November Board Meeting

Last night, the Tazewell County Board likely convened for the last time in 2015.  The meeting began with a moment of appreciation  to long-time Public Defender, Fred Bernardi, who served the County in various roles for just under 40 years.

Among other actions taken, the Board:

1) Approved the annual Animal and Rabies Control Administrator Agreement;

2) Approved the replacement hire of a Building Inspector in Code Enforcement; and

3) Renewed a lease agreement for office space in the Monge Building.

Board Member Nick Graff also presented on a request from the ETSB (Emergency Telephone System Board) for a loan to allow the continued operations of 9-1-1 service in Tazewell County.  Currently, the State of Illinois continues to withhold a $70,100.00 per month payment on wireless phone surcharges from our ETSB because there is no State budget.  Given the ETSB has over $100,656.00 in monthly expenses, this wireless surcharge is a vital source of revenue.

I appreciated the opportunity to ask questions of Mr. Graff (who serves as our liaison to the ETSB), along with other ETSB members (such as local police chiefs and sheriff's deputies).  The loan request is $200,000 to pay existing bills with an additional $50,000 should there be the need in January 2016.  While Board members raised legitimate areas of concern (including the status of other creditors, learning what other ETSBs are doing) no one disputed the importance of working to find solutions in funding our ETSB. Ultimately, the Board approved the loan with a contract that allows the County to call the loan due at any time, and with the obligation the ETSB pay back the loan no later than December 1, 2016.

While we have heard from various departments on how the budget crisis is impacting their operations, this is one of the first instances where an agency is asking for a loan because it is not getting access to its funds.

You may be aware that the Illinois House recently approved a measure (House Bill 4305) that would have released these ETSB funds as well as other sources of revenue for local government (e.g., Motor Fuel Tax funds, etc.) despite the fact we do not have a State budget.  However, even with the support of 115 Representatives (including all of our local legislators), the Bill never made it to the Illinois Senate, as Representative Barbara Flynn Currie of Chicago filed a "motion to reconsider" the vote.  The Bill now sits in limbo.  I have followed up with Representative Flynn Currie (a copy of which appears below).

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Representative Flynn Currie:

I hope this email finds you well.  My name is John Redlingshafer, and I am a member of the Tazewell County Board.  On behalf of our roughly 140,000 residents in Central Illinois, I am writing to you regarding House Bill 4305, in an effort to learn more about your motion to reconsider the bill after it passed the Illinois House 115-001-001.

At our County Board meeting tonight, we received a request from our County ETSB for a substantial (six figure) loan to carry it through the next few months as the roughly $77 million allocated to local ETSBs and related entities in HB 4305 did not go to the Senate for consideration.

I am confident other ETSBs/counties will be facing this scenario with greater frequency as we continue without a state budget (or a relief bill), but also anticipate our local road districts/highway departments will be making requests for loans as motor fuel tax funds continue to be withheld.

I would greatly appreciate a response (by email or by phone - 309.696.2961) with your insight as I know our board is left to try and anticipate how we can best address loan requests from our various agencies in the near future.

Thank you in advance,

John Redlingshafer

Tazewell County Board

McKenzie Building

11 S. 4th Street, Suite 432

Pekin, Illinois 61554

November Board Packet and Financials

Over on the "Board Packets" tab, I just posted the Packet and Accounts Payable report for our County Board Meeting on Wednesday, November 18.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

October Board Meeting and Latest County News

On October 28, the Tazewell County Board took numerous actions, including:

1) the approval of various contracts (e.g., Tri-County Regional Planning contract);

2) an amendment to the Cincinnati Township zoning map;

3) setting the County Engineer's salary; 

4) reappointing the Supervisor of Assessments; and

5) accepting the resignation of the Public Defender (and we certainly want to thank Mr. Bernardi for his many years of service to the County and wish him well on his retirement starting in January).

After the meeting, the Board held its final budget hearing, and approved tax levy ordinances for the following amounts:

1) $4,171,600.00 for the General County Fund;

2) $1,779,750.00 for Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund purposes;

3) $1,756.150.00 for the County Highway Fund;

4) $793,100.00 for the County Bridge Fund;

5) $571,650.00 for the Developmental Disabilities Fund;

6) $659,200.00 for County Highway Matching Tax purposes;

7) $890,950.00 for the County Health Fund;

8) $1,095,250.00 for the Liability and Risk Management Fund;

9) $953,500.00 for Social Security Contributions;

10) $211,150.00 for Veterans Assistance Purposes; and

11) $157,000.00 for University of Illinois Extension Purposes.

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In other County news:

* The Board shared its concerns for and the impact on the citizens of Tazewell County in light of developments at the Mitsubishi plant and announced cuts at Caterpillar facilities. If you are impacted by these developments, the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council has set up www.StayGP.org to help you discover options for future career moves in our area.

* The Tazewell County Auction (of surplus items) was held on October 31.  The auction brought in $14,890.00.  After expenses, the total profit for the County was $9,731.85.

* If you read this before November 11, I have also attached the National Weather Service Briefing put out this morning and shared to us by our director of Emergency Management, Dawn Cook.  

October Special Meeting and County Public Auction

Over the last several weeks, most of my blog entries have provided information on the County's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2016.  Next Tuesday (October 13), the full County Board will have a special meeting (called our "Tentative Budget Meeting") so all of our members will have a chance to review and comment on the latest plan for next year. A final vote on the budget will occur later in the month.

The Tentative Budget Meeting will be held in the County Board Room (Carius Community Room at the Justice Center) at 6:00pm.  As with all other meetings of the Board, the public is invited to attend.

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Also, an auction of some of the County's "surplus" equipment will be held at the County's Tremont campus on October 31.  The auction begins at 10:00am.  To learn more about the sale, you can view the flyer here.

September Board Meeting

The September 30 meeting of the Tazewell County Board was called to order at 6:00pm. Chairman Zimmerman led us in prayer, and we then segued into our newly-aligned agenda (see item #4 for more details).

Among other things, the Board voted to approve:

1) the lowest responsible bid for the demolition of a storage building and lean-to area at the County's Tremont campus.  Our property committee discussed the condition of both structures during its "in-place" committee meeting, and learned that the demolition will include the removal of the concrete footings, too;

2) a change in our current insurance premium for County employees. Specifically, under requirements of the Affordable Care Act, employers are capped by an Internal Revenue Service formula as to the amount of premium they can charge an employee (the law requires a premium to be "affordable").  Over the last several months, it was determined that some employees could be charged over that cap if current calculations remain in place. Therefore, thanks to County Administrator Ferrill, we caught this issue in time and we able to act to reduce premiums where necessary before that became an issue.  Again, this change will only impact employees who were running up against the IRS cap;

3) the 2015 Legislative Agenda for the County.  Legislative Committee Chairman Andrew Rinehart worked hard on this agenda, and it will now be submitted to our lobbyist to include it in its overall plan for the upcoming session(s) of the General Assembly; and

4) the new Rules of Order and Procedure of the Board.  Board Members Sinn and Harris requested amendments in the draft presented to allow for Chairman Zimmerman to appoint what has been known in the past as the "order of next" - essentially, a line of succession - for the Board and Committees so there is no dispute as to who will head these meetings in case of the absence of the respective chairs and vice chairs.  Chairman Zimmerman indicates he will likely create this "order" using seniority.

Again, I want to thank our ad hoc Rules Committee and our County Board Clerk (Sue Beeney) for their hard work, as we now have an agenda where the public will have a right to speak before our Board and Committees take any action.  

If you want a copy of the new rules, let me know, It may take a bit to get them to you, but I am happy to do so.  Currently, I am in the process of working with the Assistant State's Attorney Mike Holly (who serves on my committee) to draft a final version to include the amendments passed last night.  

September Board Packet and County News

Friends:

I have posted the Agenda and Board Packet for September 30 meeting over on the "Board Packets" tab of the site.  I am pleased to report the Agenda includes the proposed changes to the County Board Rules our Ad Hoc Rules Committee approved earlier this month.

I also am using this post for two other purposes: an update on the budget process, and a nice article in the Pekin Daily Times regarding the Arcade Building, which has been the reason for numerous debates by our Property Committee and full Board on its preservation.  The article can be found here.

You will also recall the Fiscal Year 2016 budget is nearing completion.  The following documents were recently made available to us by our County Auditor, Vicki Grashoff:

1.  2016 Tentative Budget Document;

 

2.  Recommended Amendments for Tentative Budget (included in #1); and

 

3.  Budget to Budget 2015-2016 percentage comparisons.

Mid-September Update

There are several new developments from Tazewell County which led me to the conclusion that I should post a mid-month update.

First, I wanted to thank our County's Chief Assessment Officer, Gary Twist, for circulating a memorandum regarding recent changes in Illinois law which he reports will increase "the benefits of exemptions for disabled Veterans on their homestead property."  If you want more information on this, please see the memo in its entirety (here).

Also, the heads of all of the Tazewell County offices have been diligently working to report to the Finance Committee of the County Board on their proposed budgets for fiscal year 2016.  If needed, the next meeting of the Finance Committee will be September 21, 2015, in the Carius Community (Board Meeting) Room at 3:30pm.  The proposed budget is still available on my blog post from August 27.  

While we do not have our board packets for our September Board Meeting available at press time, I wanted to provide you with some preliminary information on two items that will be at issue during our County Board meeting of September 30, 2015.

1) During its September 23 meeting, the Executive Committee will review the latest, proposed revisions to our County Board Rules.  Assuming they pass out of Committee, the new Rules will be one of my main items of interest on the agenda.  My thanks again to the Ad hoc Rules and Recodification Committee for their efforts.  Local newspapers have recently reported on our committee's main focus - changing the order of the Board agenda to allow for general public comment before we vote on items and allowing a reasonable opportunity to obtain permission to speak during a meeting on a particular item on the agenda.  The Journal Star recently offered an editorial on the Committee's efforts, and I also encourage our Board members to vote in favor of these (and the other) changes put forth.  All of the proposed changes will be available in our Board packets.

2) The Accounts Payable for September are available on the "Board Packets" tab.  

August Board Meeting and the Start of Budget Season

Last night, the Tazewell County Board held its August regular meeting.  Chairman Zimmerman called the meeting to order and we held a moment of silence for Deputy Craig Whisenand and also took a moment of reflection in prayer for our County and the recent passing of community leader and former Washington Mayor Don Gronewold.

Among its first items of action, the Board appointed Greg Menold to fill the vacancy from District 2.  I have known Greg for years as the Morton Township Highway Commissioner, and I look forward to serving with him on the Board.  

The Board also, among other things approved:

1) a low bid for repairs to the Monge Building basement;

2) a low bid for tar and chip road surface treatment in Mackinaw Township; and

3) approve the immediate repair of the Pekin Landfill.

As to item 3, over this very rainy spring/early summer, several spots of erosion were found, with an estimated repair cost of $35,000.  I thank Finance Committee Chairman Neuhauser for taking the time to answer my question about future/repeated costs, when he advised that this will be a short-term investment to protect our initial capping efforts, while long-term plans will be for a line-item on landfill maintenance should we have similar rainy seasons.

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The start of September means the County Board is working with Department heads on the Fiscal Year 2016 budget (12/1/15 to 11/30/16).  Last night, Board members received Budget materials, and I wanted to provide you with the following:

1) A cover letter from Auditor Grashoff explaining the latest documents;

2) A summary of all funds (with comparisons to FY 2014 and 2015); and

3) A full analysis for all proposed revenues/expenditures for FY 2016. 

I will start reviewing these documents in earnest, as our Finance Committee begins its first set of "Budget Committee" hearings/meetings on September 8.  I welcome your thoughts/comments on this Budget during this process.  

August Board Packet and Latest County News

While this post addresses numerous issues in Tazewell County, I wanted to first take a moment to thank everyone from around the area and beyond for expressing and sharing   our grief over the loss of Deputy Craig Whisenand.  We all continue to mourn his loss and pray for his family, friends, and colleagues in the Sheriff's office.

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Over on the "Board Packets" tab, you will find the packet for the August board meeting and the monthly financial reports.  However, there are numerous other items I wanted to share on this blog.

1) Northern and Southern Tazewell Enterprise Zones Approved

We recently learned that the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity approved the two Enterprise Zones proposed for parts of Tazewell County.  As reported in various media outlets, until we have a state budget, they cannot be certified for the next step(s), but this is a very positive development for potential, future economic growth in our area.

Here is the press release announcing the approval and more information.  Again, a sincere "thank you" to all who worked on these applications to the state!

2) Traffic Signals in Pekin

For those of you coming to Pekin (for County business or otherwise), there is a new traffic signal plan being implemented by the City.  These new stop signs will begin on September 1st.  For more information, here is more information.

3) Interested in owning part of the McClugage Bridge?

The Illinois Department of Transportation has previously held hearings on the proposed removal and replacement of the eastbound span of the bridge carrying US 150 from Peoria to Tazewell County.  Since this project is funded in part by the federal government's "Historic Bridge Program," the old span is being offered to "any interested state, local or responsible private entity."  There are numerous qualifications, but if you are interested, letters of such interest can be sent to:

Illinois Department of Transportation

Region 3/District 4

401 Main Street

Peoria, Illinois 61602-1111

Attn: Mr. Tom Lacy, Studies and Plans Engineer

You can also contact Mr. Christopher Maushard, Project Engineer at 309.671.3453 or at the following email: Christopher.Maushard@illinois.gov. 

You are to respond by August 31 to be considered for potential ownership.

If you are not interested in owning the old span, but want to learn more about the replacement project, feel free to visit the project's website (here).

July 2015 Board Meeting

On July 29, the Tazewell County Board held its regular monthly meeting.  Among other things, the Board voted to:

1) Approve an amendment to the Tazewell County Code authorizing fewer restrictions on accessory structures which are built on parcels before a residence is constructed.  In short, more discretion is given to our Community Development team versus requiring property owners to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals for most structures (e.g., sheds, etc.), as long as they meet manufacturing specifications;

2) Approve an annual funding agreement with PPUATS (the Peoria/Pekin Urbanized Area Transportation Study).  Member Greg Sinn and County Engineer Craig Fink explained to the Board that PPUATS is an entity intertwined with the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission that works on receiving federal funds for long-range traffic plans.  Our team works with townships and cities in the County to submit projects for consideration that will help overall transport in what is considered the "urbanized area."  While that area does not cover all of Tazewell County (because of the federal definition), we were advised that by participating in PPUATS, we can gain access to $2.3 million in federal funds.  Even if we are not awarded funds on a project, we are "way ahead" of our contributions if we win a project once every 20 years; and

3) Approve an increase to the euthanasia fee and/or fee for animals that have bitten.  We learned from representatives of our Health Services Committee that the additional fees will be used to cover the new, additional cost to vaccinate all of our Animal Control employees against rabies.  While future boosters will be less, the initial vaccinations will cost $5,000.00.

During public/board member comments, the Board also:

1) Determined a meeting of the Board's Legislative Committee was in order to discuss a strategy on reaching out to state legislators on the latest efforts to pass a state budget. Unless/until a budget is in place, the state will not distribute Motor Fuel Tax funds, which fund another significant piece of road projects in our county, cities, and townships.  It was stated that we would be out of our MFT fund reserve by the end of this calendar year; and

2) On a similar note, the Tazewell County Health Department is still receiving some state funding on existing contracts, but new contracts are contingent upon appropriations in a new state budget.  With no state budget, the Health Department is without a mechanism to receive federal funds, too.  Thanks to our Health Department's leadership and County Board of Health, we are assured that appropriate monitoring and actions are always being considered.  An important note - even if a budget is enacted, we are told that at least 30-45 days will pass before any related funds are finalized and routed to the related agencies.

If you have any questions about additional items on the agenda, please do not hesitate to contact me.

July Board Packet and Latest News

The July 2015 Board Packet and Financials are available over on the "Board Packets" tab of the blog. If you have any questions regarding items on the agenda or an item up for payment as part of our regular bills, please let me know.

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Have you suffered any flooding damage due to the heavy rain since June 7?  Is someone of the damage not covered by insurance?  Yesterday, the Tazewell County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) issued a press release asking you to report any uninsured flooding damage.  It is important for our EMA to keep track and report the amount of damage our county has received to the Illinois EMA to help determine if we could receive state funds. While reporting your information  does not guarantee you will receive financial assistance, if the state issues funding to our area, the Tazewell County EMA will be able to readily contact you to discuss your specific damage and discuss the extent of assistance from the state.

However, this is very time sensitive.  You must report your information NO LATER THAN JULY 28, 2015.  You can contact the County EMA at 309.925.2271, 309.477.2234, or eoc@tazewell.com.  Regular business hours (if you wish to contact them by phone) are 8am to 5pm.

If interested, please read the full press release from the Tazewell County EMA.

June Board Meeting

On June 24, the Tazewell County Board held its monthly meeting.

As we were brought to order, Chairman Zimmerman led the Board in a moment of silence for both Board Member Dean Grimm and past Board Member Jan Donahue (wife of current Board Member Jim Donahue), whom we both lost in the last several weeks.  

Among other things, the Board voted:

1) to approve of the plan of the Superintendent of the Regional Office of Education to operate independently of the County effective July 1, 2015, as required by state law;

2) to approve a "subordination agreement for refinancing."  The initial agreement (an economic development tool) consisted of two loans from the County to Millennia Professional Services for land expansion in Morton and for vehicle/equipment purchases for a related construction project.  Sally Hanley of the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council explained that because of the refinancing, the County will now be second (instead of third) in priority to be paid back, as the refinancing will be done through Morton Community Bank only, and eliminate prior loans extended by PNC Bank and the Small Business Administration; 

3) to approve the annual rate of prevailing wages as required by Illinois law; and

4) to approve amendments to Tazewell County Code - Title 6, Subchapter A, regarding sewage disposal.  The proposed language was in the board packet (available on this blog), and I would like to thank members of the County Health Department and Board of Health for their diligence in holding meetings and hearings with contractors, realtors, and the public regarding the proposed changes, many of which were required by changes in Illinois law.  In the end, several of us voted against the proposal (for example, I had concerns over the potential of someone being charged with a misdemeanor for a violation of the Code), but I know a lot of work went into developing what was presented to us.

June Board Packet and Latest News

As has been my custom, I have received the packet for the upcoming board meeting on June 24, and have posted it along with the Accounts Payable.  Those are available on the "Board Packets" tab.

However, more importantly, our board lost another fine gentleman.  Board Member Dean Grimm passed away this week, and I will truly miss what many have already called him - "one of the good guys."

The first time I met Dean he asked if I came from a family with its own TV and appliance business.  While it had been decades since he and my grandfather talked "shop" about Grimm's (in Morton) and Countrywide (in Farmington and Canton), it meant so much that he took the time to share some memories of him (as my family had just recently lost him).

I will miss the times Dean would go out of his way to see what the "young guys" thought about a particular issue and the institutional (and insightful) input he would share during board and committee debates.  

I want to add my sincere condolences to his family.  We are all going to miss him.

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During this past week, our Finance Committee met and established a schedule for the upcoming budget hearings/adoption for the Fiscal Year 2016 budget.  While these dates are subject to change, I wanted to share the initial version, as these meetings are open to the public:

Tuesday, September 8, 3:30pm

Wednesday, September 16, 3:30pm

Monday, September 21, 3:30pm  

Monday, October 12, 6:00pm*

Wednesday, October 28, immediately following regular County Board**

All meetings will be held in the Carius Community Room, and the October meetings will be to review the tentative budget (12th) and formally adopt the budget (28th).

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During the same Finance Committee meeting, we were fortunate to receive a report from the Supervisor of Assessments and his staff related to the continued efforts on updates to our County's GIS (Geographic Information System) webpage.

If you haven't tried out the GIS page, I encourage you to do so.  From that page, you will be able to research real estate throughout the county, and add/delete various "layers" (e.g., municipal boundaries, topographic data, etc.) to view the exact information you want to see.  This website is a very valuable addition for property owners.

To use the GIS website, click here.

May 2015 Board Meeting

On May 27, the Tazewell County Board held its regular monthly meeting.  While many items were approved as part of the consent agenda, several bids for bituminous road surface treatments throughout the county were pulled for further discussion.

In short, the numbers on the bids came in higher than expected, so they were rejected with the hope that subsequent bidding will bring in lower, more efficient numbers.

The Board also, among other things:

1) Approved an agreement for a substitute Hearing Officer for the Code Hearing Unit when needed;

2) Approved the purchase of network and email licensing for employees; and

3) Approved of the auction of surplus county property.

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On Friday, May 29, County Administrator Wendy Ferrill and I met with Travis Sterling, the Outreach Coordinator for the office of Senator Mark Kirk. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss general issues facing Tazewell County, and we appreciate Senator Kirk and his staff reaching out to units of government throughout the state to talk about matters of importance and to see how his office can be of assistance.

While we talked about numerous topics, the main focus of our conversation was infrastructure and transportation.  We explained our commitment to keeping the roads and bridges of the County safe, and Mr. Sterling welcomed the idea of us creating a list of local projects that may need additional funding from the federal level (whether through a "TIGER" grant or as part of a federal transportation capital bill).  Once we have a list together, we can reassess how Senator Kirk's office can help our efforts (e.g., letter of support, assistance with grant writing, etc.).

  

May Board Packet and Latest News

May Board Packet and Accounts Payable

While warmer weather has returned to the area, the Tazewell County Board is preparing for its May meeting on the 27th.  We just received our board packets, and we also were provided with our May Accounts Payable report.  Both are available for your review by clicking on the "Board Packets" tab.

Update on 18th Congressional District Election*

The Illinois State Board of Elections has posted the dates for the upcoming Special Primary and General Elections for the vacancy in the 18th Congressional District.  Here are some important dates for you to remember (and thanks to the Tazewell County Clerk's office for providing this information):

July 7, 2015, Special Primary Election

Last Day to Register     June 9, 2015

Grace Period Registration and Voting**

First Day     June 10, 2015

Last Day     July 7, 2015

Early Voting Period

First Day     May 28, 2015

Last Day     July 6, 2015

September 10, 2015, Special General Election

Last Day to Register     August 13, 2015

Grace Period Registration and Voting**

First Day     August 14, 2015

Last Day     September 10, 2015

Early Voting Period

First Day     August 1, 2015

Last Day     September 9, 2015

* The Clerk's Office is in need of election judges for both of these elections, so if you are available, please consider serving.  There will also be information as the elections approach as to what polling places will be used for these elections.

** While there are grace periods for voter registration, please be advised that "same day registration" will be the law of Illinois starting on June 1, 2015.  To learn more about that process or anything else discussed, please contact me or the Tazewell County Clerk's Office at (309) 477-2267.

April Board Meeting

On April 29, 2015, the Tazewell County Board held its monthly meeting.  

Immediately preceding the hearing, a public hearing was held on the question of County acceptance of credit card payments for certain "authorized obligations" under 50 ILCS 345, the Local Governmental Acceptance of Credit Cards Act.

In short, this Act allows for the public to use credit cards to pay for "any fine, fee, charge, tax, or cost imposed by, owing to, or collected by or on behalf" of the county.  

During its meeting, the Board approved the acceptance of such credit card payments, but also, among other things:

1) Approved a grant application for a Public Transportation Capital Assistance Grant for the We Care rural transportation agency;

2) Approved a retroactive wage increase for County Corrections Officers; and

3) Approved an agreement with the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council (EDC) for 2015.

I have received numerous questions about the EDC, and I encouraged them (and you) to learn more by going to www.greaterpeoriaedc.org and signing up for its monthly newsletter.  You will also find a story on work done by local teenagers to better understand the manufacturing industry by helping rebuild Hillcrest Golf's miniature course in Washington.

March and April Updates

I wanted to take this post as an opportunity to update you on numerous developments from the Tazewell County Board.

1) March Board Meeting

The Board met for its regular monthly meeting on March 25.  I apologize for just now getting a chance to provide you with a brief summary.

Among other things, the Board:

 * Received a report on recent, initial discussions which have begun between our Transportation Committee and the Heritage Lake Homeowners Association about a potential agreement to authorize the issuance of bonds for the upgrade of Heritage Lake's roadways and related infrastructure.  No final decisions were made, but our Board asked many great questions about how the County would need to be involved in such a funding plan, and what potential exposure/liability would be present.

* Tabled a motion to approve a salary increase for the County's Board of Review for further study.

2) Ad-Hoc Rules and Recodification Committee

The week after our board meeting, our new committee charged with reviewing our Board rules and County ordinances met in the County Board Conference Room.  

We spent this time together discussing past efforts to review our rules and ordinances and how it allowed the Board at those times to make needed updates and remove inconsistencies.  We determined our first task as a committee will be to review our County Board Rules, with a special focus on making sure our Rules appropriately provide for the participation of the public at our meetings.  If you want to see a copy of our current rules, click here.

3) Eastern Bypass Regional Coalition

Chairman Zimmerman recently appointed me to be the Tazewell County representative to this Coalition which is tasked with, among other things, efforts related to the construction of a bypass around Peoria.  

While I have personally spoken with constituents who do and do not support such a project, I felt it was important to accept the appointment to the Coalition so I can continue to monitor all efforts and report back to the Board and you.  

If you are not aware of the project, be sure to visit www.easternbypass.com.  

At our meeting on April 22, representatives from the Illinois Department of Transportation updated us on an anticipated schedule for the ongoing Environmental Impact Study ("EIS") for such a project. In terms of the "big picture," we are told that any construction (if approved) would begin between 2026 and 2028, as a final EIS, corridor phase selection, alignment phase selection, and design/right-of-way acquisition would have to be completed.

4)  April Board Meeting Financials and Packet

I have just posted the County Financials and Board Packet in anticipation of our April meeting on the 29th.  

Please let me know if you have any questions.

March Board Packet and Announcements

We all have seen the news regarding the upcoming vacancy in the office of U.S. Representative in the 18th District of Illinois.  In consultation with Chairman Zimmerman and County Clerk Christie Webb, we drafted a "letter to the editor" to make sure the public knew of the costs of the two special elections we may likely see (the primary and special election), and related issues.  To read the letter, click here.

This blog post is also to advise that this afternoon I received the board packet for the March 25, 2015, meeting of the Tazewell County Board.  Please click the "Board Packets" tab to review the information (including Accounts Payable).  

In addition, I recently received the following information that I wanted to share with you:

1) The 2014 Annual Report of the Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit of the University of Illinois Extension (found here);

2) As reported by various sources, on March 11, 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency announced a decision to designate a portion of the Mahomet Aquifer system as a "sole source aquifer."  This designation means that the EPA believes contamination of the aquifer would create a "significant hard to public health and there are no physically available or economically feasible alternative sources of drinking water..."  This designation further authorizes the EPA to review projects which receive federal financial assistance and determine if it contaminates the aquifer.

The EPA has prepared a Responsiveness Summary which further addresses comments and answers questions.  This summary and other relevant documents will be available to the public at:

• EPA’s regional office, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago
• Champaign Public Library, 200 W. Green St., Champaign
• Bloomington Public Library, 205 E. Olive St., Bloomington
• Pekin Public Library, 301 S. Fourth St., Pekin
• Havana Public Library, 201 W. Adams St., Havana
• Watseka Public Library, 201 S. 4th St., Watseka

For more information, please see the USEPA's website.

For a detailed map to see how big of an impact the Mahomet Aquifer is on Tazewell County, please click here. 

Board Meeting of February 25, 2015

The Tazewell County Board held its regular February meeting last Wednesday.  Among other matters, the Board:

1) approved the appointment of Gary Sciortino to the Board to fill the unexpired term from District 1;

2) approved intergovernmental agreements with numerous municipalities throughout the county to upgrade digital orthophotography for GIS (geographic information system) mapping;

3) approved the purchase of a tandem axle truck for the Tazewell County Highway Department; and

4) authorized a budget line transfer request to fund a storm warning siren previously approved by the County Board.

In other news, I was proud to accept the appointment of Chairman Zimmerman to chair an ad hoc committee to review the Board's rules of procedures and the Tazewell County Code. The goal of this "Recodification" committee is to further modernize, streamline, and/or eliminate any unintentional inconsistencies that may have developed over the years.  This goal does not include any substantial, substantive changes to the Code, which is best left for our standing committees.

Once we set a regular meeting date and have a final list of names of committee members, I will post them to this site for your information.

February Board Packet and Announcements

Today, I received the board packet for our regular Tazewell County Board Meeting to be held on February 25, 2015.  It, along with the February Accounts Payables, are available under the "Board Packets" tab on this blog.

Going forward, I will use these posts before our meetings to also share any announcements or updates.

1) Enbridge Pipeline Update

I recently received this Project Update from Enbridge related to the Flanagan South Pipeline.  According to the company, the nearly 600 mile pipeline (including a significant length in Tazewell County) is now operational, delivering petroleum from Pontiac, Illinois, (the Flanagan Terminal) to the company's Cushing Terminal in Oklahoma.  Should you have any questions, you are welcome to contact me or Enbridge's Project Team at flanagansouth@enbridge.com or 1.877.797.2650.

2) Illinois Counties Association Scholarships

Tazewell County is a member of the Illinois Counties Association (ICA).  I received notification that the ICA will be awarding academic scholarships throughout the state to students who wish to pursue higher education during the 2015-16 academic year.  For details or to apply online, visit the ICA's website.  The deadline to submit an application is April 30, 2015.

New Addition to the Blog

At the request of several constituents, I am adding a new page ("Board Packets") to my blog that will give you direct access to the Board Packets we receive for our monthly meetings. While there are times that the Board will not take final action on materials contained in the packet (for various reasons), I want to share what I get with you.

We typically receive the packet a few days before the meeting, and I will do my best to get them posted to the blog as soon thereafter as possible.

Please let me know if you ever have any questions or comments on anything you see in a packet.

January 2015

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!  With the new year upon us, the monthly meetings of the Tazewell County Board have begun...

The January 28, 2015, meeting of the Tazewell County Board started with the wonderful tradition of handing out service awards to our dedicated teammates from our many county departments.  From 5 to 35(+) year awards, it was a great opportunity for all of us in attendance to listen, honor, and congratulate our friends who work tirelessly for all of us.  I would like to again thank all of them for what they do.

In terms of action items, the County Board approved (among other things):

1) Intergovernmental agreements with numerous cities and villages for Animal and Rabies Control Services;

2) Lease renewal agreements with numerous tenants in the Monge Building; and

3) Numerous appointments to local and area agencies, including the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission.

If there are any issues or concerns you would like to see us consider or address at future board meetings, please let me know.