Boone County Board Meeting
Oct 15, 2026
The lede
- The board placed the fiscal year 2027 budget on layover for public review, with approximately $24 million in general fund revenues proposed and contingencies set aside for pending union contract negotiations with sheriff, corrections, and dispatch staff.
- The board approved moving $1 million from general fund reserves to the property maintenance fund to address aging infrastructure, including air handlers dating to 1975 and 1991 at the public safety building and ongoing courthouse roof work.
- The board approved a preliminary plat for State Solar Subdivision and rezoned three lots in Mallard Point Subdivision for residential development.
- Board member Ryan Curry’s resignation was announced due to family and work obligations, with Chairman Karl Johnson publicly thanking him for his service to the county.
Attendance & housekeeping
Chairman Karl Johnson called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m. Board members absent: Mr. Patterson, Mr. Anliker, and Ryan Curry. The board approved the agenda and the minutes from the August 20, 2026 meeting without discussion.
Decisions & votes
General consent items (fund transfers, road projects, donations, raffles): Approved without discussion. Motion by Wiltse, second by Schneider. Voice vote, unanimous.
FY 2027 Budget on layover: Approved to place the preliminary budget on public display for review. Motion by Riley, second by Shoemaker. Voice vote, unanimous. Finance Director Tobin highlighted key items including $42,500 for Growth Dimensions funded by new hotel-motel tax revenue from short-term rentals, $120,000 for regional office of education (subject to adjustment), $50,000 for FOIA attorney (pending city cost-sharing discussion), and $246,000 contingency for three pending union contracts.
Resolution 26-30 (IDOT public transportation capital grant application): Approved authorization to submit grant application dated October 30, 2026. Motion by Riley, second by Thornberry. Roll call: all yes. Motion carried.
Resolution 26-31 (Illinois Emergency Management Mutual Aid System): Approved participation in intergovernmental mutual aid agreement. Motion by Riley, second by Thornberry. Roll call: all yes. Motion carried.
PP-11-2026 (State Solar Subdivision preliminary plat): Approved preliminary plat subject to 11 conditions. Attorney Jim Hirsch represented the applicant and noted corrections had been made, with one remaining item related to Route 20 access requiring IDOT certification. Motion by Wiltse, second by Shoemaker. Roll call: all yes except Thornberry (abstain). Motion carried.
Ordinance 26-37, MA-09-2026 (Mallard Point rezoning): Approved rezoning of lots 19, 20, and 21 of Mallard Point Subdivision from R-1 Single-Unit Dwelling to R-E Residential Exurban District. Attorney Jim Hirsch represented applicants. Riley commended applicants for coming to the board before proceeding. Motion by Riley, second by Shoemaker. Roll call: all yes. Motion carried.
Claims totaling $1,803,129.09: Approved with Chairman Johnson abstaining on all claims from William Charles, Northern Illinois Service Co., Core & Main, Highway Department, and county departments regarding sewage, stormwater, construction, and excavation. Johnson also abstained due to one customer doing bridge work for the county. Motion by Walberg, second by Schneider. Roll call: all yes except Johnson (abstain). Motion carried.
Change Order #32 (Scandroli Construction, $10,935.39): Approved for courthouse project. Tobin explained it included a $274.72 deduct for wall covering, lock addition for jury room access ($1,586.12), added data lines in public defender conference room, and bullet-resistant window tinting for security office front doors ($8,623.99), the latter being the cheapest option approved by the sheriff. Motion by Walberg, second by Wiltse. Roll call: all yes. Motion carried.
Ordinance 26-36 (Surplus Equity Fund): Approved creation of fund pursuant to state statute for collection of fees related to sale of unpaid property taxes. Wiltse confirmed this was the legislative fix for a deed issue. Motion by Walberg, second by Schneider. Voice vote, unanimous.
December meeting schedule: After extended discussion, the board scheduled the organizational meeting for December 7, 2026, with both administration and finance committee meetings consolidated on December 10, and the full board meeting on December 17.
Discussion items (no vote)
Finance Director Tobin provided budget highlights: hotel-motel tax revenue from the county’s first short-term rental would go to Growth Dimensions for tourism activities; Regional Office of Education funding might increase from the $120,000 shown; the proposed $1 million transfer to property maintenance fund would not need to be spent entirely in one fiscal year but would be available for urgent needs like aging HVAC equipment; landfill fund transfer from city and county would increase from $25,000 to $30,000 each; and capital projects fund would close out after courthouse completion with total reserve use under the projected $7.5 million.
Growth Dimensions Executive Director Pam Fetters reported 124 active projects with 46 committed or under construction and 18 completed, including a plastic company expansion in Belvidere, Garcia’s Tortilla Factory relocation, Belvidere Auto Body paint booth installation, a full-service bank on Genoa Road, and a fuel station on US 20 and Irene Road. She described ongoing work with Walmart on workforce development including connections to Rockford University transportation programs, Rockford Airport logistics, and housing/transportation for workers. Growth Dimensions completed a housing test-fit study to be shared with taxing bodies and is working with business development organizations to help new and existing small businesses.
Public comment
Ruth Haberstich, 8227 Farm Road, Belvidere, read information from Ernie Babbage about data center development patterns in multiple states, including developers helping write ordinances, non-disclosure agreements, rezoning agricultural land to heavy industrial without impact assessments, and companies using planned unit development amendments. She questioned whether the ultimate goal was for tech companies to “become quadrillionaires” and monopolize future infrastructure.
Julie Willis, 2201 Stone Quarry Road, Belvidere, questioned whether a data center was best for the community, citing damage to her family farm’s feedlots this spring when cement buckled and sank, which others attributed to dropping water levels. She expressed concern about data center water usage given her farm’s springs have had plentiful water until this year. She also mentioned receiving an email suggesting data centers chose the area because solar panels needed are located north of the area on the Chicago side, though she noted she did not have time to research this claim.
Notable moments
Board member Rodney Riley addressed public commenters directly (with the chairman’s permission), urging them to watch state legislature activity: “If you want to make an impact, watch what your state legislatures are doing. We’re running into this data center thing, the same thing that we ran into with the solar energy issues. They took away our local control to be able to look at these projects in a bigger picture, in a local picture. Watch what the state’s doing. Watch what laws they’re passing. Watch what rights they’re taking away from us as local governments.”
Chairman Johnson read a proclamation recognizing October 2026 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, noting that in Boone County in 2024, the Sheriff’s Department and Belvidere Police Department received approximately 979 domestic-related calls and 363 emergency orders of protection were requested.
The December meeting schedule discussion became unexpectedly lengthy as board members debated multiple options. Schneider joked that newly elected member Cordray “won’t be here” if the meeting were scheduled on December 3, since Johnson would still be chairman. Johnson later quipped that choosing the meeting date “would have been our toughest decision tonight.” Board member Schneider reminded the chairman that cookies would need to be ready earlier with the new schedule, drawing laughter.
Chairman Johnson announced Ryan Curry’s resignation and thanked him for his service: “Mr. Curry can be very passionate and he is very passionate and that’s a great thing for those he represents.”