Weis Expected to Suggest Auditor for Kendall County Board Pay Review
State's Attorney Eric Weis could name someone to review all board members' meeting pay on Tuesday.
Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis plans to suggest an individual on Tuesday to audit county board members’ meeting pay over the past three years.
His suggestion will include an approximate cost, although his original estimate was between $5,000 and $10,000, Weis said at the board’s Committee of the Whole meeting Thursday. The county board’s Finance Committee, which also met Thursday, supported spending county money on the audit.
The County Board's next meeting starts at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the county office building.
County board members have been squabbling for weeks over which meetings their colleagues could claim for an $85 per diem – and whether County Board member Dan Koukol purposefully submitted claims for meetings not covered. County board members request meeting payments by submitting vouchers listing individual meetings they attended.
Long-time County Board member Anne Vickery has said Koukol had received more than 50 improper per diems since he took office in December 2010. Vickery, who chairs the Finance Committee that approves the per diem payments, said she had been aware of the issue for months but decided against discussing it publicly until after the March primary. She did not receive one of the five Republican nominations in District 2, while Koukol was the second-highest vote-getter.
Meanwhile, County Board Chairman John Purcell found Koukol was improperly paid for three meetings since June 2011. Unlike Vickery, Purcell believes Koukol was justified in seeking payment for meetings related to his chairmanship of the county board’s Economic Development Committee, such as meetings with other local economic development organizations.
Weis suggested the board hire an outside auditor after recent Kendall County Board candidate Todd Milliron filed a complaint with his office, seeking a criminal investigation of Koukol's pay, and of Purcell for allegedly conspiring with Koukol.
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Kendall County State's Attorney Office
807 W John St, Yorkville, IL -
Kendall County Administrative Services
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Travis McGee
1:52 pm on Friday, June 15, 2012
I'm happy to read that the Finance Committee agreed with the independent audit. Now we need to convince a majority of the board to agree that the per diem system of compensating board members for attending meetings should be eliminated.
Tim
2:30 pm on Friday, June 15, 2012
So the county is going to spend around $10K, to find out if they paid $235 to ONE person(who beat the ones who brought this up, in the last election) incorrectly?
What happens when the auditor gets a good look at Ann's expense report? There is a reason she didn't bring it up before the election. She sat on the committee that approved the expense claims in question.
This should be funny.
It all comes out in the wash
3:12 pm on Friday, June 15, 2012
Yes Tim because at this point none of them can be trusted. Enough of the election thats over but the abuse and personal entitlement of this board needs to be reviewed. If they have nothing to worry about let the Auditor do their job. The 10k is an estimate and far less than what we pay for Health Insurance and other stuff they spend our taxes on. The abuse is all over the place and the fox who is watching the hen house is not an auditor. Again an AUDIT for all members not just one. Enough is enough.
mike ellison
11:26 pm on Friday, June 15, 2012
$5-10K to go through some receipts? Really?
Minooka Mom
5:51 pm on Saturday, June 16, 2012
Well, its also potentially a fraud issue isnt it? I know that you will probably laugh at me, but I expect honest, ethical government and if someone is taking per diems they shouldnt be, they need to be called to the carpet. I dont understand how there is such a discrepancy between the 49 meetings the finance committee alleges and 3 meetings Purcell and Koukol allege. Neither Purcell nor Koukol explain how they feel that acting as a liasion entitles them to per diems.
Are there any alternatives to these guys on the ballot in November?
This is supposed to be a Republican board? I thought they didnt want to spend money. Guess that's only for people who deserve it, not for those allegedly watching our taxpayer money.