How much do you know about county government?
1) How many members of the Knox County Board?
2) How many representative districts make up the county board?
3) How many representatives are elected from each district?
4) How many districts in Galesburg?
5) In what district do you live?
6) Who are your county board representatives?
7) How many are up for election this year?
8) When did the board change from the County Board of Supervisors to County Board? Why?
9) How are budget items divided?
10) How many county officers are elected? What and who are they?
11) Which ones are up for election this year?
12) How many department administrators does the county board hire? What departments or entities do they administer?
13) Is the Supervisor of Assessments elected or appointed?
14) Is the Galesburg City Assessor elected or appointed?
15) What structural change of the county board has been recommended by the Planning Committee?
16) What is the county boards position on the lawsuit against Maytag? What is the lawsuit about?
17) What county administrator was fired at the August meeting of the county board?
18) The board recently adopted a resolution defining "Responsible
Bidder?" What was eliminated from the resolution?
19) Where is the county landfill?
20) When are the county board meetings?
21) Is the chairman elected by the board or directly by the people?
22) Does Knox County have a zoning administrator?
23) Who is the County Administrator?
24) How long does the annual budget have to be publicly displayed before the board acts upon it?
Well, that ought to keep you readers busy for a while. County government is not simple. Each elected officer can manage his or her own office as they see fit. The only restriction is the budget, which is organized after all departments and officers have presented their budgets to the Finance committee. It then must be approved by the whole board.
Answers:
1) 15
2) 5
3) 3
4) 3
5& 6) You are on your own
7) 9
8) 1972, after redistricting because the new Illinois Constitution upheld that representation should be based on population, not land.
9) Enterprise accounts and General Fund
10) 8: County Clerk, Scott Erickson; Circuit Clerk, Kelly Cheesman; Treasurer, Robin Davis; Sheriff, Jim Thompson; Recorder, Nancy McCune; States Attorney Paul Mangieri; Coroner John Watson, Regional Superintendent of Schools, Bonnie Harris.
11) 5: Coroner, States Attorney, Circuit Clerk, Recorder, County Clerk
12) 8: County Administrator, Highway, Landfill, Nursing Home, Mary Davis Youth Home, Animal Control, Public Defender, Supervisor of Assessments.
13) appointed
14) elected
15) elimination of committees
16) That the States Attorney try to reach a settlement with Maytag before filing suit. The SA claims Maytag received more tax abatements than they should have and owe us over a million dollars
17) Ben Perkins, nursing home administrator
18) the insertion that a bidders company "has active participation in apprenticeship and training with craft specific programs approved and registered with the United States Department of Labors Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training in construction contracts in excess of $25,000.
19) East of Wataga
20) Fourth Wednesday of every month at 6:00 p.m.
21) by the board
22) the County Administrator now performs that function.
23) Alan Hallberg
24) by statute at least 15 days, usually 30 in Knox County.
How informed are you?
Caroline Porter is a freelance writer who can be reached at
cporter@galesburg.net. Other columns are online at www.thezephyr.com.