Board chairman consolidates committees

Kankakee County Board Chairman Matthew Alexander-Hildebrand has already made a few executive decisions to consolidate the number of committees within the county board to help it run a bit more efficiently.

He combined the Community Services Committee with the Executive Committee. Community Services included reports from the assessor, recorder, clerk and animal welfare, and now those are presented in the Executive Committee.

“It was a cost-saving measure for one; and two, I still wanted to be able to give them a voice,” he said.

The Buildings and Grounds Committee was also combined with the Highways and Waterways Committee. Previously it was the Buildings and Highways Committee before it was split up and Waterways was added to Highways. It’s now back to one committee as Highways, Buildings & Grounds.

Board members get a stipend for every meeting they attend, so the county realizes some cost savings in a fewer number of meetings.

Alexander-Hildebrand is also looking into doing a new comprehensive plan for the county, as the previous one was completed approximately two decades ago. The county previously applied for a $350,000 grant for the new plan, but it didn’t receive one.

“I would like to possibly chase another grant or facilitate a way to where we can update our comprehensive plan,” he said. “I think for myself and the overall vision of the county, I want to create a 30-year capital improvement plan, whether that’s the administration department, courthouse, any building that we currently have.

“When I leave here, I want to leave with it being a building that we won’t have to do any work for 20 years.”