BLOOMINGTON — The McLean County Board is expected to vote Thursday on a $126 million spending plan for the 2023 fiscal year.
The budget has about $2.4 million less in expenditures than the county’s 2022 spending plan. However, McLean County Administrator Cassy Taylor highlighted additional investments into several departments, including the sheriff’s department.
According to the draft budget, McLean County is investing about $25 million into highways, streets and community planning compared to the roughly $27.5 million invested last year.
Taylor said the decrease in the highway department was a result of some projects of lower cost being completed. “Last year, there were some costly bridges projects that elevated that amount,” she said.
The county also proposed investing $26.9 million in total on public safety compared to the $28.5 million invested last year. Taylor said this resulted from fewer infrastructure projects funded with federal COVID relief money in combination with stable maintenance budgets in many departments.
However, the decrease did not reflect less funding for law enforcement. The McLean County Sheriff’s Department had an increased budget this year, she added.
A budget presentation last week highlighted “significant” increases to full-time employees’ salaries. In the criminal investigations division alone, salaries went up by 13% and investigation expenses went up 10%.
Taylor said the board will vote on the county’s fiscal 2023 property tax levy later this fall.
The budget should leave the county with a roughly $16.1 million general fund reserve. This amounts to about 12.7% of all budgeted funds and is consistent with the McLean County Budget Policy’s recommended reserve level of between 12% and 15%.
In addition to the budget, staff also prepared a five-year capital improvement plan, which includes the design and implementation of 114 projects. Identified projects through 2026 have an estimated cost of about $67.2 million.
The McLean County Museum of History in downtown Bloomington is in need of a new elevator, new ventilation fans and plaster repairs. About $605,000 in projects are anticipated between 2022 and 2025.
Staff are proposing about $1.1 million in capital projects for the McLean County Government Center, including the replacement of a freight elevator, a resurfaced parking lot and additional barriers.
At the Law and Justice Center, staff are proposing the installation of keyless magnetic card door entry systems, elevator upgrades and exterior restoration.
In total, the budget includes $8 million in projects paid for with federal COVID relief funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. This includes about $3.6 million in building infrastructure improvements, about $2.6 million in HVAC replacements, $550,000 in building automation services, $300,000 for resurfacing, $75,000 for water heater replacement and $20,000 for exterior doors.
“The county has continued its focus in addressing deferred maintenance and has prioritized capital infrastructure investments with the American Rescue Plan Act Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds helping to support those efforts,” Taylor said in her budget address.
The board will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the McLean County Government Center.
Photos: Public learns about law enforcement life
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