OREGON — At its monthly meeting Tuesday, the Ogle County Board and members of the community recognized three county officials who will soon be departing from their positions.
The board voted unanimously Tuesday on resolutions in honor of Board Chairman John Finfrock (R-District 7, Mt. Morris), Board Member Thomas K. Smith (R-District 2, Rochelle) and Ogle County Coroner Lou Finch. Finfrock, Smith and Finch did not seek reelection for their positions.
Finfrock has served on the board since 2010. Following the untimely passing of Board Chairman Kim Gouker in 2019, he stepped into the chairman role. Finfrock was honored Tuesday by his fellow board members along with the Ogle County Economic Development Corporation, which presented him with a certificate of appreciation.
"For the past few years John has been an integral part of bringing the OCEDC to life," OCEDC Chairman Randy Schoon said. "His leadership, knowledge and insight have been invaluable. John will certainly be missed at our meetings. Thank you for all your hard work and believing in the OCEDC."
During the public comment portion of the meeting, former Ogle County Board Member Marty Typer and Polo Mayor Doug Knapp thanked Finfrock for his efforts over the years.
"John was the right guy at the right time at the right place for this board," Typer said. "Our management and leadership at that time needed to be picked up. John was the man for the job and I want to thank him for that. Enjoy your retirement."
Smith has served on the board since 2016 on a number of committees, including the executive committee, the negotiating committee, the state's attorney-court services-Focus House-judiciary & circuit clerk committee, and the supervisor of assessments and planning & zoning committee.
"I want to thank the committees I served on for a long time," Smith said. "We have some great resources in our county. The diversity we have on this board is what our county is all about. You people have stepped up to serve because you believe in our county. We have elected officials here I can't say enough about."
Finch has served as coroner since he was elected to the position in 2004. Prior to that, he also served as a part-time deputy coroner and full-time Ogle County corrections officer.
"I want to thank everybody," Finch said. "I hope I did the job well for the county. And I appreciated working for everybody. Thank you."
At the end of the meeting, Finfrock made closing remarks.
"I have a lot of people in this room I can and will thank for 14 good years," Finfrock said. "I think we've come a long way, but it's always 'We.' People have taken time to come to meetings and give their thoughts. We've had our debates and sometimes arguments. Once a vote is taken, it's done, and everybody gets on with it. That's something I appreciate. Everyone around this table has made this thing work for several years. And that I appreciate."
Community solar
The board unanimously approved a floating commercial sunscription agreement with US Solar during the meeting. The agreement regards a community solar project the county will be taking part in.
The county will see a $12,000 reduction in its electric bills due to the project. The agreement does not require an investment by the county. A community solar project, farm or garden is a solar power installation that accepts capital from and provides output credit and tax benefits to multiple customers, including individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and other investors. Community solar helps the state to meet its clean energy goals and utilizes state incentive programs.
Ogle County will be involved with eight local community solar gardens in the region. The power from the solar gardens will go onto ComEd's system.
Siting
The board voted 23-0 to revise its solar and wind energy facility siting and operating ordinance to now include language for siting within 1.5 miles of municipalities (villages, towns or cities). Those municipal boards will now get consideration on projects sited within 1.5 miles of their limits and solar and wind applications must be formally presented to those entities to make sure impacts are considered.
Budget
The board voted unanimously to approve its fiscal year 2025 budget and appropriations during the meeting. The new budget's general fund revenue total is $19,559,518 with general fund expenses at $19,208,072. The county's general fund levy is listed at $5,595,000.
Total appropriations in the budget are listed at $63,705,603 with total levy at $14,294,200.
ARPA
The board voted unanimously to approve federal American Rescue Plan Act funding requests including a $500,841 transfer to its general fund and $621.59 and $190 expenditures for Larson & Darby Architecture for preliminary work on county construction projects.
