The McLean County Board on Thursday unanimously approved funding of up to $100,000 for the area’s only certified rape crisis center that will be used to help decrease its client wait list.
YWCA McLean County Stepping Stones in Bloomington outlined in its proposal that it will use the funds to hire a new counselor and continue paying for six months of a current staff member’s salary to help bring down a wait list that reached up to 65 people when the organization recently lost federal funding it typically received.
Money for Stepping Stones will come from the county's reserve fund dedicated to mental health initiatives sustained through sales taxes in Bloomington and Normal. Since 2016, anyone who shops in those communities, or has items shipped to an address in Bloomington-Normal, contributes to the fund.
YWCA McLean County CEO and President Liz German said the organization is excited to start looking for a new counselor, but it will take a few weeks. Once the person is hired, there’s mandatory training involved with working at a certified rape crisis center that will take a couple of weeks, too.
“We are grateful for the support of this as a service that our county desperately needs to be stable, and we appreciate the questions and conversations we’ve been able to have through this process. And hopefully, it opens up the door for people to understand not only sexual violence, but also just funding streams and grants and all the things that go into how nonprofits work,” she said, adding the process is complex.
Prior tension surrounding Stepping Stones proposal
Before the vote on Thursday, members of the Behavioral Health Coordinating Council (BHCC) — which advises on the roughly $3 million currently in the mental health fund — and the county board's executive committee asked several questions related to the proposal. There also was some opposition, though it didn’t deter members from a unanimous approval by the committee.
Health committee chair Susan Schafer previously expressed concern about using these funds to help an existing program because other organizations might start making requests. Her viewpoint on that hasn’t changed, but she said she voted in favor of the funding because there wasn’t any clear guidance on the issue.
At one point in the executive committee meeting, county board chair Catherine Metsker had to clarify how the proposal came to be before the board. She corrected a member who said the county itself had defined a need for sexual assault services and instead characterized the situation as Stepping Stones “reaching in” for assistance.
However, the county — via the BHCC — did put out a Notice Of Funding Opportunity for “Sexual Assault Services” in December. This was after the council heard about Stepping Stones' wait list at its September quarterly meeting. Stepping Stones was the only applicant, which German mentioned when she spoke to the executive committee and the full county board.
During the full county board meeting, member Jim Soeldner pointed to the YWCA's $3.5 million in assets, and questioned how that could be used to help Stepping Stones.
“I’m gonna support this, but I just want to make sure that we understand that whenever we look at any other group that wants money, we have to look at their finances,” said Soeldner. “Again, maybe there’s no way they can use any of this money, but I just wanted to bring it to our attention.”
German told WGLT after the meeting that those funds are indeed tied up elsewhere.
Board member Corey Beirne commented that he thought Stepping Stones provides a necessary service that should be a focus. He alluded to an earlier comment from justice committee chair Chuck Erickson about there being “a lot of demands on resources,” including funding a new McLean County Animal Control building.
“I think our priorities might be a little misplaced,” said Beirne, adding that Animal Control and other items are important, but they should not outshine the need for sexual assault services.
Going forward, Stepping Stones will report to the county on how it is spending dollars relevant to the grant and should be reimbursed up to $100,000 for any expenses before the agreement expires in December.
Other items approved
In addition to funds for Stepping Stones, the county board also approved just under $200,000 in remaining county American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars be sent to several villages and Lexington for infrastructure fixes. Cooksville and Hudson will use the majority of funds — over $100,000 combined — for water pressure tank repairs and outdated water saddle connections, respectively.
Carlock is getting increased police presence from the McLean County Sheriff’s Department starting next month and ending next year in April. Deputy sheriffs will be paid $85 per hour to patrol the village.
The group designing McLean County Animal Control's new building also provided a presentation on the model, adding it is starting to look for contractors.
Update on statewide internet speed challenge
Assistant County Administrator Tony Grant updated the board that McLean County residents have until Monday to test their internet speed as part of the statewide BEAD Challenge. He indicated current maps of internet speed are inaccurate, which could hurt the county’s chance of getting some of the more than $1 billion in funds the state plans to distribute for this issue.
In Arrowsmith, Grant said a speed test yielded slower speed “than the dial-up modems that those who like me with gray hair remembered when we first got the internet.”
“However, that village and… all of eastern McLean County is listed as served. This is driven by primarily three wireless internet service providers indicating that they can provide high-speed service at the 100 megabytes per second standard.”
Grant said documentation from eastern and southern McLean County to disprove this information and show slow internet speed will help the county’s effort.
