McLean County approves one-time audit of shared mental health sales-tax fund after public objections to proposed pause

McLean County Executive Committee members voted to authorize a one-time external review of the county’s Mental Health and Public Safety Fund after weeks of public concern about a proposed pause in shared sales-tax contributions.

County Administrator Cassie Taylor summarized the fund's finances and projections during the meeting, saying the county had received $38,646,649 in shared sales tax since the fund began and that, under current spending plans, the fund balance could decline from roughly $20 million at the end of 2024 to about $10 million by the end of 2027. Taylor said a one-year pause in contributions would reduce projected 2027 reserves to roughly $4.9 million.

Why it matters: The shared sales-tax money supports community behavioral-health services, criminal-justice programs, debt service on the county’s jail expansion and a countywide integrated justice information system. Commenters warned that pausing funding would disrupt services, reduce access to care and risk losing programs that rely on steady multi-year funding.

Public comments:…