5.
Public Comment
Kane County resident Lori Powell spoke on her request for equal access to the
Religious Exemption form on the Kane County Health Department (KCHD) website.
She noted that in the beginning of 2025, the KCHD added a link to the Vaccine
Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) after months of public requests. This was
an important step towards transparency helping residents access information about
potential adverse reactions to vaccines. However, Powell stated that general informed
consent is still incomplete without equal access to all legally, recognized options. This
is Powell's third, formal request to the KCHD to include the immunizations link on the
Illinois Certificate of Religious Exemption form.
6.
7.
Finance/Budget
Monthly Report
A.
The monthly report is on file. No additional report was made.
Animal Control
Monthly Report
A.
B.
Kane County Animal Control (KCAC) Admin. Youngsteadt announced that the
monthly reports are on file. He reminded the Committee that Saturday, August
23, 2025 is the first low-cost rabies and microchip clinic from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00
p.m. There will be two more clinics held one on Wednesday, September 17, and
the other on Saturday, October 18.
KCAC FY2026 Budget Presentation
Kane County Animal Control (KCAC) Admin. Youngsteadt provided a
organizational chart indicating all fifteen budgeted positions of the KCAC. He
stated that tag fees are conducted from January 1 to December 31. He
explained that tag fees do not coincide with the Kane County fiscal year.
Additionally, there is no ordinance or law for how fast certificates or money is
received from the veterinarians. On average, Youngsteadt noted that it takes 2-3
years before revenue shows. The KCAC is funded by the purchase of rabies
tags. KCAC does not receive general revenue dollars to pay employees. There
is a potential $72K increase in revenue. All services that have a fee are
registration for tags, and fees to animal owners. KCAC's revenue is 96%
generated from tag fees. The remaining 2% to 4% comes from miscellaneous
services such as adoptions, rescues, and return to owner services. All
commodities for animal care supplies and utilities are expected to increase.
Animal Control continues to focus on the timely collection of fees that ensure
financial sustainability. They continue to have one of the lowest tag fees in the
collar counties. Further discussion took place.