The Will County Board on Nov. 20 approved changes to the county budget and levy after a daylong and at times contentious debate focused on cannabis-tax allocations and whether to raise the corporate property-tax levy.

Leader Jim Richmond proposed a package that would reallocate cannabis-tax community reinvestment dollars to a set of local programs, including $335,000 for the Community Action Council (CAC), $440,000 for housing stabilization, $170,000 for workforce services, $260,000 for a ballot-inserter machine for the clerk's office, $200,000 for the regional office of education (ROE) safety measures, $50,000 for food-stability programs aimed at seniors, $350,000 for a new scholarship fund and $200,000 for immigration legal-defense services. Richmond read the line items aloud as an amendment to the proposed budget, saying the shift was aimed at directing cannabis revenues to community reinvestment rather than general operations.

The amendment prompted extensive floor debate about process, transparency and priorities. Opponents pressed for longer vetting, questioned whether brand-new organizations should receive large, direct grants without a notice-of-funding-opportunity process, and objected to removing funding from some previously proposed beneficiaries. Supporters said the cannabis fund—distinct from the county's general fund—was intended for reinvestment in affected communities and could be targeted to scholarships, housing and workforce development.

The Richmond cannabis reallocation passed on a roll-call vote (12 in the affirmative). Later, after further procedural votes and legal guidance from the state's attorney about balancing levy and appropriation figures, the board amended the corporate fund levy to a 0% increase (with new construction included). That levy amendment likewise passed on a roll-call vote (12 in the affirmative). Members debated whether the shortfall created by lowering the levy should be made up from cash reserves or by cutting line items; the state's attorney advised that an approved budget must be balanced by either adjusting expenditures or finding other revenue.

County finance staff and several board members noted the county's corporate-cash reserves remain above the board's target percentage. Several members urged that staff and department heads work through operational adjustments in the weeks ahead to align the adopted appropriation with the amended levy.

The appropriation ordinance was adopted as amended; board leaders said staff would return with updated line-item language and any required technical corrections to reconcile the budget to the adopted levy.

The board scheduled follow-up finance committee work and directed staff to provide more detailed breakdowns and, where appropriate, to use a competitive NOFO process for new program grants funded from cannabis dollars.