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Funding Advisory Council backs $1.95 million recommendation for jail mental-health services
Summary
The McLean County Funding Advisory Council recommended $1,953,009 for criminal justice services drawn from the mental-health and public-safety shared sales tax. The money would expand psychiatric coverage at the jail, pay for medication and post-release prescriptions, and support staffing tied to a new jail annex.
The McLean County Funding Advisory Council on Thursday recommended $1,953,009 from the mental-health and public-safety shared sales tax for criminal justice services tied to detention and behavioral-health care.
The recommendation covers contracts and operating costs that county staff told the council will expand psychiatric coverage at the county jail, increase medication access for detainees (including a proposed 30-day supply at release), and fund additional correctional staffing for a planned jail annex.
Council members and staff said the largest single increase in the criminal-justice budget is the jail psychiatric contract, which will move from a part-time arrangement to a 40-hours-per-week contract. Staff told the council the contract is budgeted at about $312,000 for 2026. Other line items discussed included a mental-health nurse position (about $160,000), research services (about $48,000), and a CJCC pilot appropriation of $100,000. Staff also said the budget relies in part on a $707,003.47 appropriated fund balance and projected shared-sales-tax revenues from the City of Bloomington and the Town of Normal.
Council members asked for additional detail about expenditures-to-date and how much of this year’s contracted amounts staff expect to expend before year end. Staff said the contracts are active and that they expect contractors (including a university research partner) to bill for their full contract amounts. Staff identified an immediate operational driver: an estimated 55% of the jail population shows needs for psychiatric or psychological assessment, producing a higher demand for in-custody psychiatric time and post-release medication support.
The council also discussed medication changes: staff said some facilities are shifting from oral medications to long‑acting injectable medications that can last 30 to 90 days; those injectables increase medication costs but staff argued they can reduce re‑incarceration by improving continuity of care. Staff described a proposed program to provide up to a 30‑day supply of medication at release and noted that some products now provide 90‑day injectables.
Members also asked about the staffing request tied to the new jail annex. Staff described the annex layout as requiring more specialized coverage, and the budget includes roughly 10 additional correctional officer positions devoted to the annex population; staff described those 10 positions as covering the facility continuously across shifts.
Council members were reminded that the FAC is advisory: its recommendation goes to the county’s executive committee and then to the county board as part of the county budget process. Members said they expected to receive additional year‑end actuals and further detail about how the shared-sales-tax slice fits with other county-funded mental-health services.
The council took a roll-call recommendation on the criminal-justice portion; staff reported the motion passed and that the recommendation will be forwarded through the county’s budget process.
