What appeared to be a light agenda for Monday’s Monroe County Board meeting led to a quite a bit of discussion about two topics in particular.

First up were Dr. Sean Lattimore and Bill Rebholz, members of the Monroe County 708 Mental Health Funding Board.

The pair spoke earlier this year regarding the need to establish a strategic plan  for the 708 Board.

Lattimore began the conversation, admitting the 708 Board has been a “passive” organization until now, although learning the board’s bylaws require a strategic plan to be implemented has led to the board seeking more opportunities to spread its outreach.

Mental health boards in Illinois were established in 1963 by the Community Mental Health Act.

As Rebholz described, the board as it has been operating is a “team to facilitate” funding of mental health organizations in Monroe County. 

Human Support Services in Waterloo receives a large majority of the board’s funds, with the Violence Prevention Center of Southwestern Illinois and the Alzheimer’s wing of Oak Hill – the county-owned senior living and rehabilitation center – two other organizations listed as funding recipients.

During development of the strategic plan, Lattimore found there is a “greater need” for mental health services than what is currently available in Monroe County, adding there are also many private organizations in the area who also help in situations that likely involve mental health issues.

Rebholz noted House of Neighborly Service and the St. Vincent de Paul Society provide help for those in need, with some of those individuals experiencing some mental health situation.

Rebholz also pointed out that more than 70 individuals in Monroe County under age 17 are classified as “homeless” via “a range of circumstances.”

He clarified that a homeless designation includes anyone who does not live with parents or legal guardians and does not necessarily indicate the person does not have a place to live.

“If a kid is no longer living at home, there’s probably a mental health issue,” Rebholz said, adding the issue could be with the child or the parents.

In a bit of serendipity, some of the 708 Board’s three-year goals coincide with the recent publication of a Monroe County Resource Guide last year through HSS using grant funds.

The guide lists resources for everything from gambling addiction to veterans services.

Lattimore stated one of the 708 Board’s goals is to establish a website which would disseminate such information as found in the HSS guide, adding he would like to include more information about private-practice counselors and therapists.

The resource guides are available at the HSS office at 988 State Route 3, Waterloo. 

Lattimore and Rebholz also spoke about the relationships between various city, county and private organizations that work together to promote mental health.

As the pair described, HSS acts as the central hub for mental health in Monroe County, with groups like the Monroe County Coalition for Drug-Free Communities, the Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health Task Force acting as branches which address specific mental health topics. 

Rebholz, along with then-Monroe County Coroner, now Commissioner Vicki Koerber, were founding members of the coalition, which uses HSS as its fiscal agent.

Rebholz noted the coalition has been working with local law enforcement, the Cebrin Goodman Institute, Birth to Five Region 45 (serving Monroe and Randolph counties) and more recently, a student-led group named Operation Snowball.

Rebholz lauded the recent work of students with Operation Snowball, pointing to a series of “dynamic programming” at the Monroe County YMCA-HTC Center.

“It’s a win for the Y and a win for the kids,” he added. 

Rebholz suggested the involvement of community members will be a major component in spreading mental health awareness.

“So much is grassroots,” Rebholz said, noting a majority of the coalition’s work is performed by volunteers. 

Lattimore added the goal of the strategic plan is to increase community engagement.

“If better organized…we could engage private citizens who want to get involved,” Lattimore said.

Following the 708 Board, another long discussion focused on a peculiar dilemma a Waterloo man is facing in trying to build a driveway on a parcel on the east side of Rogers Street between Hamacher Street and Covington Drive.

In 2023, Steve Wilke purchased 6.8 acres of part of the “Kolmer Farm” property with the intent to build a single-family home to live in upon retirement.

However, there’s city and county ordinances prohibiting additional ingress or egress from Rogers Street.

Wilke began by saying there was no mention of the restriction on any title he had seen, adding he was told by Monroe County Zoning and Building Department member Laura Kipping he “had the right to build a home” on the property.

Wilke also presented a 2004 ruling by former Judge Dennis Doyle which allows ingress on the Kolmer Farm property specifically.

Since purchasing the property, Wilke said he’s already invested $300,000 in the site, including a 350-foot well and $8,000 for an easement to connect to utilities in the Remlock subdivision.

“Nobody said stop until I went to get a building permit,” Wilke said, adding he does not “want a legal battle.”

Since Rogers Street is owned by Monroe County but maintained by the City of Waterloo, Wilke also approached Waterloo officials seeking annexation. 

Wilke said most aldermen seemed agreeable to the annexation until he refused installation of a water line – which would have cost about $100,000 – instead of arranging the easement.

Shortly after that, the annexation was denied by the Waterloo City Council.

The 2004 ruling contains language allowing Wilke to appeal to the county board directly for relief rather than going through the county’s planning commission and board of appeals.

Monroe County State’s Attorney Ryan Webb disagreed with Wilke’s claim that the board could allow the driveway to be installed because his situation did not satisfy all requirements and it would render the existing ordinance moot and set the county up for potential lawsuits in the future.

After more discussion, it was determined that if Wilke constructed a street access consistent with city standards on his property at Rogers Street then tapered down the driveway past the city’s right-of-way, the county would not need to be involved and it should be allowable per city statute.

A similar driveway construction is found on Rogers Street just past Benjamin Lane at the Dennis Brand residence.

In order to get the project going in a more timely manner, Wilke opted to speak with the city rather than wait to go through the planning commission and board of appeals meeting, which would delay potential construction until October. 

Commissioners voted to table the matter to give Wilke time to speak with Waterloo about constructing a driveway in similar style to the Brand driveway.

In other county business, the Monroe County Planning Commission was initially scheduled to meet Thursday night to address two issues, but the meeting has since been canceled. 

The commission was going to revisit a variance on the Homrighausen property west of Waterloo which has experienced several rounds of consideration following denial of an occupancy permit in the spring of 2024.

The permit was denied after it was learned KB Contracting, owned by developer Michael Thomas, constructed the house four feet too close to an adjacent property.

Another agenda item for Thursday’s commission meeting involved a proposed solar farm just outside of Waterloo city limits in the area of Lakeview Drive.  

It was not known if either of these topics would be included on a future agenda.

The next meeting of the Monroe County Board is at 8:15 a.m. June 16 at  the Monroe County Courthouse.