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.
