Peoria County reports near-final costs for Health & Human Services building; project finishes under budget

Peoria County officials reported near-final financials for the Health and Human Services building, saying the project finished about a month early and is currently under the approved budget.

At the committee meeting Heather, a county staff member, told the board, "we are thrilled to report that, not only did the project come in 1 month early ... but it was also well on track to finish well under budget." Heather said the county's total approved budget for the project was $22,900,000 and that the county has spent about $20,700,000 to date, with approximately $1,450,000 outstanding on open purchase orders or pending expenses. Of the total, roughly $1,300,000 is being held as retainage by the contractor.

The report listed the original funding sources the board approved in April 2023: $4,950,000 from the health department (including $4,700,000 built in reserves and a $250,000 installment from the solid waste management fund); $16,630,000 from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds; $500,000 split between the general fund and capital projects fund; and an additional $250,000 from the solid waste management fund. County staff said the board later approved additional IT funding in May 2024 from the information technology services fund to cover IT-related items.

Heather summarized the current position: about $20.7 million spent, $1.45 million outstanding, $1.3 million retained by the contractor, leaving an unspent balance of roughly $783,000 (about 3.4% of the total project budget). She warned that the number could shift slightly as remaining invoices are processed, but she did not expect a significant change.

Staff also showed a categorical breakout of expenses. The River City construction contract composed the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) portion at approximately $18.6 million; $107,641 in allowances or contingencies remained open against the GMP. Non-GMP “soft” costs (design, furniture, testing, utility fees) had about $539,000 unspent or uncommitted. IT costs were budgeted at $583,000, with $447,000 spent and about $136,000 remaining.

Heather and others highlighted four value-added items that were included while the project still finished under budget: a rooftop patio, a sidewalk snow-melt system, a partitionable community room, and an expanded north parking lot. County Administrator Scott Sorrell and a board member described those as deliberate enhancements that improved building function while preserving budgetary savings.

Heather said a remaining ARPA balance (noted in the report as $227,244.84) could either be reallocated via journal entries to pay remaining project costs or retained for construction management expenses; she recommended keeping it available for construction-related needs. She said unspent budgeted amounts in the IT services fund will return to that fund.

Nut Graf: The committee received a near-final accounting for the Health and Human Services building, with officials reporting early completion and modest savings against the $22.9 million budget; staff outlined remaining retainage and outstanding invoices and recommended options for handling residual ARPA funds.

Questions from board members focused on detailed line items and the disposition of leftover funds. Heather confirmed that retained funds and outstanding purchase orders account for most of the remaining balance and stressed that final numbers would firm as outstanding invoices are processed.

Ending: Staff did not present a formal action to close project accounting at this meeting; they asked the board to note the near-final figures and approved funding sources, and indicated a future report when final invoices and retainage are resolved.