Mid October 2014 - Budget Update

On October 14, the Tazewell County Board held a hearing on the tentative budget for Fiscal Year 2015.  As noted on my last post, this hearing was an opportunity for Board members to ask specific questions about the upcoming year's budget.  

After discussion, the Board approved a revised, tentative budget.  The latest version will be presented for final approval on October 29, 2014, and is available for your review now. 

If you have any questions about the tentative budget, please do not hesitate to contact me between now and the 29th.

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In other news:

1) Early voting begins soon in Tazewell County for the November 4, 2014, general election.  Click here to find locations near you.

2) In addition to voting for various local, state, and federal offices, you are also being asked to vote on amendments and an addition to the Illinois Constitution.  If you have not seen one of the blue mailers sent out by the Secretary of State explaining the proposed Constitutional changes, an online version is available here. 

July, August, and September...oh my!

My apologies for letting three months go by without updating you from the latest proceedings of the Tazewell County Board.

The agendas from those meetings are on the county's website (here), but here is a brief rundown of a few of the major items at issue:

July

Resolution HS-14-17 was approved after prior passage out of the Health Services Committee.  This Resolution approved the bid for the Pekin Landfill project.  I personally want to thank the members of the Health Department, Landfill Subcommittee, Health Services Committee, and Board of Health who took the time to talk with me about this situation.

August

Resolutions P-14-23 and P-14-24 were approved after prior passage out of the Property Committee.  These Resolutions approved the bid for the demolition of the structure on Elizabeth Street and for a new HVAC unit for the Health Department.

September

Resolutions E-14-97 and E-14-98 were approved after prior passage out of the Executive Committee.  These Resolutions call for the abatement of real estate taxes for new improvements within what could become two new enterprise zones in Tazewell and Woodford Counties.  These Resolutions were required before applications for these two new zones were submitted to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.  To learn more about enterprise zones, feel free to contact me or go the DCEO's website.    

Looking ahead to October, the Board will review and act on its annual budget.  I still consider myself new (enough) to the Board that it is hard to fully appreciate how much work goes into this process.  Between the countywide office holders (especially our Auditor Vicki Grashoff), staff, Finance Committee, and countless others who put these figures together, discuss and debate the various levels, and then present them all to the full Board, I cannot begin to adequately express my gratitude.

If you are interested in reviewing the Tentative Budget for Fiscal Year 2015, you can view it here.