On the agenda: Peoria County meeting — data center (Sep 22)

P EORIA C OUNTY B OARD
James C. Dillon - Chairperson
Rachael Parker - County Clerk

COUNTY OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
Agenda
September 22, 2026
12:30 pm

County Courthouse • 324 Main Street • County Board Room 403 • Peoria, Illinois 61602
Voice: (309) 672-6056 • Fax: (309) 672-6054 • TDD: (309) 672-6073
www.peoriacounty.gov
Peoria County Committee meetings are livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, with recordings kept on YouTube.
Comments on these platforms will not be added to the record.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peoriacountygov
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@peoriacounty

1.

CALL TO ORDER

2.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
2.1

July 28, 2026

3.

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS / REPORTS / OTHER MINUTES / UPDATES

4.

RESOLUTIONS
4.1

Enterprise Wide Infrastructure Migration to Amazon Web Services (AWS)
(with Finance, Audit, and Legislative Affairs)

4.2

2027 Health Insurance Premiums and Subsidy Rates

4.3

2027 One-time lump sum Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution

5.

PUBLIC COMMENT

6.

MISCELLANEOUS

7.

ADJOURNMENT

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County Operations Committee - 09-22-2026

P EORIA C OUNTY B OARD
James C. Dillon - Chairperson
Rachael Parker - County Clerk

COUNTY OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
Minutes
July 28, 2026
12:00 pm

County Courthouse • 324 Main Street • County Board Room 403 • Peoria, Illinois 61602
Voice: (309) 672-6056 • Fax: (309) 672-6054 • TDD: (309) 672-6073
www.peoriacounty.gov
Peoria County Committee meetings are livestreamed and may be watched remotely.
Comments on these platforms will not be added to the record.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peoriacountygov
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-qaAdj6tzIxqi3odzEoMlQ

Attendance
Present:
Members: Member Rieker, Member Coates, Member Blair, Member Bryant, Member Daley, Member
Duncan, Member Elsasser, Member Phelan, Member Reneau, Member Williams
Staff & Guests:
Scott Sorrel, Shauna Musselman, Jennie Cordis Boswell, Mark Little, Angela Loftus, Melissa Woods, Tim
Shelley, Andre Allen, Essence Hill, Ben Simpson, Aric Beals, Megan Bentley
Absent:
Members: Member Groves Allison
1.

CALL TO ORDER
1.1

Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Rieker at 12:02 pm.

1.2

Approval to Join via Teleconference
A motion to admit Member Duncan to the meeting via teleconference was
made by Member Blair and was seconded by Member Daley.
Motion Carried. (7-0)
Abstained Member Duncan
Absent: Member Groves Allison

2.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
2.1

June 23, 2026
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A motion to approve the County Operations Committee meeting minutes
from June 23, 2026 was made by Member Coates and was seconded by
Member Reneau.
Motion Carried. (8-0)
Absent: Member Groves Allison
Teleconference: Member Duncan
3.

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS / REPORTS / OTHER MINUTES / UPDATES
3.1

Workers’ Compensation & Liability Reports
Ms. Loftus advised that this is the second quarter workers' comp and liability
report. She described what each portion of the graphic represents. She stood
for questions; there were none.

3.2

Strategic Plan - 2026 Q2 Update
Ms. Woods advised that this is the quarter two report for the 2026 action plan.
There are several reporting out to the Operations Committee. She stood for
questions.
Chairperson Rieker advised that under Operations there is a succession
planning strategy, professional development strategy, workplace culture and
branding, comprehensive update on personnel policies, and development of an
artificial intelligence policy.
Member Elsasser entered the meeting at m12:08 p.m.
Member Williams asked, with regard to succession planning, if the elected
officials have a playbook or information describing the duties they have within
their office.
Mr. Sorrel advised that the detail of that playbook varies wildly by elected
office. He provided the example of Treasurer Martin, who had received some
documentation but has had to recreate or modify a lot of the documentation
that he inherited for how to run that office to include working side by side with
Ms. Bjerke prior to taking office.
Member Daley stated her agreement with Member Williams but would take it
a step further. She further stated that she does not think the County Board has
any business doing succession planning for elected officials.
Member Blair asked if there is a knowledge base for any employees and what
is the policy regarding how the County documents its processes.
Mr. Sorrel advised that even in appointed offices there will be variation in
policies and procedures. He noted that many of the offices reporting up to him
have a good set of internal policies and procedures and have a good second in
command that could step up in the interim.
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Chairperson Rieker asked if the Board would be willing to take electeds out of
the scope for the reasons that have been discussed. There was no opposition.
Mr. Sorrel stated that he could not agree more with what Member Daley said
regarding the elected office holder themselves. He noted that sometimes, in
the past, electeds have come to administration for assistance with succession
planning.
Member Bryant entered the meeting at 12:14 p.m.
Member Phelan asked if there was anyone in the room who could bring the
committee up to date on these topics.
Ms. Woods provided an update on the items that report up to Operations.
Member Phelan asked if no update means that no work has been done on it
across the last quarter and inquired as to who is responsible for updating these
on our website and with what frequency that happens.
Ms. Woods advised that it could mean multiple things; sometimes work has
stalled, or the milestone is scheduled outside of the quarter. She stated that
she is the organizer and explained that about a month before committees, a
template is created and a request is sent out to project leads for an update.
She noted that these quarterly updates are not provided on the website, but
the Strategic Plan and the 2026 action agenda are on the website. She advised
that, alternatively, there are percentages complete on each project, and those
are updated every quarter. She further stated that she worked with IT on
percentages complete on the website.
4.

RESOLUTIONS
4.1

Approval of the third-party administrator (TPA) bids for risk management
services.
A motion to approve the resolution was made by Member Williams and was
seconded by Member Elsasser.
Ms. Loftus advised that the third-party administrator handles all of our
workers' comp and liability claims, processing, paying, coordinating meetings
with claimants and legal counsel, and insurance carriers. She explained that
every couple of years we go out for bid for these services. She advised that
an RFP (request for proposals) was issued in April and we received four
proposals. She noted that the proposals were evaluated, along with our
broker, looking at various criteria, and interviews were conducted. She
stated that after evaluating all criteria, the recommendation is to stay with
Gallagher Bassett, who is the incumbent for TPA services for a 5-year
contract.
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Chairperson Rieker called for questions from the committee. There were
none.
Motion Carried. (10-0)
Teleconference: Member Duncan
Absent: Member Groves Allison
4.2

Adoption of Enterprise Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Policy and
Governance Framework
A motion to approve the resolution was made by Member Coates and was
seconded by Member Blair.
Mr. Little advised that since the discussion in June, there has been
collaboration between IT, Administration and the State's Attorney's Office to
evaluate feedback received from committee members. He walked the
committee through the changes that have been made to the policy. He
spoke about usage and the financial costs.
Chairperson Rieker called for questions from the committee.
Member Blair noted that the policy says this committee can request updates.
She recommended a 3-month update to see how the policy has been rolled
out and then every 3-6 months after that. She thanked Mr. Little for listening
to the committee's feedback. She asked if the people who are already using
this will be grandfathered in.
Mr. Little advised that he believes the policy states we will not take anything
away from anyone yet.
Chairperson Rieker stated that a thoughtful decision to allow users to
continue with security running in the background to avoid risk is good.
Member Daley asked if there is a structured plan to take input from
employees using this to see what their comments are regarding the way this
rolls out.
Mr. Sorrel advised that the policy itself does not specifically articulate that,
but that is without question the intent and has already received feedback
from the leadership team, both appointed and elected. He stated that he has
committed to that group and there will be an amendment that will need to
be prepared. He noted that as we continue to evolve in our usage will have
to seek out feedback from end users at all 3 levels.
Member Phelan stated that his only request to anyone participating in the
governance structure is that we are mindful that although it will not cost
additional dollars for payroll expenses for those employees to meet, I ask
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that they meet as infrequently as possible, try and stack multiple requests
into one meeting, or just be cognizant that there is a cost associated with
that.
Chairperson Rieker stated that he thinks that is a valid comment and that it
has been reviewed. He explained that during the first 90 days, there will be
some heavy lifting from the governance committee to put the structure in
place.
Member Elsasser stated that he is not a big fan of AI in general. He stated
that he was going to vote against this thinks we will lose employees. If it is as
efficient and amazing as we think it is, five years from now, we should be
able to, once employees retire, not have to hire new people back.
Mr. Little advised that there have been many discussions with peers across
the country. He stated that on this side, it is more about using it as a tool to
make things quicker. He explained that where we process data is where the
opportunity will be down the road.
Mr. Sorrel echoed Mr. Little's thoughts.
Chairperson Rieker stated that he liked the process. He advised that he
believes we can go forward with policy as positioned. He thanked
Administrator Sorrel, Chief Information Officer Little, and Ms. Cordis Boswell.
He stated that he appreciates the time given to us by elected officials and
department heads for the first round of feedback.
Motion Carried. (10-0)
Teleconference: Member Duncan
Absent: Member Groves Allison
5.

COMMITTEE ACTION
5.1

Review of Executive Session Minutes
A motion was made to accept the recommendation of the State's Attorney's
Office by Member Coates and was seconded by Member Bryant.
Ms. Cordis Boswell advised that it remains the recommendation of the State's
Attorney's Office that all previously held executive session minutes continue to
be held because the need for confidentiality still exists, and that executive
session audio recordings greater than 2 years old be destroyed, except for
those that relate to pending litigation.
Motion Carried (10-0)
Absent: Member Groves Allison
Teleconference: Member Duncan

6.

DISCUSSION
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7.

PUBLIC COMMENT
7.1

8.

Public Comment
Chairperson Rieker called for public comments. There were none.

MISCELLANEOUS
8.1

Miscellaneous
Chairperson Rieker called for miscellaneous comments.
Member Elsasser asked if Ms. McCord was still with us. He commented that
she is listed as the team leader on the travel policy.
Chairperson Rieker advised that Administration will adjust that accordingly.
Mr. Sorrel advised that Administration is in implementation mode now. He
noted that the Board has adopted the travel policy, but we will make that
notation for quarter three.
Member Elsasser asked how many employees are on our payroll today.
Mr. Sorrel advised that budgeted positions are around 660; on average, we run
roughly 7-8% of those vacant across the entire organization.
Member Elsasser asked how many the County had when he started.
Mr. Sorrel advised that there were well over 1000 because the County had a
nursing home.
Chairperson Rieker stated that the nursing home was a big adjustment in
payroll count as we exited, and then there have been efficiency adjustments.

9.

ADJOURNMENT
9.1

Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned by Chairperson Rieker at 12:45 pm.

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4.1

Enterprise Wide Infrastructure Migration To Amazon Web Services (AWS) (With Finance, Audit, And Legislative Affairs)

Vice Chairperson - Sharon K. Williams, District 1
Camille Coates, District 2
Betty Duncan, District 3
Brandy Bryant, District 4
Chairperson – James C. Dillon, District 5
Eden S. Blair, District 6
Phillip Salzer, District 7
Marcia McCann, District 8
Danny Phelan, District 9

Peoria County Board

Robert Reneau, District 10
Linda Daley, District 11
Daniel Kelch, District 12
Terry Ruhland, District 13
Brian Elsasser, District 14
Steven Rieker, District 15
Matthew Windish, District 16
Jennifer Groves Allison, District 17
Paul Rosenbohm, District 18

AGENDA BRIEFING COMMUNICATION

Committee Meeting:

County Operations & Finance, Audit,
and Legislative Affairs
September 22, 2026

County Board Meeting:

October 8, 2026

Department:

County IT

County Board District:

All

Date Prepared:

September 1, 2026

Agenda Category:

RESOLUTIONS
Enterprise Wide Infrastructure Migration to Amazon Web Services (AWS) (with Finance,
Audit, and Legislative Affairs)

Committee:

Item Title:

Prepared By:

Mark Little

Title:

CIO

ISSUE:
A joint resolution from your County Operations and Finance, Audit, and Legislative Affairs Committees
recommending approval of agreements with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Insight Public Sector via
national cooperative purchasing agreements to migrate remaining on-premises servers and transition backup
services to Cohesity and approving a fund transfer not to exceed $474,782.00 from the IT Services Fund
Balance to a dedicated AWS Project Fund for 2026 to 2027 project costs, with any unspent funds designated to
offset future operational costs or optimization.
BACKGROUND:
In 2016, Peoria County initiated its organizational transition to the cloud with the implementation of
Microsoft 365. Since that time, IT Services has successfully migrated a substantial portion of our critical
infrastructure. This includes transitioning key enterprise applications to hosted and cloud environments,
encompassing ERP, Human Resources, Time and Attendance, Enterprise Justice, Planning and Zoning, and
Jury Management, while actively transitioning Land Records into Enterprise Records Management.
Physical Footprint and Server Reduction Progress
Through these deliberate modernization initiatives, IT Services has achieved major reductions in our
physical data center footprint:
1. Peak Datacenter Footprint: 110 servers
• Current On-Premises Footprint: 52 servers (a 53% reduction in on-site server management)
Our current physical server hardware and storage area network (SAN) infrastructure last underwent a
comprehensive technology refresh in 2019 to 2020. Today, IT Services still manages these remaining 52
on-premises servers to host the balance of departmental applications and databases. While local backup
protocols remain robust, recreating this server and storage environment following a major physical
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hardware failure or cyber incident requires physical equipment procurement, introducing severe recovery
delays.
Enterprise Application Inventory and Criticality
A comprehensive audit of Peoria County’s software ecosystem categorizes our 125 enterprise applications
across four operational criticality tiers:
1. Mission Critical Modernization (Tier 1): IT Services has already transitioned 62% (18 of 29) of the
County’s mission critical Tier 1 applications to modern vendor hosted SaaS or public cloud
environments.
• Remaining Workload Migration (Tiers 1 to 4): Across all four tiers, 98 applications (comprising 11 Tier
1, 29 Tier 2 departmental tools, 21 Tier 3 operational systems, and 37 Tier 4 administrative utilities)
remain dependent on our 52 on-premises servers. Migrating these 98 workloads to AWS eliminates all
remaining in-house hardware vulnerabilities.
Peoria County Application Portfolio Status
Application
Tier

Criticality Definition

Cloud or SaaS
Hosted

On Premises
(In House)

Total
Applications

% Modernized

Tier 1

Mission Critical Operations (Core
Government and Justice)

18

11

29

62.1%

Tier 2

Departmental Operations (Public
Works, Court Support, Facilities)

5

29

34

14.7%

Tier 3

Specialized Business Utilities
(Operational workflows and
reporting)

4

21

25

16.0%

Tier 4

Administrative and Legacy
Utilities (Internal utilities and
records)

0

37

37

0.0%

TOTALS

Enterprise Portfolio

27

98

125

21.6%

Following the successful migration of our Enterprise Justice system to SaaS in July 2025, IT Services began
planning this final phase of our cloud strategy. Over the past year of investigation and planning, our team
has actively collaborated with both AWS directly and Insight Public Sector (Insight Government),
participating in multiple on-site meetings and hands-on technical sessions at the AWS office in Chicago,
while IT staff currently undergo AWS online cloud training. Furthermore, throughout discussions with
Peoria County software vendors, validated success or support the migration to AWS.
At its core, this initiative is about proactively managing risk and maximizing organizational resilience. In
evaluating our options, IT Services thoroughly explored continuing our on-premises architecture by
replacing aging infrastructure and constructing a secondary redundant datacenter site at either the Jail or
the HHS campus. However, that alternative proved cost-prohibitive due to massive upfront capital
outlays, resulting in proposals structured around expensive 5-year hardware leases. Furthermore, it would
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leave physical hardware vulnerable on site, requiring cyclical replacement every 5 to 6 years. Moving
directly to AWS eliminates single points of failure and provides infinitely greater resilience.
Recent industry surveys of local government and public services reveal that 82% of government
organizations cite an acceptable downtime window of less than 24 hours for critical operations, findings
that align directly with internal departmental surveys. Despite these strict Recovery Time Objectives
(RTOs), physical hardware rebuilds following a catastrophic failure or ransomware incident typically
require 30 to 60 days to source, configure, and restore clean equipment. This timeframe falls disastrously
outside our operational thresholds.
This proposed project will transition our remaining 52 servers and 98 workloads to AWS, finalizing our
cloud hosting strategy. Peoria County will utilize Insight Public Sector for migration implementation and
ongoing Cloud Financial Operations (FinOps) cost management and will transition backup infrastructure
from Microsoft Azure Site Recovery to Cohesity immutable cloud backups.
IMPACT ANALYSIS:
FISCAL IMPACT: Migrating Peoria County’s on-premises server infrastructure to AWS is modeled using
intentionally conservative estimates, anticipating an initial gross investment of $338,456.00 in 2026,
tapering to $256,326.00 in 2027 and $244,570.00 in 2028. After factoring in legacy hardware and
software support retirements and Azure backup elimination, the projected net county budget impact is
$338,456.00 (2026), $136,326.00 (2027), and $64,570.00 (2028).
Projected Cost and Savings Schedule
Cost Component

2026

2027

2028

$191,035

$191,035

$191,035

$0

$20,000

$20,000

Contingency

$20,000

$15,000

$0

Cloud Backup (3 Year Tier)

$70,847

$8,291

$11,535

Communications (AWS Direct Connect)

$22,000

$22,000

$22,000

Insight Public Sector Consulting

$144,000

$0

$0

AWS Consulting Credit

($109,426)

$0

$0

Total Estimated Gross Cost

$338,456

$256,326

$244,570

$0

($120,000)

($180,000)

$338,456

$136,326

$64,570

AWS Hosting (Annual Base)
Estimated Growth

Legacy Support Contracts and Azure Backup
Savings
Net Annual County Budget Impact

Key Financial Takeaways and Conservative Assumptions
•

Dedicated AWS Project Fund Transfer $474,782: To ensure maximum fiscal transparency and
accountability, the required $474,782 from the IT Services Fund Balance will be transferred into a
dedicated AWS Project Fund. This mirrors the governance model successfully utilized on previous
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major IT strategic initiatives (such as ERP and Enterprise Justice), providing clear multiyear tracking
and distinct audit separation for net 2026 $338,456 and 2027 $136,326 implementation expenditures.
•

Treatment of Surplus or Unused Project Funds: Any unexpended funds remaining in the AWS Project
Fund following migration and stabilization will not be lost; rather, they will be retained within the
project fund specifically to offset future annual AWS operational hosting costs or reinvested directly
into continuous FinOps right-sizing and workload optimizations.

•

Transition to Baseline Operating Budget (2028): Once the environment is fully migrated, stabilized,
and right-sized via FinOps, the remaining net annual operational cost of $64,570 will be incorporated
directly into the regular 2028 IT Services Operating Budget.

•

Data Egress Cost Optimization via Direct Connect: Utilizing a dedicated Direct Connect circuit not only
guarantees private throughput, but also significantly reduces AWS outbound data egress rates
compared to standard public internet routing, keeping ongoing communication overhead predictable
and low ($22,000 per year).

•

Conservative Budget Modeling: Projections intentionally incorporate dedicated annual contingencies
($20,000 in 2026 and $15,000 in 2027) and an assumed $20,000 annual resource growth buffer
starting in 2027, preventing unforeseen budget shortfalls.

•

One-Time Implementation Relief: Professional migration implementation through Insight Public Sector
is budgeted at $144,000 but is substantially offset by a ($109,426) AWS partner credit, reducing Peoria
County’s net Year 1 professional service cost to $34,574.

•

Progressive On Premises Cost Avoidance: Decommissioning physical servers, SAN storage, and legacy
licensing yields maintenance cost avoidance of $120,000 in 2027 and $180,000 in 2028, absorbing the
vast majority of ongoing cloud hosting expenses.

•

Avoidance of Costly On-Premises Leases: Eliminates the need for 5-year hardware lease agreements
and recurring 5-to-6-year capital hardware refresh cycles.

•

Ongoing FinOps Optimization via Insight Government: Regular usage reviews and FinOps monitoring
will continuously identify idle capacity and optimize compute tiers prior to finalizing the 2028 budget
baseline.

•

Strategic Leverage via AWS Marketplace: Purchasing Cohesity via the AWS Marketplace earns a direct
percentage credit toward overall County AWS hosting costs, consolidates vendor billing onto a single
monthly invoice, and eliminates third-party reseller markups.

•

Cooperative Purchasing Compliance: Utilizing a national cooperative contract for AWS infrastructure
hosting, Insight Consulting, and Cohesity marketplace procurement satisfies all competitive bidding
requirements while securing public sector pricing without an extended RFP process.

•

Cyber Insurance Optimization: Utilizing Cohesity’s immutable backups and threat scanning
strengthens the County’s risk profile, helping mitigate escalating cyber liability insurance premiums.

OPERATIONAL IMPACT:
•

Dedicated Private Network Connectivity (AWS Direct Connect): Rather than routing core county traffic
over the public internet, the project establishes a dedicated private network link (AWS Direct
Connect). This provides ultra-low latency, deterministic performance for heavy departmental
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workloads (like GIS and database applications), prevents network congestion, and ensures that
sensitive county communications remain completely isolated from public internet transit, directly
satisfying CJIS encryption and private routing mandates.
•

Enterprise-Grade Cyber Perimeter and Advanced Threat Defense: Transitioning to AWS substantially
elevates Peoria County’s defensive perimeter far beyond traditional on-premises firewalls. County
workloads will benefit from built-in, multi terabit Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) mitigation (AWS
Shield), absorbing volumetric attacks that would otherwise saturate local courthouse circuits.
Furthermore, AWS continuously applies global AI-driven threat intelligence (Amazon GuardDuty),
monitoring anomalous network behaviors, credential compromises, and lateral movements across
billions of global endpoints, giving the County enterprise defense capabilities that are impossible to
duplicate in a local data center.

•

Zero Trust Isolation and Nitro Architecture Protection: On-premises networks inherently carry risks of
lateral threat movement across local network switches. In AWS, each workload is encapsulated within
strict Zero Trust microsegmented Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs). Additionally, underlying compute
operations are protected by the hardware enforced cryptographic isolation of the AWS Nitro System,
guaranteeing that neither unauthorized lateral software processes nor hypervisor level threats can
access county memory or data streams.

•

Elevating Enterprise Resilience and Risk Management: Removes single points of failure, protects
against ransomware through AI-driven threat detection and immutability, and ensures business
continuity.

•

Strategic Shift to High-Value IT Focus: Offloads physical server and storage hardware maintenance to
AWS while transitioning routine operating system patching to automated cloud workflows. This
operational efficiency frees IT personnel to focus on higher impact county initiatives such as data
governance, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence tools.

•

Bolstering Taxpayer Confidence and Trust: Provides high availability 24/7 digital access for
constituent-facing portals and core government functions, even during peak processing periods
(elections, tax cycles).

•

Operational Continuity During Facility Issues: Guarantees critical applications remain functional and
accessible to mobile or remote staff during localized courthouse emergencies (power outages, HVAC
failures, water leaks).

•

Data Sovereignty and Security Compliance: Hosted exclusively in US-based commercial AWS data
centers, meeting or exceeding strict CJIS and HIPAA regulatory frameworks.

•

Facilities and Environmental Relief: Decommissioning the remaining 52 on-premises servers will
significantly reduce electrical power consumption, data center cooling costs, and UPS battery refresh
cycles.

•

Supply Chain Resilience and Rapid DR: Eliminates 30-to-60-day replacement hardware supply chain
lead times and provides isolated sandbox environments for annual CJIS-mandated disaster recovery
testing.

STRATEGIC PLAN:
☒ Financial Stability: Transitions cyclical capital hardware replacement costs into an optimized operating
model, avoiding expensive 5-year physical hardware leases. The project leverages national cooperative
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purchasing agreements, captures $109,426 in one-time AWS partner migration funding, draws down
committed spend tiers via AWS Marketplace, and yields $180,000 in annual legacy maintenance savings
by 2028. Continuous FinOps oversight ensures cloud compute spend is actively right-sized.
☒ Workforce & Organization Development: Transitions staff away from routine physical hardware
maintenance, freeing internal IT personnel to build high-value cloud engineering skills. Staff will upskill
through active cloud training paths, shifting technical expertise toward data governance, enterprise
cybersecurity, and emerging artificial intelligence tools to empower county departments.
☒ Infrastructure Maintenance & Improvements: Decommissioning the remaining 52 on-premises servers
modernizes county infrastructure, removes physical environmental failure risks inside the aging
courthouse facility, installs dedicated private AWS Direct Connect routing, and establishes isolated cloud
disaster recovery environments that directly satisfy annual CJIS compliance mandates.
☒ Regional & Intergovernmental Collaboration: Employs national cooperative purchasing contracts to
capture bulk public sector pricing while boosting cross-system data interoperability with regional justice
partners, emergency management agencies, and state platforms that already operate within AWS
environments.
☒ Community Investment: Safeguards public assets, official county records, and constituent service
delivery against catastrophic ransomware and facility disasters through Cohesity immutable backups and
hardware-level Nitro cryptographic security. Ensuring high-availability public portals for land records,
court records, elections, and property tax payments protects essential community services against
unscheduled downtime.
☒ Communication & Marketing: Modern cloud architecture supports high-performance reliability for
public-facing portals during peak constituent demand cycles (such as elections and tax collection
deadlines). Reliable, outage-free digital interaction reinforces public confidence and elevates Peoria
County's brand as an accountable, forward-thinking, resilient local government.
EQUITY IMPACT: This project will service all of Peoria County’s constituents.
ALTERNATIVES: Continuing on-premises hosting, including building a secondary redundant datacenter at
the Jail or HHS campus, was evaluated and rejected for the following reasons:
•

High Cost and Recurring Cycles: Requires major upfront capital outlays and costly 5-year hardware
leases that must be repeated every 5 to 6 years.

•

Facility and Hardware Risk: Binds 52 servers to the environmental vulnerabilities of an older facility
and exposes the County to 30 to 60 days of downtime during hardware rebuilds.

•

Operational Drag: Bogs down internal IT staff in daily hardware maintenance rather than advancing
strategic priorities like cybersecurity, data governance, and artificial intelligence.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the County Administrator to execute agreements for Amazon Web
Services cloud hosting, Insight Public Sector for technical migration consulting and ongoing Cloud Financial
Operations management, utilizing national cooperative purchasing agreements and subject to State's
Attorney's review and approval. This action also authorizes the purchase and direct setup of Cohesity
immutable cloud backups via the AWS Marketplace. Furthermore, it authorizes the transfer and
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appropriation of an amount not to exceed $474,782.00 from the IT Services Fund Balance into a dedicated
AWS Project Fund to support net 2026 and 2027 project requirements, with any unexpended funds
reserved to offset future operational costs or fund further cloud optimizations.
RECOMMENDATIONS BY OTHER BODIES:
PRIOR COUNTY BOARD ACTIONS:
COMMITTEE ACTION:
ATTACHMENTS:

Committed to Serving All

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County Operations Committee - 09-22-2026

TO THE HONORABLE COUNTY BOARD
COUNTY OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS

)
)
)

Your County Operations and Finance, Audit, and Legislative Affairs Committees do hereby recommend
passage of the following Resolution:
Re: Enterprise-Wide Infrastructure Migration to Amazon Web Services (AWS)
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Peoria County has successfully modernized critical systems, reducing its active data
center footprint from a peak of 110 servers down to 52 servers (a 53% reduction); and
WHEREAS, 98 of the County's 125 enterprise applications remain dependent on these remaining 52
on-premises servers; and
WHEREAS, migrating the remaining server infrastructure to Amazon Web Services (AWS)
maximizes enterprise resilience, fulfills strict Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) of less than 24 hours,
eliminates physical single points of failure, and avoids expensive 5-year hardware lease renewals; and
WHEREAS, the implementation establishes a dedicated AWS Direct Connect private circuit and
leverages enterprise cloud security, ensuring secure performance while adhering to CJIS and HIPAA data
sovereignty mandates; and
WHEREAS, the County will utilize national cooperative purchasing agreements to procure AWS
hosting, Insight Public Sector migration services, and Cohesity immutable cloud backups to harden
ransomware defense and streamline vendor management; and
WHEREAS, to provide dedicated financial visibility, an amount of $474,782.00 from the IT Services
Fund Balance will be transferred into a dedicated AWS Project Fund for net 2026 and 2027 project
requirements, with any unexpended balances retained to offset future annual AWS operational costs or fund
further cloud optimizations.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the County Board of Peoria County, Illinois,
authorizes the County Administrator to execute necessary agreements for Amazon Web Services cloud
hosting, Insight Public Sector migration services, and Cohesity cloud backups, utilizing national cooperative
purchasing agreements, subject to the State’s Attorney’s Office’s review and approval; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the County Board of Peoria County, Illinois, authorizes the
transfer and appropriation of an amount not to exceed $474,782.00 from the IT Services Fund Balance to a
dedicated AWS Project Fund to support and track the net project requirements for the 2026 and 2027 budget
cycles, with any remaining unused balances authorized to offset future operational costs or fund ongoing
cloud optimizations.

Committed to Serving All

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County Operations Committee - 09-22-2026

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,
COUNTY OPERATIONS &
FINANCE, AUDIT, AND LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

Committed to Serving All

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County Operations Committee - 09-22-2026
4.2

2027 Health Insurance Premiums And Subsidy Rates

Vice Chairperson - Sharon K. Williams, District 1
Camille Coates, District 2
Betty Duncan, District 3
Brandy Bryant, District 4
Chairperson – James C. Dillon, District 5
Eden S. Blair, District 6
Phillip Salzer, District 7
Marcia McCann, District 8
Danny Phelan, District 9

Peoria County Board

Robert Reneau, District 10
Linda Daley, District 11
Daniel Kelch, District 12
Terry Ruhland, District 13
Brian Elsasser, District 14
Steven Rieker, District 15
Matthew Windish, District 16
Jennifer Groves Allison, District 17
Paul Rosenbohm, District 18

AGENDA BRIEFING COMMUNICATION
Committee:

County Operations Committee

Prepared By:

Angela Loftus

Committee Meeting:

September 22, 2026

Title:

Director Of Human Resources

County Board Meeting:

October 8, 2026

Department:

County Administration

County Board District:

All

Date Prepared:

September 10, 2026

Agenda Category:

RESOLUTIONS

Item Title:

2027 Health Insurance Premiums and Subsidy Rates

ISSUE:
A resolution from your County Operations Committee to approve both the employer and employee health
insurance premiums and subsidy, effective January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027.
BACKGROUND:
Each year, the County Board approves the employee health plan premiums for both the employer share and
the employee share during the annual budget process for the upcoming year.
As a member of the Intergovernmental Personnel Benefit Cooperative (IPBC), the County’s insurance claims
were evaluated by the underwriter/actuary to determine our rate increase/decrease for premiums in calendar
year 2027. Based upon their analysis, the County’s medical insurance premiums increased an average of
20.2%, while dental and vision premiums remained flat over the three plans for active employees: a $1,000.00
(single) deductible PPO plan, a $3,500.00 (single) deductible PPO plan, and a $2,500.00 (single) qualified high
deductible health plan.
In an effort to help reduce the impact of the premium increase on employees and departments, the Health
Insurance Advisory Committee (HIAC) and County Administration recommend that the Employee Health Fund
cover the estimated $290,000.00 of administrative and wellness fees for 2027. Run-off claims in 2025 were
significantly under budget; this created additional surplus in the Employee Health Fund, which will help cover
these fees. Even with this spend down, the Employee Health Fund will continue to meet or exceed the County
Board’s fund balance policy.
Retirees that are not yet Medicare-eligible will continue to have the option to enroll in any of the three health
insurance plans and will pay the full unit cost. Retirees that are Medicare eligible will continue to have the
option to enroll in any of the four supplemental plans offered through IPBC and Benistar and will pay the full
cost of those plans as determined by IPBC and Benistar.
In years 2022-2024, the board approved a subsidy for the employee plus one and family tiers on both the
Preferred Provider Organization (PPO or “Standard”) Plan and the Qualified High Deductible (QHDHP) Plan in
an effort to alleviate a portion of the impact to employees participating in these tiers. The directive at that
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County Operations Committee - 09-22-2026

time was to continue to reduce the subsidy at all levels in future years. In 2025 & 2026, based upon HIAC and
County Administration’s recommendation, the board approved a subsidy only for active employees with
family coverage for each of the three health plans.
While evaluating the 2027 rates from IPBC with HIAC, the consensus was to provide the same subsidy
percentage for family coverage only to active employees on any of the three health plans. This is because the
rates received from IPBC saw a higher increase in the employee share for those with family coverage, typically
due to higher claims generated by these plan members. Therefore, both County Administration and HIAC are
recommending that a subsidy be provided in 2027 for active employees with family coverage. The total
amount of subsidy requested is estimated to be $185,000.
Due to collective bargaining, premiums for the PBLC Lieutenants, FOP Corrections, and PBLC Deputies will be
determined as outlined in the collective bargaining agreements and through the collective bargaining process.
The chart reflects the monthly 2027 proposed premiums by plan type for active employees on the $1,000.00
PPO Plan, the $3,500.00 PPO Plan, and the $2,500.00 Qualified High Deductible Plan. The proposed subsidy
amount is also included in the chart.
IMPACT ANALYSIS:
FISCAL IMPACT: The 2027 total cost for active and retiree health insurance plans is estimated to be
$9,960,000.00. This amount will be covered by employee/retiree and department premiums. The
Employee Health Fund will cover the proposed subsidy and the wellness & administrative costs. Even with
the use of reserves, the Employee Health Fund will continue to meet or exceed the board’s fund balance
policy.
OPERATIONAL IMPACT: Providing options of health insurance plans and premiums encourages employee
recruitment and retention.
STRATEGIC PLAN:
☒ Workforce & Organization Development
EQUITY IMPACT: NA
ALTERNATIVES: Increase or decrease the amount of the subsidy to the employee’s share of the premium.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approve the insurance premiums for employees, retirees, employer, and
subsidy effective January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027.
RECOMMENDATIONS BY OTHER BODIES:
• None
PRIOR COUNTY BOARD ACTIONS:
• October 2025 was the last time the County Board approved insurance premiums and subsidy.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Committed to Serving All

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County Operations Committee - 09-22-2026

1.

2027 Proposed Premium Summary [4.2.1 - 1 page]

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County Operations Committee - 09-22-2026

TO THE HONORABLE COUNTY BOARD
COUNTY OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS

)
)
)

Your County Operations Committee does hereby recommend passage of the following Resolution:
Re: 2027 Health Insurance Premiums and Subsidy Rates
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the County of Peoria has a contract with the Intergovernmental Personnel Benefit
Cooperative (IPBC) for health insurance services; and
WHEREAS, County Administration and the Health Insurance Advisory Committee (HIAC) have
reviewed the rate increases provided by the IPBC for the $1,000.00 PPO Plan, a $3,500.00 PPO Plan, and a
$2,500.00 Qualified High Deductible Plan; and
WHEREAS, IPBC also offers four supplemental plans and rates for members to offer to their Medicareeligible retirees; and
WHEREAS, County Administration has recommended the attached health plan premium increase and
subsidy effective January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027 for employees on the $1,000.00 PPO Plan,
$3,500.00 PPO Plan, and $2,500.00 Qualified High Deductible Plan; and
WHEREAS, County Administration has recommended that eligible retirees pay the full unit cost for the
$1,000.00 PPO Plan, $3,500.00 PPO Plan, and $2,500.00 Qualified High Deductible Plan or the four
supplemental plans for Medicare-eligible retirees; and
WHEREAS, your County Operations Committee recommends adoption of the premiums and subsidy as
outlined in the attached premium chart and agenda briefing, effective January 1, 2027 through December 31,
2027.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the County Board of Peoria County, Illinois, that the
recommendation of the County Administrator and your County Operations Committee for the attached
Employee Health Plan premiums is hereby adopted; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the County Board of Peoria County authorizes and directs the
County Administrator to execute any additional contracts with IPBC and its vendors for the implementation of
these active and retiree health insurance plans for the 2027 plan year.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,
COUNTY OPERATIONS COMMITTEE

Committed to Serving All

Page 20

County Operations Committee - 09-22-2026

Proposed 2027 Premiums
Plan

2027 - Monthly Premiums &
Subsidy

PPO
Unit
EE
$1000
Cost
Contrib
EE 1,413.68 282.74
EE+1 3,135.06 713.08
Family 4,472.52 1,075.38

2027 Annual
Increase

Active Employees (excludes Corr, Dep, Lts)
ER
EE Annual ER Annual
Contrib Subsidy
Increase
Increase

2027 Per Pay
Period Increase
EE Per
Pay Inc

ER Per
Pay Inc

1,130.94
2,421.98
3,272.14

0.00
0.00
125.00

370.15
1,161.01
1,816.90

1,480.73
3,853.43
5,367.38

15.42
48.38
75.70

61.70
160.56
223.64

PPO
Unit
$3500
Cost
EE 1,139.60
EE+1 2,523.86
Family 3,606.75

EE
Contrib

ER
Contrib

Subsidy

EE Annual ER Annual
Increase
Increase

EE Per
Pay Inc

ER Per
Pay Inc

227.92
573.98
867.06

911.68
1,949.89
2,638.69

0.00
0.00
101.00

266.28
897.30
1,423.98

1,065.12
2,958.54
4,166.70

11.10
37.39
59.33

44.38
123.27
173.61

QHDHP
Unit
$2500
Cost
EE 877.41
EE+1 1,931.77
Family 2,785.42

EE
Contrib

ER
Contrib

Subsidy

EE Annual ER Annual
Increase
Increase

EE Per
Pay Inc

ER Per
Pay Inc

175.48
439.06
541.88

701.93
1,492.71
2,037.54

0.00
0.00
206.00

6.50
25.57
34.12

25.98
83.23
120.82

155.90
613.70
818.82

Committed to Serving All

623.62
1,997.50
2,899.62

Page 21

County Operations Committee - 09-22-2026
4.3

2027 One-Time Lump Sum Health Savings Account (HSA) Contribution

Vice Chairperson - Sharon K. Williams, District 1
Camille Coates, District 2
Betty Duncan, District 3
Brandy Bryant, District 4
Chairperson – James C. Dillon, District 5
Eden S. Blair, District 6
Phillip Salzer, District 7
Marcia McCann, District 8
Danny Phelan, District 9

Peoria County Board

Robert Reneau, District 10
Linda Daley, District 11
Daniel Kelch, District 12
Terry Ruhland, District 13
Brian Elsasser, District 14
Steven Rieker, District 15
Matthew Windish, District 16
Jennifer Groves Allison, District 17
Paul Rosenbohm, District 18

AGENDA BRIEFING COMMUNICATION
Committee:

County Operations Committee

Prepared By:

Angela Loftus

Committee Meeting:

September 22, 2026

Title:

Director Of Human Resources

County Board Meeting:

October 8, 2026

Department:

County Administration

County Board District:

All

Date Prepared:

September 8, 2026

Agenda Category:

RESOLUTIONS

Item Title:

2027 One-time lump sum Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution

ISSUE:
A resolution from your County Operations Committee to approve a one-time lump-sum Health Savings
Account (HSA) contribution for active employees who enroll in the Qualified High Deductible Health Plan for
the 2027 health plan year.
BACKGROUND:
The Health Insurance Advisory Committee (HIAC), in conjunction with County Administration, reached a
consensus to continue to participate in the three health insurance plans for active employees: a $1,000.00
(single) deductible PPO plan, a $3,500.00 (single) deductible PPO plan, and a $2,500.00 (single) qualified high
deductible health plan. During the open enrollment period, employees will have the option to enroll in one of
these three plans.
Each of the three plans offers a different deductible, co-pays, co-insurance, maximum out-of-pocket,
prescription co-pays, etc. These differences also account for differences in the cost of each plan for the
employee as well as the employer. Under IRS guidelines, the Qualified High Deductible plan prohibits any copays, including those for prescription drugs, until the deductible has been met. The Qualified High Deductible
Health Plan (QHDHP) is a lower overall cost to the employer compared to the two PPO plans that are available.
However, the PPO plans may be more attractive to employees due to one offering a low deductible and both
offering co-pays.
HIAC members provided feedback that the comparison of a PPO plan with co-pays was more attractive than
the Qualified High Deductible plan because of the $2,500.00 deductible that has to first be met before
coinsurance is applied on the QHDHP. Human Resources staff have also seen more new hires enroll in the
QHDHP than in either of the two PPO plans since the HSA was offered to new hires starting in 2026. Based on
the premium structure and cost, when an employee selects the QHDHP over either PPO, the cost is
significantly lower to the County and to the employee, even with the HSA contribution.

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County Operations Committee - 09-22-2026

Given this information, the consensus and recommendation from County Administration and HIAC is all tiers
(Single, Member +1, and Member +2) should receive a contribution to their HSA ($1,250 for Single, $1,500.00
for Member +1, and $2,000.00 for Member +2) for the following reasons:
• the deductible on the QHDHP is $2,500.00,
• the Single and Member +1 tiers will not be receiving a subsidy,
• 100% of the cost of medical claims and prescriptions, until the deductible is met, is paid out of pocket
by the employee,
• Run-off claims in 2025 were significantly under budget, creating additional surplus in the Employee
Health Fund,
• the cost to the employer is less for every employee that selects the QHDHP versus the PPO.
The recommended HSA employer contributions are $500.00 more per tier compared to the employer
contribution amount given in 2026.
The recommendation from both County Administration and HIAC is to encourage enrollment in the Qualified
High Deductible plan. The recommendation proposes a one-time lump-sum contribution to be given in
January 2027 to current active employees on payroll at the time of the contribution who enrolled in the
QHDHP for the 2027 health plan year. Like in 2026, the recommendation for 2027 is to continue offering the
employer contribution for new employees hired in 2027 who enroll in the Qualified High Deductible plan at
the time of hire in order to incentivize new employees to enroll in the QHDHP.
Due to collective bargaining, an HSA contribution for the PBLC Lieutenants, FOP Corrections, and PBLC
Deputies will be as outlined in the collective bargaining agreements and through the collective bargaining
process.
IMPACT ANALYSIS:
FISCAL IMPACT: The HSA contribution total is estimated at $415,000.00. This amount will come from the
Employee Health Fund reserves to cover the proposed HSA contribution. With this use of reserves, the
Employee Health Fund will continue to meet or exceed the board’s fund balance policy.
OPERATIONAL IMPACT: Providing options of health insurance plans and premiums encourages employee
recruitment and retention.
STRATEGIC PLAN:
☒ Workforce & Organization Development
EQUITY IMPACT: NA
ALTERNATIVES: Increase or decrease the amount of the HSA contribution to employees.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approve the one-time lump-sum HSA contribution ($1,250.00 for Single,
$1,500.00 for Member +1, and $2,000.00 for Member +2) to active employees on payroll at the time of
the contribution who enrolled in the QHDHP for the 2027 health plan year and for any new hire hired in
2027 who enrolls in the QHDHP at the time of hire.
RECOMMENDATIONS BY OTHER BODIES:
• Health Insurance Advisory Committee
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County Operations Committee - 09-22-2026

PRIOR COUNTY BOARD ACTIONS:
• October 2025 was the last time the County Board approved an HSA contribution.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
ATTACHMENTS:

Committed to Serving All

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County Operations Committee - 09-22-2026

TO THE HONORABLE COUNTY BOARD
COUNTY OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS

)
)
)

Your County Operations Committee does hereby recommend passage of the following Resolution:
Re: A one-time lump-sum Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution for the 2027 health plan year.
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, County Administration and the Health Insurance Advisory Committee (HIAC) continue to
offer a $2,500 Qualified High Deductible Plan offered by IPBC as one of the health insurance plans in which
employees can enroll for plan year 2027; and
WHEREAS, the IRS allows employers to provide a contribution into a Health Savings Account (HSA)
for participants on a Qualified High Deductible Health Plan; and
WHEREAS, County Administration and the Health Insurance Advisory Committee recommended a onetime lump-sum contribution of $1,250 for single, $1,500 for member +1, and $2,000 for member +2 for current
active employees who enroll in the Qualified High Deductible Health Plan effective January 1, 2027; and
WHEREAS, new hires hired in 2027 who enroll in the Qualified High Deductible Health Plan at the time
of hire will also be eligible for the one-time lump-sum HSA contribution; and
WHEREAS, due to collective bargaining, the HSA contribution for the PBLC Lieutenants, PBLC
Deputies, and FOP Corrections units will be as outlined in the collective bargaining agreements and through the
collective bargaining process; and
WHEREAS, the offer of a one-time contribution to an employee’s HSA is an incentive for the employee
to choose the Qualified High Deductible plan, which is a lower cost to both the employee and the County as the
employer; and
WHEREAS, an estimated $415,000 will be used from the Employee Health Fund reserves based on
estimated enrollment in the Qualified High Deductible plan by active employees as well as new hires throughout
the calendar year; and
WHEREAS, your County Operations Committee recommends adoption of the one-time HSA
contribution as outlined above.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the County Board of Peoria County, Illinois, that the
recommendation of the County Administrator and your County Operations Committee for the one-time Health
Savings Account contribution and rates as outlined herein is hereby adopted.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,
COUNTY OPERATIONS COMMITTEE

Committed to Serving All

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