The Monroe County Board met Tuesday morning and discussed how to handle $6.7 million of recovery funds allotted through the American Rescue Plan Act passed in March.

Monroe County Clerk Jonathan McLean expressed concern over “uncertainties” surrounding the funds, which the county is tasked with disbursing to county government departments and local municipalities in the coming years.

McLean noted that other counties such as St. Clair have grant administrators on staff specifically to handle such funds. Since Monroe County does not have designated personnel to monitor grant funding, he suggested the amount of oversight required for use of these funds may become cumbersome.

He explained after the meeting that up to one percent of funds given to Monroe County could be used for administrative purposes.

Monroe County State’s Attorney Lucas Liefer was scheduled to give the commissioners an update on several items, including these recovery funds, but was unable to attend as he was with his wife for the birth of the couple’s second child.

McLean said Liefer has advocated hiring a firm that has specialized knowledge of grant regulations, especially in light of the State’s Attorney’s office becoming busier with court matters – including a jury murder trial to begin this fall.

McLean and the commissioners also noted there is no need to expedite fund disbursal. The first deadline concerning recovery funds is not until 2024.  

Also during the meeting, Monroe County Health Department Administrator John Wagner gave the board an update on COVID-19 in the county. 

While numbers of new cases remain low, Wagner said he believed students should be able to attend local schools without masks and fully in-person when classes resume for the upcoming academic year. 

Wagner said the health department “will be prepared to react” to any changes – including possible restrictions due to the COVID-19 Delta variant – but will not adopt a preemptive strategy. 

Wagner acknowledged “pockets” of COVID-19 outbreaks are unavoidable, but he stated the health department’s approach will be “not to react prior to events happening like we have been through this whole thing based on experts that have been wrong 90 percent of the time,” Wagner stated. 

Wagner reminded commissioners that his department is in charge of outbreaks in schools, but cannot control what other school-governing bodies decide to do.

Wager will meet with Regional Superintendent of Schools Kelton Davis as well as other local school superintendents July 16 and will recommend full reopening in the fall.

“It’s up to the school boards to decide” what to do with the recommendation, Wagner concluded.

In other business, the board approved a rezoning of a parcel near Route 3 between Kaskaskia and Sportsman roads south of Waterloo owned by Tony Groves. He requested a change of part of the 7.5-acre tract from A-1 agricultural zoning to I-1 light industrial zoning in order to begin a “Pods” addition to the existing Groves Storage units.

Pods are “portable on demand storage” units that can be delivered to a business or residence, loaded, and then returned to a storage location.

Groves said he is still working on easements and other details involved with establishing the addition of pods, so the business will not begin immediately even though the board approved the required zoning change.

The board also approved a request from Groves to change zoning of the rest of the parcel from A-1 to A-2 agricultural zoning. 

A-2 zoning increases the amount of residences that may be on a lot without requiring a subdivision plat. Groves said he did not have plans to create another residence but would like to have the zoning changed to match an abutting parcel already zoned A-2.

Monroe County Engineer Aaron Metzger gave an update of existing and upcoming projects. 

Metzger reported receiving $200,000 from state and federal sources to construct a pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Route 3 and Country Club Lane in Waterloo.

The board granted Metzger permission to establish a $15,168 engineering agreement with TWM, Inc., for the upcoming project, which will be done in cooperation with the City of Waterloo.   

Commissioners also voted to approve a special use permit for a county-owned parking lot adjacent to Outsider tavern on the opposite side of Market Street in Waterloo across from the courthouse. Outsider owner Donavan Melican requested use of the parking lot to be used for overflow during the Queen of Hearts raffle drawing held there on Tuesday evenings.