County weighs rural transportation intergovernmental agreement as neighboring counties propose changes

Iroquois County committee members discussed the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) for rural transportation — referred to in the meeting as the Show Bus arrangement — and said county-level approval will depend on related votes by neighboring counties.

Committee members said the agreement was discussed at length and that wording about termination had been added. One committee member said the committee approved the IGA language for recommendation to the county board, but that final approval will be decided by the full board and could change depending on what Ford or Livingston counties do at their meetings.

A participant said Livingston County had received a change request from Ford County and that Pontiac or other partners might not accept their version of the agreement. Committee members said they were monitoring Monday or evening meetings of partner counties and expected to revisit the county’s position on Tuesday after learning what partners decide.

Members expressed concern about short-notice changes and emphasized the need to know what each partner county will do before finalizing Iroquois County's position. One committee member suggested exploring alternatives, such as contracting for part-time or shared economic-development staff or hiring a third-party representative to fill gaps if partners withdraw or alter the draft agreement.

No final board-level decision was recorded in committee; committee members said the item will be taken to Tuesday’s county board meeting with the expectation that partners’ votes will inform the county’s final action.