Champaign County budget mockup to assume nursing home gets sold soon
URBANA — Champaign County Board members Thursday night went on record in favor of a budget that assumes the sale of the county-owned nursing home next spring.
The 12-7 vote, which is essentially non-binding, was taken in order to give County Administrator Rick Snider guidance for preparing a full 2018 budget that would be ready for a county board vote in November. But there will be plenty of opportunities in the coming months for board members to reverse the vote.
Voting in favor of a budget that assumes the county will operate the Champaign County Nursing Home for six months and then sell it sometime next year were all 10 Republicans on the county board, plus Democrats Pattsi Petrie of Champaign and Chris Alix of Urbana.
But Thursday's vote at a study session was taken while three of the board's 12 Democrats — Giraldo Rosales, James Tinsley and Stephanie Fortado — were absent. In general, the board's Democrats have been less inclined to sell the financially troubled nursing home.
Earlier this year, county voters defeated a proposed tax increase to subsidize the nursing home and approved a ballot question, by 54 percent to 46 percent, to authorize the county board to sell the facility.
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