The Peoria County Board on Thursday approved a solar energy generation facility in Bartonville, one of several zoning, infrastructure and economic development items acted on during the meeting.
The board voted 15-0 to grant a special use permit to Chaberton Solar Seneca, LLC, allowing for a 5-megawatt solar energy generation facility on Dietrich Lane near Limestone High School. The property is zoned A-2 Agricultural, which requires a special use designation under the county's Unified Development Ordinance for ground-mounted solar energy equipment.
District 18 board member Paul Rosenbohm, who chairs the Zoning Board of Appeals, noted the project faced some early pushback, but said concerns were resolved before it reached the county board.
“I believe there's a few people that were against it in the beginning that showed up to the Zoning Board of Appeals ... I hope everybody will vote for it tonight, unanimously.”
Longevity on display
The board recognized two organizations with deep roots in the community.
The Junior League of Peoria marked its 90th anniversary. Board chair James C. Dillon acknowledged the organization for being “dedicated to advancing women's leadership."
The group's current president, Laura Presley, offered brief remarks.
“The League is very special to me, and I love how it's women from five different generations right now celebrating each other and encouraging each other, and current active members have the support of these women behind me that make us continue to be great,” Presley said. “So thank you.”
The board also recognized the Children's Home Association of Central Illinois on its 160th anniversary, acknowledging a century and a half of service to families and children in the region.
Federal funding concerns
During miscellaneous announcements, District 17 member Jennifer Groves Allison called on county departments receiving federal dollars to begin creating contingency plans, in case federal funding dries up.
“There's a lot of cuts to law enforcement, schools. We can't necessarily pull those from the sky when we need them,” Groves Allison said. “So I think we need to ask all departments to kind of have some backup plans in place if they were to see a lot of cuts coming.”
Other business
The board also:
— Approved a $215,000 civil litigation settlement, funded from the long-term care services fund. County staff presented a cash flow analysis showing the payment would still leave an estimated $700,000 surplus in the fund.
— Approved a $511,773.94 Law Enforcement Camera Grant from Illinois Law Enforcement Standards and Training Board, with $222,300 allocated into the sheriff's office FY26 budget.
— Approved police service agreements with Pleasant Valley School District #62, Illini Bluffs School District #327, and Princeville Unit School District #326.
— Approved a $182,458 preliminary engineering agreement with Hanson Professional Services for traffic signal upgrades on Airport Road.
— Authorized the sale of 0.44 acres in the Peoria County Business Park to Michael F. Seibert of Peoria for $5,000, with board members noting a new business is expected to lease the property.
— Approved seal coating bids for 12 townships, along with an additional $300,000 Township Motor Fuel Tax appropriation. The item was separated from other items on the consent agenda so road commissioners could abstain; it passed 14-2.
— Recognized Isa Zaid, a seventh-grader from Peoria Academy, for winning the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee Regional Competition for Central Illinois. He will continue to the national championship in Washington, D.C.
