Richland County, Illinois Board Meeting - 11-12-26

At the November 12, 2026 Richland County, Illinois Board meeting, members approved county claims (reported at $220,165.96) and township claims (reported at approximately $749,008.77), with late additions including $2,833.79 for a back door, $277.38 for uniforms, $206.97 for vehicle repair, and phone bills. The board approved the 2027 budget, totaling $18,023,689 in appropriations. Changes included adding $97,000 to the recorder’s equipment fund for additional registration work, supported by a late bid and funded through recorder fees rather than general funds. The board also approved a $33,622,000 tax levy for collection in 2027, including reductions to the mental-health levy to $190,000, the property-and-liability insurance levy by $25,000, and the ambulance levy to $365,000. Speakers urged continued funding for the county’s 708 mental-health and developmental-disability services; the approved budget reflects the reduced allocation, with discussion of possible future review or supplemental assistance if finances allow.

The board reported that negotiations over ambulance service are ongoing and that a proposed month-to-month jail agreement with Lawrence County is expected for review at the next meeting; neither agreement was approved at this meeting. The State’s Attorney proposed forming a committee to consider eligible uses of opioid settlement funds, reported at $68,233, including possible support for local services, but no action was taken. County staff also discussed moving servers to Microsoft cloud services and planning for server replacement or upgrades by 2028. No vendor selection or cloud contract award was reported.