Elizabeth Johnston

A clean audit of the McLean County Mental Health and Public Safety Fund won't wipe away all the disagreements over how the county spends sales tax money shared by Bloomington and Normal.

After a pause, wind farm development could take a step forward in McLean County, according to County Board Chair Elizabeth Johnston. A battery energy storage system attached to a wind farm is moving ahead in McLean County.

The chair of the McLean County Board said she is not yet satisfied with the solution of a loan to the village of Hudson to make up for an error in tax collection.

Heartland Community College and Connect Transit have partnered on a new bus line that will stop along the I-55 corridor from Normal to Pontiac. The line will be free for Heartland students.

The website for McLean County Government just got a lot easier to use for people with disabilities. County board chair Elizabeth Johnston said a new module can read PDF documents aloud, and even interpret technical drawings like plans to change the design of an intersection.

The chair of the McLean County Board said the recent awarding of $1.7 million in mental health and human service funding shows the potential of an intergovernmental agreement using shared tax money to improve the community.

Officials representing McLean County, Bloomington and Normal said “the system worked” by implementing an all-hands effort during Friday’s powerful thunderstorms.

The skirmishing between Democratic McLean County Board members and Republican McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael continued as Michael did not appear before the board Executive Committee Monday afternoon.

The McLean County Board could decide to claw back more than $400,000 in budget overruns from County Clerk Kathy Michael's office. Board chair Elizabeth Johnston said depending on what invoices and other documentation Michael submits in the next month, the county general fund may need to be reimbursed.

McLean County Board Chair Elizabeth Johnston said she disagrees, in part, with Twin City mayors Dan Brady and Chris Koos who have criticized the performance of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council. Johnston said she thinks the EDC has delivered a lot of bang for the buck.