The Edgar County Board held a routine December session in which members approved multiple resolutions, adopted ordinance amendments, and confirmed local appointments.

Minutes and claims: The board first approved several prior meeting minutes and moved to accept claims for the county’s December bills by voice votes after motions and seconds were recorded.

Highway maintenance resolution: The board approved Resolution BLR 14 2 20, appropriating county motor fuel tax allotments for highway maintenance for the period referenced in the resolution as read at the meeting. Josh from the highway department attended for questions. Carl moved; Russ seconded. The clerk called the roll (Ellis, Barnum, Lawton, McCarty, Bruner) and recorded unanimous 'Yes' votes, and the chair declared the resolution approved.

Advisory referendum on federal scholarship tax program: The board approved a resolution, requested by Representative Adam Neemer, to place an advisory referendum on the March ballot asking whether counties support a federal scholarship tax program that would allow donor contributions to be eligible for a tax credit and be earmarked for scholarships. The resolution was seconded by Russ and approved by roll call.

Polling-place relocations: The board approved relocating several Paris precinct polling places (moving precincts previously using Memorial School to alternative sites — examples cited include the Crestwood Bus Garage, Lakeridge and the Blake Ridge multipurpose room). The clerk said voters would be notified via mail, the county website and updated voter ID cards; the motion was moved by Carl and seconded by Samantha and passed by voice vote.

Wind energy ordinance amendments: The board took an ordinance amendment off the table and approved updates to the county’s commercial wind energy facility ordinance. Lisa (staff) summarized the changes: "The primary purpose was to ensure that we included language to incorporate battery storage if it was part of a wind project." She also stated the amendments set fee caps "for the application at 250,000 and the maximum for the building permit fee at a 100,000," with a provision requiring applicants to remit additional funds within 15 days if county costs exceed the capped fee. The amendment includes decommissioning language mirroring the county’s solar ordinance and leaves local labor requirements as something that could be addressed in the building permit process. Lisa moved to approve the amendments; Carl seconded; the board approved the amendment by roll call.

Appointments and other approvals: The board approved a resolution appointing Don Weisman as a drainage-district treasurer, and appointed Mark Gilbert and Dave McCrofton to three-year terms as trustees of the Paris Fire Protection District, each by motion, second and roll-call approval.

Procedural items and reports: The board accepted the sheriff’s semiannual report (no department representative present) and the county clerk’s semiannual report by voice votes. Staff and department heads provided updates on scheduling, fiscal status reports, and community programs (including WIC caseloads and an upcoming Blue Cross Blue Shield–sponsored food distribution).

Next steps: The board did not table or postpone any of the above approved items in the transcript; implementation steps noted in discussion include voter-notification mailings for relocated polling places and county follow-up on building permits and decommissioning arrangements for energy projects.