Government Center  
719 S. Batavia Ave., Bldg. A  
Geneva, IL 60134  
Kane County  
KC Public Service Committee  
Meeting Minutes  
SANCHEZ, Young, Gumz, Lewis, Surges, Tepe, Williams & Pierog (ex-offico Chair)  
Thursday, July 20, 2023 9:00 AM County Board Room  
1.  
Call To Order  
Vice Chair Young called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM.  
Board Member David Young  
Board Member Michelle Gumz  
Board Member Anita Lewis  
Board Member Vern Tepe  
PRESENT  
Board Member Jarett Sanchez  
REMOTE  
ABSENT  
Board Member Clifford Surges  
Board Member Rick Williams  
Ex-Officio County Board Chair Corinne M. Pierog  
Also present: Bd. Members Allan*, Bates*, Berman, Daugherty*, Juby, Kenyon, Kious*,  
Lenert, Roth, Silva* & Strathmann*; ITD Exec. Dir. Fahnestock; Auditor Wegman; PIO  
Mann; Cty. Clk. Admin. Pollock; ROE Supt. Dal Santo; ROE Asst. Supt. Oliver;  
Regional Sales Dir. John Duggan & Rep. Lawrence Leach from Hart InterCivic;  
Treasurer Lauzen; VA Supt. Zimmerman; Sp. ASA Shepro; Animal Control Admin.  
Youngsteadt*; ITD staff Peters; and members of the press and public.  
2.  
3.  
Roll Call  
Remote Attendance Requests  
There were no remote attendance requests.  
4.  
5.  
Approval of Minutes: June 22, 2023  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT  
Vern Tepe  
Public Comment (Agenda Items)  
Kane County resident Terry Bauer spoke on the public skepticism regarding the Kane  
County election process and their subsequent portrayal in the media.  
Kane County resident Debbie Kanarowski expressed her displeasure with Cty. Clk.  
Cunningham, as well as the handling of public skepticism regarding the Kane County  
election process. (Pierog arrived - 9:07 AM)  
Kane County resident Ruth Kuzmanic noted that she previously ran for the County  
Board. She expressed her support for Cty. Clk. Cunningham. She expressed  
disappointment in recent public perception, as it relates to local democracy.  
Kane County resident Mary Ann Nugent expressed her support for Cty. Clk.  
Cunningham and overall democracy.  
Kane County resident Ken Zitko spoke on local government responsibility and  
transparency.  
Llona Steele from Geneva spoke on the history and objectives of the League of  
Women Voters (LWV). She expressed support of Cty. Clk. Cunningham and the Kane  
County election process.  
Ed Marth from St. Charles inquired about election security proposals. He expressed his  
confidence in the Kane County voting process.  
Steve Bruecewitz from St. Charles spoke on various public complaints and expressed  
his confidence in the Kane County voting process.  
Kane County resident Larry Bettag expressed his disappointment with Cty. Clk.  
Cunningham and the Kane County voting process.  
Jean Meyer from Elgin spoke on her experience with fraud and how our communities  
have changed.  
6.  
Finance  
Monthly Finance Reports (attached)  
A.  
The monthly finance reports were attached to the agenda. No oral report was  
made.  
7.  
8.  
Recorder  
Monthly Report (attached)  
The monthly report was attached to the agenda. No oral report was made.  
Treasurer / Collector  
Monthly Report (attached)  
A.  
A.  
Treasurer Lauzen stated that the monthly reports were attached to the agenda.  
He highlighted updates on the processing of tax payments. He expressed pride  
in his staff for their handling of the most recent tax season.  
9.  
Supervisor of Assessments  
Monthly Report (attached)  
The monthly report was attached to the agenda. No oral report was made.  
10.  
Regional Office of Education  
ROE Asst. Supt. Oliver spoke on Project Backpack, which provides school supplies to  
students in need. She mentioned a number of donation locations, including Casa Kane  
County. Discussion ensued.  
11.  
12.  
Veteran's Assistance Commission  
Monthly Report (attached)  
A.  
VA Supt. Zimmerman stated that the monthly report was attached to the  
agenda. He highlighted that they have completed 480 claims so far this year,  
which translated to $3.8M in benefits. He announced several outreach events,  
including the Illinois Joining Forces Regional Summit and Resource Fair on July  
28, 2023 at Blackberry Farm in Aurora. Discussion ensued.  
County Clerk  
Monthly Report (attached)  
A.  
Cty. Clk. Admin. Pollock stated that the monthly report was attached to the  
agenda. He highlighted that marriage license applications have risen and the  
courthouse booking is multiple weeks out. He encouraged residents that are  
seeking these services to plan ahead. He noted that passports applications  
continue to be at an all-time high and that the State of Illinois is typically taking  
9-13 weeks for processing.  
Proposal to Upgrade the Kane County Voting System - Kane County Clerk’s  
Office (Not Included)  
B.  
Hart InterCivic Regional Rep. Lawrence Leach provided a presentation on their  
new voting system. He spoke on the background of Hart InterCivic and their  
18-year relationship with Kane County. He detailed the data, building, and  
counting processes of the new voting system. He noted various upgrade  
advantages, including easier training for staff, real time ballot images, and touch  
screen voting. He mentioned that there would be a pure paper ballot for potential  
audits or recounts. He stressed that the system is never connected to the  
internet or any outside network. He added that strong security measures and  
accessibility features would be in place. He listed a number of jurisdictions that  
currently utilize the new voting system, such as DuPage, Will, and Grundy  
counties. He stated that the total upgrade would cost $7,391,419. Much  
discussion ensued.  
Authorizing an Agreement with Hart Intercivic for the Upgrade of the Kane  
County Voting System, Hardware, Software, and Related Services and  
Corresponding Budget Adjustment  
C.  
Committee Member Gumz made a motion to amend the language in the  
following resolution. The motion failed by a roll call vote.  
KC Finance and Budget Committee  
RESULT:  
TO:  
MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE  
KC Finance and Budget Committee  
Vern Tepe  
MOVER:  
Anita Lewis  
SECONDER:  
Michelle Gumz, Anita Lewis, and Vern Tepe  
David Young  
AYE:  
NAY:  
Jarett Sanchez  
REMOTE:  
ABSENT:  
Clifford Surges, Rick Williams, and Corinne M. Pierog  
13.  
Other Business  
Vice Chair Young announced that he and Chair Sanchez are organizing a Public  
Service Election Commission. He described the objective of this Commission, which  
would remove the responsibility of running elections from the County Clerk's Office and  
effectively place it on this Commission. Discussion ensued.  
Rescinding Proclamation to Kane County Clerk’s Office from Kane County  
Board on February 14, 2023  
A.  
Vice Chair Young provided a brief background on the following resolution.  
Discussion ensued.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
TABLED  
Michelle Gumz  
David Young  
SECONDER:  
David Young  
AYE:  
Michelle Gumz, Anita Lewis, and Vern Tepe  
Jarett Sanchez  
NAY:  
REMOTE:  
ABSENT:  
Clifford Surges, and Rick Williams  
Requesting the County Clerk’s Office to Return Funds to U.S. Alliance of  
Election Excellence and Cease All Business with U.S. Alliance and All Partners  
B.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
TABLED  
Michelle Gumz  
Anita Lewis  
SECONDER:  
David Young  
AYE:  
Michelle Gumz, Anita Lewis, and Vern Tepe  
Jarett Sanchez  
NAY:  
REMOTE:  
ABSENT:  
Clifford Surges, and Rick Williams  
14.  
Executive Session  
Vice Chair Young entertained a motion to go into closed session to discuss the release  
of closed session minutes. The Committee entered into closed session at 11:00 a.m.  
RESULT:  
APPROVED BY ROLL CALL VOTE  
Michelle Gumz  
Anita Lewis  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
David Young, Michelle Gumz, Anita Lewis, and Vern Tepe  
Jarett Sanchez  
AYE:  
REMOTE:  
ABSENT:  
Clifford Surges, Rick Williams, and Corinne M. Pierog  
15.  
Open Session  
The Committee returned to open session at 11:08 a.m. The roll was called and a  
quorum was present.  
A.  
Vote on Release of Closed Session Minutes  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
APPROVED BY ROLL CALL VOTE  
Michelle Gumz  
Vern Tepe  
SECONDER:  
David Young, Michelle Gumz, Anita Lewis, and Vern Tepe  
Jarett Sanchez  
AYE:  
REMOTE:  
ABSENT:  
Clifford Surges, and Rick Williams  
16.  
Reports Placed On File  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT  
Vern Tepe  
17.  
18.  
Public Comment (Non-Agenda Items)  
Marc Avelar from Algonquin spoke on the public interest in the Kane County election  
process. Discussion ensued.  
Adjournment  
RESULT:  
APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE  
Michelle Gumz  
Vern Tepe  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
This meeting was adjourned at 11:21 AM.  
Christine Redmond  
Recording Secretary