Meeting Events

Meeting: 3hspbthqsvi.2026-5-4_freeport_township_meeting

Meeting date: 2026-05-04

Meeting type: township_board

This is a deterministic derived artifact, not official meeting minutes. Related records may be grouped for review while complete machine provenance remains in the JSON artifact.

Decisions and Votes

• Approval of bids for April 20th, 2026 meeting on emotion — Passed

  • Summary: Motion to approve the bids for the April 20th, 2026 meeting on emotion.
  • Evidence: “The first of our bids is the approval of bids for the April 20th, 2026 meeting on emotion and second please.”
  • Evidence: “All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries.”
  • Source timestamp: 00:26

• Approval of Bill’s paper

  • Summary: Motion to approve Bill’s paper.
  • Evidence: “The next order of business is to approve of Bill’s paper. Motion to second please. Motion to approve.”
  • Evidence: “I need a second. I’ll second it. Ms. Baldwin-Dahl, seconded by Wilken.”
  • Source timestamp: 01:18

• Claims and demands trustees approval — Passed

  • Summary: The motion regarding claims and demands trustees passed.
  • Evidence: “Motion passed. McIlwain? All right. Do you have any questions on Claim the Demand? No, I saw them already. I don’t have any questions. OK. So can I put you down as a yes? Yes, you can. Thank you.”
  • Source timestamp: 02:40

• Adjournment vote — Passed

  • Summary: The motion to adjourn was passed.
  • Evidence: “Meeting adjourned. Thank you guys.”

Procedural Actions

• Quorum confirmation

  • Summary: A quorum was established after calling the roll.
  • Evidence: “Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Ted Odendahl. Here. Kathy Wilken. Here. Kathleen Altensey. Here. Kelvin McIlwain. Patrick Sellers. Here. Okay. We have a quorum.”
  • Source timestamp: 00:18

• Claims and demands trustees roll call

  • Summary: Roll call was taken for claims and demands trustees.
  • Evidence: “Are there any questions on claims and demands trustees? Nada. Seen that there is none, Madam Clerk please call the roll. Wilken? Aye. Altensey? Aye. Odendahl? Aye. Sellers? Aye.”
  • Source timestamp: 02:30

• Adjournment motion

  • Summary: Motion to adjourn until May 18th, 2026 at 4:30 PM.
  • Evidence: “there is not enter a motion to adjourn until May 18th to Monday May 18th 2026 at 4:30 PM so move second all in favor Lever, Aye, any opposed?”
  • Source timestamp: 15:07

Presentations and Reports

• Supervisor’s report

  • Summary: The supervisor reported having no handouts but stated they would provide jump start numbers and client numbers for the next meeting.
  • Evidence: “Next order of business is the supervisor’s report. I don’t have anything to hand out, and that’s the report. I will have some jump start numbers for you guys for the next meeting and probably some client numbers for you guys, too.”
  • Source timestamp: 03:06

• Assessor’s report

  • Summary: The assessor’s report was noted as the next order of business.
  • Evidence: “Next order of business is the assessor’s report. Okay.”
  • Source timestamp: 03:22

• Trustee’s report on tree planting and meal prep

  • Summary: Trustees reported that the yield program is planting large trees, primarily oaks, and provided details about packing meal prep bags for multiple food pantries.
  • Evidence: “Next order of business is the trustee’s report. For trustees. Well, I will mention that we being the yield program is planting some trees and these are to be large trees so they need to be planted appropriately but if anyone in the town wants Is there a cross? No. No, no. What kind of trees are they? Primarily oaks, although there are some other kinds, but they are all, well, all, we’ve got four smaller bushes, but all the others are large shade trees. If you could have someone send some sort of write up for that right there, I could put it on our Facebook page so everybody can see it. We can do that. I’ve got something. The pretzel meal prep is up and running again for the pantries. And so if anybody wants to come and help us pack up the meal prep bags on Thursday at the Y at 915 until we get it done.”
  • Source timestamp: 03:33

• High school shoe drive for community need

  • Summary: A speaker announced that the high school is collecting shoes via a drive and where donations can be dropped off.
  • Evidence: “I just wanted to put out there that, you know, along with all of the people that are going to be in need here, the high school is doing a shoe drive. They’re collecting shoes. You can just drive them off on the front door.”
  • Source timestamp: 14:32

Discussion

• Resume genius program use

  • Summary: Discussion confirmed that the resume genius is used for the Jumpstart program to build resumes and teach correct methods.
  • Evidence: “The resume genius, is that? Resume genius is for the Jumpstart program. That’s what I thought. That’s what we use to build resumes for. Teaching how to do it correctly. That’s what we use it for.”
  • Source timestamp: 02:17

• Food pantry assistance details

  • Summary: The food pantry effort involves packing bags for multiple locations, including New Jerusalem, Salvation Army, FACC, St. Penny’s, Mount Calvary, and the high school pantry.
  • Evidence: “So we’re doing some of the smaller churches like New Jerusalem and, well, the big ones you know like Salvation Army and FACC and St. Penny’s, Mount Calvary is another one that we’re doing. Then I think we do have for the high school as well, that we did that before, so I think we’re doing the high school pantry.”
  • Source timestamp: 06:20

• DHS contact for Freeport area impact information

  • Summary: A speaker suggested contacting Billie Jo because she might have a contact at DHS to determine the potential impact for the Freeport area.
  • Evidence: “I would talk to Billie Jo. She might have a contact there so that we can talk to and say, hey, what is going to be the potential impact for the Freeport area and see if we can get some information for you guys.”
  • Source timestamp: 09:27

• DHS office status in Freeport

  • Summary: The speaker noted that while the DHS office might still be open in Freeport, not many people are working there due to retirements.
  • Evidence: “Is the office still open here in Freeport? I think so, but it’s not a lot of people working here. No, a lot of retires.”
  • Source timestamp: 09:43

• DHS encouragement for online services

  • Summary: The speaker mentioned that DHS encourages everyone to do things online and does not encourage people to come to the office or call.
  • Evidence: “They told us that we encourage everyone to go online to do things they don’t encourage people to come to the office or to call.”
  • Source timestamp: 09:51

• Concerns about benefit loss due to system navigation

  • Summary: A speaker expressed concern that people might lose benefits not because they are ineligible, but because they cannot navigate the new system.
  • Evidence: “I’m getting the impression that when they estimate how many people may lose benefits, that a lot of cases they’re thinking people are going to lose benefits not because they’re not eligible, but because they just can’t navigate the new system.”
  • Source timestamp: 10:14

• Disability benefit loss due to understanding requirements

  • Summary: A speaker noted hearing that benefit losses might occur because people do not understand the requirements.
  • Evidence: “Yeah, I’ve heard, yeah, it’s because people are not understanding the requirements.”
  • Source timestamp: 10:52

• Unclear disability work requirement application

  • Summary: A speaker expressed concern about how a specific form of disability would fall under a work requirement.
  • Evidence: “It also smells something where there are some people who have disabilities and might get caught in that requirement, but it was kind of, it was kind of unclear how that would, how that scenario actually plays out, like which, what form of disability would fall under a work requirement.”
  • Source timestamp: 10:52

• Work hour requirements for benefits

  • Summary: A speaker mentioned hearing about a requirement that people able to work 20 hours a week.
  • Evidence: “last week sometime I heard that they were requiring people that were able to work 20 hours a week, and that to me makes sense.”
  • Source timestamp: 11:29

• Monitoring of required employment

  • Summary: A speaker questioned where the monitoring for required employment would take place and who would monitor it.
  • Evidence: “And who’s going to monitor it? Because you don’t have enough people working at DHS to monitor this stuff. So who’s going to monitor this stuff?”
  • Source timestamp: 11:54

• Eligibility for community work training while pending disability

  • Summary: A speaker stated that if a person is pending disability or going through the process, they are not eligible for community working training according to DHS rules.
  • Evidence: “if you are a pending disability or if you are a pending disability, going through the disability process, you’re not eligible for community working training. We’ve had the same rule for DHS.”
  • Source timestamp: 12:06

• Risk of legitimate needs being overlooked by work requirements

  • Summary: A speaker was concerned that people with genuine needs, such as those who are disabled or have childcare issues, might be negatively impacted by the current work environment rules.
  • Evidence: “I’m more concerned with is, are there people that might get, are there people who have a legit real need that might get caught in the cracks of this work environment?”
  • Source timestamp: 12:16

• Childcare shortage impact on eligibility

  • Summary: A speaker mentioned childcare shortages and expenses as a barrier for some individuals.
  • Evidence: “Or like someone with daycare, or someone with kids and you can’t find daycare. What do you do? I mean, that’s just a real, because daycare is, you know, there’s a shortage and it’s expensive, so.”
  • Source timestamp: 12:16

• Disability process work eligibility for other townships

  • Summary: A speaker confirmed the rule regarding disability status affecting community work training eligibility.
  • Evidence: “But during that process, they’re not eligible for community work and training. Because they’re pending or seeking disability.”
  • Source timestamp: 13:26

• Township assistance gap filling potential

  • Summary: A speaker expressed interest in exploring if the Township could fill a gap for people with realistic needs.
  • Evidence: “Well, if we do find that there is a gap of a set of people where there is a realistic need, I’d personally like to see if that’s a gap that Townshend could possibly fill.”
  • Source timestamp: 14:02

• Importance of information sharing within the community

  • Summary: A speaker appreciated the respectful conversation happening in the room and requested that other information be relayed to the public.
  • Evidence: “Some of the people are growing increasingly frustrated in community because we’re not getting that information in other places. So if you guys have information that you can relay, I like hearing that you’re I would appreciate it”
  • Source timestamp: 15:07

Follow-ups

• Assistance impact from job work requirements change

  • Summary: A request was made to find out the potential impact of changes to state recipient job work requirements starting May 1st on Freeport.
  • Evidence: “do we know, I know that they made the change to stat recipients, like the job work requirements kicking in, or started May 1st, do we have any idea of what the impact would be on Freeport and what profile a recipient would be affected?”
  • Source timestamp: 07:38

• Contacting DHS for assistance information

  • Summary: It was suggested to speak with Billie Jo as she might have contacts at DHS to determine the potential impact for the Freeport area.
  • Evidence: “I would talk to Billie Jo. She might have a contact there so that we can talk to and say, hey, what is going to be the potential impact for the Freeport area and see if we can get some information for you guys.”
  • Source timestamp: 09:27

• Gathering DHS information for the board

  • Summary: The speaker stated they would try to find information regarding the issue for the board.
  • Evidence: “So I’ll see if we can track down some information for the board. I’ll definitely give it a shot.”
  • Source timestamp: 10:14

• Addressing potential gaps in service provision

  • Summary: A speaker confirmed they are already working on addressing the identified gaps.
  • Evidence: “Already working on it, Kelvin. Okay, cool. Already working on it.”
  • Source timestamp: 14:15