• Champaign County Board discusses budget, parking lot

The Champaign County Board approved the creation of a public parking rate for a lot next to the Champaign County Courthouse, 200 N. Main St.

Lot F will now charge 25 cents for the first hour, 50 cents for each additional hour and a maximum charge of $5.25 in a day.

• The board also approved a budget amendment to transfer $500,000 into the tort immunity fund to cover shortfall for payment of liability insurance billing.

The tort immunity fund is money the county would use in case of lawsuit.

Board members Scott Tapley, R-Champaign, and Greg Knott, R-Homer, voted in favor of the amendment but said they thought the increased appropriations were caused by a budget amendment two years ago that took $50,000 from the fund, which both Tapley and Knott opposed at the time.

Board member Tom Betz, D-Urbana, argued that the increased appropriations would have happened regardless of the levee cut.

—- Dan Farnham