Sheriff Tim Riley recommends Brecht to remainder of his term

The upcoming vacancy in the Pope County Sheriff’s Office was a key topic of discussion at the regular meeting of the Pope County Commissioners. With a room full of deputies in attendance, Pope County Sheriff Tim Riley recommended Nathan Brecht as his successor.

“My recommendation to the commissioners is to appoint Nathan Brecht to fill the remainder of the term,” said Riley.

Riley, who will retire on March 31 after 34 years of service in Pope County, received unanimous support for his recommendation. Commissioner Paul Gremmels motioned to appoint Brecht, which the board approved unanimously.

Following the vote, Chairperson Larry Lindor invited Brecht to share his thoughts. “Tim and I grew up in the sheriff’s office. We have a good team—the deputies, office staff, and dispatch. We are fortunate to have commissioners who honor our morals. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Our hearts are in this community. This is not just a job for any of us. Thank you,” Brecht said.

In other sheriff’s office news, Riley proposed upgrading the dispatch communication system. Currently, the system relies on a 14-year-old microwave dish, which is losing strength. “I pro-pose replacing the microwave with two fiber-optic connections for redundancy. This will give us a stronger and better signal,” Riley explained. The commissioners approved the $14,500 project, which includes installation and hardware costs. Additionally, the system will have a recur-ring monthly cost of $417 for three sites. The project will be funded using 911 funds.

Deputy Assessor Bonnie Lay requested that a County Board of Appeals and Equalization Meet-ing be scheduled. “The board must meet after the second Friday in June on at least one meet-ing day,” Lay noted. The commissioners scheduled the meeting for June 16 at 6:30 p.m.

Greg Tolifson, Senior Highway Engineering Technician, presented several items to the board. He proposed purchasing new survey equipment to replace outdated tools currently in use. “We utilize two primary survey tools: a GPS receiver with an associated data collector and a total station with a separate data collector. The total station and its data collector, purchased in 2004, are due for replacement. We would like to purchase a new robotic total station and data collector,” Tolifson stated.

The total cost for the new equipment, including accessories, is $48,597.76. The 2025 budget allocated $35,000 for the purchase, and an additional $40,000 previously budgeted for professional services will now be redirected to cover the remaining costs. The commissioners approved the purchase.

Tolifson also updated the board seeking bids for several road projects slated for completion this year.