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Lee County considers zoning department restructure and three‑year building‑code grant; FEMA funds paused
Summary
County staff proposed reorganizing zoning to create a building official position and a zoning administrator, and said the county applied for a three‑year FEMA grant to implement building codes; staff said FEMA disbursements are paused but they expect the award to proceed.
County administrator Jeremy and zoning staff described a proposed restructure of the zoning department that would create a building official or building administrator position to handle permitting and inspections, while the zoning administrator would continue to manage hearings, land‑use mapping and floodplain duties.
Jeremy said the change stems from workload growth and the recent resignation of the deputy zoning administrator. He said the county believes it can absorb the short‑term budget impact—"it might be an extra 10 ish thousand dollars in cost over time"—within the current zoning budget this year.
Grant funding and state requirements: Staff said the county applied for a three‑year FEMA program (passed through the State of Illinois) to establish and implement county building codes; the grant includes funds for labor, technology (software), and public education. Jeremy said that FEMA funding notifications had been paused but staff "believe that it will still be approved and move forward." Zoning staff noted the grant would fund inspector labor, software to replace Excel-based tracking, and public outreach over three years.
Why it matters: The state of Illinois is also requiring counties and municipalities to have building codes in place by year-end, creating a compliance timeline. Zoning staff said the restructure would help the county meet the technical inspection and permitting workload anticipated under that requirement.
Next steps: The board discussed that the vacant position can be rehired internally and that because it is a rehire for an existing budgeted area, it may not require a separate county board hiring authorization. Staff will continue to develop job descriptions, fee structures, and software specifications; the grant, if funded, would offset salary and technology costs.
Ending: The board signaled support and asked staff to proceed with internal restructure planning and to prepare any necessary materials for the full board once grant status is confirmed.
