
Macoupin County Courthouse Hours of Operation 8:30 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.
Latest News
Lotus Wind Farm Online Application
COUNTY CREATES TOURIST AND HISTORIC
LANDMARKS ONLINE MAP AND DATABASE
Helps Encourage
Tourism By Making It Easier to Find Macoupin’s Points of Interest
County News: June 30, 2021
Carlinville – Macoupin County has upgraded
it’s historic landmarks and places of interest website, and it’s asking for the
public to help.
When the county first started their website over ten
years ago, they created a list of sites to see or things to do around the county
as a way to promote Macoupin as a great place to live and visit. Over the years
though, the list has grown static and technology has changed.
Macoupin
County Clerk Pete Duncan added to the
MacoupinDirectory.com
website a tourist spot category. By adding in historic landmarks and places of
interest in the database, this lets visitors search either by name or location
of what they can find here in Macoupin.
“Our county is well-known for
Route 66, Mother Jones, and the Million Dollar Courthouse,” said Duncan. “But
all around the county, we have so many historic landmarks, places of interest,
as well as hidden treasures. Whether someone lives here now, is thinking of
moving in, or just visiting, every community in Macoupin has something to offer
and to be proud of for our rich and storied history.”
The
MacoupinDirectory.com
site will allow any points of interest or landmarks to display their contact
information, a short description of their services, as well as a picture of the
location. The information then is fully searchable on the website to allow for
users to quickly find what they are looking for instead of manually searching
through hundreds of webpages or entries on a list. Macoupin Directory also
allows you to search by your location and find what is near you. “A lot of
times, people don’t realize all Macoupin has to offer even just right around the
corner. Hopefully, this directory will let more people see things to do or see
on a free weekend or a staycation as well as any future tourists interested in
our area,” Duncan said.
Any entity interested in having their
information listed just needs to visit the site and click the ‘Add My
Information’ button in the upper right-hand corner. Completed applications will
then be emailed to the County Clerk’s office to be placed on the site.
Anyone with questions should feel free to contact the Macoupin County Clerk’s
office at (217) 854-3214 ext 918 or email
[email protected].
COUNTY LAUNCHES FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES
ONLINE DATABASE
County News: May 30, 2021
Carlinville – Macoupin County Clerk Pete Duncan recently
launched a new online database for the over 700 Statements of Economic
Interests filed by elected officials and public employees in Macoupin
County. The website is part Duncan’s ongoing effort to increase transparency
and shed light on how government works.
“We’ve moved from an
old-fashioned paper system to online filing and a searchable website in
order to make these public disclosure statements more accessible to
taxpayers,” Duncan said.
The Illinois Constitution and Illinois
Governmental Ethics Act requires elected officials and high-ranking public
servants to annually answer an eight-question disclosure filing, known as a
Statement of Economic Interest (SEI). The questions and format remain
virtually unchanged since 1972.
Every December, nearly 100 units of
government – from municipalities to park boards – submit their lists of
filers to the Macoupin County Clerk’s office. The Clerk’s office then
notifies filers they must fill out and return an SEI by the May 1 deadline.
This year, Macoupin County transitioned from paper filings stored in a
file cabinet being the only way the public could see them to all responses
being available and searchable.
Users can search for information
several ways:
• By a filer’s name;
• By the agency name, such as
“Carlinville School District”;
• By an agency dropdown menu;
• By
those who answered any question or a specific question.
After
selecting a search method, users will be able to open a filer’s statement or
download all results to an Excel spreadsheet.
Duncan said the
database and website allow for greater analysis of the ethics statements
than ever before.
For example, only 51 filers provided an answer
(other than “Not Applicable”) to at least one SEI question, or just 7
percent of the over 700 filers required to submit an SEI. The question that
received the most answers (37) was Question 7, which asks if the filer was
employed by another unit of government.
Duncan believes the
confusing, vague questions are in part to blame for weak disclosure. “It’s
beyond time the state update these forms to ask better questions that prompt
real answers,” Duncan said. “While the current forms might not have a lot of
information for those reviewing them to consider, having them available
online does make it easier to hold public officials accountable.”
Duncan said the site would be used this fall for 2022 filings to contact the
units of government to update their list of filers more often via email,
cutting down on snail mail and phone calls, cutting down on postage and
printing costs.
Those interested in visiting the database can visit
www.macoupincountyclerk.com and select ‘Statement of Economic Interest’
from the ‘Public Filings’ menu.
COUNTY HELPS TO NAVIGATE RED TAPE BY
LAUNCHING LICENSE AND PERMIT HUB
County News: April 30,
2021
Carlinville – At the direction of the
Macoupin County Board, the county’s website now has a single page for
information and applications for any licenses and permits a county office may
issue.
While the number of licenses and permits may not be large, knowing
which office to apply for one can be confusing for a business or homeowner. In
an effort to cut through the red tape hurdle of applying for one, the County
Board directed County Clerk Pete Duncan to work with all officials and
department heads to create this one-stop shop for any prospective licensees.
“We all know sometimes government can be confusing in trying to figure out
what you need and where to get it,” Duncan said. “By giving taxpayers, business
owners, and home builders one single place to visit to see what license or
permit they may need and where to get it, Macoupin is finding ways to provide
better, smarter service.”
The hub lists all permits and licenses the
county issues, gives a short description of who may need to apply for it, lists
any fees, and provides either a paper or online application for those who need
it to complete and return to the issuing office. The hub also specifies if the
license or permit applies to everyone in the county or just those who do not
live within city limits.
“This page gives anyone who might need a
license or permit from the county all of the information they would need to get
started and apply,” Duncan said. “And in some cases, it shouldn’t take more than
a few minutes to complete the process from start to finish. In the world today
where we can order just about anything with the click of a button on our phones,
government has to continue to do more to provide that same level of service.”
Those looking for the hub can visit
http://macoupincountyil.gov/permits.htm or click the ‘Licenses, Permits, &
Zoning Info’ button on the county home page.








Click image to view Courthouse Restoration video:

County Board Redistricting and Precinct Consolidation Information
VOLUNTEER MACOUPIN
Building Strong Communities
The Ben-Gil Boosters is a community-based organization comprised of parents and educators dedicated to rebuilding an elementary school for the children of CUSD #7. Learn more by visiting the Ben-Gil Boosters Website. Volunteer Macoupin!
