The discussion was about saving money, serving constituents in the best way possible and, ultimately, finding the best possible person to lead Grundy County.

The members of the Grundy County Board, however, were divided on exactly how to achieve those goals in the face of the departure of Grundy County Administrator Shawn Hamilton, who resigned last month to accept another position.

Ultimately, an almost evenly divided board decided – on a 9-8 vote, with John Galloway absent -- to immediately post the opening and begin the process of hiring a new, full-time administrator. On a similar 9-8 vote, the board then voted against hiring an interim administrator to help run county government until an administrator can be found.