The Iroquois County Finance Committee voted to forward its projected fiscal year 2026 budget to the full county board for public viewing and set the county's preliminary levy assumption, while deferring a separate $5,000 funding request from the University of Illinois Extension for later consideration.

Committee members voted to move the FY2026 worksheet to the county board after discussion of revenues and reserves. Robin Allen presented the county budget and described recent changes: “So fiscal year 25, I was hired and I inherited a deficit of over 79,000. That's what my budget started at. And then also we had a $100,000 worth of grants cut this year,” she said, adding that after cost shifts and reductions the office is “sitting at a positive surplus of $272 for fiscal year 26.”

The action to forward the FY2026 projected budget was prompted by staff guidance that the committee must approve a balanced worksheet for public posting; the committee’s decision will allow the county board to review the projection before final levy decisions. Committee members and staff repeatedly discussed the estimated equalized assessed valuation (EAV) assumptions used to prepare the worksheet. Finance staff noted that the budget uses the lower EAV estimate provided by county auditors; higher mid- and high-range estimates were available but not used for the public worksheet.

Ginger Boas, representing the University of Illinois Extension, asked the committee to consider a modest increase—about $5,000—for FY2027 to fund a half-time position relocated from a neighboring county and to expand school-based 4‑H programming. Boas said the position would be funded in part by additional Farm Bureau and 4‑H Foundation support and by reallocating half of an existing position: “So I'm gonna have a full position here in Fort McCoy. So with that, I would, ask you all to consider, a little bit of an increase. It's not gonna be, I would say, you know, again, I guess 5% is what we can do or 4%. But I don't know pretty far, you know, like $5,000 for 2027.”

Committee members and finance staff noted that approving the $5,000 now would create a small deficit in the FY2026 worksheet because the draft uses a conservative levy figure. One committee member stated, without a name specified in the record, “I think we should, not approve this $5,000 today, though, and we'll consider it later.” After discussion the committee elected to proceed with the FY2026 worksheet as drafted (using the conservative levy assumption) and deferred the Extension's additional $5,000 request for later action so the levy and general fund balance could be reconciled before final approval.

The committee also discussed timing and distribution of tax revenue to local agencies; staff explained Extension payments arrive through the treasurer’s tax distributions rather than as a single lump sum. The committee chair directed that the FY2026 worksheet as presented be posted for county board review with the understanding that final levy and any adjustments would be handled before adoption.

Details extracted from committee discussion: Robin Allen said the budget uses a low EAV assumption for FY2026; the Extension described matching funds from the state, Farm Bureau and local foundations (Boas: “every dollar that you provide, the state is matching 85%”); staff advised that approving the $5,000 now would reduce the small projected surplus shown in the packet and require adjustments to the levy or other line items.

The county board will receive the FY2026 projected budget for public viewing; the Extension’s request for a $5,000 increase was not approved at this meeting and will return for consideration once levy and fund-balance impacts are resolved.