County Board Debates Legislative Agendas; State Agenda Passes, Federal Agenda Sent Back

Article Summary: The Will County Board engaged in a vigorous and at times confusing debate over its 2026 legislative priorities, ultimately passing an amended State Legislative Agenda while sending the Federal Legislative Agenda back to committee. The meeting was marked by complex parliamentary maneuvers, debates over grammar, and clashes over policy regarding mental health and housing.

Legislative Committee Key Points:

• FOIA Confusion: Two items regarding police body camera transparency were removed from the State Agenda because the document listed both “Support” and “Oppose,” causing confusion about the bills’ intent.

• Property Tax Amendment: Member Steve Balich successfully argued for adding “high property taxes” as a cause of eviction, citing the high cost of living in Homer Glen.

• “Cherry Blossom” Debate: A motion to cut support for early childhood mental health research failed after members cited epigenetics and insurance necessities.

• Federal Agenda Stalled: The Federal Agenda was pulled entirely after the board could not agree on the wording of a sentence regarding “institutional investors,” which the State’s Attorney deemed “ambiguous.”

The Will County Board on Thursday, January 15, 2026, struggled to finalize its official lobbying stance for the year, resulting in a split decision where the State Legislative Agenda passed with amendments, but the Federal Legislative Agenda was sent back to committee due to linguistic confusion.

State Agenda: FOIA and Taxes
The State Legislative Agenda faced immediate scrutiny regarding two items related to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and officer-worn body cameras (HB3380 and HB1740). The printed agenda listed the board’s position as “SUPPORT/OPPOSE,” leading to confusion.

Member Daniel J. Butler moved to remove the items entirely, questioning whether the underlying bills increased or decreased transparency. “I’m not comfortable that we actually know that,” Butler said. “I think it’s important to make that distinction… if it’s an increase or a decrease.” The board voted 14-8 to strike the items from the agenda rather than guess at a position.

Later, Member Mark Revis moved to amend the housing section of the agenda to list “high property taxes” alongside eviction and foreclosure as root causes of housing instability. Speaker Joe VanDuyne opposed the addition, stating, “It seems like we’re just singling out… high property taxes. There’s a lot of root causes.”

Member Steve Balich supported Revis, offering a personal anecdote about affordability in Homer Glen. “My water bill averages between $260 and $290 a month just for the water,” Balich argued. “When you add up cost… you got close to $300 just for water. Then you have property taxes and that’s like $600 a month… you start limiting the people that can afford to buy.” The amendment passed 13-9.

The Epigenetics Debate
A sharp debate emerged over a State Agenda item supporting mental health research for children aged birth to five. Member Julie Berkowicz moved to remove the item, calling it “dangerous” and “too broad.”

“I haven’t seen any results of mental health research… What does this mean?” Berkowicz asked. “Does that mean that if a physician or a government official thinks that a child is experiencing… mental health issues that they have the ability to interject into a family home?”

Member Judy Ogalla pushed back, citing the science of epigenetics—how behaviors and environment can affect the way genes work. She described a study involving mice and the smell of cherry blossoms to illustrate how trauma can be passed down generations. “You may not think that 0 to 5 is very critical, but 0 to 5 is extremely critical,” Ogalla said.

Member Kelly Hickey, citing her experience as a parent of two children needing services, argued that insurance companies often refuse coverage for interventions that lack longitudinal studies. “I think what we’re actually talking about is making sure that we are providing best practices… so that we can make sure that we get insurance coverage,” Hickey said.

The motion to remove the mental health item failed overwhelmingly, 2-20.

Federal Agenda: The “Double Negative”
The Federal Legislative Agenda was derailed by a single sentence regarding housing: “The Will County Board opposes cuts to HUD subsidies that discourage institutional investors in affordable housing.”

Member Berkowicz moved to remove the sentence, arguing that her experience with Homeowners Associations (HOAs) showed that institutional investors and absentee owners often neglect properties. She interpreted the sentence as potentially supporting these investors.

Member Dawn Bullock argued the sentence was a double negative intended to achieve exactly what Berkowicz wanted. “HUD subsidies exist that discourage institutional investors. We like that. Which means that we will then oppose any cuts to those types of subsidies,” Bullock explained. “It is written correctly. It is just confusing.”

Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin Mahoney was asked to arbitrate the grammar. “If this was a contract dispute, we would say it’s totally ambiguous,” Mahoney told the board. “I think you can read it… there are two reasonable interpretations.”

After several attempts to rewrite the sentence on the floor failed to produce a consensus, Legislative Committee Chair Denise Winfrey moved to send the entire Federal Agenda back to committee for rewriting. That motion passed unanimously. The committee will revise the document before the upcoming legislative breakfast in February.