Normal — The Normal Town Council voted Wednesday to pause monthly transfers of shared sales-tax receipts to McLean County for a minimum of 12 months while the town, the City of Bloomington and the county negotiate amendments to the 2016 intergovernmental agreement that created the Mental Health and Public Safety Fund. The council also approved funding for an independent audit of the fund’s accounts and expenditures.

The pause and audit follow public comments and debate about how the county has administered the shared fund, which council staff said currently holds a fund balance of more than $20,000,000. Town staff sought the pause so the three parties can “renegotiate the intergovernmental agreement” in light of large one-time federal grants, internet-sales tax growth and other changes since the IGA was adopted.

In public comment, Susan Schaeffer, a former McLean County board member, criticized the packet materials provided to the council and urged the town to hold the IGA to account. “The background information provided in your packet is misleading and incomplete,” Schaeffer said. She also raised potential conflicts of interest involving a council member’s employer and urged the council not to “renege” on commitments to mental-health services. Corey Byrne, a McLean County board member and chair of the county health committee, urged the council to vote against pausing transfers and to “collaborate on this audit,” arguing the fund supports local behavioral-health providers and programs.

Town staff introduced the item and outlined the mechanics. “In 2015 … the Normal Town Council adopted a 1% sales tax that went into effect in 2016,” town staffer Miss Reese said, explaining that a quarter of the additional 1% (0.25%) is the portion shared under the IGA and that circumstances since 2016 — including ARPA dollars and internet-sales growth — have produced a larger-than-expected fund balance. Reese said the proposed amendment would let the town and city pause monthly disbursements while officials meet to renegotiate the IGA.

Council debate ranged from support for preserving and improving mental-health services to concerns about fiscal uncertainty. “A pause isn’t a stop,” Councilmember McCarthy said, stressing that council members remained committed to mental-health funding even as they sought a renegotiation of governance and transparency. Councilmember Roberge said he worried that pausing contributions could harm ongoing county plans and urged caution; Councilmember Lorenz voted against the pause.

After discussion, the council approved the pause (Item 10) on a 5–2 vote: Byers, Smith, McCarthy, Preston and Mayor Coos voted yes; Roberge and Lorenz voted no. The council then unanimously approved Item 11, a resolution to fund an independent audit of the shared-sales-tax fund and its use.

Votes at a glance
- Item 10 — Resolution to amend the shared-sales-tax intergovernmental agreement to pause monthly transfers to McLean County for a minimum of 12 months while the parties renegotiate: approved (5–2). Council votes recorded: Byers (yes), Roberge (no), Smith (yes), McCarthy (yes), Preston (yes), Lorenz (no), Mayor Coos (yes).
- Item 11 — Resolution authorizing use of shared-sales-tax dollars to fund an independent audit of the fund: approved (7–0).
- Omnibus consent package — minutes, payables, waivers of bid processes (crossing guard management), purchase authorizations (John Deere Pro Gator $62,117.98), collective-bargaining agreement with IAFF Local 2442, gallery-lobby improvements contract $43,000, acceptance of utility easements at 100 North Rivian Motorway and other routine matters: approved (roll call recorded; omnibus passed).
- Roe Construction — Constitution Trail repaving contract, $35,800: approved (roll call recorded).
- Auto Bomb Company Inc. — Sculpture Park construction phase contract, $218,367, with associated budget adjustment; council discussed scope and overall $480,000 project budget: approved.
- Roe Construction — 2025 General Street resurfacing contract, $3,356,897.49: approved.
- Ordinance amending FY2024-25 operating and capital budget (reconciliation of prior fiscal year): approved.
- Vineyard subdivision sixth amendment (preliminary plan) and Vineyards eleventh edition final plat (Lot 374 resubdivision): approved.
- Appointment: Rand Vierman to the Building Board of Appeals (electrical representative), term through 07/31/2029: approved.

What the council asked to happen next
Town staff said the pause is intended to be a procedural step to allow the town, Bloomington and McLean County to sit at the table and negotiate changes to the IGA. Reese said the county’s administrator and legal counsel participated in drafting the proposed amendment and that, if approved, Bloomington would consider the same language at its next council meeting. The audit will be independent; the council discussed but did not adopt prescriptive timelines for the audit’s scope. Several council members urged a prompt review and called for transparency tools such as project dashboards for ongoing expenditures.

Why it matters
The shared 2016 IGA funds three stated purposes: debt service and operations for an expanded county jail, modernization of county information systems referenced as Aegis, and investment in community behavioral-health services. Council members and public commenters said that while the fund has paid for programs such as a triage/behavioral-health urgent care center and a program called Fuse, the county’s fund balance and recent one-time federal grants (ARPA) make it timely to revisit governance, priorities and transparency for allocations affecting mental-health services across the community.

Meeting context
The item generated extended debate and public comment; the council split on the pause but acted unanimously to authorize an audit. Councilmembers repeatedly emphasized they do not intend the pause to be a cut to mental-health services and said they expect the three parties to negotiate in good faith.

The City of Bloomington is scheduled to consider the same amendment next Monday; McLean County will also be asked to approve the change. The council did not specify a sunset or extension to the existing 20-year IGA beyond the negotiation process; participants said the next 10 years of the agreement are the subject of the talks.

Ending
Council members urged prompt, collaborative work with Bloomington and McLean County on the IGA revision and the audit so the community and service providers have clarity about funding and priorities going forward.