County Board Renews Electric Aggregation Agreement

The Effingham County Board Monday renewed an energy aggregation agreement to help electric rates.

The agreement with SIMEC is good through February 2019. The current agreement was reached in late 2012. SIMEC will help secure bids on providing electricity to residential and small commercial retail customers.

The Board approved appointments to a number of boards and committees, including Charles Siler, Dan Niemerg and Chris Balda to the Board of Health; Duane Kremer as a Teutopolis Fire Protection District trustee; Johnathon Paholke to the County Board's Ambulance Oversight Committee; and Logan Mellendorf as a Lucas Township Drainage District trustee.

Sheriff Dave Mahon reported two squad cars purchased for the sheriff's department are due to arrive, one next week and the other the following week. The County's representative in overseeing the rural transportation network, Phil Toops, said the network finished in the black, and believes the system, if funded as promised at the State level, will not need local dollars for next year's operation.

County Board member Joe Thoele said boiler slag will be used to treat three county roads in the near future: the one-mile stretch of Lake Sara Road south of Moccasin Road; the State Police blacktop east out of Heartville; and the Teutopolis frontage road. Thoele said the roadways will be striped a few days after the surface work is completed.