Boone County Board Meeting

Mar 19, 2026

The lede

  • Board censured member Marion Thornberry for attempted theft from church; he refused to resign despite guilty plea and was removed from committees and outside representation roles
  • Approved controversial solar farm project (US Route 20) despite ZBA’s 0-5 recommendation to deny, citing lack of legal authority to block under state law and fear of costly litigation
  • Approved four-way stop at Orth/Caledonia intersection with red flashing lights, rumble strips, and yellow warning signs after emotional public testimony about safety concerns
  • Tabled $50,000+ courthouse HVAC change order to allow discussions between county engineers and state officials who changed digital recording room requirements mid-project
  • Voted to withdraw from IPBC health insurance cooperative for employees

Attendance & housekeeping

Roll call showed all 12 board members present: Chairman Karl Johnson, Josh Shoemaker, Dave Cordray, Ryan Schneider, Dave Wiltse, Ryan Curry, Alisa Patterson, Tom Walberg, Rodney Riley, Matt Regano, Dana Logsdon, and Marion Thornberry.

Meeting began at 6:30 PM. Agenda and February 19, 2026 minutes approved.

Decisions & votes (each with vote count and notable discussion or dissent)

Resolution 26-05 Censuring Marion Thornberry - Motion carried (10-2)

  • Thornberry censured for pleading guilty to attempted theft of $20 from St. John’s Evangelical Church donation envelope
  • Removed from community agency appointments and all committees except committees of the whole
  • Prohibited from representing county at conferences (UCCI, NACo)
  • Thornberry refused to resign, claiming innocence and stating he only pled guilty because his attorney said she couldn’t win the case; maintained the money never left the church
  • Several members called for his resignation; Wiltse requested State’s Attorney consider withdrawing the guilty plea to reinstate felony charges
  • Vote: Yes - Shoemaker, Cordray, Schneider, Wiltse, Curry, Patterson, Walberg, Riley, Regano, Johnson; No - Logsdon, Thornberry

Four-way stop at Orth Road and Caledonia Road intersection - Motion carried

  • Original motion by Curry for “corrective action”; Schneider amended to specify four-way stop
  • Wiltse’s amendment added: red flashing lights on stop signs, rumble strips, yellow flashing warning lights on Caledonia (distance determined by engineer); speed limit reduction to 45 mph removed from amendment after discussion
  • Emotional public testimony from residents describing near-misses and safety fears, especially for children
  • County Engineer Justin Crohn expressed concerns that four-way stops could create assumptions at two-way stops elsewhere, potentially increasing accidents
  • Several board members noted they trusted engineer’s expertise but felt constituent pressure demanded action
  • Amendment vote (adding lights, rumble strips): 7-5; Final motion carried on voice vote

Appointments approved - Voice vote, carried

  • Norman Stimes to Capron Rescue Squad
  • Gina DelRose reappointed to Quad Cities Regional Economic Development Authority

Solar farm special use permit (US Route 20, ~100 acres, 5 megawatt) - Motion carried (9-3)

  • ZBA had recommended denial 0-5; board adopted staff findings of fact instead
  • Motion to adopt ZBA findings failed (4-8), clearing way for approval
  • Attorney Nathan Noble argued state law effectively mandates approval; county has spent $200,000+ litigating solar projects with zero wins
  • Property owner Andrew Fitch stated project would help sustain 150-year family farm; only 20% of property affected
  • Strong opposition from neighboring residents citing property values, tree removal (3.5 acres), aquifer concerns, and rural character
  • Developer agreed to $17,500 donation to Conservation District for habitat loss mitigation
  • Multiple board members expressed frustration at state law removing local control but voted yes to avoid costly litigation certain to be lost
  • Final vote: Yes - Walberg, Regano, Thornberry, Johnson, Shoemaker, Cordray, Wiltse, Patterson, Logsdon; No - Schneider, Curry, Riley (abstain counted as present)

Claims approved ($1,119,708.21) - Roll call, motion carried unanimously (Johnson abstained on specific vendors per standard practice)

Change orders and bids approved:

  • PSB office windows change order #2: $43,179.81 (City of Belvidere reimburses $25,900) - Carried unanimously
  • Terracon bid for EPA Brownfield consulting services - Carried unanimously
  • Canon plotter/scanner for GIS and County Clerk: $12,366.82 - Carried unanimously
  • Bus wrap contract to Turbo Images: $30,634 for 11 buses and 1 minivan - Carried unanimously
  • Shattuck Road Bridge to Helm Civil: $801,760 - Carried (Johnson abstained - customer conflict)
  • Edgewood storm sewer to DBI Construction: $147,964 - Carried (Johnson abstained - customer conflict)
  • Phase III construction inspection services to Willett Hoffman: $100,000 - Carried unanimously

Personnel and agreements:

  • Probation mid-year wage adjustments - Carried unanimously
  • IT Department intern position - Carried unanimously
  • Credit card for State’s Attorney staff (April Harnois) - Voice vote, carried
  • Community Law Enforcement Deputy agreement (Sheriff/Health Dept.) - Carried unanimously
  • Resolution 26-04 withdrawing from IPBC health insurance cooperative - Carried unanimously

Intergovernmental agreement for Route 76 Landfill with City of Belvidere - Carried unanimously

  • Codifies existing operational arrangement

Discussion items (no vote)

Courthouse digital recording room HVAC change order ($50,545.82) - Tabled for further discussion

  • State changed requirements from one server to two servers mid-project, dramatically increasing heat load (11,380 BTUs/hour total)
  • State claims servers produce no heat; manufacturer specs contradict this
  • County engineer designed cooling system per code requirements
  • Additional $5,500 in design fees not included in contractor quote
  • Board frustrated state changed scope after design complete and refuses to pay
  • Court Administrator Tom Jacoway (eventually joined call late) agreed to facilitate meeting between state IT officials and county architects/engineers
  • Decision delayed to allow negotiations; special meeting may be called if needed before April 2nd regular meeting

McKinley parking lot drainage materials purchase - Appeared on agenda but noted as previously approved in prior meeting

Public comment

Jeff Goings (216 English Oak Lane, Poplar Grove) - Called for Thornberry’s resignation, comparing situation to earlier demand that Kennedy resign

Mike Glass (8780 Greenfield Drive, Belvidere) - Opposed Route 20 solar project; criticized board for “giving up lunch money to the bully” (referring to attorney); mentioned White Cliff Estates near dump as example of poor planning decision

Daryl Smith (8851 Greenfield Drive, Belvidere) - Opposed solar project; cautioned that technology changes rapidly (cited history of electric heat promises broken by Commonwealth Edison); concerned about obsolescence and property value impacts

Gary Yerke (8806 Greenfield Drive, Belvidere) - Opposed solar project; concerned about tree harvesting in designated “tree preservation area” (15-25 ft width, 3.5 acres total); worried damaged panels could leak heavy metals (lead, cadmium) into aquifer; noted poor location compared to typical large-field solar installations

Michelle Merrell (9014 Hunter Road, Capron) - Opposed solar project; argued ZBA findings of fact were more accurate than staff report; noted comprehensive plan designates area as residential; expressed respect for board’s difficult position

Leah Pinkston (12805 Prairie Meadow Way) - Supported four-way stop at Orth/Caledonia; stated “if we save one life every 20 years, it’s worth it”

Bethany Marston (2975 Prairie Road, Belvidere) - Emotional testimony supporting four-way stop; described daily fear crossing intersection with two young children (ages 4 and 8); husband had frightening experience at 11 PM previous night; noted intersection crashes increased dramatically over last four years

Wade Malcolm (653 Shower Lane, Rockford) - Opposed solar project; thanked board members who voted against previous solar projects; cited Lou Holtz quote: “never a right time to do the wrong thing”; acknowledged board’s difficult position under state law

Notable moments (anything colorful, tense, or unusual)

  • Thornberry’s defiant defense: After guilty plea to attempted theft, Thornberry delivered lengthy, combative statement claiming minister violated Biblical procedure, no money was stolen, money never left church, and he only pled guilty because attorney said at last minute she couldn’t win. Stated he won’t resign unless convicted of felony. Called censure resolution “a joke” that hurts county more than him financially.

  • Heated solar farm debate: Multiple tense exchanges between board members about trusting staff recommendations, property rights vs. neighbor concerns, and state law constraints. Curry stated bluntly: “Elections have consequences…somebody has to look at this every day just like [the state is] going to make you guys.” Riley expressed frustration: “We need to stop putting these politicians that continue to vote for this stuff [in office].”

  • Chairman’s pool analogy: Johnson compared solar farm to homeowner’s right to install pool, asking if neighbors should have veto power over private property decisions - drawing objections from audience

  • Attorney Noble’s direct language: Solar farm attorney told board continuing to fight would cost “the next $200,000” in legal fees better spent on “stop signs, rumble strips, and etc.” rather than “paying off my ilk to fight something that…because of poor state laws…you are stuck with.”

  • “Harry Plotter” scanner: Walberg accidentally read “Harry Plotter” instead of “plotter/scanner” causing laughter; board member responded “Wingardium Leviosa” during roll call

  • Late-meeting fatigue: Multiple instances of confusion on agenda items, vote counts, and procedural matters as meeting stretched late; Walberg: “Just for the record, Chairman Johnson, it’s getting late” before immediately calling wrong agenda item number

  • Community Building cryptic message: Report ended with Curry being told “in the immortal words of Blondie, Julie says ‘Call me’” regarding staircase issue

  • State HVAC contradiction: Frustration evident when discussing state claim that servers generating 11,380 BTUs/hour produce “no heat” - directly contradicting manufacturer specifications

  • Public emotion: Bethany Marston’s voice testimony about children in car and father-in-law in hospital was particularly moving; she stated being at meeting was more important than being with hospitalized family member

Filed to the wire — written by a machine from the agenda and the meeting video. No human reporter attended. How this is written

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