[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-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",[32,75,87,99],{"_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",5984428,"mediaKeyId","5798735-45c0a61140c5378bd383a75eaec3b28a","parentId",5798735,"title","Normal council approves application for OSLAD grant to redevelop Rosa Parks Commons","audioSeconds",749,"startMs",450000,"endMs",1199000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5798735-45c0a61140c5378bd383a75eaec3b28a&start=450&end=1199","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5798735-45c0a61140c5378bd383a75eaec3b28a/thumbnail_450000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5984428/Normal/McLean-County/Illinois/Normal-council-approves-application-for-OSLAD-grant-to-redevelop-Rosa-Parks-Commons","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5984428-aa0354370f7ca5fa826ef4682e2e3b22/orig.mp4?Expires=1773632594&Signature=Iw8uxgds8aEa~btgxUymK~43t9Exx7I~AOXnm2YSuZIJn-u94tHoP6io3fqcPDtakOwlCoJmQmPP1DZZypN4k9JraHHC~xZ4sacFhIbgeUCv7QMJMlthaGiPPEWcdVCEzit4YbkUzahus10MfEx2Q9zXyysjIV3KdfHUd9Jbi6hpst96O4urJJ-teChGC0MO8ti-t--kNUCZCvO3Oh44aQpY1gI2-Q1DQSvcHaGmVn86z7TPxMVmf3DGlVOVdrW8iz7eQ5P-rBcs9~bm6KEp6YRNfHb1IYf8-ffm9LCsZwfMhTOwr-murFbdmKof7psUk5UoLO6YNojElJWsHPdBhw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of Normal, IL","date","2025-09-16T00:00:00Z","article","Normal'The Town of Normal Council on Sept. 15 voted to authorize submission of an Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant application to help redevelop Rosa Parks Commons, the park adjacent to the Constitution Trail.

Council members approved a resolution certifying municipal support for the grant application after about an hour of discussion about the project scope and potential local cost if the grant is awarded.

The council and staff described the proposal as a master-plan based redevelopment that would replace the playground and shelter, add a new restroom and a fitness-court area, and rework some site and sidewalk connections. Town staff said the total concept plan is roughly a million dollars; OSLAD grant awards can cover up to $600,000, and the town would be responsible for the balance. \"I believe that's pretty close. I think the dollar amount might be 425,000,\" a town staff member said when asked to clarify the local share. The playground replacement itself remains budgeted at about $200,000, staff said.

Why it matters: Rosa Parks Commons is a trailhead on the Constitution Trail and is heavily used by pedestrians and cyclists. Council members said adding a restroom and a fitness element would improve trail access and park amenities; opponents worried about the town's exposure if additional funding must be identified.

Staff said the master plan on file shows the restroom, a fitness area consistent with the National Fitness Court concept, and replacement of aging playground equipment. \"If we do not get the grant, we would proceed with the playground replacement and the shelter replacement,\" a staff presenter said, adding that the larger site work would likely be scaled back without grant funds.

Council debate focused on whether the town should apply now before a dedicated funding source for the local share is identified. \"There is risk that we would pay $225,000 more because we would be on the hook for 4 and a quarter instead of 200,000,\" Councilmember Lorenz said, expressing concern about unspecified future obligations. Councilmember McCarthy pushed back, saying only the application was being approved and that the town would return to council to identify matching funds if the grant is awarded: \"If we get 600 and it costs us 200, I think that's a tremendous value to our community.\"

Town staff said elements such as the restroom and fitness equipment are scored items on the OSLAD application and help the town be more competitive for the grant. Staff also said they would continue to pursue sponsorships or additional grants to offset the town's required match if the OSLAD award is made.

The council approved the resolution on a roll call vote. Councilmember Lorenz voted \"no\"; the remaining members voted \"aye.\" The resolution authorizes submittal of the grant application only; any future acceptance of OSLAD funds and the required local match would be brought back to council for formal approval and budget adjustment.

Details and next steps: Staff said it would work between now and spring to line up potential funding and, if awarded, would return with a plan identifying specific sources for the local match. The master plan used for the application dates to the town's earlier parks planning efforts and was cited in council discussion as the basis for the proposed improvements.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Town Of Normal Town Council Meeting September 15th, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Town of Normal Council on Sept. 15 voted to authorize submission of an OSLAD grant application to redevelop Rosa Parks Commons, a trailhead park that would receive a new restroom, a fitness-court area and replaced playground and shelter.","taxTitle","Normal, McLean County, Illinois","taxId",4238,"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},5984412,"Finance director: Normal's assessed value surged but water fund and contingency levels warrant caution",2018,3779000,5797000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5798735-45c0a61140c5378bd383a75eaec3b28a&start=3779&end=5797","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5798735-45c0a61140c5378bd383a75eaec3b28a/thumbnail_3779000.jpg","/articles/5984412/Normal/McLean-County/Illinois/Finance-director-Normals-assessed-value-surged-but-water-fund-and-contingency-levels-warrant-caution","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5984412-376908590e2e1240feca9b7e05c7dc3e/orig.mp4?Expires=1773632594&Signature=P5WBgIHjePz1RUSBKx4YPwDV8B8ti7ctELgoTc0BPRt5hkIWozJ0lfUs--FYPYtydyXbHmciMnwOAhDOc5HB-t2zEMUKMIze5~GcsDuoznPnjTvsOMgz0KAlyD5m~~UpxVyDhrolKJdDsha41s4DrzstZhEyt3nbGF5HUFWsi5jM09geQIm4zrPh3-nzBjPjOq9QuEJ2yUpkjQ9ZrLkOQ~7KNhmVOu81CFaBVyprtr9tBpRI5lRvxhRD7DBsOU~D7qJ~EwJH4F-UfHpcVR9hoh6c8eXb01ToT28b9RISvEhufoUu11udxiLqED5xYQ1MBIN1BVfED8rej4NkbrBeCw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Normal'At a Sept. 15 council meeting the Town of Normal's finance director presented the fiscal year 2024-25 financial trend and condition report, reporting strong assessed-value growth and healthy reserves while cautioning about the water fund and contingency reserves in the five-year outlook.

The report showed extraordinary assessed-value growth in the most recent tax year: a 17.1% increase that added more than $200 million to the town's Equalized Assessed Value (EAV). The director said the growth included substantial residential, commercial and industrial increases and noted that the shift toward more commercial and industrial value reduces the relative share of property-tax burden on households.

On revenues, the director highlighted a divergence in state versus local sales-tax results for the year. The state-collected sales tax component fell about 8.4% while the local sales-tax component rose roughly 2.6%; staff suggested the change could reflect lower purchases of large-ticket, state-taxed items (vehicles, boats) during the year. The town also recorded higher investment returns by moving cash into short-term money-market positions as longer-term instruments matured.

On reserves and funds, the director reported the general fund ended the year with a strong reserve position above target, though the town intentionally planned a modest drawdown in the adopted budget. Pension funding for IMRF remained strong at about 90% funded; police and fire pension funded ratios were reported in the 50s-to-60s range, with council and staff noting ongoing actuarial work and contribution plans.

The finance director gave a cautious outlook for the water fund. \"We've got this as negative outlook for the Water Fund. We're at 30.9% projected for this current fiscal year... and that gets down to 3.4% in the out years,\" he said, calling attention to capital spending plans and operating pressures that could require rate adjustments or changes to planned capital work. Councilmembers and staff reminded the audience that the council has a previously approved 2% water/sewer rate increase through April 2028; the director said that may not be sufficient to cover projected capital and operating cost increases.

The presentation concluded with the finance director noting that the town enters the 2026-27 budget process from a solid starting point but will need to evaluate contingency and equipment reserves and consider how to fund capital priorities in the coming years.

Next steps: Staff will carry the trend-analysis findings into the budget process, and council will consider rate and capital decisions as part of the 2026-27 budget deliberations.

","The town's financial trend report shows a sharp increase in assessed value and generally healthy reserves, but staff warned of risks to the water capital and contingency reserves and flagged the need to revisit rate and capital assumptions during the 2026-27 budget process.",{"_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},5984418,"Auditor issues unmodified opinion; Normal council accepts FY2024-25 audited financial statements and federal compliance report",1148,1249000,2397000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5798735-45c0a61140c5378bd383a75eaec3b28a&start=1249&end=2397","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5798735-45c0a61140c5378bd383a75eaec3b28a/thumbnail_1249000.jpg","/articles/5984418/Normal/McLean-County/Illinois/Auditor-issues-unmodified-opinion-Normal-council-accepts-FY2024-25-audited-financial-statements-and-federal-compliance-report","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5984418-07f8e64018a7779d36c86a5bf6147890/orig.mp4?Expires=1773632594&Signature=NrCYaiV79blgnAvZPKm4M0fJNk9UeriUc8grZYZM-KPoTdUhSRRSC2RandcpAEQ76r3BPgtgpKsdcQY8b99~vygnHlFapLRbZItxxXWszMXhu-Snh5pzuBNsrMew02vnqOI2QNY1WsbMNtOZ12x21Ak2iHpKyP6OarHJ9G6~uS3cs4QiYslgiJnfEoeH7uKNqaCIBsZbwf39Et3QC92Ts7PnEa~tB986yhjc2YQIjHX0WKHzrFab2QcIu-~PTwoSSOB1NQQw30c-kjWeDSOLfeKR~DMYocv7JvYy7mXWtDTAn2kxS54pU~zNHZgLm0ycFD4G8zvBnHp~JAEsViEAtg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Normal'The Town of Normal Council on Sept. 15 heard the town's external auditor, Anthony Cervini of Sikich LLP, present the fiscal-year 2025 audit and accepted the audited financial statements and federal compliance reports.

Cervini told the council Sikich had issued an unmodified (clean) opinion on the town's financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2025, and \"we identified no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies from an audit standpoint in terms of the town processes or internal controls.\" He said the firm issued the annual comprehensive financial report and several other audit documents, and noted two restatements: an alignment of investment and interest income related to ARPA reporting and an accounting-principles change under GASB guidance affecting accrued leave reporting.

On federal spending, Cervini said the town recorded nearly $9.9 million in federal expenditures for fiscal 2025, of which about $6.8 million related to American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds; the town also received a National Infrastructure Investment Grant passed through IDOT of about $2.1 million. Those two programs accounted for roughly 89.5% of federal expenditures tested in the single-audit. Cervini said the single-audit found no findings, no questioned costs and no instances of noncompliance for the major programs tested.

Council members asked questions about audit technology and cybersecurity. Councilmember Smith asked whether auditors used artificial intelligence in testing; Cervini replied that the firm uses analytic tools built into audit software but that AI applications for substantive audit testing remain in development and human verification remains essential. On cybersecurity, Cervini said auditors review user-access listings and transaction-approval controls but do not perform in-depth IT systems audits unless specifically engaged to do so.

After the presentation, the council adopted a resolution accepting the audited financial statements and the report on internal controls. The council also approved the federal compliance audit resolution. Both were approved on roll call.

Details: Cervini recommended that the town continue to contribute actuarially determined amounts to pension and OPEB obligations and highlighted that government-wide unfunded pension and OPEB liabilities had a material effect on the reported unrestricted net position. He pointed to strength in the town's enterprise funds and a favorable reserve position in the general fund while noting the actuarial and GASB-driven entries that affected year-over-year presentation.

","Sikich LLP presented the Town of Normal's audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, issuing a clean (unmodified) opinion and reporting no material weaknesses. The council accepted the audited statements and the federal single-audit compliance report.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5984422,"Normal council amends town code to allow three household pets; debate centers on enforcement and trail safety",3535,236000,3771000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5798735-45c0a61140c5378bd383a75eaec3b28a&start=236&end=3771","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5798735-45c0a61140c5378bd383a75eaec3b28a/thumbnail_236000.jpg","/articles/5984422/Normal/McLean-County/Illinois/Normal-council-amends-town-code-to-allow-three-household-pets-debate-centers-on-enforcement-and-trail-safety","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5984422-de690bde03becc05a6fe3f4e2d5d6390/orig.mp4?Expires=1773632594&Signature=FbeSmG79ElsjuihetJxuOYlVnM0fl-2veHePn~rOmyK5qjjkftKObz8NaM-fWrgZAefXqij~-HyGo35u~Wvs2bHrgFGCqVpbf59FEQ9MCdKBHKWl671Xu7BHqBEC5GGVngWFZ0ZoOyys3Yi4VhPb0iPqm5zAiBN9MZD~C4sG~gqCGN-ZaPKCS6HZZg7LcWf2ZC6y74Y8bOprfnc1wY4njdWRTOTg7Bs7hLBqfA1eYp8BrlPgLvesVrKZyYzANl-g7fUO1ZA2S4fH-shEoODolBT-l34GILbZk5iO4oG1T44yyH8GcI~6D36tRSzdp3-PODVvRKypgAVsgktAGXPNXw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Normal'The Town of Normal Council on Sept. 15 approved an amendment to Chapter 17 of the municipal code raising the allowable number of household pets from two to three.

The change followed remarks from two public commenters: Mike Kerber, who urged the council to keep the two-dog limit because of prior attacks and trail safety concerns, and resident Ann Taber, who said allowing three pets reduces shelter surrenders and helps families. \"I'd urge you to please keep the 2 dog limit and that's my story and I'm sticking to it,\" Mike Kerber said during public comment. Ann Taber told the council she had emailed staff earlier and argued the change would align Normal with nearby Bloomington and provide benefits for animals and families.

Town staff presented the ordinance as a modernization and noted several peer communities already allow three pets. Staff also emphasized that the town enforces animal behavior through existing nuisance, sanitation and dangerous-dog provisions rather than by blanket numeric penalties. A town staff member described the complaint process: \"They work their way through our code enforcement department most often. Sometimes they're reported to police, but generally it's the code enforcement officers that are hearing those complaints, and they'll investigate it. If they find that an animal has violated any number of the behavior provisions, we can cite them for that and bring them into administrative adjudication and fine them for the behavior.\"

Council discussion repeatedly returned to enforcement and trail safety. Several council members said the number of animals is less relevant than owner behavior. Councilmember Preston said the town's prior complaints showed problems were typically tied to specific owners or dogs rather than to households with three animals. Staff clarified that \"running at large\" is a code violation for dogs off their property and would apply on the Constitution Trail.

After discussion the council passed the ordinance on a roll call vote. Councilmember Lorenz voted \"no.\" The ordinance amendment passed with the remaining members voting in favor.

What it changes: The amendment updates the numeric limit in Chapter 17 to permit three animals per household of specified species. Dangerous or nuisance behavior—such as repeated excessive barking, unsanitary conditions, dogs running at large or bites—remains enforceable under separate code sections and can lead to administrative citations.

Residents with concerns about specific animals were directed to contact the town's inspections/code enforcement division for investigation and possible citation. The council asked staff to continue public education about complaint procedures so neighbors understand what to report and how enforcement works.

","The Town of Normal amended Chapter 17 of its municipal code to raise the limit on household pets from two to three. The change followed public comment from residents on both sides and a council discussion about complaint-driven enforcement, nuisance provisions and trail safety.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Normal council approves application for OSLAD grant to redevelop Rosa Parks Commons

Finance director: Normal's assessed value surged but water fund and contingency levels warrant caution

Auditor issues unmodified opinion; Normal council accepts FY2024-25 audited financial statements and federal compliance report

Normal council amends town code to allow three household pets; debate centers on enforcement and trail safety