An estimated 400 Peoria County residents will be able to access free or low-cost Internet, thanks to a new initiative.
The county's Digital Equity Pilot Program is funded through a $125,000 Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grant. The money is targeted toward low- to moderate-income households.
The pilot program only lasts a year, but county chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer Andre Allen said he doesn't want to pull the rug out from under people when it ends.
"I feel at the end of our pilot we're going to have metrics. We're going to have proof of concept to be able to secure additional funding at the state and federal level to not only repeat this pilot, but actually grow it and service more constituents," Allen said.
Allen acknowledged more infrastructure is needed, particularly in the rural parts of the county, and that a more substantial investment will be necessary for that build out.
"And so I just felt that this was a good opportunity to address the affordability aspect, but we're definitely not losing sight," he said.
County board chairman James Dillon praised Allen for "thinking outside the box."
"I think under COVID that we learned Internet is a fundamental need. And there's genuinely people in the city that cannot afford this $9 to $30 for the Internet, even though it's sitting right outside of their house," he said.
Allen said each household will have its own account, with costs covered by the county for a year. A lottery system will be used to dole out the grants, with preference given to households with lower incomes.
County changing employee health insurance plan
Peoria County is dropping its self-insured health care plan for employees in favor of an insurance pool with other government bodies. That could save the county money, and bring OSF HealthCare facilities in-network for employees, in addition to Carle Health.
But as county board member Eden Blair notes, there's still more details to be hammered out.
"This is the first step. We know that we don't know yet what the premiums are going to be and what the split between employer and employee is going to be, and I look forward to seeing what those are," she said.
It's expected those details will be finalized at the September county board meeting. Open enrollment starts this fall, and the new plan with the Intergovernmental Personnel Benefits Cooperative takes effect in 2025.
