PEORIA, Ill. — The Peoria County Board Thursday night approved 16-0 to place a question on the 2020 General Election Ballot to sell or dispose of Heddington Oaks.
The skilled nursing facility, owned by Peoria County, will be closing its doors and residents are being relocated.
Scott Sorrell, Peoria County Administrator, said while the resolution says 65% of residents have found locations to be discharged to, that number has changed in the last few weeks.
“That number could be updated to be over 85% as of now,” Sorrell said.
Sorrell said the reason Peoria County residents will decide the future of the building in November, is because residents have voted on other nursing facilities in the past.
“To either A — construct a new nursing home facility, and that was Belwood Nursing Home back in 1966. To levee a property tax for the very first time in 1983,” Sorrell said.
The closure of Heddington Oaks was announced in April, due to the lack of funding.
The Peoria County Board also voted to amend the county budget for the Peoria City/County Health Department’s COVID-19 Contact Tracing Grant.
Health Administrator Monica Hendrickson said the health department would receive up to $4.9 million.
“The grant will run from June 1 to May 31. We submitted our budget and are now waiting the state’s approval for that. It can go anywhere up to that value,” Hendrickson said.
