Millions of dollars in sales taxes to fund McLean County mental health and public safety programs called into question

MCLEAN COUNTY (25News Now) - Leaders of Bloomington and Normal are asking the McLean County Board to temporarily stop collecting millions of dollars in sales taxes intended to fund mental health and public safety programs.

A pair of resolutions presented to the county board’s executive committee also calls for an auditor to determine how the sales tax dollars are being spent.

Bloomington and Normal have been collecting a 1% sales tax since 2016 and sending that money to the county.

However, the resolutions indicate the county’s “Special Mental Health and Public Safety Fund” currently has a balance of about $20 million, which Normal Town Councilwoman Kathleen Lorenz said is excessive.

“That’s a lot of money,” said Lorenz, who added that there’s “no real clear understanding where the money is going in a comprehensive way.”

The fund has been used to pay off debt for the McLean County Jail expansion, upgrades to the county’s computer system to help first responders, and $1.3 million to help pay for The Bridge, which is a cabin village for the homeless under construction near Downtown Bloomington.

The two city governments would be able to keep the money instead of sending the funds to the county government. For Bloomington, that amounts to about $3 million a year and about $2 million for Normal. It’s not clear what they would do with those funds.

The audit is expected to cost up to $50,000. Bloomington Mayor Dan Brady favors the audit, saying he wants more transparency and accountability. He explained to 25News that this is also a chance for leaders to prioritize the county’s mental health needs, which have changed in recent years.

The executive committee meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday on the fourth floor of the Government Center in Downtown Bloomington. The session will be streamed on the county government’s YouTube channel.

The full county board would have the final say at its regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday.

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