McLean County Executive Committee approves website accessibility tool, behavioral-health trainings, park-district loan and temporary fund transfer

The McLean County Executive Committee on Tuesday approved a package of contracts, trainings and intergovernmental agreements and authorized a temporary fund transfer while the county awaits completion of an external audit.

The committee voted by voice to allow Member Abel to attend electronically under Board Rule 2020 and the Illinois Open Meetings Act and then moved through the consent agenda before approving multiple departmental items, grants and agreements.

Why this matters: Several actions affect county finances and behavioral-health capacity. The temporary fund transfer was described as a stopgap measure while the county’s external audit is completed; the loan to a park district is intended to bridge levy timing. The DBT training and the Parent and Young Adult Advisory Board are funded or required through existing behavioral-health grant programs.

Most significant actions

CivicPlus accessibility tool: The committee approved an agreement with CivicPlus for website accessibility functionality and reporting. Esther Nelson, speaking for Information Technology, said the vendor provides a suite of tools that allow users to adjust color contrast and fonts and supplies back-end reporting to help address accessibility issues. Nelson said the county will use the tool free through the end of the year and that the service is included in the recommended budget for the following year at about $10,000 per year.

Parent and Young Adult Advisory Board contract: The committee approved a contract to compensate members of a Parent and Young Adult Advisory Board required by the county’s System of Care grant. Ms. Landreth said the board is composed of parents and young adults with lived experience who provide consultative expertise to the grant-funded system of care. The contract is intended to honor that expertise by treating members as paid consultants.

Continuing education with Carle Health System: The committee approved a continuing education credit agreement with Carle Health System for an upcoming behavioral-health forum. The item was described as straightforward and approved by voice vote.

PESI DBT training: The committee approved a contract with PESI to provide Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) training as part of the county’s mental-health strategic priorities. Ms. Landreth said DBT is a clinical modality suited to more complex needs and that the county selected PESI after comparing options. The training will include virtual and in-person sessions and the committee discussed capacity for up to 150 clinician-participants (up to 75 per delivery option); the sessions will be provided at no cost to clinicians who serve county residents. Members asked whether the county would collect follow-up metrics from trainees; staff said registration has not been closed and that a measurement plan has not been finalized but is under consideration.

Arcadia Park District zero-interest loan: The committee approved an intergovernmental agreement to provide a zero-interest loan to the Arcadia Park District to cover cash flow until the district’s levy is issued. County staff and the clerk described existing checks-and-balances, acknowledged past mistakes in the process and said they will strengthen verification procedures. The clerk said staff will implement additional reminders and double-check processes going forward.

Temporary transfer to PBC Rent O&M and lease funds: The committee approved a resolution transferring money from the county’s dry-out (reserve) fund to the PBC Rent O&M fund to maintain operations while the external audit is completed. County staff characterized the transfer as temporary and said the books will be corrected once the external audit is finalized and accepted by the controller.

Veterans care agreement and emergency-management grant: The committee approved a renewal of a veterans care agreement with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for county nursing-home services and approved a grant agreement between the county, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Office of Homeland Security; both items were approved by voice vote.

Votes at a glance

• Remote attendance for Member Abel (Board Rule 2020): approved (motion by Member Burns, second by Member Klein; voice vote)

• Consent agenda (minutes 09/08/2025 and payment of bills): approved (motion by Member Rogel; voice vote)

• Appointments/Reappointments (items 4A & 4B): approved (voice vote)

• 5A1 CivicPlus accessibility agreement: approved (voice vote)

• 5A2 Parent and Young Adult Advisory Board contract (System of Care grant): approved (voice vote)

• 5A3 Continuing education credit agreement with Carle Health System: approved (voice vote)

• 5A4 PESI DBT training contract: approved (voice vote)

• 5A5 Intergovernmental zero-interest loan to Arcadia Park District: approved (voice vote)

• 5A6 Resolution transferring lease fund and PBC Rent O&M fund for FY2025 (temporary transfer): approved (voice vote)

• 5A7 Veterans care agreement (VA): approved (voice vote)

• 5A8 Grant agreement with Illinois Emergency Management Agency/Office of Homeland Security: approved (voice vote)

What was not decided or remains unclear

• Follow-up metrics for DBT trainees: staff said a measurement plan has not been crystallized and registration remains open; specific post-training evaluation requirements were not specified.

• Exact accounting amounts related to the fund transfer: staff discussed the need to pull funds to float the PBC and referenced dollar amounts in the discussion, but the transcript contains inconsistent number references and the precise transfer accounting was not fully clarified on the record.

Meeting logistics

Chair asked members to hold a special meeting at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday to accept and adopt the external audit; the committee set a follow-up meeting date on members’ calendars during the session.

Sources: Meeting transcript of the McLean County Executive Committee special meeting (voice votes and staff remarks as cited).