Finance Committee approves fee schedule to expand McLean County electronic records

McLean County's Finance Committee on March 5 approved a resolution establishing a fee structure for electronic data dissemination intended to expand the county's public digital records and seed a County Automation Fund.

County Clerk Kathy Michael introduced the measure, saying the structure would help pay for broader online access to the recorder's digital library. Mark Bounds, the recorder division manager, told the committee the incoming revenues would allow the county to put “more data… out there, which will expand the revenues coming in and hopefully work towards the totality of data, the entire digital library out there and available.” He also flagged off‑site storage as a risk, noting that a prior pipe break at the JDC underscored the need to protect original records.

Several committee members welcomed greater public access while urging safeguards. Member Classe said that although it is “great that we're trying to open up these records,” the county must also guard against misuse by “nefarious bad actors,” and asked what controls would detect unusual access patterns. The committee discussed vendor platform protections and asked staff to report back on monitoring and liability concerns.

After discussion, the committee approved the resolution by voice vote. Chair Jerod Layman said the committee supports expanding access while exercising oversight as the program rolls out.

The measure directs the county to implement the fee schedule and place proceeds in the County Automation Fund to finance further digitization and hosting costs. Committee members asked administration to return with updates on security controls and usage trends once the system is live.