[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6248934,"mediaKeyId","3208125-7a14795a8a291e8d820fc77c3aca10d2","parentId",3208125,"title","Committee forwards coroner mutual-aid agreement to full board; asks coroner for vehicle cost details","audioSeconds",2869,"startMs",2893855,"endMs",5763710,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3208125-7a14795a8a291e8d820fc77c3aca10d2&start=2893&end=5763","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3208125-7a14795a8a291e8d820fc77c3aca10d2/thumbnail_2893855.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6248934/LaSalle-County/Illinois/Committee-forwards-coroner-mutual-aid-agreement-to-full-board-asks-coroner-for-vehicle-cost-details","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6248934-b29cb20d0840bea62d6556f737e08bee/orig.mp4?Expires=1773673480&Signature=CAKitG35bYg9LXHaMZi9c3ac7J8aFFwO4WqkTjqOhbGef6Uoat1RqmqJyDI7NvztSXPhFxO90XaG1D-98OuyKnWuAE0~w-HDqy~niDb71NEuCHy5b0eImiMztBGrb9bTVaC5vw71it5prLF2bp7wviqn~EqxEXaTVRUBHpf4resRdQjxXZZUvZXBGLtNdVVVaVMRJnGHc2Q8rgGpJ8FwCO5UZCQhwvulCi~oQiXAhLQNBuwhiEU7rePTQm03V9uIMJ~5fVNvhM9gQRmUJq6-BVhLCht19HLlTDX-hJluTvJTiTJ~ak2xXvMgwVGZuOcNAJjJzj-f-K5JqeGlGbgeIg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","LaSalle County, IL","date","2025-05-07T08:44:51.897Z","article","The LaSalle County Finance and TIF Committee voted May 6 to forward a proposed mutual-aid agreement for coroners to the full county board and asked the coroner to provide detailed cost estimates for a county-owned transport vehicle the coroner said could reduce recurring transport expenses.

Rich (identified in the meeting as the county coroner) explained that the coroner\u0000s association and the state provided similar language for mutual aid among counties; the draft states that services provided under mutual aid are typically rendered without charge, and that any third-party expenses that are eligible for reimbursement from state or federal sources should be equitably distributed among responding parties. Rich said counties commonly follow federal or state reimbursement schedules when a disaster receives an official declaration.

\"Mutual aid of course is mutual aid when we have a requesting thing ... if there's something outside of our scope ... nearby coroners for help just like fire departments do,\" he said. The committee voted to forward the agreement to the full board for final approval (motion by Gary, second by Craig, motion carried).

Separately, Rich proposed buying a purpose-equipped transport vehicle so coroner staff could return decedents from autopsies themselves rather than relying on funeral homes that have recently declined to provide transport in some cases. Rich said the county currently pays funeral homes about $350 per trip to transport decedents to a regional medical examiner; he estimated an average of 87 such transports per year and projected annual savings of roughly $28,000 if the county owned a vehicle and reduced contracted transports.

The coroner provided a preliminary, budgetary estimate for a new, fitted transport van and equipment of about $81,459; he recommended authorizing up to $87,000 to allow for bidding and final equipment pricing. Committee members raised questions about bidding, insurance, fleet management, disinfection processes and whether ambulance services would bid on the work; Rich said ambulance providers declined because of decontamination burden and operational constraints.

The committee did not approve a purchase during the May 6 meeting. Instead members asked Rich to obtain firm quotes and cost details (vehicle, upfitter equipment, cleaning/disinfection supplies, licensing and fleet insurance) and return with a budget amendment or resolution at the next meeting. Committee members also said the insurance-trust committee should review liability and fleet coverage for county-owned transport of decedents.

Background and figures supplied in the discussion: the coroner said the county\u0000s current transport line-item budget is $55,750 (fiscal-year appropriation) and that recent actuals varied; the coroner noted some funeral homes have started to decline transport requests and that McLean County requires pickup within three calendar days after an autopsy is completed. The coroner said a state bid list included comparable vans and that McLean County had paid roughly $5,000 more for a similar vehicle in 2022; committee members asked the coroner to supply a formal, state-bid quotation and a full cost breakdown at the next meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Finance & TIF 5-6-2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Finance and TIF Committee voted to forward a proposed statewide coroner mutual-aid agreement to the full county board and directed the LaSalle County coroner to return next month with formal cost estimates for a transport vehicle intended to reduce recurring funeral-home transport charges.","taxTitle","LaSalle County, Illinois","taxId",59330,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6248939,"Auditor reports repeated deficiencies; committee orders steps to improve month-end closing and grant reporting",1757,1095905,2853480,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3208125-7a14795a8a291e8d820fc77c3aca10d2&start=1095&end=2853","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3208125-7a14795a8a291e8d820fc77c3aca10d2/thumbnail_1095905.jpg","/articles/6248939/LaSalle-County/Illinois/Auditor-reports-repeated-deficiencies-committee-orders-steps-to-improve-month-end-closing-and-grant-reporting","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6248939-a2c0cd3b8c580da79900edc3e9de4369/orig.mp4?Expires=1773673480&Signature=bQNM6pchxD5NVLsgATQMENaHcqjjuYNPQRKq4pubM1mFm8uQMT3hC9vrnp7FEThU0N7rzhDu47xf6BforovlYWDmYBbEgqSiN5pWBSaCgJan2p9epOdbGUaTBBhVyWNlgpW7avliGS-G2HLKcxpPgO6oW8bq3vrkHWRnVUAOYaP9r-qbMg-2G0WSonhxAfywDa~~2hRbOqqd0tq6snN3odVi-1qz2CJY2zu9YfFO~qc8~iuUeBDUT6RhXksamNBVOxPTXKlc1xAQjLemEBsTBUOzjEOWRilBCYCCoCzJTHVuOJpuXgKd1suxr9grIktpFM3huctOZKAFaHPG4VDspQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","An outside auditor presented LaSalle County\u0000s fiscal-year audit to the county\u0000s Finance and TIF Committee on May 6, reporting improvements but noting repeated material weaknesses and significant deficiencies that require corrective action.

Tanya (auditor, accounting firm) told the committee that total assets rose and net position improved compared with the prior year, driven in part by a roughly $6 million iFiber payment that boosted general-fund revenue. However, the audit recorded multiple repeat findings tied to financial-statement preparation, grant tracking and reporting, accounts receivable and ledger reconciliation.

\"Some of these are in progress to be improved upon,\" the auditor said, noting the 2022 audit backlog delayed corrective steps and that the auditor\u0000s office worked to correct beginning balances for the current year. The auditor flagged items including insufficient financial oversight for department bank accounts, incomplete accounts receivable, grant revenue recorded to expense accounts, fund activity not recorded in the general ledger, and untimely GATA and federal clearinghouse reporting for grant awards.

The auditor also reviewed the county\u0000s single-audit requirements and federal expenditures. The audit showed approximately $9.4 million in ARPA-related federal expenditures in the year and total federal expenditures of about $10.4 million. The auditor explained that any entity spending more than $750,000 in federal awards requires a single audit and related SEFA reporting.

Committee members pressed for operational changes. Craig proposed moving the committee\u0000s monthly meeting to the second Tuesday so department heads have additional time to submit invoices after month-end; members asked the clerk\u0000s office and auditors to prepare a memo to elected officials and department heads about timely invoice submission and a soft month-close process. Several members argued for stronger purchase-order discipline to reduce handwritten draws and late invoice posting. Committee members also discussed creating clearer policies for grant tracking and timely filing for GATA and federal data-collection forms.

The committee voted to forward the outside audit to the full county board for approval. Members discussed the need for a finance director to centralize responsibilities the auditor said fall beyond auditing (budget oversight, interdepartmental follow-up). The auditor said findings decreased in number compared with the worst prior years but that several significant items remained and that centralized processes and training should reduce repeat findings.

Key numbers presented by the auditor included year-end general-fund revenues of roughly $38 million (up from $32.6 million the prior year), property-tax revenue around $7.5 million, intergovernmental revenue about $18.3 million, interest income about $1.56 million and the iFiber deposit near $6 million. The auditor also showed assessed valuation growth (about $2.9 billion five years ago to roughly $3.56 billion in the latest schedule) and corresponding tax-rate decreases.

The committee instructed staff to draft policy and communication steps and to consider whether to pursue a finance director position. The committee scheduled follow-up review and asked the auditor and county finance staff to provide condensed materials for the full board review.","An outside auditor told the LaSalle County Finance and TIF Committee that while financial statements improved, multiple findings were repeated from prior years; committee members directed changes to meeting timing, bill submission and grant reporting to reduce future audit findings.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6248944,"LaSalle County votes to raise Extension funding to $55,000; U of I Extension outlines program growth",749,100245,849650,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3208125-7a14795a8a291e8d820fc77c3aca10d2&start=100&end=849","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3208125-7a14795a8a291e8d820fc77c3aca10d2/thumbnail_100245.jpg","/articles/6248944/LaSalle-County/Illinois/LaSalle-County-votes-to-raise-Extension-funding-to-55000-U-of-I-Extension-outlines-program-growth","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6248944-1f65d5f10c4a5fa94ae836dd56081b06/orig.mp4?Expires=1773673480&Signature=hK8OcK9pQCu1Ci9qfvA66QXXbVugmBErIw8PdQS2tbuS7oDt9RcOr8nLfdK0h3R76Vm5Z7QislekJTw5AYFkXn-b~QQ1Loh9KlJjdyje8L9hiloiUXf4f1WSe3i2kcn6xx1rw38WOo8fIp5D0MVL6eEse2BfT8YfH7l8B5q6RD6u9AzksRZY5p4P1Hop8-c8hbZXtuRNnJDScoj8IOBpHJ-E1cm7rdMExMvnEHtOyWYcPe30PSzDqOX6~arLNsPBPdyEgBB~NkNVNMP~Ltu1NY0PPSiSp0y-qQ6RhfpXvxNAvU5koGk9sNn1jfEgX6Dk65G8b6s6TNxSqLMVtovimA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","LaSalle County\u0000s finance committee voted May 6 to increase the county\u0000s annual payment to the University of Illinois Extension from $50,000 to $55,000 to help support local programming.

The move came after Erin Orwig, county director for University of Illinois Extension (covering Bureau, Marshall and Putnam counties), and unit staff described expansion of 4-H youth development, Master Gardener and Master Naturalist volunteers, and nutrition programming tied to school and community gardens in LaSalle County.

Orwig said the unit provided packets showing fiscal projections for 2026 and final figures for 2025 and summarized program highlights. \"We do have your folders there, the fiscal part of it for the budget, the projected for '26, and then the final that we had for '25,\" she told the committee. She said Extension recently completed a strategic plan to guide programming for the next decade.

Emily Hanson, the unit's commercial agriculture educator who also oversees Master Gardener and Master Naturalist volunteers, said the unit\u0000s Farmland Owners Conference drew more than 220 people from seven states and 23 presenters. She added that natural-resources programs have expanded after a Master Naturalist training that produced 19 new volunteers; a March bird-watching hike drew 48 participants.

Shasta Holativak, the unit\u0000s new 4-H youth development educator, said LaSalle County ranks in the top 10 statewide for 4-H youth retention among 102 counties and that county members exhibited nearly 2,000 items at the county fair. Holativak outlined new programs funded by grants and partnerships, including a planned drone club and a food-challenge competition for youth.

County board member Loretta (surname not specified in the meeting record) reviewed county contributions to the unit: Bureau County $25,000, LaSalle County $50,000 and Marshall/Putnam $134,719 (noted as tax-based). Orwig told the committee that state matching funds multiply local dollars: \"For every dollar you provide that goes to our general fund, right now the match is at 85 percent,\" she said.

Committee member Reina moved to increase LaSalle County\u0000s contribution by $5,000, to $55,000, and Craig seconded. The committee voted unanimously to approve the added funding.

Background: Extension activity the committee heard about includes SNAP-Ed partnerships, nutrition education (including a Mediterranean diet pilot and cooking sessions), school and community gardens (Northwest Elementary in LaSalle harvested more than 320 pounds last year), Master Naturalist training and expanded 4-H offerings. The packet presented to the committee included strategic-plan materials and an impact report.","The LaSalle County Finance and TIF Committee approved increasing the county\u0000s annual payment to University of Illinois Extension to $55,000 and heard program updates on 4-H, Master Naturalists, nutrition and school gardens.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee forwards coroner mutual-aid agreement to full board; asks coroner for vehicle cost details

Auditor reports repeated deficiencies; committee orders steps to improve month-end closing and grant reporting

LaSalle County votes to raise Extension funding to $55,000; U of I Extension outlines program growth