[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.

County Board 8/13/26

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