Catherine Metsker

The board appointed Andy Ziebarth to replace Catherine Metsker, who resigned from her position in December.

There’s significant interest in filling the county board seat vacated by former board chair Catherine Metsker. Five people have filed applications.

After a decade of representing northern McLean County, Republican county board member Catherine Metsker resigned on Wednesday with little explanation.

The McLean County Board will change to a Democratic majority next month. That hasn’t happened before. Democrats and Republicans are forecasting nuanced changes in how the railroad runs.

The Behavioral Health Coordinating Council narrowed its scope for 2024-2025, identifying five key areas of improvement. In short, they are to educate on area resources, advance services and access for vulnerable populations, increase safe, temporary shelter, expand the behavioral health workforce and explore opportunities to share health data across service providers.

Restructuring of McLean County’s Behavioral Health Coordinating Council is complete, and as McLean County Board Chair Catherine Metsker promised when she suspended meetings in March, the group now has a defined — and codified — structure, with clear objectives.

The McLean County Board on Thursday approved formation of a new council to guide how local behavioral health funding is spent, four months after putting a previous panel on hold.

Previously, the Behavioral Health Coordinating Council [BHCC] — an ad hoc committee composed largely of mental health experts in the area — made spending proposals. The McLean County Board's Executive Committee approved an ordinance Monday to make the group an independent body, stripping members of that authority.

Payment delays caused by McLean County Auditor Michelle Anderson forced the county to violate several grant agreements with area service providers, emails obtained by WGLT through a public records request show.

June's meeting of the McLean County Board's Behavioral Health Coordinating Council ad hoc committee will not happen. County board Chair Catherine Metsker said delays in group restructuring are the cause.