DeKalb County Committee of the Whole met Nov. 12.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
The DeKalb County Board Committee of the Whole met on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, in the Legislative Center’s Gathertorium in Sycamore, Illinois. Chair John Frieders called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. The members present were Tim Bagby, Kim Coovert, Mary Cozad, Rukisha Crawford, Patrick Deutsch, Meryl Domina, Laurie Emmer, Benjamin Haier, Rhonda Henke, Laura Hoffman, Tim Hughes, Rebecca Johnson, Kathy Lampkins, Jim Luebke, Elizabeth Lundeen, Michelle Pickett, Roy Plote, Chris Porterfield, Ellingsworth Webb, and Chair Frieders.
A quorum was established with twenty members present and four members absent. Scott Campbell, Suzanne Fahnestock, Terri Mann-Lamb, and Joseph Marcinkowski were absent.
Others present included Rehab & Nursing Center (DCRNC) Administrator Bart Becker, Interim County Administrator Derek Hiland, and County Engineer Nathan Schwartz.
APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Ellingsworth Webb moved to approve the agenda, Laurie Emmer seconded the motion, and the motion passed.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
Kim Coovert moved to approve the minutes of the October 8, 2025 meeting. Mary Cozad seconded the motion, and the motion passed.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Mary Hatch of Sycamore introduced herself as the Vice Chair of the DCRNC Oversight Board. Hatch referenced the two DCRNC billing and consulting services proposals submitted by the Jordan Healthcare Group. She outlined the benefits of each proposal and urged the committee to contract with Jordan at least one more year in support of the DCRNC’s efforts to assume the contracted operational functions within the next two years.
Hamilton Carrier of Shenandoah Solar, LLC provided an update on Shenandoah Solar’s request for an extension on their special use permit. He outlined that since the initial permit’s approval in 2024, Shenandoah Solar has experienced significant Commonwealth Edison-related delays and that in September, the Planning, Zoning, & Development Committee voted in support of an eighteen-month extension of their permit.
Carrier outlined that the permit extension request was not added to the County Board agenda for October or November and that these omissions have resulted in additional delays with the project. Carrier added that he is not complaining or placing blame and that he would like to state for the record that he is in attendance and fully prepared to present the case for extension. He thanked the committee for their time and stated that he looks forward to their consideration of the permit extension next month.
CHAIR’S COMMENTS
None
PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
Presentation from Matthew Deitch, NIU Professor, on Agrivoltaics in DeKalb County Chair Frieders introduced Matthew Deitch. Deitch added that he is the Director of the Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability. He explained that agrivoltaics involves the use of land for both solar energy generation and agriculture. Deitch outlined the many benefits of agrivoltaics including the continued use of high-quality farmland to grow food, providing new farmers access to land, creating additional revenue for landowners, and addressing food insecurity.
Deitch mentioned that there have been agrivoltaics in the United States for about ten years and that he believes there could be great value in developing agrivoltaics in DeKalb County. He outlined that additional research is needed on product profitability, determining best methods to connect farmers with land, and in ensuring crop safety. Deitch stated that agrivoltaics could play a significant role in enhancing DeKalb County’s farming image.
Following Deitch’s presentation, committee members engaged with questions and discussion.
Chair Frieders thanked Deitch and wished him luck on his research. Frieders also thanked Rebecca Johnson for bringing the topic to the board’s attention and coordinating the presentation.
Reports from Appointed Boards & Commissions
Roy Plote shared that the Emergency Telephone System Board 911 Coordinator Heather Butler has been awarded Coordinator of the Year by the Illinois Public Safety Telecommunications Association. Plote added that Butler has done a considerable amount of grant writing and will be pursuing a grant for mapping county schools in the Geographic Information System.
Reports from County Committee Chairs
Planning, Zoning, & Development Committee
Chair Tim Bagby stated that the committee did not meet last month and that there is nothing to report. He added that the committee plans to address the topic of animal welfare.
Health & Human Services Committee
Chair Rukisha Crawford stated that the committee reviewed the Jordan Healthcare proposals as referenced under Item 8 in the current Committee of the Whole agenda.
Highway Committee
Chair Patrick Deutsch reported that the committee has recommended the approval of two resolutions pertaining to motor fuel tax funds that are standard annual actions.
Law & Justice Committee
Chair Kathy Lampkins reported that the committee recommends the adoption of a resolution approving the annual participation in the Service Program of the Office of the State’s Attorney’s Appellate Prosecutor, which is a standard annual action.
Facilities & Technology Committee
Chair Michelle Pickett reported that there are no actionable items to review.
Finance & Administration Committee
Vice Chair Roy Plote reported that there were no appeals concerning the budget recommendations. He added that the committee reviewed the proposals received for DCRNC billing and consulting services and that the committee recommended approval of the monthly county claim payments.
County Board Vice Chair
Ellingsworth Webb had no items to review.
County Administrator’s Report
Interim County Administrator Derek Hiland reviewed that he attended the first session of the Watershed Stewardship for Leaders Program that is coordinated by the Stormwater Management Planning Committee. He added that there will be a total of four sessions and that there is an effort to adopt this program statewide.
Hiland stated that the invitations to bid for the two county farm leases have been published and that the bid opening will take place during the next county board meeting.
Hiland provided an update on the Peace Road bridge improvement project, stating that the traffic pattern will be changing soon to allow work to be completed in the adjacent lane.
Hiland reminded committee members that approval of the budget will occur during the December county board meeting and that adoption of the annual county calendar will take place during that meeting as well.
OLD BUSINESS
Ellingsworth requested that County Engineer Nathan Schwartz provide an update on the Cortland trail project. Schwartz reviewed that DeKalb County has partnered with municipalities to create trail connections and that there was a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Cortland trail. He added that the DeKalb County Forest Preserve District is currently working on a trail that will connect Genoa and Kingston. Chair Frieders thanked Schwartz for the update.
NEW BUSINESS
Rukisha Crawford shared that she and Meryl Domina will be hosting a community meeting this Saturday at the University Village Apartments.
Discussion and Presentation on Agrivoltaics
No additional discussion took place.
Approval of Jordan Healthcare Group Bid
Derek Hiland referenced copies of two resolution versions that were distributed to committee members. He explained that the copies represent the one-year and two-year contract options that are being considered. Chair Frieders asked Bart Becker to provide an overview of the two options.
Becker stated that the DCRNC business office is working toward becoming completely independent and is transitioning away from the use of a third-party billing and consulting service. He outlined the considerations for both the one-year and two-year proposals, highlighting that the two-year agreement builds in more transition time, while the one-year agreement would provide the opportunity to reduce services and associated costs for the second year. Frieders added that the Finance Committee expressed concern that the transition to independence happens as efficiently as possible.
Michelle Pickett asked Becker if he thinks the transition can realistically happen in a year and Becker responded that it would be a tough ask. Pickett expressed concern that a one-year agreement may place unnecessary stress on the DCRNC staff to complete the transition within a one-year period.
Hiland emphasized that the objective for the committee at this point is to determine if Jordan Healthcare is the responsible bidder and if not, then the county will need to re-start the request for proposal process to include more finite specifics.
DCRNC Oversight Board Chair Anna Wilhelmi obtained permission from Chair Frieders to address the committee. Wilhelmi reviewed that she supports the one-year agreement, as the two-year deal may financially hamper the hiring of additional staff that will be needed to achieve operational independence.
Tim Bagby stated that he agrees with Wilhelmi. He emphasized that there are still some significant financial obstacles to overcome with the DCRNC operation and that it will be important in budgeting for 2027 to consider the appropriate levels of staffing and third-party support to allow the operation to reach its goals.
Chair Frieders thanked everyone for their input.
ADJOURNMENT
It was moved by Rukisha Crawford and seconded by Elizabeth Lundeen to adjourn the meeting. The motion was carried, and the meeting adjourned at 8:14 p.m.
https://dekalbcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/minutes-cow-11122025.pdf
