McHenry County Board Republicans, on a 17-4 partisan vote, approved a change in the county’s budgetary process that will prevent McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks from taking unilateral action on financial matters.

Franks gave the floor first, not to a proponent, which is typical in a legislative body, but to Cary Democrat Michael Vijuk, the only person on the Finance Committee to vote against the proposal.

He said he found it unusual that just before an election there’s an effort to take the Chair out of the [process].

[What Vijuk did not mention is the frustration at being cut out of the process over the last three years just came to a head.]

Still not letting either maker of the motion Joe Gottemoller or seconder Jim Kearns, Franks called on the new finance employee, Kevin Bueso.

He then proceeded to question him, admitting at one point, “If I don’t agree with the Board, I don’t bring it forward.”

Franks finally just read a statement appropriate for his fall campaign.

He attacked Kearns personally, claiming the resolution was all his idea and just a campaign move.

Franks claimed the proposed change was “an attempt to carve me out of the budget process.

“There may be competing budgets,” he threatened before softening his pitch to, “The only thing I’m asking is a seat at the table.”

Finally, Franks recognize a proponent, Jeff Thorsen.

The Crystal Laker asked Kearns if he were a member of the Finance Committee from which the resolution arose.

The answer was that Kearns was not.

Finance Committee Chairman Mike Skala disagreed with Franks “that we are trying to take him out of the process.

He explained that the process that was in place was altered after Franks took office in 2016.

He described the process as a three-legged stool, the County Board being one leg, the Chairman another and County Administration the third.

“The problem is when one of these pillars is altering the budget [without conferring with the other two pillars].

“You are part of the process, not the process itself,” Skala concluded.

Joe Gottemoller then called the question.

The motion passed 17-4, the four Democrats siding with Democrat Franks.

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Northwest Herald reporter Kelli Duncan did pick up one fact that I missed and it is probably the motivation for the Special Meeting:

“…[The resolution] passed through the county’s finance and audit committee in May but was never brought before the full board for approval.”

That certainly is a compelling argument that Franks abused his power to set agendas, a fact he lied about when he said,

“No one stopped anybody ever.”