The Town of Normal is following suit in approving a new Records Management System [RMS] ahead of McLean County government, and after the Bloomington City Council took the same action last month.
At the town council meeting on Monday, Normal also set a public hearing for a new Tax Increment Finance [TIF] District in Uptown.
All council members were present, and all agenda items passed in a unanimous vote.
Axon agreement
The council approved a 10-year agreement with Axon for an unlimited premium plan of an integrated ecosystem of connected hardware and software, with the town citing evolving technology needs for its law enforcement officers.
The system includes an agreement for body worn cameras, in-car camera systems, interview room cameras, digital evidence servers and records management for the Normal Police Department.
Police Chief Steve Petrilli and Innovation and Technology Director Vasudha Gadhiraju spoke about the agreement and answered questions from the council.
“A lot of our equipment is reaching near end-of-life where we’re having some audio issues that need to be addressed and this does that,” said Petrilli. “And [it] also helps filter that information into a digital evidence management system.”
Petrilli also said Axon will provide an unlimited cloud-based system for evidence storage.
“Our current ... approach to data collection and data preservation, whether that’s an interview we do, that’s an in-car camera video that’s taken on the street, a body worn camera video that we upload into evidence, we’re housing all that here ... have the hardware here to maintain that,” Petrilli said. “We’re at 100 terabytes of hard storage ... that’s a lot from what I understand.”
Gadhiraju confirmed 100 terabytes of storage is a large amount of video, audio and pictures.
“For law enforcement, one of the fastest growing data type is video and that really accumulates fast, and keeping up with that has been a challenge, so this unlimited digital evidence will be extremely handy for operations, but also from a maintenance perspective for us,” she said.
Gadhiraju also spoke of the heightened security that comes from Axon, noting NPD officers currently operate with USB drives to store and transfer their audio and video.
“On a grand scheme of things, [it] may not seem like a big deal, but as we look at security overall that is a factor that we are watching carefully, so this will allow us to cut down on devices like that,” she said.. “When we are talking about bringing a host of devices under one vendor, it really allows us to hold that vendor accountable and have relationships to manage those pieces of equipment better.”
The town said after reviewing research and product demonstrations of multiple vendors, Axon stood out for the most comprehensive equipment and operational efficiency.
Petrilli said the system is highly customizable and let the town take its own approach, adding, it "allows us to custom-build a RMS that fits our needs, our operational requirements and does a lot of things from the records side as well. Everything from [Freedom of Information Act requests] ... to [Criminal Justice Information Services] compliance, there’s a lot of things built into this and the best thing is we get to customize that…”
He also noted Axon is the system of choice of other area law enforcement agencies.
“A lot of our partner agencies or chiefs that are kind of in my group of influence — Decatur, Springfield, Bloomington — has recently signed on…” said Petrilli. “Most agencies seem to be very happy with the service that’s delivered.”
The town said the process was done in collaboration with the City of Bloomington to review replacements for the old RMS system. known as the electronic justice information system [EJS].
Bloomington and Normal said McLean County government was invited to participate in the demonstrations, but both have already moved forward with the software amid the ongoing dispute on the shared Mental Health and Public Safety fund.
Town council member Karyn Smith asked if the town can expect to be recuperated from the fund for any payments made to Axon.
“That would be a question for another day, that’s a work in progress,” said Mayor Chris Koos.
The total cost of the Axon contract is fixed at $8.02 million over the 10-year period. The first and second year have fixed payments of $667,116 and the payment will increase to $836,010. for the remaining eight years. The town said it saved about $2.1 million by bundling all the products and services in the plan.
Uptown North TIF District
Also Monday, the council approved a public hearing date — Dec. 1 — for the proposed TIF district known as Uptown North. The council will vote on the adoption of the TIF district as early as January 2026.
The TIF aims to extend the timeline of the existing TIF that was originally adopted as the Downtown TIF. It will remove overlying parcels from the existing TIF and incorporate them into the proposed one.
When a TIF district is formed, property tax revenues are frozen at the current base value, allowing for redevelopment to occur and property values to rise. Then, the newly generated revenue can be reinvested back into the district.
Town staff have said various prospective developers and multifamily builders have been interested in pursuing projects in Uptown, but have cited the limited time left in the current TIF as a challenge to complete construction on time. They said significant developers require access to the full TIF lifespan.
As described by the town, the new project area will include about 24 acres of the property north of the roundabout, continuing north to Mulberry Street to the west of the vacant Frontier property. It then stretches down to the Normal Public Library and across to the former Busey and Commerce bank properties.
Town staff hope for developers will take advantage of the full TIF lifespan and spur more development in the area now containing some vacant buildings and deteriorating parking lots. Developments like the one planned by Eagle View partners were previously planned for the area, but fell short amid rising interest rates.
The town hopes a similar project could be planned with an active, pedestrian-oriented development, including housing and retail spaces.
Other business
In other business, the council:
— Heard a presentation on the town’s Status of Vision 2050/Sustainability Plan. Director of Planning and Zoning Mercy Davison said town staff continue to make progress toward achieving the goals outlined in the plan, including yielding better environmental stewardship, community well-being and economic vitality.
— Authorized city manager Pam Reece to solicit bids through the town’s energy consultant, Stone River Group LLC, for electricity and natural gas for town-owned accounts. With the current contracts for electricity and gas expiring in December, Stone River Group has advised the town to take advantage of favorable market conditions as soon as possible.
— Renewed the employee group health, dental, life and Medicare insurance programs for town employees. The FY2025 budget previously projected a 3% increase in health insurance rates, but the proposed rate sits at 2.3%, or $10,400 in savings.
— Learned the town is designated a Bird City by the Audubon Council of Illinois. Normal was honored as a community dedicated to a green future and having undertaken efforts to enhance the local environment for birds and educating the public on the relationships between birds and people.
