URBANA -- A resolution to name the federal courthouse in Urbana for former Champaign County State's Attorney James R. Burgess Jr., was approved 20-5 Tuesday at a Champaign County Board committee of the whole meeting.

Although Burgess, who died in 1997, was a Democrat, four of the votes against the resolution came from Democrats Tom Betz, Astrid Berkson, Pattsi Petrie and Ralph Langenheim. The other no vote was from Republican Diane Michaels.

A final vote on the resolution, which would be forwarded to U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk and U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, will come at the county board's regular Nov. 17 meeting.

"If you're going to name these buildings at all -- and personally I don't think we should name federal buildings, they belong to all of us -- then I think that the senators ought to appoint a committee to solicit names and suggestions for the building," Betz said. "It can be named after persons. It can be named after ideas. It could be called the Court of Justice or the Abraham Lincoln Courthouse.

"I think it should not be up to who is currently the politically correct person to promote."

Betz said he did not object to naming the courthouse for Burgess, who had served in an African-American armored tank unit in Europe in World War II, was the first black elected to countywide office in Champaign County history and had been a U.S. attorney in downstate Illinois in the 1970s and '80s.

"My problem is, what about Judge Cunningham, Judge Webber, or Abraham Lincoln, who actually rode the circuit in this area? What about the favorite sons and daughters in other counties? What about the first woman who went to the Supreme Court to be admitted to the Illinois bar and was denied? Maybe that woman ought to have something named for her."

Langenheim said, "For me it was a conflict between heart and mind. I also have the highest regard for Jim Burgess but I also hear Tom's argument and it's a valid argument."

And Michaels said that other individuals may be equally qualified to be recognized with their names on the courthouse.

But Urbana Democrat Chris Alix said it is "entirely appropriate that the Champaign County Board should advance Burgess' name" to Durbin's office. Earlier, Burgess' son, Steve Burgess, made an impassioned request that board members "give me a bigger voice" in asking senators and congressmen to name the courthouse for his father.

Board members also approved, without any discussion, a $113 million county budget for the fiscal year beginning Dec. 1. The general corporate fund budget is $31.6 million, a 2.4 percent increase from the current year.

Final action on the budget will come at the Nov. 17 meeting.

Board members approved, in separate voice votes, two measures to help the county nursing home through its current cash flow difficulties which are the result of five months' worth of delayed payments.

As of Aug. 31 the nursing home owed vendors more than $2.7 million.

One measure allows the county to issue $850,000 in tax anticipation warrants. It's the fourth consecutive year the warrants have been issued to help the institution's cash flow. The money will be repaid next spring as property tax payments are made.

The second permits the nursing home to issue about $765,000 in revenue anticipation warrants in anticipation of funds the state has committed to repay the county. This will be the first time the county has issued revenue anticipation warrants, said County Treasurer Dan Welch.

In other action the board approved a contract extension to Dec. 1, 2015, with County Administrator Deb  Busey, and OK’d the appointments of LaShunda Hambrick, Peter Czajkowski and Catherine Emanuel to the county nursing home board.