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MADISON COUNTY NEWSLETTERMADISON COUNTY NEWSLETTERJANUARY 2025JANUARY 2025GET THE LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT MADISON COUNTYGET THE LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT MADISON COUNTYTalk around TownTalk around Town Message

INSIDENEW ADMINISTER TAKES CHARGEOF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTSERVICES: 163 Citizens can now address the CountyBoard at their regularly scheduled meetings(3rd Wednesday of each month at 5:00 pm inthe County Board room), and at specialmeetings. Fifteen minutes shall be set aside at thebeginning of each County Board meeting andeach speaker shall be allowed 3 minutes toaddress the board.How to Address the County Board or Committees Although not required, anyone wishing toaddress the Boardmay pre-register by filing acompleted “Request To Address The MadisonCounty Board and Committees" form, with theCounty Clerk’s Office no earlier than 48 hoursprior to the scheduled meeting. For more information on addressing the Boardof Committees visit the County Clerk’s website. Scan QR Codeto Register toSpeakFEATURES:GOOD NEWS:MADISON COUNTY REMINDSSENIORS ABOUT TAX FREEZEMADISON COUNTY UPDATESPURCHASING POLICY456MADISON COUNTY’S NEWCHIEF JUDGECAC FORENSIC INTERVIEWERRECOGNIZED FOR HER WORK79

SERVICES ant to lower your property tax bill? Then don’t forget to apply for your annual exemptions. “Madison County wants to remind taxpayers toapply for their annual exemptions before receivingtheir tax bill later this year,” Treasurer Mike Babcocksaid. Babcock said although property tax bills will not bemailed until the end of May, he wants to make surepeople file their paperwork to receive their exemptions,so they won’t be caught off guard when their tax billarrives. In years past the Chief County Assessment Officewould mail renewal notices to taxpayers, however thisyear notices were not mailed. CCAO Denise Shores said the reason is it didn’taffect the number of corrections done by the county ortownship assessors. “There are several of the township assessors who aremailing out reminders for taxpayers to reapply for theirannual exemptions,” Shores said. She said for the 2022 tax year there were 186 seniorfreeze and 82 disabled veterans corrections made. In2023, there were 191 senior freeze and 111 disabledcorrections. “In both years we (the county) sent out reminders,”Shores said. “ We will see what 2024 brings as far ascompared to these numbers, if it is extremely higherthen we may go back to us sending out the remindersinstead of leaving it up to the townships.” She said the General Homestead Exemption andSenior Citizens Homestead Exemption are renewedautomatically. Shores said in years past it was required to apply forthe Senior Citizens Homestead annually, but in 2024the rules changed. Those requiring annual renewals are:Person with Disabilities HomesteadExemption — $2,000 Requirements are the same as the General Homestead exemption, plus Class 2 or 2a state disabled ID card or proof of social security benefits which includes an awards letter. No age requirement but name must be on the property deed.Standard Homestead Exemption forVeterans with Disabilities — between $2,500and $5,000 Provides an annual reduction in the EAV of a primary residence occupied by a veteran with a disability, or the veteran's surviving spouse, at some time during the assessment year. The amount depends on the percentage of the service- connected disability as certified by the U.S. Dept. of Veterans’ Affairs (summary of benefits letter required.) Veterans with a disability of 30 to 49 percent will receive a $2,500 annual exemption. Those between 50 to 69 percent will qualify for a $5,000 yearly exemption and wounded veterans with 70 percent or more will be exempt from property tax payments up to $250,000.Low-Income Senior Citizens AssessmentFreeze Homestead Exemption (please note thefreeze does not freeze your taxes-it freezes yourassessed value) This exemption allows senior citizens who have a total household maximum income of less than $65,000 and are 65 years or older.World War II veterans are eligible to be tax exemptunder Illinois Public Act 103-0596. Anyone applying, or reapplying, for an exemptionmust do so at the Madison County AdministrationBuilding or a local township assessor’s office. Eligibility requirements and all exemption forms canbe found online athttps://www.madisoncountyil.gov/departments/chief_county_assesment_office/exemptions_forms.php.Madison CountyMadison County Tax Exemptions AvailableTax Exemptions AvailableWTownship Assessor List

FEATURESFEATURESTHERE IS NEW CHIEF JUDGETHERE IS NEW CHIEF JUDGETHERE IS NEW CHIEF JUDGE IN TOWNIN TOWNIN TOWNC hristopher Threlkeld took over as chief judge for the Third Judicial Circuit Court on Jan.1. Judges in Third Circuit, which includes Madison and Bondcounties, selected him as the new chief judge toreplace Stephen Stobbs who retired at the end of2024. Threlkeld will serve a two-year term. “I am humbled by the confidence and faith mycolleagues have shown in me,” Threlkeld said. “AsChief Judge, I am committed to building on theThird Judicial Circuit’s legacy of excellence andcollaborating with my colleagues and courthousestaff to uphold and maintain the highest standardsof justice for the people of Madison and BondCounties that we serve.” Since first being appointed to the bench in2020, Threlkeld presided over the circuit’s civilcases and arbitration divisions. The Madison County native holds a bachelor’sdegree from The Citadel: The Military College of South Carolina, an MBA from Southern IllinoisUniversity Edwardsville, and a Juris Doctor fromSaint Louis University School of Law. He served in the Army National Guard andworked as a deputy treasurer for then-MadisonCounty Treasurer John Shimkus while attendinglaw school. Prior to becoming a judge Threlkeld also servedas president of the Madison County BarAssociation. He also served on several IllinoisJudges Association committees, including thosefocused on security, pro bono initiatives, mediarelations, and educational programming. Before leaving Stobbs said Threlkeld is a highlyrespected and accomplished jurist and wasconfident the Third Judicial Circuit would thriveunder his leadership. Threlkeld and his wife, Denise, who’ve beenmarried for more than 32 years are the parents oftwo adult children.5

adison County’s community development department is under new leadership. In December, the County Board approved Chairman Chris Slusser’s selection to appointStacey Pace as the department’s new administrator. “We’ve had challenges in that department for awhile and I think Stacey is the rightperson,” Slusser said. Slusser said he believes she will bring the right temperament and leadership to thedepartment, which is responsible for administering U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment programs (CDBG, CSBG, and more), homeless programs and the county’s ParkEnhancement Program. “She will lead the department and do it in an assertive and compassionate way,” he said.“That’s why we chose her.” Prior to stepping into the administrator role, Pace served District 2 on the County Board,which represents Troy. During her four years on the County Board Pace served as County Board Vice-Chair pro-Tem, chair of both the Government Relations and Health Department and Mental Healthcommittees and on the Grants, Executive and Public Safety committees. Pace, who grew up in Staunton, Ill. before moving to Madison County more than 25 yearsago, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication/Public Relations from Greenville University.She’s worked in community relations and as community educator with various financialinstitutions as well as a substitute teacher in the Triad School District. “I’m excited to be able to bring my experiences to this new venture,” Pace said. “I’mlooking forward to all the new opportunities. There is a lot of work to do, and I have big goalsI want to achieve here.” Pace met with each of the department’s 40-member staff to find out more about themand how she can assist them in the role serving the public. The department’s nearly $22 million budget is funded by 22 grants — 10 federal and 12state. The department receives funding for programs that benefit both developers andindividuals for rental housing development, owner-occupied rehabilitation, rental assistance,weatherization, energy assistance and more. There are also programs for individuals to assistwith educational assistance and one that serves the homeless. Pace said she does plan to make some changes in the future. Her biggest is to strengthenthe relationship with public so they better understand what the department does and all theprograms it offers. “There is a lot that happens here,” she said. “I want to make it easier for everyone tounderstand how their tax money is spent. I was on the Grants Committee and thought I knewquite a bit, but it doesn’t compare to what the department does day to day.”MN e w a d m i n i s t r a t o rN e w a d m i n i s t r a t o rN e w a d m i n i s t r a t o r t a k e s c h a r g e o ft a k e s c h a r g e o ft a k e s c h a r g e o f Community DevelopmentCommunity DevelopmentCommunity Development

Madison County updatesMadison County updatesPurcha$ing policyPurcha$ing policy7 In the ongoing effort to improve theacquisition of goods and services, acomprehensive review of the purchasing policywas conducted to identify areas needing revisionsor updates. Fazil said input was received from the State’sAttorney and Auditor offices, along with alldepartment heads and elected officials. “We used a forward thinking approach,” hesaid. “The policy had become outdated,underscoring the need for an update.” Fazil said every scenario that could be thoughtof was, while looking at the needs of eachdepartment. He said some departments mayrequire emergency repairs and waiting can costtaxpayers more money. The average time prior to updating theordinance could take anywhere from one to threemonths, now Fazil said the new policy createdstreamlined procedures, oversight enhancementsand competitive purchasing practices as well asbeing transparent and efficient.M adison County recently updated its purchasing policy to improve on the way it does business. Purchasing Director Malik Fazil said the CountyBoard approved the policy last fall and it went intoeffect on Dec. 2, 2024. Fazil said after starting to work for the countytwo years ago he started working to update thecounty’s purchasing policy. The policy has longserved as the framework for purchases made bycounty elected officials and employees. “There’s a lot of little pieces that go intopurchasing and procurement in government,” Fazilsaid. The Purchasing Department is responsible forthe procurement of supplies, equipment andservices for all Madison County Governmentdepartments. The Purchasing Departmentadministers the competitive solicitation processand coordinates all associated bid awards,proposals, evaluation processes and contractdevelopment.

Some key provisions in the new policy include:Introduction of an Online Bidding Platform Bidnet.com Introduction of new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)software Netsuite by OracleEnhanced Sole Source ProvisionGuidelines for Purchases Between $1,000 and $6,000Thresholds for Competitive BiddingSpecialized Vendor List Contracts exempt from competitive bidsAuthority of the County Engineer on Real Estate forHighway ProjectsChange Orders in Highway ProjectCooperative Consortium Purchases with Sourcewell. Fazil said one of the key provisions he is proud of is theonline bidding portal, which has allowed the county to dobusiness with vendors from across the country, which also hasbrought significant savings. He said another is using acooperative consortium, which has allowed the county topurchase vehicles using local vendors rather than waiting onthe state procurement process.“The Sheriff’s Department purchases around 10 vehicles eachyear and they had waited for more than a year for them to comein,” he said. “The co-op lets us find a local vendor with nowaiting time on the vehicles.” He said also he recently he was able to use the co-op for a GISproject and saved the county around $600,000 in AmericanRescue Plan Act funding. “We developed a comprehensive policy that presents a unifiednetwork of rules for procurement,” Fazil said. “The goal was toput together a policy that works for everyone and saves thetaxpayers money.” continued

GOODNEWS Recognizing the People of Madison CountyRecognizing the People of Madison County Protecting ChildrenProtecting ChildrenProtecting Children forensic interviewer with Madison County Child Advocacy Center recently received recognition for helping to combat crimes against children. The Illinois Metropolitan Enforcement Group (MEG) Directors and Task Force Commanders Association honored Abby Curran for herdedication in interviewing a child that led to the exposure of a multi-state sex trafficking operation involving adults and children. The CAC provides professional intervention and supportive services to fight child abuse. The CAC provides a safe haven for children to talkabout the physical or sexual abuse they may have experienced and to help in limiting the number of times a child has to be interviewed. MEGs represent a collaborative effort among state, federal, and local law enforcement agencies to enforce Illinois drug laws andinvestigate street gang activity. MEGs partner with the Statewide Terrorism Intelligence Center (STIC) and Illinois National GuardCounterdrug analysts to reduce crime through intelligence led policing which focuses enforcement efforts on felony level drug distributionand trafficking. There are nine MEGs in Illinois.CAC forensic interviewer recognized for her workCAC forensic interviewer recognized for her workA9

Madison County BoardMeetingsCheck out the Citizens Guide on thecounty's website to find out more onthe operations of Madison CountyGovernment and its departments.The public is invited to attend County Boardmeetings, which are held in the Board Room atthe Madison County Administration Building, 157N. Main St., Edwardsville, Ill.Visit www.madisoncountyil.govfor more information.Check out the calendar to viewupcoming County Board andCommittee meetings.The Madison County Board Chairmanappoints individuals to more than 70boards and commissions with theadvice and consent of the CountyBoard. Click on the booklet to find outmore.Madison County Board — (618) 296-4341 — coboard@madisoncountyil.gov