|
A great way to keep up with what has happened in the distant and recent past is to look in these places:
The County has many big things going on now, including:
- Land Resource Management Plan (LRMP), led by Dist. 9 colleague Barbara Wysocki. The County does not have a comprehensive plan to address zoning and land use issues. After the countywide BigSmallAll project that defined a vision for the county, the next logical step was to develop a LRMP which would presumably lead to a comprehensive plan. Because of the unique nature of our county, where strong urban, rural, development, and preservation interests exist, this project is a particular challenge, but very important to the future of Champaign County.
- Champaign County Nursing Home (CCNH). As has been reported extensively by the local media, the CCNH has had more than its fair share of struggles, first during construction and then in ongoing operations during tough economic times. We settled both of the two legal battles (one via binding arbitration) going on over construction problems, and by establishing a highly qualified CCNH Advisory Board as well as hiring an industry savvy management firm, operational revenue is up and expenses are down, helping us to struggle to break even, a great improvement from almost all previous years in recent memory. It's still a very challenging time economically, but the work and dedication of everyone involved with CCNH is making a very positive difference. Net income improved by over $1.5 million in this past fiscal year.
- County Government Reform. Beginning with a 10 Point Plan conceived by fellow Board member Greg Knott and I, we have been persistent in analyzing how we can deliver needed services to the citizens while maximizing operational efficiency. Projects like the LRMP, capital improvement planning, long-range financial planning, the development of our first strategic plan, analyzing the size of our board and committee structure, and analyzing our countywide organizational development structure has provided the benefit of an audit to see where we can improve during these difficult economic times.
Since the 2004 election, Champaign County has accomplished many great things, including:
- Moved into new Champaign County Nursing Home
- Awarded distinguished budget award by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) in 2007, 2008, and 2009 (4 of 102 counties received this designation)
- Improved public access to County information through enhanced Internet presence and access
- Developed a pre-qualified vendor list to promote minority and women owned business contractors on all Champaign County construction projects
- Awarded $4 million to all qualified minority and women owned business contractors on the Champaign County Nursing Home project
- Sponsored and passed a county resolution to extend spousal benefits to domestic partners
- Made quality appointments to the Forest Preserve, Sanitary District, Mass Transit District, and other boards and commissions
- Built new fleet maintenance facility
- Developed County strategic plan
- Completed successful settlement of HVAC and arbitration of mold issues during new nursing home construction
- Successfully planned and implemented move to single County administrator
- Recently passed County Board committee changes to go to "committee of the whole" structure to increase knowledge base and overall efficiency
New issues continually present themselves to the County and its Board. Current issues facing the Board include:
- Completing many long-range planning initiatives recently begun, including in the areas of technology, land use, finance, and capital improvement
- Complete analysis and discussion on issues of board size, redistricting, elected/appointed board chair, and more
- Completion of Olympian Drive
I will work to keep this list of issues current on this page. If you have questions about the issues or my views, please contact me anytime.
|
