County Board 11/12/26

The McLean County Board meeting on November 12, 2026, included major FY2027 budget and spending decisions. The board approved the FY2027 budget, the combined appropriation and budget ordinance with the five-year capital improvement plan, and the full-time-equivalent positions resolution. It also adopted the 2026 tax levy by a 10–6 vote, with one abstention, and authorized publication of the adopted budget and levy. The health committee reported that contracts with longtime health care providers were extended and nearly $2 million in grants were awarded to local health care provider agencies; it also noted that grant requests from community agencies totaled nearly $4 million. Emergency appropriation ordinances for the Sheriff’s Department and Court Services passed unanimously. The board also approved a highway-fund emergency appropriation tied to a $1.875 million Illinois Department of Transportation award for preliminary engineering of the Route 66 bike trail, from north of Towanda to the Livingston County line; that item passed unanimously.

The board approved Donatello Solar LLC’s special-use permit, submitted by SunCode Energy, for a five-megawatt solar facility near Gridley. Public speakers raised concerns about the property’s disconnection from the village, transparency, and neighboring-property access; the board discussed the county’s reliance on the recorded village ordinance and the possibility that a court finding against it could invalidate the county permit. The motion passed, though the vote tally in the transcript is unclear. Other actions included amendments to county rules and food-service, sewage, well, and geothermal codes and fees. No other specific contract awards or vendor selections were identified.