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Kane County

KC Public Service Committee

Meeting Minutes

SANCHEZ, Young, Gripe, Gumz, Lewis, Surges, Tepe, ex-officios Roth (County Vice Chair)

and Pierog (County Chair)

Thursday, August 21, 2025

9:00 AM

County Board Room

Call To Order

Chairman Sanchez called today's meeting to order at 9:00 AM.

Roll Call

Board Member Jarett Sanchez

Board Member Jon Gripe

PRESENT

Board Member Michelle Gumz

Board Member Anita Lewis

Board Member Vern Tepe

Ex-Officio County Board Vice Chair Bill Roth

Board Member David Young

Board Member Clifford Surges

Ex-Officio County Board Chair Corinne M. Pierog

REMOTE

ABSENT

Also present: Co. Bd. members Bates*, Juby, Molina*, Penesis*; Treasurer Lauzen;

SOA Armstrong; ROE Supt. Jonak and staff Allgrim and Hadjiev; VAC Supt.

Zimmerman; Co. Clk. staff Pollock; ITD staff Peters; and members of the press and

public.

Remote Attendance Requests

Chairman Sanchez announced the remote attendance requests for today's meeting.

He asked the Committee if there were any objections to Committee Members Surges

and Young attending remotely. There were no objections.

Approval of Minutes: July 17, 2025

RESULT:

MOVER:

APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT

Vern Tepe

Public Comment

Kane County resident Victoria Davidson-Bell spoke on her concerns about the County

Board considering the Proclamation Opposing Non-Citizen voting. She stated that by

doing this, the Board Members are implying that the Board counterparts support and

enable voter fraud. Davidson-Bell added that by supporting this misguided

proclamation, the lie that the 2020 Election was fraudulent is being supported as well.

Lastly, she stated that it is inappropriate for the Kane County Board to engage in

supporting lies that are damaging to the country and nation.

Kane County resident Denise Theobald addressed repeated claims by Board Members

that non-citizens are voting in Kane County Elections, and that the county's elections

are not secure. She stated that these claims are false. Theobald added that Illinois has

strict checks and balances to prevent non-citizens from voting. Same-day registrants

must show proper identification, proof of U.S. citizenship, signature matching, and

provisional balance cross-checks with state and federal databases. She noted that

Kane County Bipartisan Election Officials consistently demonstrate integrity and

transparency. In 2021, based on requests from Republicans, Kane County Clerk, Jack

Cunningham, and staff spend more than 100 hours providing a forensic audit. It

concluded with no evidence of fraud. Lastly, Theobald stated that free and fair

elections are important, and that they are the foundation of democracy.

Kane County resident Heather Hayes addressed a claim about non-citizens voting in

elections. She stated that the claim that non-citizens voting through same-day

registration is false. She added that independent studies show that non-citizen voting is

virtually non-existent in Illinois, and across the country.

Finance

Monthly Report

The monthly report is on file. No additional report was made.

Recorder

Monthly Report

The monthly report is on file. No additional report was made.

Treasurer / Collector

Monthly Report

Treasurer Lauzen stated that the second installment of property tax collections

are moving smoothly. The property tax deadline is Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

He looks forward to introducing new employees to the committee at next

month's meeting.

Supervisor of Assessments

Monthly Report

Kane County Supervisor of Assessments (SOA) Armstrong stated that the

monthly report is on file. He provided the monthly and year-to-date summaries of

work performed by the Kane County Assessment Office during July 2025. The

Kane County Board of Review will began hearing assessment complaints on

August 12, 2025. In an ongoing effort to educate and inform stakeholders in the

assessment process, Armstrong provided a presentation on the statistical

uniformity in Kane County assessments. He explained that reviewing

assessments is a provision that results from the following constitutional

provisions. According to the Illinois Supreme Court, the constitutional provision

for uniformity does not require that property be assessed on any particular day

or on the same day. A practical uniformity is measured by the use of a sales

ratio study. These studies are conducted by the Illinois Department of Revenue,

and compare sale prices to assessed values. Armstrong noted that the goal of

these studies is to establish median level of assessments and issue equalization

factors to bring all counties to a three-year average median level of assessments

of 33.33%. There are three measurers of assessment equity, including

Coefficient of Dispersion (COD), Coefficient of Concentration (COC), and

Price-Related Differential (PRD). Lastly, he stated that the consequences of

inequitable assessments are loss of state funding to the county, exaggerated

state equalization factors, and diminished public trust in assessment process,

leading to increased cost of assessment complaints and appeals.

SOA FY26 Budget Presentation

Kane County Supervisor of Assessments (SOA) Armstrong provided the FY26

Budget Presentation. He stated that the SOA salary reimbursement from the

state is 50%. The submitted budget for the SOA's largest expense overall is

personnel services, salaries and wages in the amount of $959,325. The second

highest expense is $32K for legal printing and binding services. He referenced

the budgeted items are over $10K including employee training and employee

mileage expenses. The Board of Review is in the amount of $98,687 which pays

for the three main full-time board members' salaries and wages. Lastly, the

budgeted amount for appraisal services is at $24K for FY26. Armstrong

addressed questions and comments from the Committee. Further discussion

ensued.

10.

Regional Office of Education

ROE FY26 Budget Presentation

Regional Office of Education (ROE) Supt. Jonak presented the FY26 Budget

Presentation. He reminded the committee that the role of the ROE is to

advocate for education, provide leadership, perform regulatory functions, and

coordinate state and local services for educators, school districts, and the

community. In 2025, there were over 1,200 bus drivers trained, 4,250 people

were fingerprinted, 2,495 school and home truancy visits, and 520 high school

equivalency exams were administered. The FY26 submitted budget in salary

and wages is $395,997.56. The budget for contractual services amount is

$4,757.00. The total expense amount for the FY26 budget is $400,572.56.

Further discussion took place.

11.

Veteran's Assistance Commission

Monthly Report

Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC) Supt. Zimmerman stated

that the monthly report is on file. The average disability claim processing time for

Veterans is twelve days faster on average than the State of Illinois. Pension

claims for indigent veterans below the poverty level are being processed 35

days faster. Of the 18K claims pending in the State of Illinois, almost 300 of

those claims belong to the VAC office. Over 400 disability compensation claims,

1 pension claim, 27 dependency and indemnity compensation claims, 7 survivor

pension claims, 60 applications for VA health care, and 43 appeals on benefits

have been filed. Zimmerman added that there were $6.8M in new benefits

collected, and the VAC provided 84 rides on "Ride-in-Kane." Lastly, he

highlighted that in June he received a call from a regional manager from the

auto repair facility Midas regarding four nominees to receive refurbished vehicles

through a national initiative called "Project Spark." This non-profit organization

provides donated vehicles and vehicle repairs to families, veterans, and first

responders. Of the six vehicles donated at Soldier Field, five of them were given

to Kane County Veterans.

VAC FY26 Budget

Kane County Veteran's Assistance Commission Supt. Zimmerman provided the

FY26 Budget Presentation. The VAC office is made up of five employees,

including the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and three Veteran

Service Officers. He noted that the county is required to fund the VAC at 0.02%

of the last known equalized assessed value (EAV) of the county, unless the VAC

requests less. The total proposed FY26 budget amount is $713,191.00, with the

amount of savings to Kane County of $3,641,069.48. Discussion ensued.

Authorizing the Placement of a Marker in Memory of John R. Carr, Retired

Superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission

KC Executive Committee

RESULT:

TO:

MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE

KC Executive Committee

Vern Tepe

MOVER:

Jon Gripe

SECONDER:

Jarett Sanchez, David Young, Jon Gripe, Michelle Gumz, Anita

Lewis, Clifford Surges, and Vern Tepe

AYE:

Corinne M. Pierog

ABSENT:

County Clerk

12.

Monthly Report

Kane County Clerk's Office staff Pollock stated that the monthly report is on file.

He noted that the Clerk's Office is serving 13% more customers this year than

last year. Passport applications are 36% higher than last year. Pollock

announced that the 2025-2026 government guide and election calendar are

available on the Kane County website. Updates to this guide will be available at

the County Clerk's website. The government guide briefly describes the

departments within Kane County government, outlines services provided, and

lists the names of the administrators of those departments. It also includes a

comprehensive listing of the national and state officials who represent the

citizens of Kane County, as well as the elected and appointed officials of the

units of local government. Further discussion ensued. (Chairman Sanchez left at

10:30 a.m. Vice-Chair Roth stood in as Chairman for the remainder of the

meeting.)

Co. Clk. Office FY26 Budget Presentation

Kane County Clerk's Office staff Pollock provided the FY26 Budget

Presentation. The County Clerk's Office handles vital records, passports,

property tax services, and elections. Birth certificate records for this year are

currently 5% higher than last year. Death records are trending 7.5% above this

year than last year. There were a total of 3,400 marriage licenses issued in

2024. This year, marriage licenses have increased by 2%. Pollock explained that

the Kane County Clerk's Office handles several different aspects regarding

property taxes including property tax extension for local governments, past tax

searches, delinquent tax redemption, and annexations of taxing districts.

Additionally, the Kane County Clerk's Office extends taxes for nearly 300 local

governmental taxing bodies in Kane County. The total assessed value for all

property in Kane County in 2024 was $23B. Pollock proceeded to explain that

the only non-mandated function of the Clerk's Office are passports. They are an

additional revenue source that the Clerk's Office provides to the General Fund.

The Clerk's Office receives $35 for each new passport application accepted,

along with a passport photo service that costs $15 for each phone taken.

Through July 31, the Clerk's Office accepted more passports than any full year.

Passports are on pace to reach almost 8K this year. Through July, the Clerk's

Office generated $240,398 in revenue from passports and photos. This is all

revenue going to the general fund, and is above and beyond the statutory

obligation. In conclusion, the Clerk's Office has generated nearly $365K more

through July in FY25 than through the same period in FY24. At this point,

Pollock stated that his office has already exceeded their revenue projection for

FY25. He hopes to continue this pace for the rest of the year to produce

additional revenue for the county's general fund. The expected revenue amount

in FY26 is $1,753,040. Further discussion ensued.

13.

Other Business

Committee Member Gripe handed out a draft Proclamation Honoring Chris Lauzen for

2025 Cashvest National Leadership Award for Financial Management. He asked for

the committee's consideration to recognize this award. The Committee agreed to

include the proclamation on the agenda for next month's meeting.

14.

15.

Executive Session (If Needed)

None.

Reports Placed On File

RESULT:

MOVER:

APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT

Jon Gripe

16.

Adjournment

RESULT:

APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE

Jon Gripe

MOVER:

Michelle Gumz

SECONDER: