[4:11] Good evening everyone. I would like to
[4:12] call this August County Board meeting to
[4:15] order. Before we jump in
[4:18] to the moment of silence and invocation,
[4:20] I would just like to take a moment to
[4:22] thank our Metcom 911 operators who have
[4:24] performed above and beyond their duties
[4:27] today. We have Brandon Carr, Ramin
[4:30] Nazari,
[4:31] Ben Over, Reagan Henry, Ross Hedinger,
[4:35] Michaela Smith Peters, Kathy Wiseman,
[4:38] Addison Jepson. We also had a supervisor
[4:41] who jumped in on the phones and radios
[4:43] to handle the extra volume and that was
[4:44] James Peterson. And another supervisor
[4:47] who came in when he was not on duty,
[4:49] Ryan Gibson. I want to thank them for
[4:50] their excellent service to the county. I
[4:51] also know that the sheriff was
[4:54] assisting the city of Bloomington today
[4:56] in trying to address the issues that
[4:58] we're facing as a as a community from
[5:00] the storm. So I want to thank the
[5:01] sheriff's office as well.
[5:03] Now I will turn it over to item number
[5:04] two to member Lefler.
[5:12] » Let us bow our heads in prayer tonight.
[5:14] We bring the hearts and the blessings to
[5:16] everyone in this place God.
[5:18] I was approved to be a
[5:20] national urban farmer working with the
[5:22] family.
[5:23] We give the fields on the roads in the
[5:24] weeks ahead. God give them safety and
[5:26] patience, good weather, and bring them
[5:27] peace to them all.
[5:29] We also offer you this act of service.
[5:32] There is in our hearts a genuine desire
[5:33] to work not for recognition but for the
[5:35] people of neighbors
[5:36] of the county with the privilege to
[5:37] serve.
[5:38] Help us set aside our differences,
[5:40] listen with humility and make good
[5:42] decisions.
[5:44] Look up to the professional in our midst
[5:45] tonight in this storm. Watch over those
[5:47] who are caught in the path. Keep them
[5:49] safe and out of harm.
[6:04] » I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
[6:06] United States of
[6:07] America
[6:09] and to the Republic
[6:10] for which it stands, one nation under
[6:13] God,
[6:14] indivisible,
[6:15] with liberty and justice for all.
[6:22] » Thank you, Madam Clerk. If you'll call
[6:23] the roll.
[6:26] Sean Fagan
[6:27] >> Present.
[6:28] >> Buck Farley
[6:31] » Absent.
[6:33] >> William John Frederick
[6:35] >> Present.
[6:36] >> Eric Hanson
[6:37] >> Present.
[6:39] >> William Beseler
[6:40] >> Present.
[6:40] >> Val Lyman
[6:41] >> Present.
[6:42] >> Fran Laffler
[6:43] >> Here.
[6:44] >> Mike O'Neal
[6:45] >> Here.
[6:45] >> Adam Reese
[6:46] >> Here.
[6:47] >> Jim Rigal
[6:48] >> Here.
[6:49] >> Natalie Roseman Mendoza
[6:50] >> Present.
[6:51] >> Jeff Tonken
[6:52] >> Here.
[6:53] >> Andy Zeibar
[6:54] >> Here.
[6:54] >> Brian Bangert
[6:57] >> Absent.
[6:58] >> Corey Byrne
[6:59] >> Present.
[7:00] >> Beverly Bell
[7:01] >> Present.
[7:02] >> Mark Claus
[7:04] >> Here.
[7:04] >> Absent.
[7:06] Oops.
[7:06] >> Oh, hold on. Hold on, Mark.
[7:08] >> Okay, here.
[7:09] >> Okay.
[7:10] >> Leah Kline
[7:11] >> Present.
[7:12] >> Alex Steffey
[7:13] >> Here.
[7:14] >> Elizabeth Johnston
[7:15] >> I am here.
[7:16] Uh I do want to take a moment to thank
[7:17] everyone for being here tonight. I know
[7:19] this was above and beyond for some of
[7:20] you as well trying to get through town.
[7:22] I had to snake snake my way through as
[7:23] well.
[7:24] Um but having conducted the opening roll
[7:26] call and declared a quorum is physically
[7:28] present, I would like to inform the
[7:29] committee that member Claus has
[7:31] requested to participate remotely under
[7:33] county board rule 2020 and in accordance
[7:35] with the open meetings act. Uh notice
[7:38] was received from member Claus in
[7:39] accordance with our rules. Per board
[7:41] rule 2020, member Klaus will be
[7:43] authorized to attend the meeting
[7:44] electronically if a motion to approve
[7:47] the member's electronic attendance is
[7:48] made, seconded, and adopted by a
[7:50] majority of the members of the
[7:52] committee.
[7:53] May I have a motion to approve member
[7:54] Klaus's attendance?
[7:56] Motion by Bessler. May I have a second?
[7:58] by Fagan.
[8:00] All opposed? Or I'm sorry, all in favor?
[8:05] Any opposed?
[8:06] Motion passes.
[8:08] And that now we have member Klaus
[8:10] joining us uh remotely and I think he's
[8:12] on the phone.
[8:13] So, thank you for joining us.
[8:15] Um so, we're sure that he is present for
[8:17] this meeting.
[8:18] Uh moving on, we will move on to item
[8:20] number five, appearance by members of
[8:22] the public and county employees.
[8:25] >> Chairwoman Johnson, we've had two
[8:26] requests for public speaking tonight.
[8:29] The first speaker is David Dawson.
[8:32] here?
[8:37] Okay, we'll move on. Our next speaker is
[8:40] Jeff Jacobs. He can come on up.
[8:43] Mr. Jacobs, you'll have 3 minutes to
[8:45] speak.
[8:48] And the microphone should be on for you.
[8:55] » Good evening, Chairwoman Johnson,
[8:56] members of McLean County Board, and
[8:58] community members. My name is Jeff
[9:00] Jacobs and I'm a director of development
[9:01] with EDP Renewables.
[9:03] has been a proud member
[9:05] of McLean County since 2008 through our
[9:07] Twin Groves 1 and 2 wind farms and later
[9:09] the Bright Stalk wind farm.
[9:11] Together, these projects have
[9:12] contributed more than $60 million in
[9:14] property tax revenue while supporting
[9:16] local jobs, organizations, and
[9:18] agricultural educational programs
[9:20] throughout the county. We were pleased
[9:21] to permit the second phase of the Bright
[9:23] Stalk wind farm last year and are
[9:24] working hard to start construction on
[9:26] that project in 2027.
[9:28] Tonight, I'm here to discuss the Twin
[9:30] Groves 1 and 2 battery energy storage
[9:32] projects. Last week, the McLean County
[9:34] Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously
[9:36] recommended these special use
[9:37] applications.
[9:39] I respectfully ask that this board
[9:41] approve the ZBA's recommendation. The
[9:43] ZBA thoroughly evaluated these projects
[9:45] with particular attention to community
[9:47] concerns regarding safety, siting, and
[9:49] compatibility with surrounding land
[9:51] uses.
[9:52] After that review, the ZBA found the
[9:54] projects with significant conditional
[9:55] requirements met the applicable
[9:57] standards for approval.
[10:00] In addition, it's important to recognize
[10:02] that the Twin Grove storage projects
[10:03] were evaluated against more stringent
[10:05] siting requirements of the current
[10:07] McLean County ordinance, which has
[10:08] higher setback distances than what the
[10:10] new state statute directs and that are
[10:12] required in your updated ordinance
[10:14] considered this evening.
[10:16] In addition to adhering to the more
[10:17] restrictive requirements, we have
[10:19] actively engaged with each of the
[10:20] residents adjacent to the proposed
[10:22] projects.
[10:23] We listened to them and ultimately
[10:25] agreed to move one of the project
[10:26] footprints approximately 500 ft to the
[10:28] east to further minimize impacts.
[10:31] Despite occupying only approximately 5
[10:33] to 10 acres, these projects will
[10:34] continue EDP Renewables long history of
[10:36] contributing to McLean County, including
[10:38] an estimated $11 million
[10:40] in additional property tax revenue.
[10:43] Battery energy storage systems are
[10:45] critical grid reliability assets that
[10:47] help manage periods of peak energy
[10:49] demand and allow the grid to capture
[10:50] excess generation.
[10:52] They are built and operated under
[10:53] stringent industry codes and standards
[10:55] with multiple layers of safety
[10:57] protections.
[10:58] The global installed capacity of utility
[11:01] scale best has dramatically increased
[11:03] over the last 5 years while the overall
[11:05] rate of incidents has sharply decreased.
[11:07] Specifically, the failure rate has
[11:09] dropped by 99% from 2018 to 2025 as
[11:13] lessons learned from early failures have
[11:15] been incorporated into the latest
[11:16] designs and best practices.
[11:19] Regardless, in the unlikely event of an
[11:21] emergency, planning and coordination
[11:22] with the local fire protection districts
[11:24] is already underway and will continue
[11:26] until emergency response protocols are
[11:28] finalized and adopted.
[11:30] Ultimately, these projects were cited to
[11:32] take advantage of the existing
[11:33] electrical infrastructure built for the
[11:35] Twin Gables wind farms. They will comply
[11:38] with the more restrictive setback
[11:39] standards of the prior ordinance and
[11:41] were modified in response to neighbor
[11:42] input.
[11:44] For these reasons, I respectfully
[11:45] request that you support the ZBA's
[11:47] recommendation and approve these
[11:48] projects. Thank you.
[11:51] >> Thank you.
[11:52] All right, moving on. We have no other
[11:55] comments. Moving on to item number six,
[11:57] that is consent agenda. May I have a
[11:59] motion?
[12:01] by Hanson and a second
[12:04] by I got to get it on the floor first.
[12:07] And a second by Byrne.
[12:10] Member Frietrick.
[12:12] >> Sorry for jumping the gun there, chair.
[12:15] Uh I'd like to pull off consent
[12:20] 6C1
[12:21] C and D.
[12:23] >> Okay.
[12:24] >> Thank you.
[12:25] >> All right, any other comments? Member
[12:27] Bessler.
[12:28] >> I will need to abstain from item 6C1B
[12:31] due to a conflict of interest of my
[12:33] employer.
[12:34] >> Okay.
[12:35] Any other comments from the board?
[12:39] Seeing none, all in favor of item six,
[12:42] say I.
[12:43] >> I.
[12:45] >> Any opposed?
[12:46] Motion passes.
[12:50] All right, we will move on to item
[12:54] I'm ready.
[12:57] 7A
[12:59] and that is the executive committee with
[13:00] Vice Chair Rogel.
[13:03] » Thank you, Madam Chair. The executive
[13:05] committee brings two items for action
[13:07] tonight. The first one is 7A1A,
[13:09] accept and place on a file audit for
[13:12] mental health and public safety fund,
[13:13] and I so move.
[13:15] >> Thank you. May I have a second?
[13:17] by
[13:19] I'm sorry.
[13:21] Adam Reeves, please.
[13:26] All right, any comments or questions?
[13:32] All right. All in favor of item 7A1A,
[13:35] say I.
[13:36] >> I.
[13:38] » Any opposed?
[13:41] Motion passes.
[13:43] >> Next one is 7A1B, which is request
[13:46] approval of resolution of McLean County
[13:47] Board reporting retention of the closed
[13:50] meet session meetings session minutes,
[13:53] sorry.
[13:54] Uh and this would require a closed
[13:56] session uh if we wanted to discuss, and
[13:59] I so move.
[13:59] >> Thank you. May I have a second? Seconded
[14:01] by member Fagan.
[14:03] If there's any discussion, we don't need
[14:05] to go into closed session. Any
[14:06] discussion?
[14:09] Seeing none, all in favor of item 7A1B,
[14:12] say I.
[14:13] >> I.
[14:14] >> Any opposed?
[14:16] Motion passes.
[14:18] >> The Executive Committee has no other
[14:20] items for action. Our general report can
[14:21] be found on pages 23 through 31 of the
[14:24] unapproved minutes. I can answer any
[14:25] questions if anyone has any.
[14:27] >> Thank you. We'll move on to item 7B, and
[14:29] that is Finance Committee with uh member
[14:31] Lehman.
[14:32] >> Thank you, Chair Johnston. The Finance
[14:33] Committee has two items for action this
[14:35] evening. The first, 7B1A, is a request
[14:38] approval of an emergency appropriation
[14:40] ordinance amending the McLean County
[14:41] fiscal year 2026 combined annual
[14:44] appropriation and budget ordinance for
[14:46] Animal Services. This requires a 2/3
[14:48] County Board approval pursuant 55 ILCS
[14:52] 561003,
[14:54] and I so move.
[14:55] >> Thank you. May I have a second? Seconded
[14:56] by member Loftus.
[14:58] Comments or questions?
[15:01] I do want to take a few moments to thank
[15:03] um the uh Jane L. and David Eric Mensen
[15:06] Critter Care Perpetual Charitable Trust.
[15:09] Um they This is money that we are
[15:11] receiving as a grant from them to assist
[15:13] with a large hoarding population that
[15:16] was received by the Animal Services
[15:18] on the heels of a second animal uh
[15:21] hoarding situation. So, in the last
[15:23] month, 6 weeks,
[15:25] they've had 100 cats and kittens
[15:28] delivered to animal services for care
[15:30] and for getting them ready for adoption.
[15:32] So, we thank the trust
[15:35] for stepping up to assist us with that
[15:37] to help the animals be ready for
[15:39] adoption as soon as possible. So.
[15:42] Any other comments or questions?
[15:45] Seeing none, all in favor of item 7B1A
[15:47] say I.
[15:48] >> I.
[15:49] >> Any opposed?
[15:52] Motion passes.
[15:55] » 7B1B is a request approval of an
[15:58] ordinance of the McLean County Board
[16:00] amending the McLean County General
[16:01] Compensation Plan for non-union
[16:03] employees and I so move.
[16:05] >> Thank you. May I have a second? Seconded
[16:06] by member Vescio. Any comments or
[16:08] questions?
[16:09] >> [clears throat]
[16:12] » Seeing none, all in favor of item 7B1B
[16:15] say I.
[16:17] >> I.
[16:19] >> Any opposed?
[16:21] Motion passes.
[16:25] » Thank you again, Chair.
[16:27] The Finance Committee has no other items
[16:28] to be presented for action this evening.
[16:30] Our general report may be found in the
[16:32] unapproved minutes packet and happy to
[16:34] answer any additional questions.
[16:35] >> Thank you. We'll move on to item 7C and
[16:38] that is Health Committee with member
[16:39] Burns.
[16:39] >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Health Committee
[16:40] brings three items for action tonight.
[16:42] First up is 7C1A request approval of an
[16:44] emergency appropriation ordinance
[16:46] amending the McLean County fiscal year
[16:47] 2026 combined annual appropriation
[16:49] budget ordinance for fund 2112
[16:53] and this requires a 2/3 vote and I so
[16:55] move.
[16:56] >> Thank you. May I have a second?
[16:58] Seconded by member Klein.
[17:00] Comments or questions?
[17:03] Seeing none, all in favor of item 7C1A
[17:06] say I.
[17:07] >> I.
[17:10] » Any opposed?
[17:12] Motion passes.
[17:13] >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Moving on to
[17:14] item 7C1B request approval of an
[17:16] emergency appropriation ordinance
[17:18] amending the McLean County fiscal year
[17:19] 2026 combined annual appropriation and
[17:22] budget ordinance for fund 2107 also
[17:26] requires a 2/3 vote to approve and I so
[17:28] motion.
[17:29] >> Thank you. May I have a second? Seconded
[17:30] by member Hanson. Any comments or
[17:32] questions?
[17:35] Seeing none, all in favor of item 7C1B
[17:38] say I.
[17:40] >> I.
[17:42] >> Any opposed?
[17:45] Motion passes.
[17:46] >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Lastly, we have
[17:47] 7C1C
[17:49] request approval of an emergency
[17:51] appropriation ordinance amending the
[17:52] McLean County fiscal year 2026 combined
[17:54] annual appropriation and budget
[17:55] ordinance for fund 4401 also requiring a
[17:58] 2/3 vote to approve and I so move.
[18:00] >> Thank you. May I have a second?
[18:02] Seconded by member Fagan.
[18:05] Comments or questions?
[18:08] Very excited to be receiving these funds
[18:10] from Ameren as a reward for our efforts
[18:13] to increase energy efficiency and reduce
[18:15] the energy load
[18:17] out there and so we get the savings and
[18:20] then we also get
[18:21] a nice little check from them, so very pleased to be receiving this.
[18:25] All right then, all in favor of item
[18:27] 7C1C say I.
[18:29] >> I.
[18:31] >> Any opposed?
[18:33] Motion passes.
[18:35] >> Thank you, Madam Chair. The Health
[18:36] Committee brings no other items for
[18:38] action. Do want to join the voices in
[18:41] calling out those who helped out today.
[18:43] We had a bit of an early end to our day
[18:45] at the Health Department
[18:46] today after some flooding and some weather damage
[18:50] forced the building to close down, but
[18:52] want to thank all of our partners with
[18:53] that. I understand that we had several
[18:56] helpers from the fire service and other
[18:59] municipal agencies come in, so
[19:00] appreciate that cooperation, that
[19:02] community and just wanted to to point
[19:04] out what happened today with the storm
[19:06] and driving in and walking around
[19:08] through my own neighborhood in East
[19:10] Bloomington, could hear a lot of
[19:11] chainsaws out, could see a lot of people
[19:13] out helping out neighbors with with with
[19:16] the significant damage that occurred
[19:18] today. And then driving in today with
[19:20] for me is usually about a 15-minute
[19:22] drive, took about 40 minutes today. But
[19:24] in several places where there is
[19:26] significant damage, I saw a lot of
[19:28] neighbors and regular citizens out
[19:29] directing traffic, helping to move
[19:31] things. You know, the the fire service
[19:33] and the emergency services are very very
[19:34] busy today. And so it was just it was
[19:37] really cool to see so many folks out
[19:39] there just stepping up and helping out.
[19:42] So is a a good day for our community.
[19:44] We're still looking out for each other.
[19:45] We're still helping each other out. It
[19:47] was very very gratifying to see. Um in
[19:49] terms of health health business, a lot
[19:51] of business as usual. We did get to
[19:53] profile a fabulous new organization
[19:56] called the Bridge to Hope, which is a
[19:57] new
[19:59] therapy organization geared towards
[20:01] helping out the LGBTQ community. They
[20:04] are new in town. They are very
[20:05] well-funded. They got some fabulous
[20:07] professionals in there. We got to hear
[20:08] from them as well. So welcome to the
[20:11] community.
[20:12] And other than that, I think that's
[20:13] about it for today.
[20:14] >> All right. Thank you so much.
[20:16] >> Thank you.
[20:16] >> All right. With that, we will move on to
[20:18] item 7D, Justice Committee and Vice
[20:20] Chair Rogal.
[20:21] >> Thank you, Madam Chair. The Justice
[20:22] Committee has four four items for action
[20:24] tonight. 7D1A, which is request approval
[20:28] of an emergency appropriation ordinance
[20:29] amending McLean County fiscal year 2026
[20:32] combined annual appropriation budget
[20:34] ordinance for fund 1001, the Sheriff's
[20:37] Department. This requires a 2/3 county
[20:40] board approval pursuant to 55 ILCS
[20:42] 56-1003,
[20:45] and I so move.
[20:46] >> Thank you. May I have a second?
[20:47] >> Seconded by member Bell.
[20:49] Any comments or questions?
[20:53] Seeing none, all in favor of item 7D1A,
[20:55] say I.
[20:56] >> I.
[21:00] » Any opposed?
[21:03] Motion passes.
[21:05] >> Next up, we have 71 7D1B,
[21:08] which is request approval of an
[21:10] interlocal agreement between the city of
[21:12] Bloomington and the county of McLean for
[21:14] the 2025 Byrne Justice Assistance Grant
[21:17] Program. And I so move.
[21:19] >> Thank you. May I have a second? Seconded
[21:20] by member Zehrbarth.
[21:22] Comments or questions?
[21:25] Yes, member Bester.
[21:26] >> I will need to abstain from this item
[21:27] due to a conflict of interest with my
[21:29] employer.
[21:29] >> Okay.
[21:31] Thank you. Any other comments or
[21:32] questions?
[21:34] Seeing none, all in favor of item 7D1B
[21:37] say I.
[21:40] >> I.
[21:42] >> Any opposed?
[21:44] Motion passes.
[21:46] >> Next up we have 7D1C,
[21:49] which is request approval of an
[21:50] emergency appropriation ordinance
[21:52] amending the McLean County fiscal year
[21:54] 2026 combined annual appropriation and
[21:57] budget ordinance for fund 1001,
[22:00] Public Defender Department 2021. This
[22:03] requires a 2/3 county board approval
[22:05] pursuant to 55 ILCS 56-1003.
[22:10] And I so move.
[22:10] >> Thank you. May I have a second?
[22:14] Seconded by member Hanson.
[22:16] Comments or questions?
[22:20] Seeing none, all in favor of item 7D1C
[22:23] say I.
[22:25] >> I.
[22:27] >> Any opposed?
[22:29] Motion passes.
[22:32] >> And last up we have 7D1D, which is
[22:34] request approval of an ordinance with
[22:36] the McLean County Board amending the
[22:37] McLean County Code Chapter 185 Section
[22:41] Sorry, 184 Section 184-3. And I so move.
[22:44] >> Thank you. May I have a second?
[22:46] Seconded by member Bester. Comments or
[22:48] questions?
[22:52] Seeing none, all in favor of item 7D1D
[22:55] say I.
[22:57] >> I.
[22:59] >> Any opposed?
[23:00] Motion passes.
[23:04] » The Justice Committee has no other items
[23:05] for action. Our general report can be
[23:07] found on pages 14 through 16 of the
[23:09] unapproved minutes, and I would like to
[23:11] quickly thank member Roseman for running
[23:13] committee last week while I was teaching
[23:15] class. Thank you.
[23:17] >> All right. Thank you so much. We'll move
[23:18] on to item 7E, that is Property
[23:20] Committee with member Lehman.
[23:22] >> Thank you, Chair Johnston. The Property
[23:24] Committee has one item to be presented
[23:25] for action this evening, 7E1A.
[23:28] Is the request approval of a temporary
[23:30] ordinance of the McLean County Board
[23:31] amending chapters 205 and 282 of the
[23:34] McLean County Code, and I so move.
[23:36] >> Thank you. May I have a second? Seconded
[23:38] by member Fagan.
[23:39] Any comments or questions?
[23:43] Seeing none, all in fa-
[23:45] We have a
[23:47] All right, member Lehman.
[23:48] >> Uh sorry. Uh just wanted to to call out
[23:51] uh with this one. Uh we do have a a a
[23:54] relatively newer director of Parks and
[23:56] Recreation, uh Mr. Patrick Murphy uh out
[23:58] of Comlara Park. Uh and this particular
[24:00] action item is one of the things that he's bringing to the table. Uh it's
[24:03] a a great experience. It's a great
[24:05] opportunity for anybody in our community
[24:07] who has never gone camping, or who's
[24:10] maybe interested in going camping, uh
[24:12] but just doesn't have all of the
[24:13] equipment, doesn't have the know-how for
[24:15] getting things set up. So, this is a a
[24:17] great way uh to give McLean County
[24:20] residents uh and anybody in the kind of
[24:23] surrounding area uh to give them an
[24:25] opportunity to engage with one of our uh
[24:28] absolute gems in the community being
[24:29] Comlara Park. So, uh should we pass this
[24:32] if this evening, which I certainly hope
[24:33] we do, uh I would encourage anybody uh
[24:36] who has any inkling to go camping uh to
[24:38] check out this service because uh it has
[24:41] a a a lot of bells and whistles for you.
[24:44] Uh you don't even have to have your own
[24:45] tent, and you even get a a a paddle
[24:47] board or kayak rental that goes along
[24:49] with it. So, uh very cool service.
[24:52] Exciting stuff coming out of the park
[24:53] right now.
[24:54] >> Yes, it is. Any other comments or
[24:56] questions?
[24:58] Just making sure.
[24:59] >> All in favor of item 7E 1A, say I.
[25:04] >> I.
[25:06] >> Any opposed?
[25:08] Motion passes.
[25:12] » The Property Committee has no other
[25:13] items to be presented for action. Our
[25:14] general report can be found in the
[25:16] unapproved minutes packet. Again, happy
[25:18] to answer any questions.
[25:19] >> Thank you so much. We'll move on to item
[25:21] 7F, Land Use and Transportation
[25:23] Committee uh with member Klein.
[25:25] >> Thank you, Chair Johnston. The Land Use
[25:27] and Transportation Committee has two
[25:28] items removed from the consent agenda.
[25:31] The first item is F1.
[25:34] Sorry, 7F1A,
[25:36] uh approve the application of Twin
[25:38] Groves 1 Storage LLC by EDP Renewables
[25:41] on parcels parcels 23-13-200-004
[25:46] for the battery energy storage system
[25:48] BES and the 20 and 23-12-300-008
[25:53] for the electric substation in case
[25:55] SU2608.
[25:58] It is requesting a special use to allow
[25:59] a BES in the agricultural district and
[26:02] to amend the electric substation to
[26:04] which it is connected. The properties
[26:06] are located in Dawson Township. The BES
[26:08] property is approximately 1/3 mile west
[26:11] of 3000 East Road, immediately south of
[26:13] 1200 North Road. The electric substation
[26:16] is at 29230
[26:18] East 1200 North Road in Ellsworth and I
[26:21] so move.
[26:22] >> Thank you. May I have a second? Second
[26:24] by member
[26:25] >> Hansen.
[26:26] >> Comments or questions?
[26:29] Member Frederick.
[26:30] >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll be opposing
[26:33] this action item.
[26:35] Uh
[26:36] there's a rather large
[26:38] hog confinement hog confinement facility
[26:40] that's uh
[26:42] fairly close to the project with
[26:45] around 3000 head of hogs and
[26:48] uh upwards of 7500 small baby pigs. and
[26:52] as we seen today's with today's weather
[26:55] event
[26:56] and fire concerns,
[26:58] uh I understand what we heard from
[27:02] the applicant, but uh it's still a
[27:04] concern
[27:05] because it's
[27:07] virtually impossible to move if there
[27:09] were to be an issue with a fire to move
[27:12] that many hogs
[27:14] out.
[27:16] And secondly, the drainage situation on
[27:19] the farm, I'm very concerned about that.
[27:21] It is
[27:24] floods quite a bit. I know the farm, and
[27:27] so therefore I will be opposing this.
[27:29] >> I'd like to remind the members of the
[27:31] board that we can only consider
[27:33] testimony that was given in the ZBA
[27:35] hearing. That is a legal hearing. Um and
[27:38] so if you
[27:40] uh have the opportunity when we have
[27:42] these hearings, please review the
[27:43] content. Um the ZBA uh does work very
[27:48] diligently uh to assure that all safety
[27:52] standards are being met. Um and so we
[27:54] can continue to have discussion as long
[27:56] as it is regarding what was presented as
[27:58] part of the ZBA hearing.
[28:03] Any further comments
[28:04] or questions?
[28:08] Yes, member Ernie.
[28:13] » I'll be opposing this as well. Um with
[28:16] the uh
[28:17] amount of livestock in the area with
[28:20] the hogs, there's another neighbor that
[28:22] has uh
[28:23] cattle herd.
[28:26] As well as um
[28:27] this is good productive farm ground. Um
[28:31] I I think it was is not a good place for
[28:33] it to keep taking farm ground out of
[28:35] production.
[28:38] Um
[28:40] so I'll be opposing it.
[28:42] >> Thank you. Any other comments or
[28:43] questions?
[28:47] Seeing none, all in favor of item 7F1A
[28:51] say I.
[28:53] Any opposed?
[28:54] >> Nay.
[28:57] » Okay, motion passes.
[29:01] » Okay, thank you chairwoman. We are now
[29:04] on to
[29:05] 7F1B.
[29:07] Approve the application of Twin Groves
[29:08] Two Storage LLC by EDP Renewables on
[29:11] parcels 24-12-100-03
[29:15] for the battery energy storage system
[29:17] best and 24-12-300-010
[29:21] for the electric substation in case
[29:23] SU-2609.
[29:26] It is requesting a special use to allow
[29:27] a best in the agricultural district and
[29:29] to amend the electric substation to
[29:31] which it is connected. The properties
[29:33] are located in Arrowsmith Township. The
[29:35] best property is 2/3 mile north of 100
[29:40] 1,200 North Road immediately east of
[29:43] 3,500 East Road. The electric substation
[29:45] is at 12493 North 3,500 East Road,
[29:50] Arrowsmith, Illinois and I so move.
[29:52] >> Thank you. May I have a second? Seconded
[29:53] by member Bestler.
[29:55] Comments or questions?
[30:02] Seeing none, all in favor of item 7F1B
[30:06] say I.
[30:07] >> I.
[30:09] >> Any opposed?
[30:14] That's O'Neal and Grace.
[30:17] Correct.
[30:19] You're opposed. Okay, also member
[30:21] Frederick.
[30:22] Um the motion passes.
[30:24] And back to member Klein.
[30:27] >> Uh thank you so much chairwoman uh
[30:29] Johnston. I would um just have
[30:32] one quick announcement. I would say our uh
[30:35] committee report is in the unapproved
[30:37] minutes pages two to six, but I just
[30:38] like to do one final reminder to the
[30:41] board members to ask for you to help
[30:44] spread the word that the household
[30:46] hazardous waste collection will happen
[30:49] on August the 22nd. Um to find more
[30:52] information about this, go to
[30:53] hhwmclean.org,
[30:58] Um this is run through our Ecology
[31:00] Action Center. You do need to sign up
[31:02] for an appointment. Um it is I think the
[31:04] day before just to make sure they have
[31:06] enough coverage um for the different
[31:08] materials you're bringing in. Um but
[31:09] this is a a wonderful service that is
[31:11] provided through the Ecology Action
[31:13] Center that helps you to get rid of that
[31:15] mysterious bottle of you don't know what
[31:17] that you inherited in your garage, and
[31:19] old incandescent light bulbs, and uh
[31:22] things like that. So, um please spread
[31:24] the word, and that is again on August
[31:26] the 22nd. Thank you.
[31:27] >> Thank you, Member Klein. I'm moving on
[31:29] to item 7G with our County
[31:31] Administrator, Ms. Taylor.
[31:32] >> Thank you, Chair Johnston. I do not have
[31:34] anything to present for action this
[31:36] evening. I will let the uh board know
[31:39] that we are hard at work at the budget,
[31:40] and we will be presenting that at the
[31:42] next month's meeting for a proposed
[31:44] budget. Uh I would also like to thank
[31:47] and um recognize the facilities team uh
[31:50] with the pop-up storms that we're
[31:52] having, uh including today's storm, they
[31:55] are hard at work. I'm sure they're still
[31:57] hard at work right now uh getting our
[31:59] buildings secured uh and dealing with
[32:01] the flooding issues that come when we
[32:03] have such uh
[32:04] storms as we had today. So, wanted to
[32:07] personally thank them for their efforts
[32:09] as well.
[32:10] >> Thank you.
[32:11] Uh then we'll move on to other business
[32:13] and communication. Just a reminder to
[32:14] the board members, cuz we do have quite
[32:16] a few who are still newish. Um the
[32:19] presentation will be next month from the
[32:21] administrator. Uh it will be an overview
[32:23] of the budget. Uh you will be given
[32:25] budgets in each committee. In October
[32:28] meetings is when we will be having
[32:29] discussion and making any amendments or
[32:31] adjustments. Um and then it will be
[32:33] voted on in the November meeting. So, if
[32:36] there any questions about that, um you
[32:38] may feel free to reach out to me or to
[32:39] administrative team. Um we'll be happy
[32:41] to help you walk through those pieces,
[32:42] but committee meetings is where the bulk
[32:44] of the work gets done.
[32:46] Um so, please read your budgets for your
[32:47] particular oversight committee and um
[32:50] and be ready to come in with discussions
[32:51] and I appreciate that.
[32:54] Member Bern.
[32:56] >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh with uh
[32:58] school starting and so many thousands of
[33:00] our community's children going back to
[33:02] school,
[33:03] uh do be watching for folks. You're
[33:04] going to see a lot of walkers. You're
[33:05] going to see a lot more college
[33:06] students. You're going to see a lot more
[33:07] school bus on the road. If you are
[33:09] sending your kids to school, uh please
[33:11] do remember that there are vaccination
[33:13] requirements for public schools and our
[33:14] health department does offer a
[33:16] pre-vaccination clinic. There is one
[33:18] more coming up on Friday, August 28th,
[33:20] but there are lots of other options for
[33:22] that. So,
[33:23] don't hesitate to use your health
[33:25] department to help you get all of those
[33:26] things in order.
[33:30] » Yes, Ms. Sheraga.
[33:32] >> Just also a reminder, um Member Loftler
[33:35] mentioned the the farmers and getting
[33:37] ready soon to do harvesting. Um this is
[33:39] also we always mention in April that
[33:42] we're getting ready to start
[33:43] construction season, but August is the
[33:45] highest portion of our season for our
[33:47] construction workers. So, um whether
[33:50] they're on county war roads or whether
[33:51] state roads or city roads as you drive
[33:53] through Bloomington-Normal, please slow
[33:55] down and uh protect our workers. Thank
[33:57] you.
[33:58] >> Thank you. That's also a reminder. I've
[34:00] been driving out in the county recently
[34:01] and this is the time of the year with
[34:04] very little visibility when you're
[34:05] driving through the cornfields. Um also
[34:08] a good reminder to slow down around the
[34:09] equipment and around intersections that
[34:11] may sneak up on you. So, please be
[34:13] careful out there so that we can get
[34:14] through this season with everybody
[34:16] safely making it home. Any other
[34:18] comments or questions? Member Reese.
[34:20] >> Uh speaking of emergencies, can we get a
[34:22] status update on the emergency generator
[34:24] at the health department?
[34:30] » We can certainly ask for one. I'm not
[34:32] sure if we have one on.
[34:32] >> I do not have that information in front
[34:35] of me right now, but I can bring that to
[34:37] the board um
[34:38] in an email.
[34:42] » Anything else for the good of the
[34:43] community?
[34:46] Seeing none, I thank you for your
[34:47] service to the county and this meeting
[34:48] is adjourned.