Bret Austin
QUINCY – Bret Austin was elected as the new chairman of the Adams County Board Tuesday night. Austin, who has been on the board since 2016 and has served as vice-chairman and chairman of the board’s finance committee, was elected by a 15-0 vote, with four members voting present and two members absent. Board members…
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QUINCY — After nearly 22 years on the Adams County Board, Kent Snider presided over his final meeting as the governing body’s chair. Snider, who has been chairman for six years, was praised by his colleagues as well as Veterans Assistance Commission Superintendent Paul Havermale and former Adams County Board Chairman Mike McLaughlin who all…
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QUINCY — The Adams County Board will vote in its 2025 fiscal year budget in November and it is expected to be 3 to 4 percent higher than the current year’s spending plan. Finance Committee Chairman Bret Austin told the board at Tuesday night’s meeting the committee and staff have compiled the expected revenues and…
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QUINCY — Comments about a cleanup contract the city has with a Quincy business mushroomed into a discussion among aldermen about the lack of manpower to clean and maintain each of the city’s seven wards. The Quincy City Council approved a four-year, $128,000 plan with All-Phase Property Solutions LLC in March 2021 to maintain sidewalks,…
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QUINCY — On Tuesday, the Transportation, Building and Technology Committee recommended and the Adams County Board tabbed Architechnics of Quincy to design a new heating and air conditioning (HVAC) system for the courthouse. Architechnics $625,000 bid was higher than the $597,000 bid from RTM Engineering from St. Louis but, after input from local contractors and…
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QUINCY — Bret Austin says the Adams County Board is “three-quarters of a mile into a mile race” when it comes to solving the replacement of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system in the Adams County Courthouse. The board tabled for one month a motion to vote to select an engineering firm that would…
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Bret Austin is the owner of Austin Properties, a locally-owned property commercial and residential development company in Quincy. However, he may be best known for his work on the Adams County Board and as the chairman of the Finance Committee. In recent months, he’s also getting attention for his views on a possible third designated…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council is scheduled next week to make a long-awaited vote on an ordinance approving a tax increment financing plan on Quincy’s south side. However, a discussion between a member of the Adams County Board and two aldermen indicated the vote might be delayed yet again. Bret Austin represents District 1…
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QUINCY — The judges of the Eighth Judicial Circuit have named Christopher Pratt as Adams County’s chief public defender on an interim basis upon Todd Nelson’s departure from the office this week. Pratt has been with the public defender’s office since 2016. He said his first task in the new role is “trying to salvage…
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QUINCY — Rusty Williams said he and his wife, Paula, are going out on their terms. Williams announced Thursday that Revelry at 119-121 N. Fourth, an upscale bar on the north side and a sports bar on the other half of the establishment, is closed. He said they had a good New Year’s Eve event…
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QUINCY — Adams County EMS Director John Simon has spoken to the Adams County Board numerous times over the past year detailing the difficulty he is having keeping paramedics and EMT’s on hand due to the lack of competitive salaries. The Adams County Board took a step toward attempting to rectify that problem by unanimously…
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Bobby talks about his first Quincy Target experience, then Brittany and Ashley talk to Bret Austin about fantasy football, unblocking on Facebook, mea culpas and attempting to find common ground.
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QUINCY — A special meeting of the Adams County Board with only one item on the agenda — a discussion about a recent report on mold in the courthouse — lasted 14 minutes Wednesday night. Most of those in attendance left with more questions than answers, especially concerning a video meeting with a county committee…
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QUINCY — Five people who have participated in the city’s downtown rental rehabilitation program thanked aldermen during Monday night’s Quincy City Council meeting. Funds from the city’s Tax Increment Finance program are set aside as a financial incentive to the owner(s) of existing buildings in the downtown TIF Districts for the renovation of market-rate residential…
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QUINCY — The Adams County Board followed the recommendation of the Transportation, Building and Technology Committee on Tuesday and approved a bid of $56,000 from Safestart Environmental of Chicago to test for mold and other contaminants throughout the Adams County Courthouse. About 15 people — most of them attorneys, judges and employees at the courthouse…
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QUINCY — Not long after last Thursday’s fatal shooting involving deputies with the Adams County Sheriff’s office had concluded, Adams County Sheriff Tony Grootens said he asked for the videos taken from the cars of deputies who responded to the area of Fifth and West Radio Road. He wasn’t pleased with the answer he received.…
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The businessman and chairman of the Adams County Board’s finance committee discusses the county’s housing situation and how he hopes the Great River Economic Development Foundation, Quincy and Adams County can all work together to ensure there is enough quality housing to go around.
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QUINCY — The Illinois Attorney General’s office has received the recordings of the closed sessions of the Adams County Board and Finance Committee meetings for May and acknowledged the board’s actions during those meetings were “improper”. In a statement e-mailed from the AG’s communications office Thursday afternoon: “We are pleased that Adams County has acknowledged…
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Members of the Adams County Board discussed their political futures behind closed doors during a closed session of their May 10 meeting. Bret Austin, Adams County Board vice chairman and Finance Committee chairman, assured his fellow board members these discussions would remain private, despite the fact they were being recorded. These board members must be…
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The Adams County Board’s Finance Committee went into closed session May 9 to discuss giving themselves raises and lay out a political strategy to deal with potential fallout from voters who might not approve of the action. These actions are not permitted under the Illinois Open Meetings Act. “The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of…
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The Adams County Board’s Finance Committee went into closed session May 9 to discuss giving themselves raises and lay out a political strategy to deal with potential fallout from voters who might not approve of the action. These actions are not permitted under the Illinois Open Meetings Act. “The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of…
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QUINCY — On July 22, the 25th anniversary of Blues in the District, officials with The District recognized and thanked the four founders responsible for bringing this free music concert series to Quincy — Karol Ehmen, Fran Cook, Bret Austin and Sandy Austin. This group had a vision for family-friendly free public concerts. With the…
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QUINCY — The Adams County Board is reviewing more requests for projects to utilize funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Adams County has received $12.7 million in ARPA funding from the federal government. Finance Committee Chairman Bret Austin said the county has spent roughly $6.5 million has another nearly $4.8 million in pending…
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QUINCY — The Adams County Board approved to spend about $258,000 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds on new election equipment Tuesday night. The current machines are 18 years old. Finance Committee Chairman Bret Austin said the 45 touchscreen DS-200 machines are an improvement to the technology of the voting system. “I think we have…
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QUINCY — Agencies who haven’t turned in an application to receive American Rescue Plan Act funds from Adams County still have a chance to do so. Bret Austin, chairman of the executive committee, said during Tuesday night’s meeting of the Adams County Board that emails were sent to 138 non-profit agencies in Quincy asking if…
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