The Peoria County Board on Oct. 12 unanimously approved the County’s budget for Fiscal Year 2024, which begins Jan. 1.

County spokeswoman Gretchen Pearsall said it has no property-tax rate increase, fully funds its pension obligations with the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, and allocates money for infrastructure projects including the Health and Human Services building, road and bridge construction, Highway Department facility upgrades, Courthouse exterior repairs, and more.

“The Peoria County Board prioritized capital improvements in its strategic plan,” said James Dillon, Peoria County Board Chair. “This budget reflects our commitment to that priority with heavy investments in roads and bridges, building improvements, and upgraded vehicles for the Sheriff’s Office, Highway Department, and Animal Protection Services (PCAPS) [all] so we can continue to offer quality services to the public.”

The County posted its budget at peoriacounty.org.

The next day a few blocks south, the City of Peoria released its digital budget book before its deliberations started Oct. 17.

“This is the first year we are using an online budget transparency tool,” said Finance Director Kyle Cratty. “This is a live, interactive tool on our website so the Council and the community can have access to the same information in what I hope is a more accessible transparent format.”

It’s posted at cleargov.com

The City Council will meet every Tuesday until the passage of the biennial budget, which must be passed and filed with the County Clerk by Dec. 26

“This online resource will provide information on the budget, expenses, capital improvement projects, and more,” added City spokeswoman Stacy Peterson, who noted that Information pertaining to the budget can also be found on the city of Peoria website. That page will include presentations made at City Council meetings and reports to the City Council.