Lexi Wampoff, the new executive director of LaSalle County CASA, asked the LaSalle County Finance Committee on Sept. 30 for a modest increase in the county’s annual support and described a state-funded expansion that will put CASA services into Bureau County.

Wampoff said the county has provided $30,000 annually for about five years and that CASA is requesting a “slight increase” (transcript: "to $31.05"). She said the extra county money would mostly support operational costs the organization’s grants do not cover, including her salary and office costs. "CASA works with kids in foster care. We have volunteers who advocate for them in court," she told the committee.

Wampoff said CASA’s current budget shows planned grant revenue and fundraising that together create an anticipated surplus on paper, but she cautioned the committee that grant and fundraising income can be unpredictable. She said, "If you put that number up there, and you fall a little bit short, I don't anticipate a surplus, so I anticipate a balanced budget." The proposed FY26 budget includes assumed grant awards and fundraising that Wampoff called aspirational.

Wampoff said CASA recently won an expansion grant that will pay for services in Bureau County for two years. "The way that that grant works specifically is through Illinois Casa... it's a $128,000 each year for 2 years to fully fund that program so that they could have an idea of what the work really will be," she said, adding that "100% of that money has to go towards Bureau County. I we can't use any of it for LaSalle."

Committee members asked questions about how the grant would be administered, whether CASA would open an office in Peru, and how CASA currently uses county office space in Ottawa. Wampoff said CASA will continue to use the county office space on Wednesdays and is exploring whether to have an office in Peru while keeping some operations in Ottawa.

Committee members confirmed they understood CASA’s reliance on county operating support for things other grants typically do not fund. The committee did not take a formal vote on CASA’s request during the presentation.

Budget documents provided in the meeting packet show the county has contributed $30,000 annually in recent years; Wampoff requested a small increase and described the Bureau County expansion and related program costs that the state grant will cover for two years.