Effingham Daily News, Effingham, IL

Local News

Apply for task force today

No experience is necessary when it comes to applying for the public member position on a task force that will evaluate whether the city and county 911 call centers should be consolidated.
    In an e-mail Monday, Effingham Administrator Jim Arndt stated the city is seeking a community volunteer who is age 18 or older and resides within the county to serve on the seven-person task force. The advisory committee will be comprised of two city council members, two county board members, two 911 board members and a public member.
    “I want somebody who has an open mind,” Arndt said, adding the volunteer does not need to have any experience or knowledge about the 911 system or how it works.
    Effingham Commissioners Don Althoff and Brian Milleville will represent the city, Effingham County Board members Jeff Simpson and Jim Niemann will represent the county and the two 911 board members on the task force are expected to be decided at a meeting today.
    Anyone who would like to be considered to be the public member should call the administrative office at City Hall at 217-342-5308 within the next 10 business days. Arndt said no credentials are necessary, just a name and a phone number.

Related Photos

  • 911

    911

Discussion

Add a comment on this story
July 12, 2011

Cost pivotal in possible 911 consolidation

Bill Grimes Effingham Daily News

EFFINGHAM — An Effingham city commissioner told Effingham County Board members Monday the city and county could save a combined $200,000 a year if 911 emergency systems are consolidated.

    But Brian Milleville told the Legislative Committee of the Whole Monday he’s not sure the annual savings would offset hefty start-up costs. Nor is he sure that consolidation would be the best option from a service perspective, he said.

    Milleville said his research has shown the city and county could save anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 each per year if consolidation becomes a reality.

    Don’t look for that to happen anytime soon, Milleville said.

    “There’s no time frame at all,” he said. “We want to do this the right way and go forth in the proper fashion.

    “We want to take our time and iron out all the kinks,” he added.

    As he said at last week’s Effingham City Council meeting, Milleville doesn’t want to see consolidation without some sort of savings to the county taxpayer.

    “If it’s not a good fit, it’s not a good fit,” he said. “But if we can save money and maintain service, we need to look at it.”

    County board member Jeff Simpson agreed with that assessment after the meeting.

    “If it costs too much to have two systems, we need to look at it (consolidation),” he said.

    The current 911 system runs out of two Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), one each under the control of the city and county. Neither entity has been willing to give up its niche during previous discussions on the issue.

    But both city and county officials have agreed to sit on a task force to study consolidation. Monday, County Board Chairwoman Carolyn Willenburg appointed board members Simpson and Jim Niemann, a former city police officer, as the county’s representatives on the task force.

    Milleville said a meeting date will be set once task force members have been named.

    Also Monday, the committee voted 5-3 to recommend an ordinance that would require groups using the old courthouse property to provide proof of liability insurance.

    Willenburg was joined by board members Simpson, Karen Luchtefeld, Larry Vahling and Bob Shields in voting to recommend, while Niemann, Rob Arnold and David Campbell voted against recommendation.

    Arnold said the mandate would be unfair to smaller groups wanting to use the courthouse property.

    “As far as I’m concerned, it’s public property and the public shouldn’t have to pay extra to use it,” he said.

    But Vahling said the county could pay dearly in the long run if an uninsured group incurs liability while using the property.

    “In the long run, it’s a savings for the taxpayers of Effingham County,” Vahling said.

    Also Monday, the committee voted unanimously to set a timeline for health insurance bidding. Specifications will be available Sept. 5, while the deadline for questions is Oct. 17 and the bid letting Oct. 24.

    The full board is tentatively scheduled to approve a bid at its Nov. 21 meeting.

    Bill Grimes can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 132 or bill.grimes@effinghamdailynews.com.

Text Only
Local News
  • Boil order issued

    Effingham Water Department has issued a boil order for the following streets.

    May 16, 2012

  • Unit 50 faces state aid cuts

    Like all Illinois school districts, Teutopolis Unit 50 is hanging in the proverbial wind by doing business in a state that is financially struggling, to put it mildly.

    May 16, 2012

  • Lifesavers

    After Central School students were recognized for top grades or perfect attendance, two teachers were acknowledged for their bravery and quick-thinking when they saved a little boy’s life.

    May 16, 2012

  • Parkersburg man dies in motorcycle crash Sunday

    The Parkersburg man who was killed in a Sunday afternoon motorcycle accident south of Newton suffered severe head injuries, but the coroner who pronounced him dead in a hospital emergency room said it wasn’t certain whether wearing a helmet would have saved his life.

    May 16, 2012

  • City turns land over to park district

    Land originally intended for the proposed sports complex will be handed over to the Effingham Park District after the Effingham City Council discussed exchanging property near Evergreen Hollow Park for right of way and construction easements.

    May 16, 2012

  • Man fatally struck by train

        A Greenup man was killed Tuesday morning when he was struck by a train.
      

    May 15, 2012

  • Local veterans plan dedication for new memorial

    Veterans and their admirers will have something to celebrate Saturday morning. That’s when local veterans groups are holding a dedication ceremony for the new veterans memorial on the southwest corner of the old Effingham County Courthouse square at the corner of Fourth Street and Jefferson Avenue in downtown Effingham.

    May 15, 2012

  • Boil order issued

    Effingham Water Department has issued a boil order for West Jefferson Avenue from Fourth Street to North Banker Street on both sides of the street until further notice.

    May 15, 2012

  • Keller to retire

    He fell into education by circumstance, but it turned out to be the best learning experience. The opportunity to move from assistant principal to business manager came out of nowhere, but it was a job he took almost immediately.

    May 15, 2012

  • Flag ceremony Flag ceremony

    Sigel American Legion Cmdr. Roger Westjohn, right, and Chaplain Tom Schutte dispose of tattered flags during a ceremony in Sigel May 11.

    May 15, 2012 1 Photo