DeKalb County Board met July 20
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The DeKalb County Board met in Special Session at the Legislative Center’s Gathertorium at 7:00 p.m. Chairman Frieders called the meeting to order and the Clerk called the roll. Those Members present were Mr. Roy Plote, Mr. Craig Roman, Mr. Ellingsworth Webb, Mr. Larry West, Vice-Chair Suzanne Willis, Mr. Tim Bagby, Mr. Scott Campbell, Ms. Mary Cozad, Ms. Rukisha Crawford, Mrs. Karen Cribben, Mr. Bill Cummings, Mr. Patrick Deutsch, Mr. John Emerson, Mrs. Laurie Emmer, Mr. Steve Faivre, Mrs. Kathy Lampkins, Ms. Dianne Leifheit, Ms. Maureen Little, Mr. Jim Luebke, Ms. Terri Mann-Lamb, Mr. Osland, and Chairman John Frieders. Those absent were Ms. Kiara Jones and Ms. Michelle Pickett. A quorum was established with twenty-two Members present and two absent.
Chairman Frieders asked Mr. Plote to lead in the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Motion
It was moved by Mr. Campbell and seconded by Mr. Webb to approve the agenda as presented.
Chairman Frieders added that he would like to suggest amending the agenda by adding an agenda item prior to items B & C for an Update and Discussion on the Letters of Intent.
Motion to Amend
Mrs. Emmer moved to amend the motion to reflect Chairman Frieders’ recommendation to add an item for an Update and Discussion on the Letters of Intent prior to items B & C. It was seconded by Mr. West.
Vote on Motion to Amend
Chairman Frieders called for a voice vote. The motion carried unanimously. Voice Vote on Motion as Amended
Chairman Frieders called for a voice vote to approve the agenda as amended. All Members present voted yea. Motion carried unanimously.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Ms. Mary Roman, DCRNC resident, requested the County Board to vote in favor of the property tax levy referendum and against the sale of the County Home.
Ms. Hannah Williams, resident of DeKalb and Dietary Supervisor at the DCRNC, requested the County Board to vote in favor of the property tax levy referendum. She also talked about how if the Board were to sell to a for-profit company, the facility would lose community support.
Ms. Jessica Rugerio, resident of Cortland, County employee, and AFSCME member, expressed that her heart aches for the residents and staff of the DCRNC but she asked the Board Members to vote in favor of the sale of the DCRNC. She explained how keeping the Nursing Home would drain vital resources that other statutorily required Departments need to function in order to serve all of the citizens of DeKalb County.
Mr. Chuck Coulter, Maintenance at the DCRNC and President of AFSCME Local 3537, commented how the purchase offers before the Board tonight were substandard and that the DCRNC is still a very viable facility. He asked the Board to vote in favor of the property tax levy referendum and against the sale.
Ms. Sara Dorner, President at Rockford United Labor, AFL-CIO, spoke on how she and many other individuals were successful in recently helping get approved a property tax levy increase referendum for Winnebago County’s Nursing Home. She talked on how they could do the same for DeKalb County. She asked the Board to vote in favor of the property tax levy referendum and against the sale.
Ms. Gennie Siwicki, of Hinckley, explained how keeping the DCRNC a county-owned facility would put a stress on County resources and jeopardize valuable services throughout other Departments. She added that even if the property tax levy referendum were to pass, all of the stars would have to align in order to have the extra funds to keep the facility going in the positive over time. She asked how much further in the hole was the Board willing to go. She urged the County Board to sell the DCRNC.
Ms. Melissa Garman, of DeKalb and an AFSCME Member, asked the County Board to vote against the sale of the DCRNC. She added that the two potential buyers have low ratings and that Saba Healthcare had potential ties to Hunter Properties. She encouraged Members to look into Jordan Healthcare Group’s suggestions to right-sizing the facility and to vote in favor of the property tax levy referendum.
Mr. Mark Pietrowski, Mayor of the Town of Cortland, expressed that the two potential buyers see the DCRNC as a profitable organization and he hoped that the Board could look at creative ways to keep the facility County-owned. He requested the Board to vote in favor of the property tax levy referendum.
A gentleman from Sycamore shared how his wife is in a privately-owned Nursing Home and how terrible it is. He talked on how the quality of care in a privately-owned facility is worse, in his opinion, than a publicly-owned one. He urged the Board to not sell the DCNRC.
Mr. Chuck Simpson, 30-year employee of the DCRNC, requested the Board Members to vote in favor of the property tax levy referendum and to vote again the sale of the DCNRC.
Shell DeYoung Dunn, of Somonauk, provided that their husband was in a privately-owned facility and has since passed away but how the quality of care differs in those facilities. Dunn asked that the County Board approve the property tax levy referendum and vote again the sale of the DCRNC.
Alex, a DeKalb resident and DCRNC employee, provided that the two potential buyers of the DCRNC have low ratings and a few favorable safety records. They asked the County Board to approve the property tax levy referendum and vote again the sale of the DCRNC.
DCRNC Administrator Magdalen Niemi explained that the census as of today was 130 residents at the DCRNC. She shared that she has hired new staff, has decreased expenses, and increased revenues. Payroll and bills are being covered and they are making improvements at the facility and are working hard. She requested that the Board is careful with their decisions tonight.
Note: These minutes are not official until approved by the DeKalb County Board at a subsequent meeting. Please refer to the meeting minutes when these minutes are approved to obtain any changes to these minutes.
Ms. Carol Deemer, of DeKalb, questioned how much help the County has actually provided to the DCRNC in the last six months. She urged the Board to not sell the DCRNC and to approve the property tax levy referendum.
Ms. Shelly Knudsen, expressed that her husband is a Night Supervisor at the DCRNC and cares so much for the residents at the Home. All of the staff care so very much and losing this asset would be a tremendous loss to the community. She asked the County Board to vote yes on the property tax levy referendum.
REPORTS FROM STANDING COMMITTEES
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Resolution R2022-185: A Resolution Placing a Referendum Question Regarding a Property Tax Levy at a Tax Rate of .1% for the Purpose of Maintaining a County Nursing Home on the November 8, 2022 Ballot
Motion
Vice-Chair Willis moved and Mr. Faivre seconded that the DeKalb County Board hereby approves and directs the County Clerk of DeKalb County, in his capacity as the appropriate election authority, to place the following question on the General Election ballot on November 8, 2022:
| Shall DeKalb County be authorized to levy and collect a tax at a rate not to exceed .1% for the purpose of maintaining a county nursing home? | YES | |
| NO |
After lengthy deliberations and many questions addressed, the Chair called for a roll call vote on the motion as presented. Those Member voting yea were Mr. Roman, Mr. Webb, Vice-Chair Willis, Mr. Campbell, Ms. Cozad, Ms. Crawford, Mr. Deutsch, Mr. Faivre, Mr. Luebke, Ms. Mann-Lamb, and Mr. Osland. Those Members voting nay were Mr. Plote, Mr. West, Mr. Bagby, Mrs. Cribben, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Emerson, Mrs. Emmer, Mrs. Lampkins, Ms. Leifheit, Ms. Little, and Chairman Frieders. Eleven Members voted yea and eleven Members were opposed. The motion failed.
UPDATE & DISCUSSION
County Administrator Brian Gregory shared that Mr. Ray Giannini, DCRNC Broker, informed him that both parties have made modifications to their Letters of Intent. The updates are as follows:
- Saba Healthcare: Has amended their Letter of Intent to make the first $20,000 of earnest money non-refundable and reduced the due diligence period to 45 days.
- Illuminate HC: Has amended the purchase price in their Letter of Intent to $8,300,100.
Note: These minutes are not official until approved by the DeKalb County Board at a subsequent meeting. Please refer to the meeting minutes when these minutes are approved to obtain any changes to these minutes.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Resolution R2022-186: A Resolution Authorizing the Chairman of the Board to Execute a Non Binding Letter of Intent with Saba Healthcare for the Purchase of the DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center
Motion
Vice-Chair Willis moved that the DeKalb County Board hereby authorizes the Chairman of the Board to execute a Non-Binding Letter of Intent between the DeKalb County Government and Saba Healthcare to purchase the DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center in the amount of $8,300,000. Mr. Plote seconded the motion.
Roll Call Vote
Chairman Frieders called for a roll call vote on the motion as presented. Those Members voting yea were Mr. Plote, Mrs. Cribben, and Mr. Deutsch. Those Members opposed were Mr. Roman, Mr. Webb, Mr. West, Vice-Chair Willis, Mr. Bagby, Mr. Campbell, Ms. Cozad, Ms. Crawford, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Emerson, Mrs. Emmer, Mr. Faivre, Mrs. Lampkins, Ms. Leifheit, Ms. Little, Mr. Luebke, Ms. Mann-Lamb, Mr. Osland, and Chairman Frieders. Three Members were in favor and nineteen opposed. The motion failed.
Resolution R2022-187: A Resolution Authorizing the Chairman of the Board to Execute a Non Binding Letter of Intent with Illuminate HC for the Purchase of the DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center
Motion
Vice-Chair Willis moved that the DeKalb County Board hereby authorizes the Chairman of the Board to execute a Non-Binding Letter of Intent between the DeKalb County Government and Illuminate HC to purchase the DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center in the amount of $8,300,100. Mr. Faivre seconded the motion.
Roll Call Vote
Chairman Frieders called for a roll call vote on the motion as presented. Those Board Members voting yea were Mr. Plote, Mr. Webb, Mr. West, Vice-Chair Willis, Mr. Bagby, Mr. Campbell, Ms. Cozad, Mrs. Cribben, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Deutsch, Mr. Emerson, Mrs. Emmer, Mr. Faivre, Mrs. Lampkins, Ms. Leifheit, Ms. Little, and Chairman Frieders. Those Members voting nay were Mr. Roman, Ms. Crawford, Mr. Luebke, Ms. Mann-Lamb, and Mr. Osland. Seventeen Members were in favor and five opposed. The motion carried.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion
Ms. Crawford moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:02 p.m. Mr. Faivre seconded the motion.
Voice Vote
The motion to adjourn the meeting carried unanimously.
https://dekalbcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/minutes-cb-07202022.pdf
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