Lee County’s finance committee reported mixed revenue trends and a remaining roughly $1.5 million gap in the draft fiscal-year budget, and the county board intends to add a state‑mandated veterans assistance officer and consider a resolution establishing a full-time public defender.

At the finance committee report, a committee member said sales tax revenue ‘‘continues to be strong’’ while local use tax has declined; staff are engaging state contacts in Springfield to monitor stabilization. The committee chair reported that expenditures remain in line for the year but that the budget process is ongoing, with one day of hearings remaining and staff still working to align revenue projections with expenditure requests. The speaker said the county remains roughly $1.5 million short in the proposed budget between requests and projected revenues.

The committee announced an upcoming resolution to incorporate a veterans assistance officer into the county budget as ‘‘mandated through state statute’’ and a resolution to establish a full-time public defender for Lee County to follow the retirement of Bob Thompson. The finance report also mentioned a planned reorganization that would place Reid’s position under Jeremy and related ordinance language changes for financial accounting procedures.

Board members approved two appointments to the Lee County Regional Planning Commission during the meeting (Ellen Smith and Emily Pratt) and agreed to place several resolutions, including the public defender resolution and a Joseph E. Meyer zoning resolution, on the upcoming agenda. The board did not adopt the veterans officer or public defender resolutions during the meeting; they were placed on the agenda for future action.