Government Center  
719 S. Batavia Ave., Bldg. A  
Geneva, IL 60134  
Kane County  
KC Jobs Committee  
Meeting Minutes  
LEWIS, ALLAN, Bates, Daugherty, Ford, Strathmann, Young, ex-officios Pierog (County  
Chair), and Tepe (County Vice Chair)  
Friday, May 17, 2024  
10:30 AM  
County Board Room  
1.  
2.  
Call To Order  
Chairman Lewis called today's meeting to order at 11:02 a.m.  
Roll Call  
Board Member Anita Lewis  
Board Member Deborah Allan  
Board Member Mavis Bates  
Board Member Cherryl Strathmann  
Board Member David Young  
PRESENT  
Ex-Officio County Board Chair Corinne M. Pierog  
Board Member Gary Daugherty  
Board Member Ron Ford  
Ex-Officio County Board Vice Chair Vern Tepe  
REMOTE  
ABSENT  
Also present: Co. Bd. members Linder*, Molina*, Roth; Dev. Dir. VanKerkhoff and staff  
Toth and JEG 360, LLC CEO Grueling; Dir. of Community Reinvestment Berger*; ITD  
staff; and members of the press and public, including Valley Sheltered Workshop Exec.  
Dir. Hugo Saltijeral.  
3.  
4.  
Remote Attendance Requests  
Chairman Lewis announced the remote attendance requests for today's meeting. She  
asked the Committee if there were any objections to Committee Members Daugherty  
and Ford attend the meeting remotely. There were no objections.  
Approval of Minutes: April 12, 2024  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT  
Cherryl Strathmann  
5.  
Public Comment (Agenda Items)  
Exec. Dir. Hugo Saltijeral and Board President Larry Jones of the Valley Sheltered  
Workshop (VSW) shared information and background on their organization. The VSW  
currently serves 35 families at the Batavia location. Saltijeral stated that the VSW was  
established in 1966 as a community-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to  
supporting its members by fostering an environment that nurtures mental and social  
welfare. The organization provides a wide array of activities and events designed to  
engage and support every community member, encompassing permanent and  
community support, educational programs, volunteer opportunities, and social  
gatherings. Saltijeral stated that VSW is an essential component of the continuum of  
care for the disabled community, ensuring that their initiatives contribute to their mental  
health, and well-being. Much discussion ensued.  
6.  
7.  
Public Comment (Non-Agenda Items)  
None.  
Jobs Committee Priorities  
Staff Updates on Kane County Economic Development Initiatives  
A.  
Dev. Dir. VanKerkhoff announced that his team had a successful meeting with  
landowners and economic partners to discuss the funds for the signage at the  
Fabulous Fox Water Trail. The goal of the signage is to connect tourists and  
river-users with the restaurant, shopping, and cultural opportunities available in  
the community.  
Dev. Planner Toth provided updates on the unemployment data. He stated that  
the National Unemployment Data had an up tick by 1/10%. There was a  
decrease in Kane County's unemployment rate last month. Toth announced that  
there will be an Economic Roundtable on June 14, 2024. Lastly, finalizations for  
the Economic Development Strategic Plan are almost complete.  
JEG 360, LLC CEO John Grueling provided a list of the major business  
development projects in Kane County. He stated that there continues to be an  
upward trend in manufacturing jobs in Kane County. He suggested to start  
asking community partners to report their development activity to the Kane  
County Development Department. Grueling stated that the key goal for Kane  
County is business retention and expansion.(Committee Member Young left at  
11:45 a.m.) Much discussion ensued.  
8.  
Office of Community Reinvestment - Workforce Development Division  
OCR Financials  
A.  
Dir. of Community Reinvestment Scott Berger stated that the monthly reports  
are on file. He announced that the County anticipates being awarded a formula  
allocation under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act for Program Year  
2024, which will begin on July 1, 2024.  
Authorizing Agreements for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and  
Trade Adjustment Act Programs for Program Year 2024  
B.  
KC Finance and Budget Committee  
RESULT:  
TO:  
MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE  
KC Finance and Budget Committee  
Cherryl Strathmann  
MOVER:  
Mavis Bates  
SECONDER:  
Anita Lewis, Deborah Allan, Mavis Bates, Gary Daugherty, Ron  
Ford, and Cherryl Strathmann  
AYE:  
David Young, and Vern Tepe  
ABSENT:  
9.  
New Business  
None.  
10.  
Reports Placed On File  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE  
Mavis Bates  
11.  
12.  
13.  
Comments by Co-Chair  
None.  
Executive Session (if needed)  
None.  
Adjournment  
RESULT:  
APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE  
Mavis Bates  
MOVER:  
Cherryl Strathmann  
SECONDER:  
This meeting was adjourned at 12:13 p.m.  
Rachel Santora  
Recording Secretary