Peoria County Joint Executive and Finance Audit & Legislative Affairs Committee Regular & Budget

Peoria County Joint Executive and Finance Audit & Legislative Affairs Committee regular and budget meeting, October 28, 2026: The committee reviewed the FY2027 recommended budget, balanced at $67.1 million for the General Fund and $183 million across all funds. The recommended property-tax levy is $38,558,181, an increase of about $2.18 million, with an estimated rate of 82.41 cents per $100 of equalized assessed value. A member proposed reducing the General Fund levy by about $2.1 million to provide taxpayer relief, but withdrew the amendment; it was not adopted, and further amendments may be filed before the November 9 deadline. The budget ordinance passed with one no vote. The committee also approved the annual tax-levy and bond-abatement resolutions and a year-end fund-transfer authorization.

Capital and funding items included nearly $10 million for the jail master plan in FY2027, following $3.5 million budgeted in FY2026 for design and engineering; approximately $4 million for towers, $5.4 million for bridge projects, and $3.5 million for highway road projects. The committee approved reappropriating $1.67 million in returned ARPA funding, originally allocated for broadband expansion under a Comcast contract contingent on outside funding, for the courthouse plaza reconstruction and then the circuit-court remodel; the reallocation also frees capital-project funds for another purpose. Members discussed a proposed small-business initiative involving $50,000 in microgrants and $25,000 for a digital platform, but sought additional outcome and usage information before proceeding. The budget presentation also described a wind-energy road-use fund, to receive developer payments for eligible road and other improvements. No new vendor award was approved in the meeting.