Boone County Board Meeting
Jun 18, 2026
The lede
- Maple Crest Care Centre sale approved: Board authorized sale of county facility for $1.4 million to Maple Crest Care Centre, LLC; closing scheduled for June 30th
- Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) adopted: Major overhaul of county zoning and subdivision regulations passed after extensive discussion, with amendments requiring livestock facility buffers be measured from property lines and protections for 300+ animal unit operations
- Special use permit approved: Outdoor storage and self-service storage facility expansion at 3100 US Route 20 approved through planned unit development process
- Audit results positive: County received unmodified “clean” opinion on FY 2025 audit with strong general fund position of $13.8 million and well-funded pension plans
Attendance & housekeeping
Meeting called to order at 6:33 p.m. Roll call showed board members present: Earl Johnson (Chair), Josh Schoumacher, Dave Corcoran, Brian Schneyder, David Weltzer, Melissa Patterson, Tom Walberg, Rodney Riley, Pat McDonough, Dana Logston, and Marianne Thornberry. Ryan Curry was absent. Board approved the agenda and minutes from May 21, 2026 meeting and executive session.
Decisions & votes (each with vote count and notable discussion or dissent)
Appointments approved (voice vote, unanimous)
- Ed Branom reappointed to BC Historical Museum District Board
- Bob Walberg reappointed to Community Building Complex
- Tom Shattuck and Jeff Ernest reappointed to Building Board of Appeals
General consent agenda approved (voice vote, unanimous)
- Included fund transfers, road projects, raffle permits, and notable monetary donations to Animal Services from Barbara Thrawn (in memory of husband Kelly) and Chosen Crew Social Club
FY 2025 Audit approved (11-0) Auditor Lindsey Fish from Sikich LLC presented results. County received unmodified “clean” opinion. General fund balance of $13.8 million with $12.3 million unassigned. Revenues exceeded budget by $2.3 million. Two significant deficiencies noted (down from three prior year): segregation of duties and financial reporting completeness. All three pension plans well-funded, with IMRF showing net pension asset. No material weaknesses or instances of non-compliance.
Resolution 26-16: Maple Crest Care Centre sale authorized (11-0 roll call) Authorizes sale of facility for $1.4 million purchase price. County retains $25,000 escrow from previous failed closing. Seller must be current on rent at closing scheduled for June 30, 2026.
Resolution 26-17: Chairman authorized to sign Maple Crest sale documents (11-0 roll call) Designates County Board Chairman as authorized representative to execute all closing documents and paperwork.
Ordinance 26-26: Special Use Permit SUP-07-2026 approved (11-0 roll call) Expansion of outdoor storage and self-service storage facility at 3100 US Route 20 through planned unit development. Zoning Board of Appeals approved 5-0. Applicant Spencer Hammer confirmed trees on western property line would remain untouched.
Boone County IGA with Village of Poplar Grove for bike lanes approved (11-0 roll call) Intergovernmental agreement for Poplar Grove Road bike lanes project.
Claims approved in amount of $2,884,651.48 (10-0-1) Chairman Carl Johnson abstained due to customer (Midwest Directional Drilling) doing work for Highway Department. Board member Karl Johnson also noted standing abstention for claims from William Charles, Northern Illinois Service Co., Core & Main, Highway Department, and sewage/stormwater/construction claims.
60-month Marco lease approved (11-0 roll call) $113/month FMV lease for Probation Department equipment.
Ordinance 26-27: Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) adopted as amended (11-0 roll call) Major text amendment combining and replacing existing Appendix A (Zoning Ordinance) and Appendix B (Subdivision Regulations) with new Unified Development Ordinance. Significant discussion included:
- Livestock facility buffers: Amended to require quarter-mile buffer measured from registered livestock facility property line (not building) for developments near operations with 300+ animal units (changed from proposed 1,000 units)
- Subdivision plats must note proximity to livestock facilities
- Staff to draft final language incorporating board’s intent
- Modernizes use tables, combines industrial/commercial districts, includes illustrations
- Implements 2025 Comprehensive Plan
- Tree preservation requirements clarified as applying to development projects, not individual homeowners or fence line clearing
Farm Bureau and Farmland Protection Project raised concerns during public comment about impact on agricultural operations and residential development pressures.
Ordinance 26-28: Zoning Map amendment adopted (11-0 roll call) Updates zoning map to reflect all changes resulting from UDO adoption.
Discussion items (no vote)
Reports from Community Agencies:
- Senior Connections: No meeting since last month, no updates
- Growth Dimensions (Pam, remote): Nearly 100 projects/prospects with ~30 committed or under construction. New automotive supplier considering 17-acre Belvidere location. Generac won bid for Magna building, seeking additional 20 acres for outdoor storage. Welch Brothers broke ground on $25 million expansion. Americold planning expansion. Central Grain adding grain bin and elevator. Investor event held despite storms; 8 new investors. Economic development workshop scheduled. Annual event moved to Wednesday, September 2nd with Walmart GM Robert Liskey as keynote.
- CASA: Representative present but no report
- R1 Planning Council: No meeting
UDO Discussion highlights:
- Consultant Jake from Middleworth Group praised consolidation of ordinances, modernized use tables, illustrations, input from multiple stakeholders
- State’s Attorney confirmed county can impose more restrictive livestock facility setbacks than state code
- Discussion of reverse setbacks to protect existing livestock operations from encroaching residential development
- Concerns about existing facilities’ ability to expand if subdivisions built nearby; variance process identified as remedy
- R1 zoning district restored (replacing RC district which required planned unit developments and had implementation problems)
- 1-acre minimum lot size maintained
- Animal units scale explained: 50 units = 35 dairy cows or 125 pigs; 300 units chosen as threshold balancing agricultural protection with practicality; approximately 4 facilities in county above 1,000 units
- Tree preservation applies to development projects, not individual property maintenance
911 Board update (Mr. Regano): Major IT system upgrade completed in 3-4 days (competing bid estimated 2 years). New system has triple redundancy for emergency call reliability. Special recognition for Pam Luczak’s work with Motorola and communications systems.
Community Building: Getting new roof; AV equipment still being finalized; no meeting held due to attendance issues.
Public comment
Ken Ramsey, Farmland Protection Project: Raised concerns about UDO’s outdoor lighting requirements, tree removal permissions, quarter-mile reverse setbacks around livestock facilities. Noted A2 district expansion maintained, impact fee moratorium continued, LE soil minimums for solar removed. Questioned return to R1 zoning and how county will afford increased services within Prop 12 tax levy limits. Asked how county will preserve farmland given rollback of protective measures.
John Mitchell, Winnebago Boone Farm Bureau: Urged protection for livestock facilities. Proposed language on page 86 requiring 500 ft from lot lines and 1,320 ft from non-agricultural use conflicts with state Livestock Management Facilities Act. Requested continued support for reverse setbacks around livestock facilities to protect agricultural operations’ viability and expansion ability.
Mary Ann McKenna Moon, McKenna Farm: Requested board reconsider May 21st solar special use permit approval (SUP-05-2026) in light of June 2nd Illinois Appellate Court Fourth District ruling in Tate Solar Road v. County of Winnebago. Ruling affirmed Winnebago County’s authority to deny solar projects and represents opportunity for Boone County to reclaim local decision-making power on solar/wind siting. Urged board to follow Winnebago’s example and reaffirm original November 2022 denial of the permit.
Notable moments (anything colorful, tense, or unusual)
- Meeting ran unusually long due to detailed UDO discussion, with board actively working through livestock facility buffer amendments in real-time with staff and outside counsel input
- State’s Attorney had to clarify motion-making process multiple times as board navigated complex amendments
- Board demonstrated careful deliberation on balancing agricultural protection with development flexibility, consulting Farm Bureau representative John Mitchell during discussion
- Consultant provided detailed animal unit calculations on the fly (dairy cows, pigs, sheep/goats/lambs) to help board understand scale of operations being protected
- Chairman Johnson made rare personal comment about attending UCCI conference, noting he’d miss this year due to son’s wedding
- Audit presentation noted reduction from 3 to 2 internal control findings, with Treasurer and County Administrator receiving specific thanks for audit preparation work
- Board showed particular appreciation for large donations to Animal Services, specifically acknowledging Barbara Thrawn’s memorial gift and Chosen Crew Social Club contribution
- Discussion of Maple Crest sale notably straightforward after previous failed closing; State’s Attorney Trisha Smith confirmed escrow from prior attempt becomes county’s property
- Meeting demonstrated collaborative problem-solving with board directing staff to draft amended language post-approval rather than wordsmithing live—pragmatic approach to complex ordinance adoption