Illinois Public Media's Newsroom had an overview of the controversies in the auditor's office, concerns about late audits, and recent interviews with some of the main players in that drama today:
Steve Summers, Champaign County Executive, said if voters decide to eliminate the auditor’s office, the Champaign County Board is likely to merge its accounting department, including the auditor’s role, with his department. “Then, with County Board approval, a new hire would be made and carry out the work of the auditor’s office,” Summers said...
In addition, Summers said the role of the auditor has diminished in recent years, as the current software system “handles many of the tasks that an auditor 30 or 40 years ago would have done manually...
Both candidates for county auditor oppose the referendum to eliminate the position they’re running for.
That full article here with a lot of additional background on a number of the recent controversies, perspectives and history.
The Treasurer's office was dragged into the auditor drama shortly after Treasurer Cassandra C.J. Johnson announced she was planning on retiring before the end of her second term. From the News-Gazette:
Describing herself as “burned out” by long hours and a short staff, Johnson said the only question is when she’ll leave...
Johnson, who is 44 and goes by the initials “C.J.,” suggested it would be at the “beginning of next year,” but that is indefinite because “there are a bunch of projects I want to close out.”
The U.S. Air Force veteran was elected treasurer in 2020, filling out the unexpired balance of the four-year term created by the resignation of former treasurer Laurel Prussing. She was re-elected to a full four-year term in 2022.
That full article here.
Auditor Danos has recently justified the need for an elected auditor position by highlighting additional interest income the County could have made if the Treasurer had deposited more of the County's money in an Illinois Funds account. From Jim Dey's opinion article on the Auditor's claims:
While Champaign County officials have urged voters to approve a sales tax increase to shore up their financial resources, the county has missed out on nearly $2.1 million in income by maintaining funds in low-interest-bearing accounts.
As recently as Aug. 31, the county had $13.9 million on deposit in a Terre Haute, Ind., First Financial Bank account that paid a 0.2 percent interest rate and generated $2,415 in interest for the month.
If that same amount had been deposited with the state treasurer’s Illinois Funds account, the interest rate would have been 5.373 percent and generated $67,877 in interest income.
That full article here. Others have argued that catching this issue years ago, before the County lost out on the additional interest revenue, would have made a stronger case for the auditor.
Public Safety Budgets:
The News-Gazette had an overview of local public safety officials and their stated budget needs going forward, including the Sheriff's Office, State's Attorney's Office, and the Public Defender:
This week, as the board begins discussing how to allocate funds for fiscal 2025, the leaders of the county’s law enforcement, courthouse and corrections divisions each made their case for why they should receive additional support to improve public safety efforts.
Yet to what extent the board decides to fund each department’s vision will ultimately hinge on whether county residents approve a referendum in November’s election for a quarter-cent “public safety” sales tax.
That full article here. The County has also put up a Public Safety Sales Tax information website here. The Champaign County State's Attorney has defended the County's spending on this website and local advertising about the referendum as educational. Opponents have alleged that this spending as crossed the legal line into advocacy.
Other Public Safety Updates:
There's a Cheat Sheet post on the recent METCAD Policy Board meeting and the staffing crisis facing the dispatch center. The County's METCAD 911 dispatch service is an intergovernmental organization with the City of Champaign as the primary, which is why staffing is generally handled by the City of Champaign. The staffing crisis, however, could impact services throughout Champaign County.
Kathy's Mailbag had a brief overview of the County's emergency management organization this month:
“While the day-to-day operations of EMA are overseen by an emergency management coordinator appointed by the sheriff, emergency management policies for the county are developed through the Regional Emergency Coordination Group (RECG), a group made up of local elected and appointed officials such as the sheriff, mayors/city managers, police chiefs and representatives from UI, Parkland and the C-U Public Health District. Those policies are then put into action by EMA. “
That full Mailbag article here.
Regional Planning Commission Related Updates:
Expansion of RPC Early Childhood Education Program, from the News-Gazette:
The Champaign County Regional Planning Commission plans to expand its Early Childhood Education program into Ford, Iroquois and Vermilion counties.
Program Director Brandi Granse said the RPC is acquiring five centers: two in Danville, one in Paxton, one in Gilman and one in Watseka...
According to RPC officials, the move adds 300 infants, toddlers, preschoolers and pregnant women to RPC’s Head Start and Early Head Start enrollment.
That full article here.
Long-Range Transportation Plan:
There have been some recent updates on the process of local governments endorsing the County's Long-Range Transportation Plan. From WCIA:
Every five years, the Champaign Urbana Urbanized Area Transportation Study (CUUATS) is required to update the LRTP, which plans out the next 25 years. The goal of the LRTP is to create innovative and sustainable transportation solutions in Champaign County...
To see a full list of projects included in the 2050 LRTP, visit the Champaign-Urbana Urbanized Area Transportation Study website.
Currently, the 2050 LRTP is in a draft review period until Oct. 15. Once the draft-period has ended, the plan will be adopted by the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission Board and Technical and Policy Committees. Then, the council will be able to accept and recognize the finalized 2050 LRTP plan.
That full article here. This article goes into detail about the City of Champaign's endorsement of the LRTP. The staff report at the study session explained the next steps:
The draft LRTP 2050 plan is in the 30-day draft review period through Tuesday, October 15, 2024 and can be viewed online. CUUATS staff is seeking input from stakeholders, particularly local municipalities, and the general public. CUUATS will then evaluate and incorporate feedback that is feasible and relevant to accomplishing the goals and visions of the LRTP 2050.
Although not all feedback will be incorporated into the main document, all feedback will be provided in the appendix of the LRTP 2050 document. Once the comment period has ended, the plan will be adopted by the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission Board and Technical and Policy Committees. City Council also has the option to accept and recognize the finalized LRTP 2050 plan.
The Regional Planning Commission hosts a LRTP 2050 webpage with additional information and updates here.
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