McLean County budget

The McLean County Board saw opposition from Republican members to both the proposed budget and the property tax levy.

The McLean County Board received a presentation of fiscal year 2025's projections that include a slight decrease in overall spending, a property tax decrease and higher salaries for county employees.

The newly formed Mental Health and Public Safety Fund Advisory Council — named after the fund Bloomington and Normal shared sales tax dollars create — had its first meeting on Monday, when members approved $1.5 million for new behavioral health initiatives in 2025.

The McLean County Board of Health is looking to area health nonprofits for proposals on how it should help budget the $1.8 million it intends to set aside for mental health and substance abuse initiatives in 2025.

Chestnut Health Systems and the McLean County Health Department have invested in vending machines that will freely dispense the overdose reversal medication Narcan, and the county recently started making payments to Chestnut for a contracted opioid prevention coordinator.

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 fiscal 2024 budget is nearly 16% higher than last year’s plan, and is built around the county’s 2023 levy bringing in about 13% more money than the 2022 figure.