Local Government Updates

We'll be trying out a little bit of a new format to try to have more regular and concise updates moving forward.

General Updates:

Elections:

Election day for this year’s midterms is November 3rd, 2026, with Early Voting starting around October 24th. You can find the local primary election results here on the News-Gazette website. There are new local party chairs, with Urbana Mayor DeShawn Williams chairing the Champaign County Democrats and perennial local candidate Jeff Brownfield replacing Susan Mantell in the County GOP.  

Federal Changes / Local Impact:

So-called “work requirements” for food assistance are going into effect. Champaign County Health Care Consumers have a great deal of information and assistance available on how to navigate the new hurdles for those having to prove their eligibility, exemptions, etc.

Gun Violence: The latest updates, including the police chief updates, can usually be found at the monthly Community Coalition meetings available here. There has been a number of recent shootings, many involving minors, in recent weeks. Unsecured guns, lost or stolen from homes and vehicles here and across the country, appear to be a major source for guns used in these types of crimes. Sheriff Heuerman noted that in one recent car theft, at least two guns were taken from a local unlocked vehicle. As we have seen, time and time again, if someone wants a gun, they just have to check enough car door handles in any given parking lot or neighborhood.

There still remain severe challenges in ensuring school attendance across both local school districts here with dozens of kids in each at ongoing and regular risk. There was a detailed discussion on those challenges at the recent Race Relations Subcommittee of the Community Coalition last month.

Local Government Roundup:

Champaign County Government:

The County’s budget process has begun with the Budget Director’s financial forecast presentation at the April County Board meeting. The board is openly considering across-the-board cuts, especially in light of the recent voter referendum supporting cuts to staff and services and opposing any new tax revenues.

The long-delayed Fiscal Year 2024 Audit is still being processed by the external auditor (Clifton, Larson, Allen LLP). There was an update on that process at the last Committee of the Whole (page 54 of the agenda packet). In March there was a presentation on the history of audit issues that led to our current predicament (video and slides).

The expectation is that these continued delays will impact funding, with the county likely missing out on funding it may have otherwise qualified for (e.g. through the state and federal government). The work on the 2025 audit is also being delayed while the County attempts to complete the 2024 audit.

The County Board also passed a one year moratorium on massive “hyperscale” data centers, as part of a process that may lead to blocking their construction here completely. The centers tend to have massive electric and water needs. As the recent mapping of the Mahomet aquifer has confirmed, however, those impacts may still threaten Champaign County if one is built in neighboring counties.

Municipal / School Boards:

City of Champaign: The affordable housing crisis has been a longtime and ongoing issue for the C-U. According to the housing needs assessment report and presentation earlier this year, the City is expected to present “the final document to the stakeholders and to the City Council for approval and moving into the implementation of the Housing Needs Analysis and Strategy” this month. 

The annual township board blocked an agenda item for an advisory referendum related to a state law restricting boycotts of Israel. The same referendum passed in Cunningham township at their annual meeting and several other township meetings around the state.

Champaign Park District: The Champaign Parks Foundation is looking for four new members. This organization helps raise money for unmet needs of the park district itself. Elections for Champaign Park District commissioners occur staggered in odd election years, with two commissioner terms expiring in 2027.

City of Urbana: The Alternative Response Task Force (re: policing / 911 calls) had a community engagement event with video available on the Urbana Public TV YouTube page here. President Pearson has been actively working with the stakeholder meetings over the past several months, looking at various alternative response systems around the country and possible local implementations here.

Unit 4:  The Board of Education has approved some of the new cabinet members for the incoming new Superintendent, Dr. Geovanny Ponce, who will begin that role on July 1st of this year. The district approved a separation agreement with former Central High School Principle Montia Gardner, with both sides agreeing not to sue each other in the aftermath of the falling out in a short, but apparently contentious year.

The district renewed its contract for Student Resource Officers. The News-Gazette had details of the contract, including the limitations on officers to issue tickets and other issues here.

MTD: The C-U MTD board will likely have to redo its annexation votes for areas that would allow a link for local bus routes to Carle at the Fields in Southwest Champaign after a technical violation of state law that prohibits meetings on election day (one of the public hearings for the annexation fell on the day of the March primary).

County Board Updates: February and Early March

There was quite a bit going on this month with the County Board for political wonks. The upcoming Committee of the Whole doesn't have much in the way of fireworks on the agenda (video now available here), though perhaps there will be more arguments about food reimbursement rules (more on that below). But this past month or so had a lot of news on the fight over how an Executive Form of County Government should be run, ARPA funding for cover crops through the Environment and Land Use Committee and some Animal Control safety rules to prevent any more euthanasia mistakes and tragedies.

There was some possible legislative solutions to the ongoing legal dispute on the appointment power under our new Executive Form of County government. From the News-Gazette:

That bill (SB 1015) would effectively impact only the two counties in Illinois that have a county-executive form of government, Champaign and Will. But it could affect any others that adopt that form of government in the future.

The bill states that in counties “other than Champaign County operating under the county-executive form of government,” a vacancy is to be filled by appointment of the county executive, with the advice and consent of the county board.

Specifically in Champaign County, it states, the elected county board chair makes the appointment with the advice and consent of the full board. 

That full article here. It goes on to explain that Will County would like to continue its tradition of appointment via their County Executive. The Champaign case is currently being appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court after the Board's latest victory in the courts. If they ultimately prevail through the courts or more uniform legislation in their favor, I'm not sure where that will leave Will County's options. 

The local coverage in Will County suggests they may be more concerned about how the language may still impact them (e.g. on how the Executive's office is organized) in articles here and here (it appears to have a paywall with zero free articles, but a cheaper trial option). From the latest article:

Will County Board members voiced specific concerns about legislation pushed by County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant which could change the way county government functions.

During a meeting on Tuesday, members of the Legislative & Judicial Committee discussed aj amendment to SB 1015, which has already passed the Illinois Senate to the surprise of many county officials on Feb. 24. The bill still needs to pass the House of Representatives to become law...

[Mitch Schaben, Bertino-Tarrant’s chief of staff] also addressed the proposed change to give the county executive control over the “internal operations of the county executive’s office and procure the necessary equipment, materials and services to perform the duties of the office.” Schaben said it’s the same language used for the duties of other countywide elected officials, though board members have argued the executive doesn’t have the same authority as a treasurer or sheriff.

That full article here. A few days prior, there was an article that delved more into the nitty gritty of the Will County Board's concerns about the legislation and the process in both parties.

There was some discussion about the various rules on paying for meals, using a county credit card, and a new Board of Review member's charges (since reimbursed). From the News-Gazette:

But for [Champaign County Auditor George Danos], these purchases — along with some county board members’ recent chastising of the county’s Board of Review chairman for using a county credit card to purchase two staff meals — demonstrate a need for the county to rewrite what he calls an “incomplete and outdated” purchasing policy....

What is clear is if a county department has a line item in its budget for employee recognition expenses, the expenses are permitted, according to Kloeppel.

For departments that don’t have a line item for that purpose, as is the case with the Board of Review, the purchases aren’t permitted, she said.

That full article here. The incident that started this discussion was reported on by the News-Gazette last month here. A quick overview noted that the County was reimbursed as soon as the new Review Board member was made aware of the rule:

The purchases, one for $18.63 from Jimmy John’s and the other for $140 for a year-end celebratory meal from Biaggi’s, were made with the supervisor of assessment’s county credit card.

At Thursday’s county board meeting, Bergee said he reimbursed the county before the credit-card bill arrived after speaking to County Executive Darlene Kloeppel, who told him it was against policy to use a county credit card for meals.

The Environment and Land Use Committee will be considering using some of the County's ARPA funds towards incentivizing cover crop planting locally to help with various related agricultural issues. More from the News-Gazette last month. The minutes from the February ELUC meeting had an overview of the discussion on page 2 and 3 of the latest meeting's Agenda Packet. Excerpt:

It was felt that this needs to go back to the caucuses for discussion and then come back to ELUC in March and then take to the full County Board after that. There were some unanswered questions from tonight that we should let Mr. Uken and the Farm Bureau do some research and come back as an agenda item again next month to discuss in more detail. It would also give the rural districts time to discuss the various water projects and what they may want to fund.

The discussion continued in the March meeting a couple days ago (available on the County's YouTube page here around the 10:33 minute mark). By the end of that discussion there appeared to be some technical changes (dates and total funding) to fit within the ARPA guidelines left to resolve for the next ELUC meeting.

There was also an update to the County's Animal Control Ordinance on euthanasia decisions. The rule follows a widely publicized mistake at Animal Control over the holidays the year before. From the News-Gazette:

More than a year after a dog was accidentally euthanized while being detained in Champaign County’s animal-control facility, the county board is poised to vote on a resolution in which a double-check safety procedure is named after the deceased dog.

“Dada’s Rule” would require that two animal-control officers sign off on any euthanasia before proceeding — a practice County Executive Darlene Kloeppel said has already been in effect for many months.  

More at the full article here. The resolution text is available on page 68 of the Agenda Packet and passed at the February 24th meeting. 

Champaign County Updates

 

The possible nighttime white out conditions with the recent severe winter storm forced County crews to halt road clearing operations overnight according to WCIA:

Champaign County Highway Department will cease plow operations from 6 p.m. Wednesday until 6 a.m. Thursday due to the forecasted high winds and white out conditions.

Officials said based on the information that they have received from the National Weather Service, winds will continue to gust at 35 MPH to 40 MPH on Thursday...

Champaign County Highway Department will have plows stationed throughout the county overnight to aid in emergency calls if needed.

Full blurb here.

Petitions for local candidates in the upcoming midterm elections are circulating. It's a good time to help your favorite candidates get on the ballot and get to know who is in the running. From WCIA earlier last month:

Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons asks everyone to be prepared for an influx of people — who want to run for office — bringing a petition to their doors.

Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, Ammons asks all candidates to be masked and bring along hand sanitizer to use in between homes, not just for handwashing but for cleaning pens in between signatures...

The Illinois Primary is set for June 28 this year.

That full article here. 

If you want to learn more about how to be an effective member of a local board and get more involved in your community or a local organization, there is a free "Board Bootcamp" course coming up this month. From Smile Politely:

If you are a new, current, or prospective board member for a nonprofit organization, The Center for Nonprofit Excellence at the Community Foundation of East Central Illinois encourages you to attend their Board Bootcamp, a now quarterly offering that is designed to help create effective boards. 

The first session of the year is on February 23rd from 4 to 5 p.m. and will take place over Zoom. The focus will be on recruiting new board members.

Full blurb here. More information available at the Community Foundation of East Central Illinois website here.

In other Champaign County government news:

• January Champaign County Board Updates Cheat Sheet post.
• See our Cheat Sheet post on the latest updates on the Champaign County Courthouse. Includes updates on the cell phone ban, severe weather closings, and more here.
• Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman spoke to WCIA about initiatives to expand access to mental health care before a situation becomes an issue for law enforcement or the jail.
• The Champaign County Forest Preserve District has a bit of a scavenger hunt available when the weather clears up again. From WCIA.
• What towns and areas are defined as "rural" can have a major impact on where federal dollars go to local government and projects. From Illinois Newsroom.

In other Champaign County news:

• The Champaign County Humane Society raised $17,000 during the Betty White Challenge event according to WCIA.
• Champaign County home sales hit record numbers according to WCIA.
• The Eastern Illinois Foodbank announced a warehouse expansion. From WCIA.
• Update on Miss Champaign County Erica Johnson looking towards the Miss Illinois County Fair Queen competition.  
• A recent Tom's Mailbag question was asking about the Champaign "snow hole" with recent snowfall appearing to miss our area (prior to the severe winter weather warnings this past week).
• That same Tom's Mailbag column addressed fire station needs in Champaign and Urbana. In Champaign they gave an overview of the existing locations meeting current standards, but possibly some expansion issues in the future.
• Champaign County Restaurant Week coverage from WAND. More on restaurant week events and updates with the severe weather at their website here and facebook event page here.

June County Committees

Each month there are a number of Committee meetings that deal with topics such as Facilities, Environment and Land Use, Highway and Transportation funds, etc. The County government is generally much larger and complicated than folks imagine. This can be confusing and confounding for folks just trying to understand how to have their say on a specific issue that may affect them. Democracy is messy and at the local level it takes persistence and learning just to figure out where you can have an impact.

So far this month, before the regular County Board meeting next Thursday:

• Facilities Committee (agenda, video)
• Environment and Land Use Committee (agenda, video)
• Highway and Transportation Committee (agenda, video)
• Committee of the Whole (agenda, video)

The Facilities Committee focuses on the maintenance and building needs of the County. Here is where you would have seen a lot of discussions about potential jail consolidation plans, presentations and overviews of various upkeep and repair projects, etc. At the June meeting, the jail situation was brief and one of resignation. It really sounded as though the plan going forward is to hope and pray that the County can get through the pandemic hurdles and come up with a workable jail plan before they're forced to close the downtown jail. At that point the County would have to find a place to house prisoners separated for safety and legal reasons. And during a pandemic, outside regional jails may outright refuse the infection risk.

With the coronavirus epidemic and economic fallout, there doesn't appear to be any chance of reviving the plans presented earlier this year. An overview of the jail consolidation outlook in February is here with a lot of helpful background information. Below is an excerpt from the last updates from the County May meetings on jail consolidation:

In Board communications, member Stohr advocated an ad hoc committee to look at and possibly revive the jail consolidation plans. Member Harper would vehemently oppose the idea in the regular board meeting's communication portion next week. Jon Rector emphasized the public participation comments on the desperate economic relief needed locally in balance with health concerns. There were other members who spoke on and thanked community members for their efforts to help fellow citizens and other topics...

The jail consolidation issue was brought up again, with all of the concerns about the downtown jail being on the verge of having to be shut down at any time, no current plan to come up with a facilities remedy, and now a situation where other jails are unlikely to accept any prisoners that may need to be segregated or moved elsewhere.

That full Cheat Sheet post here. More information about the consolidation plans falling apart from the March/April meetings here. It was worth noting that some of the glass demand for pandemic related safety barriers has been stretched even more thin by recent looting and window smashing around Champaign-Urbana. No County facilities were damaged in those incidents, however.

The Environment and Land Use Committee (ELUC) often deals with agricultural and zoning issues. This month's focus was on nailing down the language of the cannabis business regulations around towns that may not want certain elements of the industry nearby. In this case there are desires for a 1.5 mile area around such towns where they'd have primary say. There are ongoing disagreements about what that means for the people who live nearby, but aren't represented by those local governments, but rather their County government.

Highway and Transportation deals with a lot of the spending and details of the various road projects and transportation related issues on county roads and integrating transportation with local and State government. 

For your average Joe just wanting to keep up with what's going on in local government, almost all of the work of these committees ends up going through the Committee of the Whole where reports and recommended items are then passed on to the full regular County Board meeting. These steps can be confusing and there are all sorts of rules to ensure that they're done with enough time for public input and opportunities to speak out at each step.

Activists and other folks who have an issue they really care about or could impact them take advantage of these parliamentary steps to pressure County Board members at every step of the way. They do sometimes have more extended discussions and presentations on difficult topics, which can be useful for wrapping one's mind around them.

The Committee of the Whole this month was a bit of a bear, so I'll be doing a separate post on that meeting soon. For folks who can't wait to get their COW fix, I strongly recommend the presentation on the Soil and Water Conservation District local government body (starts at the 28:30 minute mark in the video). It may not sound exciting at first, but they're a government entity created in 1943 in response to the Dust Bowl and have been protecting the last few precious inches of top soil in America.

Their work intersects with our local economy, long term concerns about feeding the population, watershed protection, climate change, and building trust with science in a sector with a lot of traditionalist thinkers.

Drama over malfunctioning property tax systems and accusations of supporting white supremacy rounded off the meeting in ways I'm still figuring out how to write up.

Community Coalition Meeting and Other Events

This post covers the latest Champaign County Community Coalition meeting (video available here) and a few other community activities and events going on in the area that have been highlighted in local news recently.

Police Chiefs Updates:

The Police Chiefs Updates began at the 4:30 minute mark in the video. Topics included the first homicide in Champaign, a separate shooting incident at Marketplace Mall, the County Sheriff's annual report and other topics. UIPD's interim chief introduced himself after Chief Stone moved back to Ohio. and talked about the upcoming Youth Leadership Camp (more information and application for that program here). WCIA had coverage that highlighted the chiefs talking about safe spaces at local police stations for on-line and other sales exchanges. From WCIA earlier this week:

Champaign, Urbana and the U of I’s police stations are all “internet exchange purchase locations.” In other words, they are “safe zones.” That means you can go there to meet up with a buyer to make sure things go off without a hitch.

However, police officers have other tips you can use to protect yourself. “You obviously don’t know who you’re selling this stuff to, so don’t have them come to your house,” said Matt Myrick, Interim Chief of Police for UIPD Don’t let them know where you live, or your personal residence is. Meet them at a public place. If you don’t want to come to the police departments, that’s fine. But at least meet them at some kind of public place, where there’s lots of people around that you can use to get help if you need it.”

Full article here with a video segment. Urbana Police also noted the recent training completion for the new School Resource Officers (more on that at a recent Cheat Sheet post here).


Other Presentations:

A Community Schools presentation is available at the 27:00 minute mark of the video. The Community Coalition has a tight schedule so she wasn't able to make her full presentation at the meeting. A full presentation with slide links and Q & A with the Unit 4 school board is available from last week at this Cheat Sheet post here for additional information.

Jameel Jones highlighted an empowerment program for teen girls that's part of the That's What She Said Project whose national director was recently highlighted in the News-Gazette here. A quick description of the teen program from its website:

That’s What Teens Say is a 3-Day immersion program – no cell phones allowed –  that takes girls through confidence building exercises, improv games, and developing and writing their personal stories….which culminates in a final story-sharing performance...

That’s What Teens Say was originally created by Jenette Jurczyk of The She Said Project and Erin Tarr of Be the Benchmark in Champaign, Illinois. Be the Benchmark offers in depth teen and tween mentoring and confidence coaching. 

More information available from the That's What Teens Say program website here. More information on the whole That's What She Said project at their main website here.


Karen Simms had an update on the Trauma Resiliency Initiative (at the 48 minute mark of the video) that included a call for more volunteers to work on-call with those affected by trauma in partnership with Carle. More information from a TRI facebook post:

We are still looking for individuals who might be willing to provide a meaningful role in supporting individuals and families impacted by gun violence.

Whatever your gifts are – we need for you!

However, we are especially looking for individuals who :
· Might be willing to participate in our response efforts at Carle & in the community*
· Who want to make a commitment to serve on a care team to provide support to a family/individual impacted by gun violence,
· And/or individuals who want to part of our mental health support network*!

Contact information and additional details at that facebook post here. Simms also highlighted Helen Neville's work with the #PowerUp project, "a youth participatory action research project exploring youth civic and community engagement." There are couple specific neighborhood safety meetings coming up in Urbana March 3rd at Salt & Light and Champaign the month after that. More details on those safety meetings to come.

Facilitator Tracy Parsons spoke after Karen Simms and had an overview of the violence response work being done to build infrastructure and address the needs of the community through TRI and other Community Coalition efforts.


Lodgic Everyday Community had a presentation on their non-profit facility in town (introduced at the 55:50 mark in the video), the Kids Camp, events and other services. The video presentation begins here at the minute mark. A quick overview from Lodgic's about page on their website:

Lodgic is an ambitious new concept to do more of what the Moose have been doing since 1888. The Moose is one of the original fraternal service organizations that shaped the 20th century in America. We were doing great things for communities across America long before Fred and Barney joined Bedrock’s Water Buffalo Lodge.

We’ve been supporting communities, inspiring working families, and caring for at-risk children for more than 100 years. Lodgic is an all-new way for a new generation to participate in the timelessly good things we've always stood for — to work hard, take care of each other, and have fun.

More information at their website here.


There was also an overview of the upcoming 2020 Census work and the importance of getting everyone counted locally at the 1:09:30 mark in the video. It included information about what to expect, what questions Census takers don't ask and how they identify themselves. It also had an update on the ongoing hiring for Census workers and how to apply at the 2020 Census hiring website here.


Other Community Programs in the News:

An area Peace Meal program was looking for volunteers, especially for delivery in various locations in the County. From WCIA:

A program that delivers meals to seniors is in need of volunteers. It’s called the Peace Meal program, and it’s about more than just food. These volunteers also check on clients and make sure they’re doing okay. That lets them be independent longer.

Most of them would be delivery drivers. The meals will already be packaged and bagged. All volunteers will have to do is pick them up and hit the road. These volunteers can have a short conversation with the clients and make sure they’re doing okay. This is important because most of the clients are seniors and need someone to check on them. It also lets family members know they don’t have to worry. In many cases, meal deliveries are the best part of the clients’ day.

More information at the full article here. More contact information on the program at its website here and older overview from the Rantoul Press here.


There was an update on the Peace Pilgrimage of Centennial High School students to the non-violence training center in Atlanta. From the News-Gazette last week:

The trip is hosted by Centennial’s after-school Empower club, which works to dismantle rape culture and gender-equality issues.

Most of the students heading to Atlanta today are members of Empower, but others volunteered, had violence impact their lives in some way or were nominated by school administrators.

With every trip comes a price tag, but Hindes said all participants have been actively raising funds to keep costs as low as possible. Every student attending is on a scholarship, so no one has to pay full price for the trip.

More at the full article here. The group made a presentation at the December 2019 Community Coalition covered in a Cheat Sheet post here.


The United Way was in the news for it's support of local dental care and expanding services for the homeless. From a WCCU blurb:

The agency said it has committed $50,000 for three years to help Promise Healthcare cover the salary of a second dentist at the Smile Healthy Dental Center.

Another $50,000 over three years will go to C-U at Home, to help merge with Austin's Place.

Full blurb available here with a brief video segment. The News-Gazette had additional coverage and details here. The United Way also recently honored the Champaign County Community Coalition's facilitator, Tracy Parsons, as a "Difference Maker." More on that from News-Gazette coverage earlier this month:

“It’s very humbling to receive an award like this,” said Tracy Parsons, who also serves as Champaign’s community-relations manager. “There are a lot of people that I work with through the Community Coalition that helped make this happen, so it’s not an individualized award, but it’s certainly humbling, and I’m very appreciative of the recognition.”

The Community Coalition works with various local groups to improve youth development and community engagement, and curb gun violence...

The United Way of Champaign County noted that Parsons works at all hours to help those affected by trauma from gun violence and that he also mentors young people and supports after-school opportunities.

More information about the event at the full article here. Parsons reiterated his view at this February meeting that the recognition belongs to the people who attend and work through the Community Coalition to help each other.

Ag Trade Deals and Education Events

Local agricultural news the past couple weeks included updates on the NAFTA/USMCA trade agreement and local educational events. There was also a recent Farm Economic Summit locally as well as a few upcoming events early next year related to agriculture and education. Coverage and links for the economic summit are below. WILL had a couple articles on the USMCA passage. First with reaction from the Illinois Farm Bureau:

llinois Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert said Tuesday the new U.S. trade agreement with Canada and Mexico will make two of the state's top export markets even stronger.

“We are just ecstatic,” Guebert declared. “Between corn and dairy products, fruits and vegetables, cheeses, you name it, we’ll send it to Mexico and or Canada.”

Illinois farmers exported $2.8 billion in goods to Canada and Mexico in 2018. According to the Illinois Farm Bureau oilseeds and grains led the way at $796 million. The bureau said Illinois exported $660 million in corn to Mexico, which accounted for about 30% of the state’s global corn exports last year.

Guebert said the Farm Bureau lobbied for the trade deal after what he called a "tough" year for farmers, due partly to the trade war with China which has shrunk U.S. export markets.

More at that full article here. The 21st Show also discussed the impact and had an interview with an trade economist here. Excerpt from the show description:

House Democrats and President Trump agree that a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico is good for our economy. With Illinois being the third largest agricultural exporter in the nation, what will that mean for farmers in the state?

Illinois exports about $28 billion worth of goods to Canada and Mexico. A lot of those are agricultural goods grown on Illinois farms. Illinois is the third largest agricultural exporter in the nation. This means changes to the trade agreements the United States has with other countries will directly affect the thousands of Illinois residents who work in the agriculture industry for better or worse.

More at the segment link here and the full show link here. The News-Gazette's latest Crop, Stock & Ledger article had coverage from the Farm Economic Summit:

It was noted by the speakers that 2019 has been a year full of surprises and the agriculture community still does not know all the effects this may have for crop production and demand in the future. While a “Phase One” Trade Agreement has been signed with China, its details have not been released. What will be the ramifications of this trade agreement as well as the other trade agreements going forward for U.S. agricultural trade around the world? The final crop yield totals and quality of the late harvested crops are still not known, so this is another variable.

That full article available at the eEdition here (subscription) and includes additional information on program deadlines, tools, and variables. It also highlighted the first of upcoming educational events, this one in January:

The Illinois Specialty Crop Conference (ISCC) will be Jan. 8-10 in Springfield. This engaging conference is hosted by Illinois Specialty Growers Association in partnership with University of Illinois, Illinois Farm Bureau and Illinois Department of Agriculture...

For more information and to register, go to the Illinois Specialty Growers Association website: specialtygrowers.org/iscc.

There was more information on the upcoming events in February in a separate Crop, Stock & Ledger column earlier this month in the News-Gazette:

Extension specialists from the UI will present research information on critical crop production issues at four regional Crop Management Conferences.

The East-Central Illinois Crop Management Conference is Feb. 4 at the iHotel.

Register at https://go.aces.illinois.edu/IL2020CMC.

More on tap in February

A final event to put on your educational calendar is the 2020 Soil and Water Management Webinar on Feb. 20. Risks and solutions to such topics as extreme weather, irrigation, groundwater and loss of topsoil and nutrients will be discussed. Certified Crop Advisors can receive 4.5 hours in Soil and Water Management CEU’s by attending this webinar, which will be conducted at multiple Extension offices across the state, including Bloomington and Decatur.

More at the full article in the eEdition here (subscription). More information and a link to on-line registration on the Soil and Water Management Webinar here. The News-Gazette had additional coverage of the recent Farm Economic Summit this week:

The past two years, and 2019 in particular, have been a wild ride for farmers.

“So many unusual events occurred in 2019,” said Scott Irwin, an agronomist at the University of Illinois.

He spoke Friday at the annual Illinois Farm Economics Summit about “all the turmoil with the trade story with China” and “the weather.”...

And despite the wild ride, net farm income overall in the U.S. is forecasted to increase in 2019, according to the USDA...

He said weather and related issues were big factors in income, as well as government policy, such as the aid package and the trade issues.

Full article available here. Slideshow presentations from the event and more information are available from the summit website here.

Harvest Updates in December

In agricultural news, there have been some updates on harvests going into December as well as a new statewide coalition to assist veterans getting started in farming. Most recently, WCCU had a blurb and video segment recently with an update on area harvests:

By December, crops across the state are usually fully harvested but due to a wet spring, some farmers are still in the process of harvesting.

They're not alone as farmers in Illinois still have about 10% of their crops to go, which they attribute to a record late planting season.

"I don't think we hardly planted any corn past the first day of May in 20 or 30 years. We planted a lot of corn at the end of May and one field the first of June. That's really late for us in this area," said farmer Garry Niemeyer.

From 2014 until 2018, the average percent of corn harvested by the week of December 1st is 100%.

Link to that blurb and video segment here. The week before, WCIA had an update with a couple farmers who had already completed their harvest:

For a long time, farmers used Thanksgiving as a marker for when they wanted to be finished with harvest. But with the unpredictable weather this season, many of them tried to finish a lot earlier.

Most of them are. Now they’re all putting the finishing touches on their fields to prepare them for next year. Some say the outcome of this harvest was surprisingly good...

While the outcome – or yield – is lower than last year’s past, it’s something farmer Lin Warfel says he can live with because of how prosperous the last 10 years have been.

“About 15% less than average, and the last 10 years, really good average, last two years were really really good, set records, and we’re down from the records,” said Warfel...

Now the wait begins to see what they’ll make from what they sell, but the waiting game won’t end until next summer.

Full article with additional interviews and information, including trade issues and federal offsets here. The Illinois Farm Bureau had their news affiliate with a wider overview recently on their webpage:

Better luck next year? Harvest to spill over into 2020
...
Issues with poor field conditions and low test weights also continue to be compounded by high crop drying demands and tight propane supplies, which eased in recent weeks at some locations due to emergency deliveries...

So, what’s left to run through the system to complete the 2019 harvest? Based on the most recent USDA crop estimates, approximately 1.4 billion bushels of corn and 137 million bushels of beans remained in the field as of Dec. 1.

In the Midwest, 7% of corn in Illinois and Indiana and 8% of the crop in Iowa was unharvested Dec. 1. The harvest delays are more severe to the north and west with a dire situation unfolding in North Dakota, where just 36% of corn was harvested as of last week after that region was hit with another major snowstorm. 

Full article here.

In other news, WCIA had a recent blurb on the announcement of an Illinois statewide chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, which describes itself as a "nonprofit organization assisting veterans–and currently serving members–of the Armed Forces to embark on careers in agriculture." The announcement came at the Illinois Farm Bureau's annual meeting. A lot more information and details and links are available from the FarmWeekNow story here. Excerpt:

The resources include information about programs the veterans may not be aware of, [Retired Army Reserve Maj. Amy Hess] noted. [National Farmer Veteran Coalition President Gary Matteson] added the coalition also has a fellowship fund which has distributed more than $2.5 million in small grants of up to $5,000. Grants may be used to add a new process, build fences or to expand a farming operation...

Matteson emphasized the Farmer Veteran Coalition is “aggressively ecumenical” with representatives from all types of agriculture, all sizes of farms, different farm organizations, and conventional and organic agriculture. “We insist on that broad representation,” he said. “Our goal is to help them be the best at whatever they want to be.”

More at that article here and the coalition website here.

Farming Updates: Moisture Levels Race Cold

A few weeks ago, The 21st Show on WILL had interviews with farmers around Illinois with updates on harvest delays after rains and flooding caused a late start and prevented some planting earlier this year.

They cover everything from how relying on crop insurance still leaves them in a bind for financing and loans next year to why continued high moisture levels are preventing them from being able to harvest and store corn. The delays mean they're caught between corn with moisture levels that are still too high and the potential for an early snow that they need to harvest before.

It covers quite a bit and was pretty understandable for the lay person without an Ag degree. Excerpt from the description:

This spring, the Midwest was drenched with historic rains. Most areas in Illinois got between 6 and 20 inches more than usual. That’s according to the office of the Illinois state climatologist.

That wet weather has left many farmers across Illinois still feeling the effects this harvest season.

The USDA says as of last week, only 23 percent of Illinois corn had been harvested. A year prior, we were at 70 percent.

More at the WILL article here and the full audio segment here.

WCIA had an update this weekend on the current harvest in light of the early snows this month:

Record low temperatures hit Central Illinois. Some farms have to make changes to keep business afloat. “The cold’s come a little bit early this year,” said Megan Reynolds of Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery. “We went very quickly from autumn normal seasonal weather to very very cold. Something we’re more likely to see in January typically,” said Maggie Taylor, Owner of Delight Flower Farm. Maggie Taylor is the owner of Delight Flower Farm. They grow cut flowers for places like grocery stores and farmer’s markets. She says the cold slowed down some growth and construction on the farm. She says they’ll be okay. “But I know a lot of the conventional farmers around us are really effected,” said Taylor.

Data from the USDA said corn harvested for grain was at 71 percent. That’s compared to 96 percent this time last year, and soybean harvest was 87 percent complete. That’s down from 94 percent last year. Prairie Fruits Farms is also feeling the impact of the cold.

Full blurb here. The overall picture was already looking fairly grim according to the Farm Bureau a few weeks back:

Farm Bankruptcies Rise Again
Chapter 12 Filings Increase 24% Compared to Year-Ago Levels
USDA currently projects farm income in 2019 to reach $88 billion – the highest net farm income since 2014’s $92 billion, but still 29% below 2013’s record high. In addition, nearly 40% of that income – some $33 billion in total --  is related to trade assistance, disaster assistance, the farm bill and insurance indemnities and has yet to be fully received by farmers and ranchers (Is Farm Income Really Up?)...

With record-high debt, and more farmers extending their repayment terms, it should come as no surprise that Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies remain elevated. Data from the U.S. Courts reveals that for the 12-month period ending September 2019, Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies totaled 580 filings, up 24% from the prior year and the highest level since 676 filings in 2011. For the third quarter of 2019, Chapter 12 bankruptcies decreased slightly to 160 filings, down 2% from the previous quarter. 

More at the full Farm Bureau page here, including data and map breakdowns by State and region.

For some happier local farming news, there was a great article on local farmers donating their time and efforts for harvesting crops for the United Way of Champaign County from the News-Gazette here.

Previous Cheat Sheet Farm Update post: Rain Delays and Trade Wars

Champaign County Roundup

In this round up I have some various updates related to Champaign County and its County government from property tax litigation, to Courthouse lactation rooms, D.C. lobbying, and an update on the reentry housing issue. I'm not caught up on the County Board meetings yet, but the videos are now up and available at the County Clerk's YouTube channel here. I have an update for the most recent property tax lawsuit item after this morning's News-Gazette overview and description.

OSF suing to prevent Champaign County from taking action on property taxes
OSF HealthCare is taking Champaign County Treasurer Laurel Prussing to court over $1.45 million in property-tax bills issued to OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center of Urbana.

With the first installment on 2018 property taxes due Monday, OSF is looking for a judge to intervene fast.

A hearing in which OSF is seeking an emergency temporary restraining order to stop the treasurer from pursuing action on the tax bills is set for 10 a.m. today before Judge Jason Bohm.

On April 5, the Illinois Department of Revenue issued a property-tax exemption certificate finding OSF Heart of Mary properties to be fully or partially exempt, according to the OSF motion filed this week. Despite that finding, OSF HealthCare’s lawyers wrote, the county treasurer billed the hospital $1,459,391 for all the fully and partially exempt hospital properties...

Champaign County challenged the revenue department's approval of the exemptions for Heart of Mary soon after it happened and is awaiting a hearing on its challenge.

That full article here. OSF's hope for a delay was denied. From WCIA earlier today:

OSF HealthCare’s motion for a restraining order to delay property tax payment on its Heart of Mary Medical Center was denied by a judge Thursday morning.

OSF was granted tax exempt status from the Department of Revenue in April but still received a $1.5 million tax bill from the Champaign County Treasurer’s Office earlier this month...

While OSF will have to pay the bill July 1, it can still have its tax exempt status upheld in the case and be refunded. The sides reconvene August 27 to proceed with the lawsuit.

Full blurb here. Some recent background on this and other hospital tax lawsuits here. About a week ago there was a Tom's Mailbag item that also noted some delays in processing County property tax payments as well. The Treasurer explained the hold up:

Champaign County Treasurer Laurel Prussing explained the delay.

"We have gotten a couple of calls from people worried that their checks have not cleared their bank accounts as quickly as they assumed. So I have explained that the process takes extra time because of the sheer volume of payments we are processing," she said. "Actually the biggest source of delay is the new billing system adopted by the county last year and implemented this year. It is a fine system with many new features, however, it does have a steep learning curve."

That full Mailbag article here.

The lactation room was described as "not pretty," but a legal solution under a new law going into effect. From the News-Gazette last week:

The new lactation space is being provided in a small first-floor storage room at the county courthouse in Urbana to meet the requirements of a new state law that took effect June 1.

The law requires any building housing a circuit courtroom to provide a private space for nursing moms to pump breast milk that isn't in a bathroom. The law specifies the lactation room must have, at a minimum, a table, a chair and an electrical outlet.

The lactation space at the Champaign County Courthouse will continue to be used as storage space for paper products such as paper towels and toilet paper, according to county Facilities Director Dana Brenner.

This was the best the county could come up with to meet the new legal requirements, because there's not much available space at the courthouse to spare, Brenner said.

That full article here.

The local lobbying effort in D.C. was covered in the News-Gazette earlier this month:

As part of a lobbying effort to get federal support for area projects, members of the Champaign County First group headed to Washington, D.C., this week to lobby for projects like The Yards in Champaign, extending the Kickapoo Trail to Urbana and piloting a program that could help villages like Royal.

More than a dozen Champaign County business and government leaders spent Tuesday and Wednesday in the nation's capital, advocating to Illinois Democratic Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, as well as Reps. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, and Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville. It was part of a yearly trip for countywide officials to pitch projects and initiatives that could use federal help.

From gripes about Amtrak service to the Mahomet Aquifer and other smaller projects, officials walked up and down the Capitol and congressional offices to rub shoulders with federal officials who just might be able to help.

Full article with a lot of additional information and details here.

And finally, there's been some slight movement on the Reentry Housing Issue that the Champaign County Board had previously encouraged the City of Champaign to take on after recommendations in the Racial Justice Task Force. The latest updates on that at the C-U Local Cheat Sheet here: Housing Ordinance Study Session.

Food Insecurity and Summer Food Programs

 

Local struggles with food insecurity as well as ways to help and get help were in the news recently. WILL had a short blurb on area food insecurity last week:

Eastern Illinois Counties Have Some Of The Highest Food Insecurity Rates In The State
A new report from the nonprofit Feeding America found that food insecurity in east-central Illinois is higher than in most parts of the state.

Map the Meal Gap 2019 uses data from the federal government and food price data from Nielsen to look at the number of people who struggle to access or afford nutritious meals at the county level across the U.S.

Champaign County had an overall food insecurity rate of 15 percent, with Vermillion County and Coles County closely behind at 14 percent, the analysis found. All three counties have higher food insecurity rates than Cook County, home to Chicago. Vermillion County also had the highest rate of childhood food insecurity in the east-central Illinois region at 20 percent.

Full blurb and audio clip here. Tom's Mailbag recently had a question on school lunch debt and donation options as well:

"After reading about school lunch debt and the controversy in Rhode Island, I was wondering what the policy regarding lunch debt is for the schools in our area. Is there a way to donate money to local kids/schools in our area that have lunch debt?"

Yes, but there is no longer "lunch-shaming" for students in Illinois. A law approved last year states that every school is required to provide a meal for every student who requests one...

"The district does try to reach out to families regarding (breakfast and lunch) balances," said Champaign school district spokesman John Lyday, "but we also still do accept donations for meal balances."

As of May 20, he said, the school district was owed $55,885 in meal debts.

Urbana's policy was different in that all students were and are able to eat breakfast and lunch free of charge thanks to the federal Community Eligibility Provision of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act.

More at the full Mailbag article here. Summer Meal programs have also started up again locally and across the State. From WILL:

Summer Food Programs In Illinois Provide Meals To Children When School’s Out
Programs that provide free meals to children throughout the summer are kicking off all across Illinois.

The state's more than a thousand summer meal sites are federally funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered through the Illinois State Board of Education to ensure children have access to healthy meals when school is out of session...

CUPHD will provide breakfast and lunch in its lobby located at 201 W. Kenyon Road in Champaign. The program started last Thursday and will continue through mid-August.

Mobile site visits will occur on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 pm, beginning June 11, at Crestview Park in Urbana; and on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., beginning June 13, at Victory Park in Urbana. On Fridays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Sola Gratia will hold a pay-what-you-can market outside Dollar Tree in Urbana.

To find a list of all summer food programs across Illinois, visit www.summermealsillinois.org—or text FoodIL to 877-877 to receive information via text about food programs in certain zip codes.

For more information on the CUPHD summer meals program and other available services, visit www.c-uphd.org.

Additional information at the full article here. The News-Gazette had similar coverage here. On the Summer Meals Illinois website it appeared there were also area summer food programs at locations in Rantoul as well.

Farming Update: Rain Delays and Trade Wars

Local agriculture is taking a double hit this season from trade wars to an inability to plant in soil that's too wet and preventing roots from taking hold or fields that are actually flooded. Towards the end of last month the issues with wet whether were already causing planting delays. From WCCU April 29th:

"We haven't been able to plant or do anything as far as cropping too much," farmer Joe Burke said.

Burke said this has been the longest stretch of rain he's ever dealt with.

"Like you can see in the low ground out there, how it's dark, that means it's wet," he said. "Started wet in the fall, it was wet all winter pretty much and it's been wet this spring."

He grows corn and soybeans on his Thomasboro 1,100-acre farm and he understands part of being a farmer is having patience...

Burke said right now he's staying afloat by selling older crops. But, he couldn't put a dollar amount on how much each passing day is costing him...

"It's scary because they don't know when they're going to get things in, so they don't know when things are going to come out," said Rey Dalitto, Farmers Market & Food Access Manager.

"I've had farmer after farmer after farmer tell me that they've never seen anything like this," Dalitto said.

Full article with video segment here.

WILL's the 21st show had an audio segment and interviews with an area farmer and other experts. Synopsis:

It’s been a cold and wet spring here in Illinois, one of the wettest in 124 years, according to the state climatologists office. Spring showers are a nuisance for most of us, but too much rain can be disastrous for farmers who aren’t able to get their seeds in the ground. To make things worse, the trade war with China continues to heat up. How are farmers coping? We thought we would check in with a few folks who’ve been following this closely, including Steve Fourez. He farms about 500 acres of corn and soy in Vermillion County in East Central Illinois. Madelyn Beck is a reporter for Harvest Public Media. Scott Irwin is the Laurence J. Norton Chair of Agricultural Marketing in the college of ACES at the University of Illinois.

Full audio segment here, includes the show intro and roughly 16 minutes long. It goes into a lot of details about the historic nature of the amount of rainfall and how it compares to previous growing seasons where crops would have already been planted by now. For those who planted early there's a chance that some sections may need to be replanted later depending on if any areas get over-saturated, pooling, etc. They also discuss the previous expectations of the trade war agreements falling through and its devastating effect on soybean prices, even before the weather problems. Another guest pointed to the recent rainfall and called it a "Black Swan event" and had a 7 day rainfall forecast map illustrating the problem:

From his twitter post here. For more information on the trade war situation, the News-Gazette also had coverage of the status a couple weeks ago here. Harvest Public Media had a helpful overview of the trade situation today here:

Collateral damage is exactly what many U.S. farmers feel like right now, even as the Trump administration has promised a second bailout, this time worth $20 billion. That will help some, but many farmers say a trade resolution that reopens the Chinese market is what they really want.

“We were willing to take one for the team, if it was going to be a long-term goal,” said Ronnie Russell, vice president of the Missouri Soybean Association. “But the truth of the matter is now, are we going to be able to still survive in the short term so we can be here to take advantage and enjoy that long-term goal?”

And while those who don’t farm may ask why farmers just don’t grow something else, it’s not an easy pivot — especially when it comes to grains like wheat, corn and soybeans. Farmers, like Friest in Iowa, invest thousands in land, equipment and technology.

“Our soils adapt very well to growing corn, they grown soybeans. We have the markets for them and we have the machinery set up for it,” he said.

More at the full article here.