Peoria County outlines pay-as-you-go options and timeline for jail master plan; staff eyes $3.5 million design budget

Peoria County staff presented funding options and a new interactive "pay-as-you-go" tool to plan repairs and renovations identified in the jail master plan, with the committee focusing on the kitchen and laundry as an initial phase.

Staff summarized 15 years of jail repair and maintenance spending (through September 2025) and said the county has spent roughly $9 million on repairs since 2011. The presentation broke spending down by source: roughly $6.8 million from the capital projects fund, about $941,000 from ARPA dollars, and roughly $1.1 million from the general fund over that period. Shelby Valente, the county’s budget and finance analyst, helped develop the interactive tool the committee used to run scenarios.

The committee discussed a target of $7 million to $10 million for an initial construction phase focused on the kitchen and laundry, with work not expected to begin until FY2027. Staff said the budget for FY26 includes approximately $3.5 million for engineering and design; Scott (county staff) outlined a timeline that would allow an award recommendation in late first quarter to early second quarter and a contract to be executed within 30 days of award so that design work can begin.

Staff identified funding buckets available for pay-as-you-go scenarios: general fund reserves, general fund surplus from FY24 (about $1.7 million not yet designated), anticipated vacancy savings in FY26 (approx. $1 million), capital projects fund (historically about $4.5 million available annually; staff initially modeled $3.25 million for this purpose), a potential County State Capital Improvement Fund/Keystone loan (estimated $2–$3 million available as a repayable loan), and ARPA interest (roughly $2.5 million available through FY29). One modeled scenario combining some of those sources yielded about $9 million available for projects in the near term.

Members raised implementation questions: Member Ricker requested prioritization and cost estimates for phase 1; staff said detailed construction pricing will follow design and that PJ was added to the team to provide pricing support. The sheriff’s office and staff emphasized that the jail is operable and that descriptions that it is collapsing are inaccurate; an unidentified speaker said, “The narrative that the jail is falling apart or structurally not sound or needs to be demolished tomorrow is a false one.”

Staff and members discussed the tradeoffs of using capital projects dollars (which delays other scheduled projects) versus general fund reserves, and the committee agreed that funding choices will require balancing across county priorities. Scott said the tool will allow committee members to model different funding mixes on the fly and see impacts to fund balances and project schedules. The committee received the presentation and directed staff to continue refining scenarios and to pursue an RFQ for architectural/engineering services so design can progress toward a FY27 construction start if funding permits.