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Peoria County approves IDOT-funded preliminary engineering for Chillicothe viaduct; board also signs off on several committee measures
Summary
The board voted to oversee $1 million in IDOT-funded preliminary engineering for improvements to the Illinois 29 railroad viaduct near Chillicothe and approved multiple committee resolutions including Springdale Cemetery bylaw changes, landfill budget, toxicology equipment for the coroner, and policy updates.
Peoria County Board members voted to approve an intergovernmental agreement that will let the county oversee IDOT-funded phase-one (preliminary) engineering for improvements at the Illinois 29 railroad viaduct near Chillicothe.
"This is going to be a reimbursement grant and the county does have some ability to cash flow this after the vendor is paid," Amy McLaren said, describing a $1 million IDOT offer for preliminary engineering and explaining why the city lacks staffing to manage the work. McLaren said the county highway department has the capacity to oversee vendor selection and project administration on the city's behalf.
Members emphasized that the county’s role is limited to phase one engineering. Member Danny Phelan said the county should track labor hours and seek to bill administrative time to the grant rather than absorb it. Terry Ruhland described the full project as a potential $25–30 million construction effort that would likely require federal funding with a local match and noted the railroad will not engage until presented with preliminary plans.
The board approved the intergovernmental agreement by voice vote. The transcript records a voice "Aye" vote and does not include a roll-call tally.
Votes at a glance (items approved by the board during the meeting): - Approval of minutes for April 28, 2026 and the April 28, 2026 executive session minutes (voice vote). - Intergovernmental agreement with the City of Chillicothe to oversee IDOT-funded phase-one engineering for the Illinois 29 railroad viaduct (IDOT reimbursement grant of $1,000,000; county to manage phase-one; voice vote: approved). - Springdale Cemetery Management Authority bylaws amendments to align with Open Meetings Act/FOIA and create a committee structure (review/approval of parent governments; voice vote: approved). - Infrastructure committee resolutions including trade-services time-and-materials contracts, a pavement-management contract with Bradley, six highway safety intersection projects (90/10 funding), and Hamilton parking deck repair (single bid accepted) (voice votes/committee approvals). - Ways & Means actions: monthly delinquent report for May 2026 and staffing/budget adjustments (unanimous). - Operations: professional services agreement with BerryDunn for Tyler cashiering implementation oversight (passed with one abstention and one nay). - Health committee: 2026 landfill budget and acceptance of a Continuum of Care/food-insecurity grant from Heart of Illinois United Way adding a grant-funded FTE (FTE contingent on grant continuation) (approved). - Public Safety & Justice: purchase of toxicology equipment for the coroner’s office to bring testing in-house and offer services to other counties (estimated payback ~18 months; approved). - Finance committee: revised Peoria County travel policy and purchase card/petty cash/investment policy items (unanimous).
What’s next: Several items (notably the Chillicothe project) could require future board or state-level approvals, grant agreement details, or procurement action; members requested follow-up clarifications on administrative billing to the IDOT grant and on long-term funding for later construction phases.
