LaSalle County finance members weigh generator, jail roof and other capital projects as Fund 28 tightens

LaSalle County finance staff told the county's finance group that Fund 28 — the county's capital assets fund — has a current cash balance of $555,370.46 before an expected $400,000 transfer from the general fund, and that several large projects this year could leave the fund constrained.

“Currently, once I do the transfer per the auditors, the balance currently will be $555,370.46,” said Amanda, identified at the meeting as finance staff, as she reviewed the fund summary. She said the $400,000 transfer from the general fund that appears in the budget has not yet been completed but will be processed, which would raise the fund to about $955,000.

The update prompted questions about where the money for several capital projects would come from and whether some items could be charged to the county’s public safety fund. “So if we're talking about a generator, just 400,000 for a round number, obviously, that would take that down to 809 hundred thousand dollars,” Amanda said while reviewing other obligations in Fund 28.

Why it matters: County staff and committee members said several planned and partly completed projects — including a jail roof repair, training center roof, courthouse window and flashing work, IT racks and a planned generator — are drawing on the same limited pool of capital funds. Committee members discussed using the public safety fund or awaiting bid results before moving money between funds.

Amanda listed the specific pending and expected expenditures: a pending IT floor expense of $27,001.45, an electrical phase for $65,009.38, a jail roof payment of roughly $501,008.24 that was budgeted in 2024 but not yet paid, an outstanding training center roof bill of $24,820, IT racks estimated at about $89,000, and the state’s attorney kitchen work at $20,880. She also recited estimates prepared for other projects: a trial window area at $85,800; general office work including the treasurer's office at $253,000; courtroom refresh and electrical upgrades at about $137,050; and flashing and lintels estimated at $964,700. The committee discussed that competitive bidding could change those figures.

Committee members raised implementation and legal questions tied to the generator. “How do you budget it? Because if you guys tell Kurt, okay, we're gonna go for 400,000 and we're gonna put it in there and then the city says, oh, we're gonna sue you. And then when they sue you, it takes what a year?” said Bob, expressing concern about the timing and potential cost of litigation and whether the transfer would cover long legal processes.

Several members suggested shifting some projects to the public safety fund if legally eligible. “I truly believe, like, the jail roof and the training center roof, those should come out of public safety. That's a public safety issue,” Amanda said. A separate question was whether a generator intended for downtown courthouse safety could be charged to public safety; committee members asked the county attorney and finance staff to confirm eligible uses before moving money.

Timeline and next steps: Kirk said the bids for the flashing and lintels were ready to go and that the county would open bids on April 10 and formally open them April 11 in County property; a formal recommendation would follow about two weeks later and then go to the full board. Amanda said she would complete the public-safety-related transfers and the $400,000 general fund transfer and provide an updated Fund 28 balance in two weeks. “I am going to do the corrections. I'm waiting on CIC for, answer on 1 thing. But as far as the public safety transfers that should have been completed, I'm going to complete those along with the $400,000 that we did budget to transfer from the general fund. So then in 2 weeks … you will have a balance sheet that shows exactly what is in Fund 28,” she said.

Bids and legal eligibility were repeatedly raised as gatekeepers: several speakers urged waiting for the bid results for flashing and lintels before reallocating funds and asked the county attorney to confirm whether public safety funds may cover the jail roof and related items.

Votes at a glance: The meeting recorded a single formal motion at adjournment (motion by Joe, second by Mike); committee members voted in favor and the motion carried. No capital project appropriation or budget amendment was formally approved during this meeting.

The committee scheduled follow-up finance work and to bring the generator and other major items to public safety and finance agendas for further discussion after bid openings and legal eligibility review.