The Tri-County Regional Planning Commission Executive Board has a Separation Agreement with its long-time director. Peoria Public Radio’s Alex Rusciano reports that Terry Kohlbuss has been on extended leave for nearly a month:
Members of Tri-County have been meeting in closed sessions for nearly six months. Kohlbuss was not present during many of those meetings. Tri-County Board vice-chair Russ Crawford calls the experience painful:
“Not only have I never experienced it, I never even in my wildest imagination contemplated what we’ve been through. And I’m very proud of the commission staff and I’m very proud of the commissioners of the way they’ve handled this. It hasn't been easy. There’s no guidebook or path for how to do this,” Crawford says.
Crawford says he hopes the separation agreement will help the Commission focus more on regional planning instead of personnel issues. He says details of any agreement will likely be made public after both parties sign-off on a deal. Kohlbuss has been the Tri County executive director for nearly 17 years.