Committee forwards STAR bond interest to full board; vote 4–1–1

The LaSalle County Tourism Committee voted Feb. 20 to forward consideration of the STAR bond program to the full county board and to authorize county contact to register county interest.

Committee members discussed program eligibility criteria presented in a webinar, including that only one project per region may be selected by the governor and that projects must meet distance and highway-proximity requirements. A committee member noted the application deadline to signal intent is in June and described the submission step as a county email to the program administrators.

Chair: "We have until June to say our intent that we want to be part of this… it would require someone in the county sending an email," and another member added that the final decision rests with the governor and may require consultants and private investment.

The committee agreed to forward the STAR bond topic to the full board for consideration and asked staff to place it on the March 9 county board agenda for a full vote. A roll-call vote recorded 4 ayes, 1 abstain and 1 nay; the transcript records Ron saying "nay." The committee noted the substantial scope of STAR bond projects and the need for broader board discussion and legal review.

No commitment was made to a specific project; committee members said they will continue to gather ideas and involve consultants and stakeholders if the full board elects to pursue a STAR bond application.