Rockford Finance and Personnel Committee Meeting – October 13, 2026

The Rockford Finance and Personnel Committee met on October 13, 2026, and approved all items on its agenda by voice vote with no opposition: routine vouchers, a Head Start cost-of-living adjustment, a grant award, an engineering contract supplement, a sole-source fire equipment contract, and three health-benefit contract renewals. No public comments were made.

Committee Reports

• Approved vouchers totaling $10,899,595.06. Alderman Tubberg thanked Director Hagerty for answering questions in advance.
• Approved a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) of 0.635% for all non-represented Head Start staff, effective April 1, 2026, including applicable retroactive pay, funded by the Office of Head Start Grant Award.

Resolutions

• Approved the Illinois Public Health Institute Medical Respite Capacity Building Initiative (IMRCBI) grant of $45,000.00. The grant requires no cost match, runs from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, and will fund medical respite capacity building, supplies, and staff time.
• Approved Supplement #1 to the engineering agreement for the Rockford Complete Streets Revitalization Project (Phase 2 Engineering) with H.R. Green Inc. in the additional amount of $127,900.00, making the amended total $1,721,286.00. Contract duration extends through March 2027, with funding from BUILD Grant, IDOT, and Motor Fuel Tax funds. During discussion, a committee member asked about affected properties such as Wilson Electric and Collins Funeral Home; staff member Mr. Carter explained the project runs along State/Chestnut, includes a multi-use path, requires small right-of-way acquisitions from north-side businesses, and the supplement covers items such as a retaining wall redesign, five additional right-of-way acquisitions, and a redesign at Ricotta to avoid acquiring property. The committee member indicated that if all property impacts were part of one engineering package, they were satisfied.
• Approved a five-year sole-source contract with Air One Equipment for loose equipment and supplies in an estimated annual amount of $300,000.00 based on unit pricing, funded by the Fire Department Operating Budget. An alderman asked how sole source differs from no-bid; staff explained that Air One is the only vendor for the specific self-contained breathing apparatus chosen by the department's Health and Safety Committee, while no-bid is a non-competitive selection process.
• Approved the 2027 renewal of BlueCross/Blue Shield of Illinois as third-party administrator for medical and hospital benefits at $61.43 per employee per month. Total estimated annual administration costs after prescription drug and medical rebate credits are $656,975.00 based on current enrollment; contract duration is one year, funded by the Health Insurance Fund.
• Approved the 2027 renewal of BlueCross/Blue Shield of Illinois for dental benefits at $3.40 per employee per month. Total estimated annual administration cost is $50,020.00 based on an average monthly enrollment of 1,226 employees; contract duration is one year, funded by the Health Insurance Fund.
• Approved the 2027 renewal of employer-paid group term life insurance with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company at $0.08 per $1,000 of life coverage and $0.025 per $1,000 of AD&D coverage. At the current employee count, the total estimated annual premium is $74,000.00; contract duration is one year, funded by the Health Insurance Fund.

Key Outcomes

• All items on the agenda were approved by voice vote with no opposition.
• The committee adjourned by voice vote.