Committee approves two-year lease of county garage/office to Livingston County in Chenoa

The McLean County Property Committee approved a two-year intergovernmental agreement allowing Livingston County to use a McLean County-owned garage and office facility in Chenoa while Livingston seeks a location closer to Pontiac.

Administrator Cassie Taylor explained the property is owned by McLean County but located far north in the county and was previously part of a rural transportation consortium. Livingston County requested a two-year lease to mitigate service disruptions as it searches for a more proximate facility; the lease is intended to keep rural transportation services active across central Illinois counties while partners reorganize.

Member Layman asked about liability concerns in the lease. Taylor said Livingston County would be responsible for its property and that vendors used by Livingston County would be required to carry insurance and meet the county's requirements; she added county legal counsel reviewed the contract. “No. The not only would Livingston County be responsible for their property on that, but the vendors that they utilize will also have to have insurance and have those processes in place,” Taylor said.

The motion to approve the intergovernmental agreement was made by Member Tompkins and seconded by Member Duffy; the committee voted in favor of the two-year lease. The agreement permits Livingston County to occupy the property while it looks for a longer-term site, and staff characterized the action as a service-continuity measure rather than a long-term transfer of the asset.

The transcript refers to the facility as 510 Hasselton Drive and later as 510 Hostleton Drive; county staff presented the item in the packet as the garage and office facility in Chenoa. The committee did not discuss a purchase or permanent transfer of the property during the meeting.