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Champaign County tables hiring of Brookins building supervisor as board seeks options for Brookins and RPC
Summary
The board postponed a resolution to create a building‑supervisor position tied to management of the Brookins (Brookens) building and asked leadership to study alternatives including commercial broker options and potential sale.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Champaign County Board on Wednesday voted to table action on hiring a building supervisor for the Brookens (Brookins) building and asked facilities and finance leaders to develop ‘hard‑stop’ plans and additional options, including commercial broker proposals and sale scenarios.
The vote followed extended discussion and public input questioning the county’s role as property manager and the financial risk of keeping Brookins. Board members cited a 2016 facilities report and a 2023 capital plan that listed multi‑hundred‑thousand‑dollar capital needs — exterior masonry, parking lots, HVAC replacements and repainting — and said the county’s general fund balance was already below internal targets.
Several board members argued the county should not take on long‑term property liabilities without clearer funding and a marketing plan. One former board member, Jim Goss, urged the board to issue an RFP for a commercial broker or property manager to solicit renters and pursue a sale while offering RPC longer leases or inflation‑adjusted rents to protect that tenant.
RPC (referred to in meeting materials and discussion) — which board members debated as either a county department or a separate entity depending on context — had sought space options and considered building or relocating. Board members said RPC had attempted alternatives and that some conversations with potential buyers or not‑for‑profits had advanced but had not produced a viable outcome.
A motion to postpone further consideration passed; the item was tabled to the Oct. 23, 2025 county board meeting. The motion included direction for facilities and finance leadership to convene and to identify “trip lines” and exit points if costs or capital needs outpaced rental income. Administration noted an earlier RFP process for a commercial broker had been run but paused when RPC’s funding picture changed.
Board members said the tabling would allow staff to present additional information: updated capital cost estimates, revenue projections from prospective tenants, results of prior broker outreach, and specific criteria that would trigger ending county ownership or management.
The motion to table included a request for a targeted follow‑up to proceed with a bounded work plan and return with firm recommendations at the October meeting.
