2025 Fall Farm Outlook Lincoln Daily News Oct 2025 Page 29 This makes one wonder if it is likely to be used in Logan County. Lincoln Daily News held several interviews with local and state government representatives to speak on this topic. State Senator Sally Turner echoed a lot of what has already been written, citing the Illinois Constitution as giving the state power. She also posed several questions, such as how “public benefit” is defined. She was able to confirm that, as of the time of the interview, nothing had come to the Illinois Senate floor regarding eminent domain, and she was not aware of anything that would. As a farmer herself, she stated that she understands the concerns that a lot of farmers have in not wanting to be required to sell their land to the government. Michael DeRoss, member of the Logan County Board representing District 5, and the Chairman of the Zoning and Economic Development Committee, echoed much of what was already stated. When asked about cases of eminent domain in Logan County, he said that, in the two years or so since he has been on the Board, he was not aware of any use of eminent domain. He also stated that he was unsure of exactly why it would be used in Logan County. He gave a couple of ideas that came to mind, such as if a new road had to be built or a power station of some kind, but these were simply thoughts. DeRoss was unaware of anything in the works at the county level for eminent domain. Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch was also contacted for an interview on this topic. When asked whether the city was looking to acquire land via eminent domain, Mayor Welch stated that this is not in the plans, nor was he aware of any time in which the city has used this power to acquire land at all. Some may be aware of the city’s recent acquisition of properties. Welch stated that these were not acquired via eminent domain, rather Welch referred to them as “strategic property purchases.” While eminent domain requires land to be sold to the government, the city of Lincoln acquired all these properties, including the Heartland Bank building, by purchasing them via willing sellers. According to Mayor Welch, these purchases represent “thoughtful investments in Lincoln’s economic growth, tourism, and community development.” It seems then, for the time being, eminent domain is not something that the people of Logan County need to be particularly worried about. This is not to say that it will never happen, or even that it will not happen soon, as no one can predict the future. It is important to know your rights as a property owner, and that there is an appeal process you can go through before you are required to sell your property. There are also plenty of real estate lawyers who are willing to represent people who are losing some or all their property due to eminent domain. Remembering that terms such as “just compensation” and “public benefit” do not have an exact definition, and are subject to individual interpretation for each instance of eminent domain. While you may not have reason to worry now, become educated on the topic, and know the
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