McHenry County Blog

The McHenry County Board’s Committee on Committees met today and made the following recommendations for committee assignments and chairmanships and vice chairmanships. Click to enlarge either image.

Recommendations for other Board assignments follow:

Can you spot any changes from the first meeting’s lineup, which is below, except for the recommended committee chairmen, which you can find here.

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I got some more details on the meeting that I’d like to share with you:

Present at the Committee meeting were Tina Hill, Donna Kurtz, Mary McCann, Anna May Miller, Paula Yensen, Sue Draffkorn, Mary McClellan.

Audience members were Nick Provenzano, Ken Koehler, Charles Eldridge, Ersel Schuster,Diane Evertsen, Jim Heisler, Jana Blake (State’s Attorney’s Office) & 1 other male department head whose name escapes me at this time.

During discussion by committee members, assignment changes were made naming Sandy Salgado as chairman of Human

Resources and Mary McClellan was moved to Vice Chair; Sue Draffkorn volunteered to serve strictly as a member.

Management Services Vice Chair position was discussed, first considering Schuster as Vice Chair but settling on Hammerand.

Planning and Development Committee Chairmanship of Joe Gottemoller was discussed, including any potential for problems with conflict of interest debates. Miller assured the committee there would be no legitimate public concerns with Gottemoller serving as chair of P&D and his many years as an attorney dealing with zoning issues.

Miller took the discussion further, with commentary about Schuster, saying that because of the blog’s having posted a story about the last Committee of the Whole meeting, she had received calls about Schuster’s not having “a balanced approach,” that she was too environmentally-oriented.

At that point, Schuster told those in the room, “I have not pushed to be on this chair position. I have not promised any vote for any chairmanship of any sort and I was promised this chairmanship if I voted for Tina, so I feel very irritated by some of this.

“Ms. Miller, you make comment about the fact that maybe I am a little bit too much in the environmental crowd. That is totally unreal because that might be the perception.

“Let me finish.

“My participation on every committee has been to be the devil’s advocate and to work to be able to bring those issues out. And, yes, sometimes it sounds I’m on the other side. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I am but I believe everybody needs to address these things.

Schuster went on the point out that Board members who are attorneys “do not represent us legally. The State’s Attorney is our legal representation.

“And we get into trouble sometimes when we defer to lawyers sitting on committees. And, it’s not that their expertise isn’t needed. It’s wonderful, but the State’s Attorney’s Office is our legal representative.

Referring to Gottemoller, “Ask yourself this question. A man who has a business that was, is primarily zoning…is willing to give up that portion of his business to accept a $20,000 a year job.

“Put that little thought in your mind. That’s what the public is going to be looking at.

“So, I think that’s what Jim and Donna are trying to get across.

“I think his expertise is phenomenal.

“Do I really want to take on the UDO?

“Probably not. It’s going to be a load.

“I would do it if I were there. I will do it as Vice Chair. I will do it as a member of any committee, as I have always done.

“But I think there are some issues that we are going to be confronted with on P&D, whether it’s considered on the environmental side, which I have never personally considered myself an environmentalist in that respect that we normally think of it, or [whether it's] a lawyer that may be steering us a little bit in decision-making that maybe it isn’t the direction as legislators we should be asking our State’s Attorney to respond to.”

Schuster then left the meeting.

County Board member Provenzano sprang to Gottemoller’s defense. “He has always been my sounding board (about zoning matters).”

He praised his expertise and said, “I’m a little concerned about the ‘innuendo.’”

“I can’t think of anyone in the County I’d rather have there defending and identifying those issues than Joe Gottemoller.”

Back to the less detailed notes.

Liaison member to Economic Development: Donna Kurtz offered to relinquish the leadership position to Mike Skala.

Ken Koehler spoke to the Committee about his desire to be on the Law and Justice Committee because of his expertise.

The Committee went into closed session to discuss sensitive material.

Upon return to open session, Mr. Koehler continued to promote his desire to be on that committee and members of the Committee on Committees in turn discussed and determined they’d leave that assignment as it is.

Conflict of interest entered the discussion with regard to three McHenry County Board members during Tina Hill’s Committee on Committees meeting Friday morning.

First off was a comment from John Reihansperger, a spokesman for those who live on private roads outside of municipalities.

He urged that Anna May Miller not be named to chair the Transportation Committee, contending there was “a conflict of interest” because she was employed by the Algonquin Township Road District. (Her husband is Bob Miller, the Township Highway Commissioner, who is running unopposed in the Republican Primary Election.)

“Is it the taxpayers or her job and husband [she is representing].

“It’s obvious she is trying to protect her husband’s budget,” he said.

Later in the meeting, Miller responded.

It came up during the discussion of the composition of the Transportation Committee.

“I, too, feel the non-dedicated road issue a real concern here,” Donna Kurtz said.

“I live on a non-dedicate road,” Mary McClellan added. “They (the Nunda Township Road Commissioner’s men) have always plowed our roads. I don’t believe McHenry Township takes care of its non-dedicated roads as well as Nunda and Algonquin.”

Miller explained that the Transportation Department staff is rewriting some of the requirements for standards that must be met before County Motor Fuel Tax can be spent on such roads. She pointed out that there will be new Transportation Committee members “that will have missed out on a lot of work.”

“The County has no control over these township road commissioners,” she emphasized.

“The law is what the law is,” Miller pointed out, suggesting that those living on non-dedicated roads should be lobbying their legislators if they want to change it.”

Later she pointed out that a law that allows 50% of MFT money collected to go into an account to subsidize the upgrading of non-dedicated subdivision roads in anticipation of being taken into a township’s road system is set to expire in 2013.

“If there is anyway for us to offer more assistance, I favor it.”

Miller explained that she had been in contact with the State’s Attorney’s Office and had an opinion saying that she was not in a conflict of interest position.

“The County has no oversight whatsoever over township road district budgets.

“My personal employment is not contingent on the non-dedicated road aspect of the (township).”

“I believe [if] the non-dedicated road money comes back to the [subdivisions], all the road commissioners would be losing some of their budget,” Sue Draffkorn added.

Miller pointed out that 50% of township road taxes on property within municipalities goes directly to the cities and villages. [Come to think of it, this is money the municipalities get without being blamed for levying the real estate taxes, much as the cities don't get blamed for the share of the state income tax that is passed on to them.]

McClellan explained that there are restrictions in the County ordinance regarding the minimum width of the right-of-way, some of which are extremely difficult or impossible to meet in older unincorporated subdivisions.

And, Miller pointed out, if the subdivision roads “meet the standards, the township road commissioner can still say, ‘No.’

“I understand their frustrations. The people of McHenry Township have elected Mr. [Leon] Van Every and there isn’t even competition. That’s not place to be passing judgment.”

One the other hand, she pointed out the relationship between unincorporated subdivision residents in Nunda and Algonquin Townships is good.

Getting back to the discussion of who should chair the Transportation Committee, McClellan asked, “Do you feel you would be non-biased in that position?”

“Yes I do,” Miller replied and the discussion moved on to liaison positions.

Pending a change of mind by Hill, Miller will remain the head of the Transportation Committee.

After the election of officers, the new McHenry County Board Chairman (woman, what’s she want to be called?) appoints one person from each District to a Committee on Committees.

That’s the committee that recommends who should be put in what slots.

(There are temporary appointments until then in which newly elected members take the position of the person they replaced. For example, new member Carolyn Schofield is the temporary head of the Finance Committee, taking the place of retiring Scott Breeden.)

When Tina Hill announced her Committee on Committees appointments, they were all women.

One of the female county elected officials told me she was saying, “Yes!”

Here are the appointments:

• District 1 – Anna May Miller
• District 2 – Donna Kurtz
• District 3 – Mary McClellan
• District 4 – Sue Draffkorn
• District 5 – Paula Yensen
• District 6 – Mary McCann

All are veteran members, except McClellan.

I learned of McClellan’s support for Hill at Barb Wheeler’s Lake Zurich mid-summer fund raiser.

You will note that Democrat Yensen represents her district on the committee.

At the end of the meeting, when the men learned it was their turn to throw the Christmas Party, it was revealed that Hill and Yensen had chaired last year’s holiday festivities.

My first public meeting was a hearing at the Algonquin Township Garage while I was still in college.

For some reason, my father was interested in a Silver Lakes non-dedicated road hearing.

At the time, Silver Lakes, near Cary, had roads, but they were not in the township system because they were not up to the standards set by some agency unknown to me at the time.

The meeting was part of a process to initiate a special assessment program to raise money to improve the roads enough for Township Road Commissioner Julian Dvorak to take over their maintenance.

That was probably in 1963 or 1964.

After I took office as McHenry County Treasurer in 1966 it was my job to collect the special assessments.

Intervening was a court suit that declared the law authorizing the special assessments unconstitutional.

I can’t remember the details, but we kept collecting the money to pay off the bonds.

When the Constitutional Convention was held, one part specifically authorized such assessments for a specific purpose for a specific area.

It’s called a Special Service Area Assessment.

Developers now use the tool to stick homeowners with infrastructure costs that previously would have been part of homes’ purchase prices.

But the unincorporated road problem continues to exist in McHenry County, where dozens of subdivisions, especially along the Fox River, have roads that are not as wide or thick as Township Road Commissioners would like.

Trees are in the right-of-way.

Lots of problems from a Road Commissioner’s point-of-view.

The signers of the letter when McHenry County Blog received it were

• Reihansperger – Fair Oaks Subdivision
• Cosgrove – Bay View Lane, Pistakee Bay
• Anthony Kless – Wonder Woods
• Edward Wolff – North Shore POA
• Robert Beltran- East Pistakee Bay Rd. Assoc.
• Mark Galasso – Mineral Springs Assoc.

All are from McHenry Township.

The date is October 4th, a Thursday, Robert and Anna May Miller’s Annual Wine & Cheese Reception.

Anna May is running for re-election to the McHenry County Board in District 1, while her husband Bob is running for re-election for Algonquin Township Road Commissioner.

The price is $35 a person or $60 a couple.

The event will be held at 1409 East Main Street in Cary.

Getting as much money out of taxpayers is pretty much the goal of every tax district official, from school board member to township trustee.

To do that, boards need to ask for more than the increase in the Cost of Living allowed by the Illinois Department of Revenue under the Tax Cap law.

Virtually every tax district will ask for the maximum increase allowed.

That’s 3% this coming year.

103% is multiplied by what is called the “tax extension,” the amount of taxes each district is allow to collect from local property owners, to determine how much the tax district can collect in 2013.

But there’s more.

If there has been new construction, as there has been on Crystal Lake’s Route 14 shopping corridor, local park districts, schools, McHenry County College, the Mental Health Board, townships, county government, etc., have to ask for more than 103% of last year’s tax take IN ORDER TO capture the new growth.

I have suggested that legislators could amend the PTELL (the technocrats’ acronym for the Real Estate Tax Cap) law by allowing each government under it to pass a resolution authorizing county officials to tax all of the new growth, rather than using the current practice of balloon levying.

So far, I haven’t noticed such legislation has been introduced.

Last week, the McHenry County Board approved a multi-year contract with the McHenry County Economic Development Commission that uses the same formula for increases contained in the Tax Cap formula used to maximize the Tax Take.

Might the roll call on that question be a good indication of which County Board members will vote in favor of maximizing the County’s Tax Take?

I think it will, so I present it below:

EDC related Resolution vote count is as follows:   19 yes    5 no

AYES:       Merkel, Miller, Munaretto, Nowak, Peschke, Provenzano, Salgado, Schmidt, Wheeler, Bless, Breeden, Donner, Draffkorn, Heisler, Hill, Jung, Kurtz, McCann and Koehler

NAYS:     Schuster, Yensen, Donley, Evertsen and Hammerand

My prediction is that most of those who will vote to maximize your County tax bill voted “Yes” on the EDC subsidy resolution.

I will further predict that the vote on the tax levy will not occur until after the election, so the above roll call, plus last year’s “Tax to the Max” roll call will be the best you are going to get before you have to cast your vote.

If you think the County Board is not moving in the direction of maximum taxation, please read this May 13, 2012 article.

Those voting against cutting the budget (read the story here) were

• Bob Bless (D1)
• Scott Breeden (D2)
• Mary Donner (D3)
• Jim Heisler (D2)
• John Jung (D5)
• Donna Kurtz (D2)
• Mary McCann (D6)
• Peter Merkel (D4)
• Marc Muneratto (D1)
• Kathy Schmidt (D3)
• Ken Koehler (D2)

On a second roll call the following voted for the “Tax to the Max” levy (again, see this article):

15 members voted in favor:

• Robert Bless
• Scott Breeden
• Sue Draftcorn (a switch)
• Mary Donner
• Jim Heisler
• Tina Hill (a switch)
• John Jung
• Donna Kurtz
• Mary McCann
• Pete Merkel
• Anna May Miller (a switch)
• Marc Munaretto
• Robert Novak (a switch)
• Kathy Bergan Schmidt
• Ken Koehler

Maybe the League of Women question screeners at the last week in September County Board candidates’night will allow a question that will pin down the incumbents running for re-election on the question of whether they will vote to increase the County levy so much that our County taxes will increase as much as the law allows.

He wasn’t at the front of the parade but the owner of Port Edward, Ed Woloweic, was the Grand Marshall.

The parade took about an hour, truncated because of construction south on Route 31.

Most of the politic entries which I try to document were fairly near the front of the parade.

But, before they arrived, a volunteer for Congressman Peter Roskam, who will, pending a political upset of tremendous proportions, represent Algonquin Township in Congress next session, was sighted passing out small bags. With candy on their minds, a lot of folks took them.

Of course, there were the members of the Algonquin Village Board.

But before the politicians came Police Chief Russ Laine.

And an entry dedicated to the Chicago Cubs.

Founder Favorite Rusty Cherbak was surrounded by a Chicago Cubs wish fulfillment contingent.

There was even a goat.  A billy goat, of course.

Then came the village politicians.

Village President John Schmidt waved.

Village Trustee Bob Smith was accompanied by Buzz Lightyear.

Village Trustee Debbie Sosine was in waving mode.

Trustee Jerrold Glogowski was one of three trustees walking the route handing out candy.

The other two were Jim Steigert and John Spella.  Handing out candy is the Algonquin Parade is easy on Route 31 because the spectators are all on the south side of the street.

The village clerk came dresses as the clown Lazy Bonz.

The first partisan politician was District 1 Republican McHenry County Board member Bob Bless.

District 1 Republican McHenry County Board members Marc Munaretto and Anna Miller were driving in a Mercedes convertible by Algonquin Township Road Commissioner Bob Miller.

I asked Munaretto, who is not running for re-election to the County Board, whether he was running for re-election for Algonquin Township Clerk.

“You’ll have to wait and see,” he replied.

That was the same answer he gave last year before for filing deadline for County Board.

There are no Democrats in District 1, but there is one in District 5–Paula Yensen.

Next came Jean and McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi.

 McHenry County Auditor Pam Palmer followed Bianchi.

Both Bianchi and McHenry County Auditor Palmer are unopposed this fall.

Kane County politicians followed the McHenry County ones.

There were two County Board members, Hollie Lindgren and Maggie Auger.

There are always pictures that could have been.  The one below was going to be of the current and future Kane County Auditors, incumbent Bill Keck and candidate Terry Hunt.

Fortunately, I got a shot of Keck and Hunt before the parade.

“Take my picture. Take my picture,” the two members of the Eagles, a youth football team shouted as they mugged for my camera.

How could I resist?

Interrupting the parade was the girder from the World Trade Center brought by the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District.

On the sides of the fire engines you can see the above sticker.

I was seated on the porch of a closed building when I way something political after a truck for the Red Run.  (The 5K is August 11th starting at Presidential Park in Algonquin.)

It was the McHenry County Republican Party entry…right at the end of the parade.

There was a banner for GOP State Rep candidate David McSweeney up front.

Right behind were people carrying Congressman Peter Roskam signs.

Then, Dave McSweeney passed me quickly.  I got his attention and he turned around so I could get the photo above.

Next came the McHenry County Republican float.

I just kept snapping my shutter, getting County Board member Nick Provenzano and County Chairman & State Rep. Mike Tryon.

Next came supporters of State Senator Dan Duffy, whose district mirrors that of David McSweeney on the eastern edges of McHenry and Kane Counties.

Next I found McHenry County Board member Robert Nowak.

And with the passing of the next entry, cheerleaders from CEE Snowball Blast Grand Champion, the Algonquin Founders Day Parade was over.

Afterward, however, the young man who had been assiduously gathering candy during the parade put on a Young Republican sticker and agreed to let me take his photograph.

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A special note for you Sheriff’s Department watchers. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Department had no entry in the parade. Neither Sheriff Keith Nygren nor his Undersheriff Andrew Zinke was anywhere to be seen.

There was no Republican Party primary election contest in District 1, but since all the candidates are from outside the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills area, I thought folks might be interested in how votes were cast.

These totals do not include early and absentee votes.

Here’s the order of finish:

• Robert Nowak
• Anna May Miller
• Yvonne Barnes
• Robert Bless

With long-time McHenry County Board member and Ken Koehler opponent Marc Munaretto deciding not to run for re-election, the Republican Party will present four people who have served on the Board to the electorate.

Three are current incumbents:

• Anna May Miller
• Robert Bless
• Bob Nowak

Yvonne Barnes seeks a come back, having served on the Board until she lost the 2010 primary election to Robert Nowak.

All of the Republicans are from the northern part of District 1 with Miller and Barnes being from Cary and Bless from Fox River Grove.

They will face Democrat Nick Chirikos in the general election.

Nick Chirikos of 10075 N River Rd in Algonquin has filed papers to run for the McHenry County Board in the district that runs from Fox River Grove into Lake in the Hills.

His Housewright Dura-Build firm sells an insulated wall product

Three incumbent Republicans have filed:

• Anna Miller
• Bob Bliss
• Robert Nowak

In addition, Yvonne Barnes, who was knocked out of office last year by Robert Nowak will be on the ballot.

Incumbent Marc Munaretto, who ran unsuccessfully against Ken Koehler for County Board Chairman, losing his chairmanship of the Finance Committee thereafter, has not filed for re-election.

On his Linkin profile, I found the following:

Owner
Housewright Dura-Build Ltd.

Currently holds this position

McHenry County Historic Preservation Commission, Chairman

January 2004 – Present (8 years)

Although the industry category is not accurate, the McHenry County Historic Preservation Commission is a publicly-funded volunteer organization created by ordinance to preserve and protect valuable historic resources in McHenry County, IL. We interface with both the general public and private individuals and organizations to foster the goals of historic preservation in our area.

Airport Communications Infrastructure, SITA

Government Agency; 1001-5000 employees; Information Technology and Services industry

January 1998 – September 2001 (3 years 9 months)

Managed CAD services for airport LAN, fiber optic and communications cabling infrastructure for SITA airport clients worldwide. BICSI member.
Airport Communications Infrastructure, Siemens Nixdorf Transportation Technologies Inc.

January 1996 – December 1997 (2 years)

CAD manger for airport communication infrastructure within the Siemens global airline transportation network. Company is no longer in business. Siemens sold its transportation division. I was hired by its biggest competitor, SITA.

His education and other activities are listed as

• University of Denver, BA, Political Science, Interpersonal Communications, 1966
• Activities and Societies: Political field work, campaigns, Choral vocal groups, McHenry County Historic Barn Preservation Association, Northern Illinois BMW Riders Association

Thus far he is the only candidate from the southern part of District 1.