Champaign County Board Close to Final Vote on a Referendum on Smaller Board Proposal

Champaign County voters could get a chance this November to give their opinion on a proposal for a smaller county board. County Board members voted Tuesday night in committee to put the non-binding resolution on the November ballot.

County Board Vice-Chairman Tom Betz says the proposal --- for a 22-member board with eleven two-member districts --- is a compromise. It's not exactly what he wants, but Betz says it's the version that the county board appears willing to put on the ballot.

"If you're going to change the structure, I think the public needs to get itself invested in it", says Betz. "This is the public's county board, it's not MY county board."

Betz believes a smaller Champaign County Board --- it currently has 27 members -- would be a more responsive body. But fellow Democrat Alan Kurtz says the current 27-member board with three members per district allows for more diversity.

"We have a tremendous background of everything from attorneys to hard-working farmers", says Kurtz. "And they give us their opinions, their experiences, their life experiences, and it helps me make a decision for my constituents as well."

Whatever the voters would say, the Champaign County Board would have the final say on how their board is constituted. A final vote on the referendum takes place next week --- six county board members were absent during last night's committee-level vote.

Also on Tuesday night, a measure to put another non-binding referendum on the ballot --- this one to ban video gaming machines --- received only five "yes" votes from the Champaign County Board. Gambling opponents say video gaming is too addictive. But supporters say the games --- which are soon to be legalized in Illinois --- will produce tax revenue that's needed to help fund highway and other state construction projects.