February Board Meeting

Last Wednesday, the Tazewell County Board held its regular February meeting.

While I was unable to attend (due to an important family obligation at our church), I wanted to send out a report on the meeting and some new announcements from the County.

I have learned everything on the consent agenda passed except for the item related to the proposed contract with the Economic Development Council.  That contract was sent back to Executive Committee, so there will be further discussion there before the full Board sees it again.

If you have any follow up questions, please let me know.

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In other news, the Tazewell County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is having a busy March with two events worth noting.

First, the EMA is seeking volunteers for the following teams: 

* Search and Rescue

* Damage Assessment

* Unified Command Post

* Communications

There are several entry level qualifications (County resident, etc.), but you are encouraged to contact the EMA with any questions or attend an Open House on March 6 from 2-4pm at the Emergency Operations Center at 21304 State Route 9, Tremont to learn more.  

Secondly, the EMA has announced a "storm spotter" training session that will be hosted by the National Weather Service at the Par-A-Dice Hotel on March 14 at 6:30pm.  There is no cost, and will take approximately three hours.  

If you have questions on either event, please contact the EMA at (309) 925-2271.

February Board Meeting Packet

The Tazewell County Board will gather this Wednesday for its monthly meeting.  I have posted the Board Packet and Accounts Payable for your review and consideration.  If you have any questions on agenda items or any of the accounts, please let me know.

In other news, early voting in the Illinois Primary has officially begun, and the County Clerk's office has announced numerous early voting options around Tazewell County (in addition to the permanent location at the Clerk's office in Pekin).  See this page for more details on options in Hopedale, Mackinaw, Delavan, East Peoria, Morton, and Washington in the coming weeks.

If you have any other questions about the election, including voting by mail, applications for a ballot for a hospitalized voter, or where you vote on March 15, do not hesitate to contact the Elections Division at 477-2267.

January Board Meeting and Latest County News

The Tazewell County Board held its regular January meeting on the 27th.  

The meeting began with a video of congratulations regarding the national accreditation of the Tazewell County Health Department.  Out of 3,000 health departments in the country, I am proud to say that ours is one of less than 100 with this honor. Congratulations to our friends at the Department who help make us healthier!

The Board also heard from Jennifer Daly, the CEO of the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council.  Ms. Daly was present to provide us with a quarterly update, as required by our contract with the EDC.  One major update presented was the launch of the "Make Yourself" website, which offers a "one-stop career exploration resource for students, parents, and educators in Greater Peoria."  For more information, you can visit www.makeyourselfgp.org.

Among action items taken, the Board:

1) Approved numerous intergovernmental agreements with cities and villages for Animal Control Services;

2) Approved the purchase of a message archiver for County email; and

3) Approved a collective bargaining agreement for the Highway Maintenance Workers.

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Since that meeting, there are other County developments to report.

First, early voting for the 2016 primary election has begun at the County Clerk's office (11 S. 4th Street, Pekin).

Also, the Board's Ad-Hoc Rules and Recodification Committee met on February 4.  The purpose of this meeting was to hear the first set of presentations from vendors interested in helping the County publish its Code online.  The Committee has declared one of its priorities to be the publication of the County Code in a manner that makes it accessible to the public.  The Committee will hear additional presentations at its March meeting. These meetings are open to the general public.