um well the noxious weeds are a problem if we

[38:12] knock down the weeds that serving a public purpose so you dis the weeds

[38:16] under that's another option yeah that's $6,000 yeah my challenge is

[38:24] is with everything that Stew's offering to donate it's like our our cost is

[38:29] almost equal like I agree in principle with everything but I'm like well we're

[38:33] going to have the same you know disc in the weeds yet solves the problem today

[38:37] but a month from now the weeds are back the cover crop solve the same

[38:41] problem you do not cover till the all but but we're spending you know we're

[38:46] spending money that will not generate any income I'm like

[38:50] well so if your principle of public purpose is over here and the donation is

[38:55] over here how how much how much are the principles

[39:02] worth are they worth the farm inputs are they worth the Constitutional violation

[39:06] are they worth it's not a constitutional are they worth abandoning the oath of

[39:10] office to honor the Constitution or uphold the Constitution we've voted to

[39:15] sell it Jeremy we're farming it one more time yeah then then let then let's PL a

[39:23] cover crop let's do something good for the so

[39:30] okay I'm going to call for a vote Jeremy what exactly are we oh we're

[39:35] voting on number four for Sue to plant the beans the county will pay for the

[39:43] inputs the chical and the insurance um the SE be are donated St

[39:50] will mow the waterways the roads the cemetery at no cost to the county

[40:00] I vote Yes T yes Jeremy no Carol yes Sean yes

[40:08] ke yes four yes one no

[40:20] passes so we will put that on the agenda for an hour we talk to that stuff number

[40:25] five is discuss and go the County Farm only if it isn't Farms I don't even know

[40:30] if we need to go to this um I talked to Candy Compton

[40:36] he he mowed twice last year at $500 each time but he did not mow the cemetery

[40:41] more than twice and I feel like the cemetery needs to be mowed more and St

[40:46] says he would take care of it as many times as it needs to be mowed do we need

[40:51] which I think is quite generous do we need to vote to send this to the board

[40:55] in case item four fails at the full board cuz if item four fails at the full

[41:02] board then we're back to square one with nobody Mowing and everything else do we

[41:08] need to vote I'm I'm just trying to cover all our bases here cuz we're going

[41:12] to have a mess we got a mess out there now we need we do have a mess so let me

[41:16] read this so it's discuss and vote on wearing County Farm only if the ground

[41:19] is not farmed can you pump waterways in Cemetery for $500 each time to diss your

[41:24] entire Farm approximately 28 Acres he charged us $6,000 last

[41:31] fall so

[41:37] if if we don't Farm it and we have to mow it I believe it's

[41:42] still has to have a burn down I'm not sure the dis being

[41:49] would take care of that's just another burn down

[41:56] $1,000 and that's basically the first I don't know that

[42:00] you when he dissed it last year it was so hard because we hadn't had any

[42:06] rain the there there actually we have wheat growing out of the farm right now

[42:12] it's volunteer weed from you have to walk through the weed to get to the

[42:17] cemetery and the weeds aren't actually as tall as the weed but you're

[42:21] tall um yeah if you just it now to get rid of

[42:27] that it would have to be done again unless you get a crop unless you get a

[42:31] cover crop or beans planted in it but you don't do a cover crop you can do

[42:36] cover I I read from the ufi that you can do cover crops in both warm season and

[42:42] fall there's cover crops you can do in the spring and the summer and then

[42:46] there's cover crops that you can do in the fall so I was researching that cover

[42:50] crop because um it was on the agenda okay well let's go back to let's wait

[42:55] and do that that's there so does somebody want to make a

[43:00] motion to put the mo on the agenda or do you want to skip

[43:06] it that's I'll make a motion that we that

[43:10] if it's not put if the county Farm's not is not V on to be farmed this year that

[43:16] we entertain this well we need do we need to take bids for mowing no cuz

[43:21] normally I thought we had to take bids for everything as long as it falls under

[43:26] the bid so I'll make a motion that we if the if the County Farm is not voted on

[43:31] to be farmed it we send this to the county board for

[43:34] approve second okay 10 seconds we got to do something right something has to be

[43:40] done okay any other discussion on can

[43:49] any if not we'll take a vote all those in favor yes yes yes

[43:58] opposed Samson

[44:02] all number six is a discuss vote to receive bids for a cover crop including

[44:07] chemical seed applications planning hiring a

[44:11] farmer [Music]

[44:15] um on st's proposal he also had cover crop estimates on his estimate came up

[44:22] to $116,000 low over $16,000 that was to spray the chemical

[44:29] because you have to have a burn down first you have to get rid of the

[44:34] weeds and then the crop the

[44:40] drilling you have to hire a farmer this just doesn't get done by

[44:45] itself I Jeremy had a proposal but it didn't say anything

[44:51] about hiring a farm yeah um I uh I reached out to K and he didn't get back

[44:58] with me with an email but he did um he he did he did discuss with me um uh he

[45:06] and several others uh mentioned kitchen seeds which is the place in Arthur they

[45:12] uh they specialize in small seed like that uh there were there were a few

[45:17] options um the one that he recommended was to do uh uh he said barley is good

[45:23] ahead of corn because uh Ry and corn can carry the same kinds of diseases so you

[45:29] put Rye ahead of beans and barley ahead of corn uh he said barley at 49 cents a

[45:34] pound at 50 lb an acre and he also recommended uh to mix some radish in

[45:40] there because that will help put some nitrogen back in soil that will be that

[45:44] will be uh good for the soil uh radishes at $2 a pound at 5 lb an acre uh so and

[45:52] I I told him just to use the rough average at 200 200 acres and that came

[45:57] out to uh 6,900 for for that mix to help put

[46:01] nitrogen back in the soil it would also keep the weeds down and for application

[46:06] purposes I spoke with Kenny and he uh is not going to do

[46:12] it no

[46:18] okay okay that's he told you something different than he told me did he tell

[46:23] you he do

[46:27] I see from what I understand the farmers IO

[46:32] um radish and the other green cannot be sewn at the same

[46:40] time so that's different passes that's not just one

[46:44] pass I believe you can mix those in that's what I've been told I've always

[46:49] did it together but did radish turnips and red clovers

[46:55] together just a spinner truck and then we dissed it

[46:59] in and then I also heard that radishes smell really bad and it's like somebody

[47:04] died they that that's actually then were turnips one or the other can but you'd

[47:10] have to have a really thick stand like I don't I really don't think at that rate

[47:15] it'd be a problem yeah so Kenny uh Kenny said uh there were there were different

[47:22] options you can you can drill those in or you can broadcast them and dis them

[47:28] in and he doesn't drill what's that he does not drill I believe didn't he

[47:34] drilled the wheat I don't think yeah he farmed a

[47:39] wheat crop last year he drilled the wheat in did did he drill it though like

[47:43] I me we used to just just weed it too I mean I don't know how he did it okay did

[47:48] he said he would do it he said uh let's see here uh if you want me to disc in

[47:54] The Barley turnips and radishes which is your just barley and radishes I could do

[47:58] it for $30 an acre and again the same offer as last year for the mowing that

[48:03] that you you already had in there so and I I've uh I've discussed the possibility

[48:10] with uh with some different folks and because there because of the weeds

[48:15] you could disc the weeds down broadcast the seed disc it

[48:22] in or you could disc the weeds and drill the seed in

[48:28] [Music] the the drilling is the better the

[48:31] better option for it to take root and come up and germinate and all that

[48:37] um but a second pass with the disc isn't a bad idea

[48:42] either can someone clarify what it costs an acre all total versus beans that's

[48:48] what I want to know because you're coming up with all these numbers and by

[48:51] the time you're got all said and done may as well just put beans in and got

[48:54] income off of it because the cover crap get till

[48:58] under girl left I mean they're saying 30 bucks an

[49:04] acre to disc so yeah so that's what he charged last year so that's six grand

[49:09] and then if you do if you either disc it in again or drill it assuming that's 30

[49:14] bucks an acre a second time so there's another six so there's 12 if you got to

[49:17] make two passes and then you I guess you wouldn't have a burn down then you'd

[49:21] have your seeg cost which was what 7,000 almost yeah 7,000 so that's

[49:27] and what are beans what would bean price be just for beans knowing you're going

[49:30] to get a profit off of it cuz the intention of a cover crop correct me if

[49:34] I'm wrong people that don't know it's to improve the Organics of the soil if you

[49:38] got a really heavily clay sometimes they'll do things like they Trad K and

[49:43] all these other mixes and turnips and stuff to add some of that back to the

[49:46] soil so you don't you don't get a crop off of it you don't sell anything

[49:50] typically correct sometimes people bail it but I mean erosion control in our

[49:54] case the cover crop my mind is to choke the weeds out so that we're not spraying

[50:01] it or dis if we're going to settle it why would we

[50:05] have it would put nitrogen back in the [Music]

[50:10] soil why back in if somebody's going to buy

[50:15] the prop which would make it which would make it more

[50:19] marketable

[50:23] as over the I say from a nitrogen standpoint I don't

[50:29] necessarily care but buying 200 Acres that's got you know noxious weeds This

[50:34] Tall versus buying 200 Acres that has some cover crop there is to Jeremy's

[50:40] point value in there being cover crop on it and it not having that weed bank so

[50:46] how much value does it have when there's a when it's producing a crop though eth

[50:50] it's producing let's say I don't know eight a bush acre beans yeah 260 Bush an

[50:55] acre corn how much that got versus govern you know it'll produce something

[51:01] it depends on which point of view you're looking at are you're looking at it from

[51:04] the County's point of view as income or you looking at it as somebody buying it

[51:08] I mean we shouldn't be worried about somebody buying that's the whole point

[51:12] would be P you know if we this about what's best for all if we justed it

[51:15] twice and then put the cover crop in the radishes and and barley right then

[51:22] that's [Music]

[51:24] 19k and chemicals alone according to St is 21k so that's and then the crop

[51:34] insurance here 22 you spend 22k or you spend 19k you get Revenue with the 22k

[51:41] you get you get money only if go yeah

[51:48] only I got4 cover crop I would what you say

[51:56] Mark [Music]

[52:06] you so do we have a motion for

[52:12] this I'll make the motion to do the the the cover crop with the uh from from

[52:20] Kitchen seed with the uh with the numbers provided for barley and radishes

[52:26] um and uh and for Kenny to to do what he said he would do unless he told you

[52:33] something different since since he spoke to

[52:38] me Carol can you text him and see Ken says he cannot drill the seed he would

[52:44] need somebody else to do that all he can do is dis the ground and he could he

[52:50] could broadcast it in disc this the ground and I have no way of planting he

[52:54] said I how did he plant the we then he probably just used a he would dis for

[53:00] $30 an acre and mow the grass and water weights

[53:05] for so he will not do the cut um he could uh I think he told me he

[53:14] he could broadcast it and disc it in or or we could have um we could have I

[53:20] think South Central has done our our stuff before hasn't it but we don't know

[53:24] how much that is no

[53:27] idea all we know is that the the seed

[53:34] is6 than that we don't have any other numers would have to be out

[53:43] I and to me that's like farming you want put that that's farming

[53:50] just like he did he did tell me on on Monday that he would he would dis in

[53:56] turnips and radishes which this is just barley and radishes and he do it for $30

[54:00] an acre the same as discing that's that's what he told me he would

[54:04] do and then we have an application fee for somebody to spread it right for FS

[54:10] or whoever to spread

[54:14] it do

[54:19] that is that farming because it's farming like just like st's farming that

[54:25] would that would that would just be maintenance of the

[54:29] property would that have b out like the lab and stuff as long as it falls

[54:35] beneath the bid threshold and no that's farming Jeremy that's not

[54:41] M far for nothing it's the bid threshold for nothing

[54:47] threshold you just said you were going to have to put it out for bid and stew

[54:50] was going to farm it for free m but if it falls underneath the bid threshold

[54:55] you don't have to bid it out so what's the bid threshold st's going to do it

[54:58] for nothing so what's the bid threshold you got to give you 10 bucks it was a

[55:03] dollar last oh sorry well I mean come

[55:08] on we got to put it out for bid no we don't for Christ's sake talking out both

[55:15] sides of your mouth okay so Jeremy's made a motion on

[55:19] this I I thought we already had a motion to plant beans and we did this is a

[55:27] motion cover we're sending it to the full board what if full board doesn't I

[55:32] think we need to send options I mean okay if we send one thing in the boat in

[55:37] the board boats no one farming be or putting the beans then we're screw then

[55:42] we're back to square one and another down the

[55:46] road if somebody decides they

[55:51] don't I'll second Jeremy's motion on the cover crop just in case the beans don't

[55:57] okay we got to do something with that land

[56:07] out but we still don't have

[56:13] numbers we can't have probably by the board me absolutely what's that we can't

[56:18] have by the board meeting sure so that's next

[56:22] Thursday by Tuesday to have it on the agenda to have it by Tuesday for the

[56:31] agenda all those in favor of covered crop I I

[56:37] yes how

[56:45] manys four yeses and one no I'm going to vote

[56:51] now okay um

[56:58] we have any old

[57:04] business we have

[57:09] L old business we a new

[57:19] business

[57:24] bu no are we

[57:28] done motion to Sean makes a motion

[57:34] to did somebody second it I'll second 10 seconds all those in favor hi

[57:44] opposed this okay an hour hey that's that's good thank you everybody

[57:52] we have Public Safety tomorrow evening guys saf

[57:56] at 6:30 I 6 I won't either okay I told um

[58:02] you told Tad that I would not I got to teach class tomorrow final

[58:12] class I appreciate you standing up and advocating last board meeting for that

[58:17] and I wish the other two could come with you and make a passionate oh as

[58:22] passionate of a thing and I think more people might come along if it wasn't

[58:25] just Mom sorry about last month I was tired when I was talking to you at the

[58:32] at the cookout and I didn't forgot all about I had to be I had an officer

[58:36] meeting and and association meeting I forgot thank

[58:43] you thank you yeah I can't move those chairs there and put that up there over

[58:48] the road

[59:00] I can probably get it you not yet not yet I I will here just a

[59:06] minute should be off while everybody yeah it

[59:15] should

[59:20] off please

June 5, 2024 Farm Committee Meeting

Transcript