Unidentified board member (Speaker 5) raised procedural and funding concerns on a proposed FY2026 budget amendment to fund a children's waiting room at the Law and Justice Center, urging the county to consider an existing State of Illinois remedy that allocates court-fee revenue to such services rather than using shared sales-tax dollars.

County staff (Speaker 6) told members the statutory line for children's waiting-room funding was effectively folded into the general fund after fee categories changed under Public Act 109-87, which took effect July 1, 2019, and noted that pandemic-era revenue declines reduced expected receipts. Staff said a later grant to Children's Home & Aid (now Brightpoint) restored services until that grant ended.

Members debated two paths: a budget amendment to release funds immediately or using the emergent-needs funds the county has set aside for 2026 and launching a competitive process (an RFP) to allocate those dollars. Staff said a budget amendment could reach the Executive Committee and County Board in January; a new emergent-needs competitive process would likely delay funding until early February.

Speakers estimated interim costs at roughly $3,800$3,900 per month; members discussed whether the court system could temporarily cover one month while the competitive process proceeded. Several members urged adhering to the newly established emergent-needs procedure to preserve transparency and trust with local providers and the Behavioral Health Coordinating Council.

At Speaker 7's request, members moved to remove the related visitation/custody-exchange center (agenda item 3B) from the current agenda so it can be considered later by the Justice Committee and the County Board. That amendment was seconded and recorded as having passed (vote tally not specified in the record).

After weighing timing and process considerations, the member who originally moved to bring the whole item to the table (Speaker 5) withdrew that motion so the county can pursue the emergent-needs process and avoid bypassing the competitive procedure. The meeting adjourned without a final vote to appropriate sales-tax dollars for the waiting room; staff and members signaled plans to return with a process-based recommendation and potential interim funding options.