Lori Curtis Luther State of the County Address February 12, 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. i!d!

ife "rairie "ar#

Like the Chairman, I appreciate all of you taking the time to join us for this morning's State of the County Address. We love Peoria County! And we want to share the message that the County is safe, healthy, financially sound, and growing. We consistently deli er professional, cost!effecti e pu"lic ser ices to the #$%,&&& citi'ens we ser e. We are pleased to continue to share this ser ice deli ery responsi"ility with our go ernment partners who ser e those same citi'ens. (eoria County alues the partnerships we ha e with other local go ernments within our "oundaries and throughout the region. And we appreciate this morning's representation from our go ernment partners. Communities thri e when units of go ernment, "usiness partners, and community leaders such as all of you work constructi ely together for the mutual "enefit of those we ser e. A lot of partnerships were strengthened and many formed o er the course of the past year as (eoria County and our region incurred significant e ents, some we hope to only e)perience once in our lifetime. *his morning, I will highlight those e ents

that fortified the County +oard's strategic goals of pro iding a Safe , -ealthy Community, .rowing the County, "eing a -igh (erforming (u"lic /rgani'ation, and pro iding -igh 0uality (u"lic 1acilities. *hese e ents include *he installation of /dyssey, the County's new Integrated Ci il Criminal 2ustice System, which went li e in 3o em"er. In 4&#5, (eoria County responded to two significant disasters in our region6 the spring flooding and the 3o em"er #7 tornadoes. *he 2u enile 8etention Center and Children's Ad ocacy Center achie ed 3ational Accreditation. -eddington /aks opened its doors to welcome residents to a state!of!the!art nursing facility. *he County +oard adopted a "alanced "udget of 9#4$ million for 1iscal :ear 4&#;. And, (eoria County's economic de elopment landscape continued to e ol e with the adoption of a fi e!year economic de elopment strategy.

A large part of the reason we lo e (eoria County is our efforts to keep the community Safe and -ealthy. Indeed, pu"lic safety and health and welfare functions account for more than half the County's "udget. *hese functions were especially acti e last year, with the implementation of the Integrated Ci il Criminal 2ustice System< the County's role in response to two natural disasters in our region< and the opening of -eddington /aks, our new nursing facility. /dyssey ! the County's new Ci il Criminal 2ustice System ! went li e last 3o em"er, effecti ely integrating all county pu"lic safety functions, including law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and pro"ation. *he system enhances record keeping, allows for more fluid processing, and offers e)panded real!time updates "etween all participating departments. *he new system also reduces the County's dependence on paper processes and paper storage, as well as supports faster retrie al needs and courtroom automation. Additionally, the system enhances transparency "y pro iding pu"lic access to ci il and criminal records. =pgrading the justice system is just one e)ample of the County's commitment to pu"lic safety and "eing a -igh (erforming (u"lic /rgani'ation. Another e)ample is the role (eoria County plays during times of

disaster. /n April #7, 4&#5, (eoria County, along with all our neigh"oring counties, e)perienced flash flooding that did e)tensi e damage to infrastructure and property. *he intense rainfall resulted in a historic 4>.5? foot crest of the Illinois @i er, causing more su"stantial damage to pri ate property and "usinesses along the waterway. Se eral departments within the organi'ation responded immediately to assist residents and ensure their safety, including the (eoria County Sheriff's /ffice, Amergency Banagement Agency, and -ighway 8epartment. In the aftermath, (eoria County's (lanning and Coning 8epartment completed damage assessments on 5#? impacted properties in our jurisdiction. *hirty!se en of these properties were su"mitted to 1ABA for acDuisition, including #7 properties within the small town of Adwards. *o date, ele en additional structures ha e "een ele ated to comply with national floodplain reDuirements. While the flooding directly impacted our county, the 3o em"er #7 tornadoes did not. -owe er, mutual aid agreements and general good will prompted many (eoria County departments and offices to assist *a'ewell County with the tornado response and reco ery efforts. *hese included the Sheriff's /ffice, Amergency Banagement Agency, -ighway 8epartment, (lanning and Coning, and Communications 8epartment, as well as many other

departments and employees who olunteered. We empathi'e greatly with *a'ewell County and the communities across the ri er that e)perienced de astating loss from the tornadoes. We hope, as do they, that a further tra esty won't "efall those communities should the State's appeal for pu"lic assistance "e denied. @egardless the outcome of appeal, (eoria County will continue to pro ide assistance to our neigh"ors in any way we can. 3ot only does (eoria County care for our neigh"ors, we also care for the children of our community, particularly the most ulnera"le ! children who ha e "een a"used. Last /cto"er, the State's Attorney's /ffice was pleased to announce that the Children's Ad ocacy Center had achie ed national accreditation for its effecti e, efficient, and consistent deli ery of ser ices to child a"use ictims. Accreditation "y the 3ational Children's Alliance is the highest le el awarded and denotes e)cellence in pro iding a coordinated response "y law enforcement, 8C1S, mental health therapists, medical specialists, prosecution, and ictim ad ocacy to child a"use ictims. We congratulate the Child Ad ocacy Center and its colla"orati e partners for earning this great distinction.

Almost simultaneously with the CAC's accreditation, the 2u enile 8etention Center also earned 3ational Accreditation from the 3ational Commission on Correctional -ealth Care. Accreditation standards ha e helped the 28C impro e the health of our youth, increase efficiency of its health ser ices deli ery, strengthen its organi'ational effecti eness, and reduce the risk of ad erse patient outcomes and legal judgments. In addition to caring for the youngest mem"ers of our community, we also pro ide e)ceptional health care to the eldest. After almost si) years of planning, construction, and licensing, -eddington /aks opened its doors to +el!Wood residents and (eoria County seniors on Septem"er 4?th. *he nursing home is a"le to accommodate 4#; residents, including $& Al'heimer's patients. +y adopting the (ioneer Bethod of ser ice deli ery, staff pro ides indi iduali'ed care to "est meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of each resident. 3ot only does -eddington /aks meet the County +oard's goal of pro iding a Safe and -ealthy Community, it also meets their goal of pro iding -igh 0uality (u"lic 1acilities to the citi'ens we ser e. -eddington /aks was "uilt to LAA8 Sil er certification standards, "ut may well achie e .old this year. +y adopting LAA8 standards, the County +oard demonstrated its commitment to sustaina"ility, for LAA8 certified "uildings use

resources more efficiently, reduce solid waste, and conser e operating costs. We also love that -eddington /aks finished under its original "udget "y two million dollarsE *here"y su"stantiating the +oard's commitment to financial security. Add to that sa ings an 1:4&#; Adopted +udget with operational e)penses only one half a percentage o er last year's and you ha e further proof that (eoria County is a -igh (erforming /rgani'ation. 1aced with an inflation rate of 5F, a #F loss of ADuali'ed Assessed Galuation, and a flat ta) rate, and the County +oard was still a"le to adopt a "alanced "udget for this year without impacting ser ices. With guidance from the +oard, Alected /fficials, department super isors, and 1inance and Administrati e staff were a"le to present a "udget that includes 9#&7.; million for operations, 9#&.7 million for capital impro ements, and 97.% million in de"t ser ice. *o maintain financial sta"ility, the County +oard adheres to conser ati e financial policies that include retaining appropriate fund "alances, paying current e)penses with current re enues, planning for capital e)penses, and setting user fees at #&&F the cost of pro iding ser ice where er possi"le. In addition to "eing safe, healthy, and financially sound, the County +oard also seeks to grow our county. Aconomic

de elopment plays a large role in "ringing more people to the region, and to (eoria County. If we can retain our e)isting "usinesses and attract new "usinesses that offer good jo"s with competiti e wages, we will continue to grow and thri e. In the past few years, much emphasis has "een placed on "olstering the region's economic de elopment efforts. In fact, just last month the +oard adopted a fi e!year economic de elopment strategy that coincides with the regional strategy, which is supported "y agencies such as 1ocus 1orward CI, the new Aconomic 8e elopment Council, and the .reater (eoria +usiness Alliance. If we grow (eoria County, then we grow the region. Con ersely, if the region grows, we in turn reap the "enefits. (art of our strategy in ol es the support of entrepreneurships and inno ation6 helping new "usinesses start in our county and e)isting "usinesses grow. As a result, the County has recently in ested in Startup (eoria, an emerging not!for!profit focused on pro iding support ser ices to other "usinesses for their respecti e startup and e)pansion efforts. Certainly, much growth in terms of completed projects has occurred within our organi'ation since we last met for the State of the County at -eddington /aks. And much more will happen

o er the course of the coming year, when a new strategic plan is adopted that prioriti'es ongoing projects and identifies new initiati es. An ongoing initiati e of the County +oard is to assist local minority, women, and disad antaged "usiness owners or entrepreneurs with e)pansion or esta"lishment of their "usiness. *he County's Binority +usiness Ad!hoc Committee joins "oard mem"ers with community partners to identify the needs or gaps in ser ices for minority!owned "usinesses and to implement initiati es to close those gaps. /ne such gap is a lack of Dualified minority contractors. *herefore, the B+A Committee is currently focusing efforts on a new initiati e to "uild capacity of local minority contractors. *his initiati e will likely in ol e identification and e aluation processes, and include training opportunities. It will "e a great accomplishment when more local minority contractors in our community can participate in the ne)t application of C8A( grants. Last year, (eoria County successfully facilitated reha"ilitation of se en houses on Laramie Street with almost 95?&,&&& in Community 8e elopment Assistance (rogram funding. @ecently, another 94$$,&&& was awarded for the reha"ilitation of an additional eight homes. Impro ing the housing stock in (eoria County increases property

alues, re itali'es heritage neigh"orhoods, and inspires residents to "uy rather than rent their home. Another initiati e designed to .row the County is a new "usiness assistance we"site currently under construction. .reater (eoria SourceLink or gpsourcelink.org will launch this spring and will ser e as a resource for aspiring and esta"lished entrepreneurs. *his comprehensi e platform will unite e)isting programs in a colla"orati e network in order to pro ide relia"le "usiness de elopment information to entrepreneurs. .rowing the County as a community is an important goal, "ut internal growth is just as important, particularly for an organi'ation that promises to "e a -igh (erforming (u"lic /rgani'ation and the region's "est alue in local go ernment. Last year, the County +oard identified a need to re isit the annual contract for pu"lic defender ser ices. *his year, the County +oard will make important decisions related to the pro ision of those ser ices. *hese efforts may sa e ta) payer dollars and enhance our transparency. *wo major projects also underway this year are the replacement of the +rimfield!2u"ilee @oad "ridge and the (ottstown "ridge that has "een closed since last April's flash flooding. *hese projects were estimated to cost the County 95&4,&&& and

9%&&,&&&, respecti ely< 4&F the total cost to replace each structure. Com"ined, the low "ids for these infrastructure projects came it at appro)imately 94?&,&&& under "udget. So, just one month into the new 1iscal :ear, we' e already reali'ed a sa ings of one Duarter millionE +efore we close on that positi e note, I want to highlight two upcoming e ents. Seeds4Success, the .reater (eoria 1ood Summit, will "e held at the (eoria @i er(le) on Saturday, 1e"ruary 44 from >6&& a.m. ! #65& p.m. *his summit is a great opportunity for local leaders to discuss ways to strengthen locally grown food initiati es in our region. @egistration information is a aila"le on the =ni ersity of Illinois A)tension's we"site. And this summer the 1irst Annual 1lying 1ish 1esti al will "e held on the Illinois @i er 2uly ##th and #4th. .ra" a harpoon and help us stem the population of Asian CarpE @egistration information will "e made a aila"le through the County's we"site as the e ent nears. +oth of these e ents are great economic de elopment opportunities for our region and we hope for your support. We also ery much appreciate the support of the sponsors who ha e made this morning's State of the County e ent possi"le.

(lease join me again in thanking them for ena"ling Chairman /'3eill, Gice Chairman Ardapple, and I to share our lo e of the County of (eoria, which continues to "e safe, healthy, financially sound, and growing.

We thank (eoria 8isposal Company @i er City Construction *yler *echnologies =nity(oint -ealth BethodistH(roctor 1arnsworth .roup, Inc. -anson (rofessional Ser ices, Inc. West Central Illinois +uilding and Construction *rades Council And 1th Infrastructure and An ironment LLC for your support of (eoria County.

And I thank all of you for joining us this morning.