County Board Committee Updates

There were two County Board committee meetings so far in January that touched on issues such as jail consolidation and marijuana regulation. There are some highlights and links to more information below. This week is the Committee of the Whole meeting (agenda packet here) which will be the first since the County Treasurer resigned (more Treasurer updates in a later post). County Board Member Charles Young is also meeting with constituents today. In addition to representing District 6 (map) he is also the Chair of the Policy, Personnel, & Appointments committee. From the News-Gazette last week:

Champaign County Board member Charles Young invites his constituents to let him know what’s on their mind over coffee at meetings in January and February.

The District 6 Democrat, who represents several precincts in Champaign, will be available on Jan. 11, from 1 to 3 p.m. in Room 101 of the Leonhard Recreation Center (2307 Sangamon Drive, C).

He’ll also meet with residents on Feb. 22, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the meeting room at the Douglass Branch Library (504 E. Grove St., C).

Full blurb available from the News-Gazette eEdition here (subscription). Other committee news:

Facilities Committee:

The January 7th Facilities Committee meeting (agenda here, video temporarily available here, will be up on the County Clerk YouTube channel when posted here) had a discussion about countering mistaken perceptions on what the jail consolidation study meant. Early on in the meeting Board Member Rector took issue with wording describing it as a "proposal" in a criminal justice reform panel event this week. Later discussion concerned how the study is being perceived as something more finalized than it is. Member Tinsley described it more along the lines of the school photo options, from your basic wallet size to the package that has every size picture and refrigerator magnets. Cheat Sheet post on that study's proposed plans and some of the initial disputes on coverage and options here.

The reaction from the community was already evident in previous county board meetings and the coverage may have led people to believe that the $47 million price tag for the broadest options in the study was the likely or even a final recommendation of some sort. More on the reaction at the County Board meeting following the study's coverage in the News-Gazette here.


Environment and Land Use Committee:

The January 9th ELUC meeting (agenda here, video will be available here when posted) had updates on potential marijuana regulations in unincorporated areas of the County. From the News-Gazette coverage yesterday:

The county board’s environment and land use committee voted Thursday to pass along two different zoning-amendment options to the zoning board of appeals for a public hearing, without recommending either of them.

One of the options on its way to the zoning board would allow marijuana businesses such as dispensaries, craft growers, cultivation centers, transporters and processors only within a mile and a half of home-rule cities with populations over 20,000. That would apply only to Champaign and Urbana, which have already opened their doors to marijuana businesses.

Under this option, marijuana businesses setting up shop in the 1.5-mile fringe area would be subject to the same restrictions imposed by the two cities.

The other option would widen the field for transporters, cultivation centers and craft growers to areas zoned as AG-1 — as long as there is a 1.5-mile buffer between them and any municipality that has banned sales of recreational marijuana or any residential district.

That full article here. More details in a News-Gazette article earlier this week previewing this meeting and the proposed regulations here.