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Council seeks clearer accounting and oversight of behavioral-health sales-tax fund after audit ordered
Summary
Council Member Montney reviewed the 2016 intergovernmental agreement and the recent pause and audit; council members pressed for monitoring and evaluation measures, staff reported paused payments of about $838,000 and a fund balance near $19.4 million, and members agreed to invite FAC/BHCC representatives to a future meeting for more detail.
Council Member Montney delivered a detailed briefing on the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) that created a countywide behavioral-health funding stream, telling the Committee of the Whole that the IGA ties roughly 10 percent of a home-rule 2.5 percent sales tax to behavioral-health and criminal-justice initiatives and that the IGA’s operational details lack clear success metrics.
Montney said the county, the city and the town of Normal created the pact to address mental-health needs in the justice system and that, from 2016 through 2025, pledged sales-tax revenues directed under the IGA totaled “almost $45,000,000.” She told members an audit services agreement was signed in January 2026 and that auditors estimated two to three months to complete the engagement.
Why it matters: Council members said they need both a backward-looking audit of past expenditures and an ongoing monitoring-and-evaluation process that measures program outputs and outcomes, not just dollars spent. “I think that would be a very, important aspect,” Montney said, referring to outcome metrics and governance processes.
Council Member Ward led questioning about when application windows open, how FAC deliberations translate into recommendations, and how much of the current carryforward is available for use. City Manager Jurgens responded with round figures: the three-month pause withheld roughly $838,000; FY26 payments to the county were about $2.8 million (the figure would have been roughly $3.6 million without the pause); and the fund balance was reported as approximately $19,400,000 as of June 30.
Several members pressed the distinction between an audit (a financial, retrospective review) and monitoring and evaluation (an ongoing review of program activities and outcomes). Montney and staff said the city currently lacks staff dedicated to formal monitoring and that any expansion of reporting requirements in the IGA would require county agreement.
Public input: Former alderman Donna Bolen, speaking during public comment and later during a rules-suspension allowance, urged the council to establish a grant-processor or similar role to track grants and measure program return on investment. Gary Stevens, another public commenter, raised an unrelated parks complaint.
What’s next: Members agreed to pursue a follow-up that brings FAC and BHCC representatives before the council (members suggested August as a likely time) so staff and committee delegates can answer outstanding financial and procedural questions. The audit, Montney said, should provide the detailed transactional trail members are requesting so the city can determine whether it needs stronger monitoring and reporting requirements in the IGA.
