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Knox County Board approves anti-hate proclamation, courthouse security cameras

It was a busy night for the Knox County Board between a closed session prior to the open meeting start, several items up for consideration, and lots of public comment

Two citizens of the county, Chris King and Galesburg Alderman Jeremy Karlin, provided public comment asking the board to support the proclamation. King said that a number of communities already support the proclamation, with Karlin adding that the Galesburg City Council would be approving the same proclamation soon.

All members of the County Board, as well as members in the audience stood for the reading of the proclamation, which was done by County Clerk Scott Erickson.

The purchasing and installation of exterior security cameras for the courthouse would be approved once the meeting got underway.

The board approved three proposals for a total of $26,330 from Teufel Hunden Electronics. These proposals cover six cameras, closed circuit television network infrastructure, and digital video recording server.

Board member Dick Conklin asked Sheriff-Courthouse Committee Chair Bob Bondi if this was bid out for the best price, to which Bondi replied that it hadn’t been but he said that this proposal was the best he’d seen.

“Being involved with the Sheriff’s Committee for north of three years, this is the best number I’ve heard. Over a three year period we’ve discussed it on and off,” Bondi said.  “So many times we’ve gotten bids and it’s just been so ludicrous that we felt like we couldn’t pull the trigger, but this is the first time we felt it was a proper use of the public safety funds.”

Additionally board member John Hunigan asked if the proposals were for an upgrade or an addition. Bondi responded saying that it was an addition as currently there are no external cameras on the building.

It was then that Board President Pamela Davidson reminded the board of the vandalism that took place in November, when a rock was thrown through the treasurer window.

She said they still do not know who was responsible for that.

From the Sheriff/Jail/Courthouse/Mary Davis Home/Animal Control/Nursing Home Committee the board also approved a proposal for security lock upgrades at the Mary Davis Home. Bondi said the proposal was for two locks with an agreement to fulfill an obligation to purchase 12 this year if they worked out for the home. In total 36 locks are getting upgraded over a three year period.

Little discussion was held regarding the board’s proposal for a compensation analysis for non-union employees. However, board member Brian Friedrich admitted that they hadn’t had a lot of time to look at it before the board meeting.

The board would approve several items, including to abate the tax levy for the Build America and Recovery Zone Bonds, as well as the final abatement of the Public Safety Bonds that were issued for the building of the jail.

A bid and bring back for labor legal services was approved as was rate increases for private rooms at the Knox County Nursing Home, and an engineering agreement for bridge replacement for the County Highway 4.

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