Nunda Township Superviser Lee Jennings Lists Accomplishments

Lee Jennings

Lee Jennings

In copying what Lee Jennings sent me, I somehow left out the section on “Savings.”

Hence, I am putting the story back at the top.

= = = = =
At the Nunda Township Annual Town Meeting Supervisor Lee Jennings outlined his accomplishments over the last year, plus his plans for the future:

Savings:

  1. Dramatically reduced Health Insurance Costs (both Township and Road District)
  2. Eliminated Pest Control Service
  3. Eliminated Cleaning Service
  4. Reduced Phone Line Costs
  5. Reduced Internet Costs
  6. Reduced Township Office Staff by One Person
  7. Eliminated Staff Costs to Open & Close Town Hall and Picnic Facilities
  8. Eliminated Township IT Services – now performed by Supervisor
  9. Reduced Costs of Snow Plowing & Lawn Mowing – now done by Road District

Changes:

  1. Removed Fencing Surrounding the Township Facilities
  2. Moved all Regular Township meetings to Town Hall
  3. Switched all Regular Meeting Dates to the 2nd Thursday of each month
  4. Added Two ½ walls to Supervisor’s office to create a reception area and provide better security.
  5. Updated PCs & Software in the Supervisor’s Office. Supervisor donated a network fileserver and other related computer equipment.
  6. Produced and distributed our first Newsletter and plan to continue to do so twice yearly. It was very well received and has increased the usage of our facilities and services. We’ve had many positive comments and emails regarding it.
  7. Created a database of past resolutions and ordinances so that we can simplify searching for them in the future.

Upcoming:

  1. In the process of bringing Accounting and Payroll in house.
  2. Removing the fence has allowed us to have parking for bike path. We will be adding a connection and a crosswalk with appropriate signage soon.
  3. In the beginning stages of a community garden to help supply local food banks with fresh vegetables. This will be done on a volunteer and donation basis. If anyone would like to volunteer their assistance please call my office.
  4. Plan to revamp the website within the next year.
  5. Our successful referendum for contracting of waste hauling within the unincorporated areas of Nunda has generated quite a few calls from residents and has had many positive responses as well as a few concerns.
  6. The bank loans to refinance the Township garage and the add a line of credit for the Township has been approved. We will finalize within the next week. Savings will be between $45,000 and $50,000 and will reduce the terms from 6 years to 5 years.
  7. Easter Egg Hunt this year on Sat. April 12th 1000 eggs and still need more donations of candy and eggs as well as help to fill the eggs. Call Supervisor’s office for volunteer & donation info. at 11:30. This is 100% donation funded.

Comments

Nunda Township Superviser Lee Jennings Lists Accomplishments — 33 Comments

  1. And he forgot to mention, “raised your taxes even though I promised I wouldn’t.”

  2. The list was providing a good A.M. laugh, until I realized, I help foot the bills for this Nunda drivel.

  3. And how much did we pay for this service?

    Much ado about absolutely nothing.

  4. I love the logic: Tear down the fence and then build walls inside for security!

    WOW!

    Only an elected official could come up with that logic!!!

  5. Does anyone see the NECESSITY of township government????

  6. I like Lee but does someone want to explain to me again what exactly it is that the Township Supervisor does?

  7. Mike, you are a lawyer, the duties of the supervisor are in the township code.

  8. I know that.

    I have read it.

    The thing is that there is not much there.

    (1) Supervise tiny and mostly abandoned township cemeteries.

    (2) Process an average of two interim assistance applications per month, most of which is done by the staff person and which could be folded into the state IDPA application process at that office.

    (3) Write the checks for the Assessor’s and Road Commissioner’s offices which is a bookkeeping job.

    (4) Chair the monthly meetings of the Board which would not be needed if there was no Board because the above functions had been farmed out or eliminated.

    Pay for this?

    $60 to $70K in the larger townships.

    Not bad work if you can get it.

  9. Mike Walkup: Glad to read that you “read it”.

    Then you must be aware that citizens can have topics placed on the Agenda for the Annual Meeting.

    Did you contact your Township thirty days in advance of the Annual Meeting to have the topic of elected official salaries placed on the calendar this year?

    If not, you can still do it next year because salaries for the next crop of elected Township official salaries will not be set until late 2016.

    If you want to reduce the cost of Township salaries, it must be done then.

  10. Yes, you can only reduce salaries of officials for the next term of office under the state constitution.

    The next term will not occur until May of 2017 so 2016 would be when you would want to do that.

    In the meantime, individual townships can be dissolved by citizen referendum in the total area affected.

    This is binding.

    It could be put on the ballot for this Fall if people are so inclined.

    Under current law you would need to get signatures of 8% of the number of people who voted for Governor in 2010 in the township. Then there are no salaries to worry about.

    Where did “22” go?

    “22”?

    Do you want to use your own name perhaps?

  11. Mike, rather than giving your interpretation of the law, could you post the law?

  12. Mike, didn’t you make a failed attempt to run for Nunda’s supervisor, losing against a write in candidate?

    Sour grapes perhaps?

  13. Mike, you are a typical RINO.

    Run on a platform of smaller government and then advocate an increase in government.

    Yes.

    Eliminating Townships in this County will increase the cost of government.

    You are advocating the elimination of non union jobs to be replaced with union jobs.

    If you want to eliminate services provided by your Township, go to their meetings and make your voice heard.

  14. You see, the thing about hiding behind a fake ID is that you get to play ‘kill the messenger’ instead of responding to the message.

    Yes, I did run for Supervisor but anyone who followed that will remember that I was advocating reducing the office down to bare essentials, which is why the powers that be pulled out all the stops to keep me out.

    A study of Cook County townships in 2004 showed that elimination of those suburban townships would save the taxpayers 50% of the funds that they were now shelling out for township services by having those absorbed by other existing governments.

    Now, does anyone want to discuss the merits of this or are we going to continue with the character assassination?

  15. I’ve said it before – in Burton Twp. we get the bang for the buck.

    If you have trouble in Nunda address Nunda rather than a blanket, one size fits all (which it doesn’t) statement to eliminate all of them.

    If your city, county, state duplicates services you have issues that should be addressed.

    Here in Burton, I am outside city limits, and in the outside corner of the county, therefore, not a high priority to them.

    Township government here meets that need.

  16. You can eliminate townships one at a time so that addresses the Burton Township question or any other townships where the people feel that their township is needed.

    In fact, the legislature, following on the heels of Bob Anderson’s campaigns, made it prohibitive to try to abolish all of the townships in the county at once, as he tried initially to do.

    However, the individual township abolition approach cannot be eliminated as it is in the state constitution.

  17. If you carefully read Lee’s laundry list of accomplishments and future plans, you will see that it is all smoke an mirrors and Easter egg hunts to hide the fact that nothing is really going on that needs to go on.

    Again, Lee seems to be a really nice guy and I would like to see him find a place at some level of government where he can contribute, but the Township Supervisor position is a waste of the taxpayer’s money.

    That was my platform in 2000.

    This is a comment about the position, not the person.

  18. The whole concept of the township is based on an age when your iphones and computers had to be fed, watered, groomed, and have their stalls mucked out.

    It took you literally all day to get to the county seat and back.

    One of my great, great uncles was an early Supervisor in Nunda.

    It made sense then.

    It no longer does.

    Anyone want to debate that on the merits?

  19. So where do you suppose folks like ‘Connecting dots’, come to the ‘brilliant’ conclusion, that eliminating Townships will increase Gov. costs?

    Besides the obvious, that many of these anonymous postings, come from those that have their snouts in the Public Trough.

    I don’t get why some people think paying for our very own ‘Township Garage’ as this Township fellow posts, could be cheaper.

    Among the thousand or so duplications of County junk these people call ‘services’.

  20. Mike, consider this a second request, perhaps you don’t want it to be seen, the township code regarding the duties of the supervisor should be posted rather than your sour grapes interpretation.

  21. See if Cal can post 60 ILCS 1, Article 70, Township Supervisor. Illinois Compiled Statutes. It’s somewhat lengthy.

    Following Bob Anderson’s attempt at township abolition, a number of additional programs were authorized by the GA to give the townships something to point to but they were not part of the original concept and are not strictly necessary either.

    Do we really need the township to do an Easter Egg Hunt?

    The Cook County Township study is at http://www.roosevelt.edu/media/…townshiptext.ashx
    (you might have to just search for “cook county township study, 2004” and it will come up as the first listing on Google).

    The conclusion: “The township, particularly in urban areas, has outlived its usefulness and should be relegated to the dustbin of history”.

    Who are you “22”?

    “22”?

    Buehler?

  22. BTW, when I ran for Supervisor in Nunda a key part of my campaign platform was that if Nunda was only doing two interim assistance applications per month, maybe we should try to farm those out to McHenry and Algonquin respectively instead of having an entire office and staff sitting around waiting for someone to show up.

    Either that or get IDPA to do it and bill us.

    I estimated that it would take the Supervisor a maximum of 30 minutes per applicant assuming that staff worked up the application so that’s one hour per month.

    What does he do the rest of the time?

    Does anybody keep time records (which I also promised to do)?

  23. What is the similarity between:

    1. Townships in Illinois
    2. Loa Loa a/k/a Eye Worm
    3. Township Officials in Illinois
    4. Guinea Worm a/k/a/ Dracunculus
    5. Toxoplasma Gondii
    6. Screw Worm Fly

    Ans.: They are all dangerous parasites which prey on hapless human beings.

  24. Mike, I agree the egg hunt should be done strictly by volunteers with donations, hopefully this is the case.

    By your own admission, the requirements by law of a supervisor are very lengthy.

    RE: Assistance, there is no way to know when applicants will ask for help and again the supervisor must perform these duties by state law.

    If the Nunda supervisor fails to carry out these lengthy duties, then what happens?

    Until the state law changes, your complaints are a waste of time.

  25. Mike, lengthy is an understatement. the duties of the supervisor have an entire lengthy article dedicated to them.
    Here you go:

    60 ILCS 1/Art. 70 heading)
    ARTICLE 70.

    TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR

    (60 ILCS 1/70-5)
    Sec. 70-5. Supervisor; bond.
    (a) The supervisor, before entering upon the duties of the office, shall give bond to the township, with one or more sureties, (i) in at least double the amount of money that may come into the supervisor’s hands, if individuals act as sureties, or (ii) only in the amount of money that may come into the supervisor’s hands, if a surety company authorized to do business in this State acts as surety. The bond shall be conditioned on the faithful discharge of his or her duties as supervisor and require that he or she safely keep and pay over all money intrusted to his or her keeping as supervisor. The bond shall be approved by the township clerk and filed in the clerk’s office with the clerk’s approval indorsed on it.
    (b) Whenever the township clerk ascertains that the bond has been forfeited, the clerk shall institute suit against the supervisor. If the clerk fails or refuses to institute a suit, any person interested in the matter may institute a suit.
    (c) Any person temporarily appointed under Section 60-10 to perform the clerical functions of a supervisor shall, before performing those functions, give bond in the same manner and amount and subject to the same conditions as are required of the supervisor.
    (Source: P.A. 82-783; 88-62.)

    (60 ILCS 1/70-10)
    Sec. 70-10. Depository for township moneys.
    (a) The township board shall from time to time, when requested by the supervisor, designate one or more banks or savings and loan associations in which the funds and moneys of the township in the custody of the supervisor shall be kept. When a bank or savings and loan association has been designated as a depository, it shall continue as a depository until 10 days have elapsed after a new depository is designated and has qualified by furnishing the statements of resources and liabilities required by Section 6 of the Public Funds Investment Act.
    (b) When a new depository is designated, the township board shall notify the sureties of the supervisor of that fact, in writing, at least5 days before the transfer of funds. The supervisor shall be discharged from responsibility for all township funds and moneys which he or she deposits in a depository designated under this Section while those funds and moneys are deposited.
    (c) No bank or savings and loan association shall receive public funds under this Section unless it has complied with Section 6 of the Public Funds Investment Act.
    (Source: P.A. 83-1362; 88-62.)

    (60 ILCS 1/70-15)
    Sec. 70-15. Chief executive officer; fiscal duties; penalty for neglect.
    (a) The supervisor is the chief executive officer of the township.
    (b) The supervisor shall receive and pay out all moneys raised in the township for defraying township charges, except those raised for the support of highways and bridges, and for township library purposes.
    (c) The supervisor shall, within 30 days before the annual township meeting, prepare and file with the township clerk a full statement of the financial affairs of the township, showing (i) the balance (if any) received by the supervisor from his or her predecessor in office or from any other source; (ii) the amount of tax levied the preceding year for the payment of township indebtedness and charges; (iii) the amount collected and paid over to the supervisor as supervisor; (iv) the amount paid out by the supervisor and on what account, including any amount paid out on township indebtedness, specifying the nature and amount of the township indebtedness, the amount paid on the indebtedness, the amount paid on principal, and the amount paid on interest account; and (v) the amount and kind of all outstanding indebtedness due and unpaid, the amount and kind of indebtedness not yet due, and when the indebtedness not yet due will mature. The township clerk shall record the statement in the record book of the township as soon as it is filed and shall post a copy of the statement at the place of holding the annual township meeting 2 days before the meeting is held. The clerk shall also read aloud the statement to the electors at the annual township meeting.
    (d) Any supervisor or township clerk who wilfully neglects to comply with this Section shall forfeit and pay to the township the sum of not less than $50 nor more than $200. The amount forfeited shall be sued for and recovered by the township in its corporate name and shall be appropriated to repairs of highways and bridges in the township.
    (Source: P.A. 90-655, eff. 7-30-98.)

    (60 ILCS 1/70-20)
    Sec. 70-20. Prosecution for penalties and forfeitures. The supervisor shall prosecute in the name of the township or otherwise, as may be necessary, for all penalties or forfeitures given by law to the township or for its use and for which no other officer is especially directed to prosecute, except as may be otherwise directed by the electors at a township meeting.
    (Source: P.A. 82-783; 88-62.)

    (60 ILCS 1/70-25)
    Sec. 70-25. Account of receipts and expenditures.
    (a) The supervisor shall keep a just and true account of the receipts and expenditures of all moneys that come into the supervisor’s hands by virtue of the office, in a book to be provided for that purpose at the expense of the township. The book shall be delivered to the supervisor’s successor in office.
    (b) This Section is subject to the Local Records Act.
    (Source: P.A. 82-783; 88-62.)

    (60 ILCS 1/70-30)
    Sec. 70-30. Annual accounting to township board; certificate of board.
    (a) Within 30 days before the annual township meeting, the supervisor shall account to the township board for all moneys received and disbursed by the supervisor in his or her official capacity.
    (b) The supervisor shall provide each member of the township board with a copy of his or her statement filed in accordance with Section 1 of the Public Funds Statement Publication Act as soon as possible after filing the statement.
    (Source: P.A. 88-62; 89-331, eff. 8-17-95.)

    (60 ILCS 1/70-35)
    Sec. 70-35. Periodic presentation of accounts to township board. The supervisor shall receive all accounts that may be presented to him or her against the township and shall lay them before the township board at or before their next meeting.
    (Source: P.A. 82-783; 88-62.)

    (60 ILCS 1/70-37)
    Sec. 70-37. Township attorney. The supervisor, with the advice and consent of the township board, may appoint a township attorney. The township attorney’s compensation shall be fixed as provided in Section 100-5.
    (Source P.A. 87-708; 88-62; 88-360; 88-572, eff. 8-11-94; 88-670, eff. 12-2-94.)

    (60 ILCS 1/70-40)
    Sec. 70-40. Failure to perform duties; forfeiture and disqualification. If any supervisor refuses or wilfully neglects to perform any of the duties of the office under the preceding Sections of this Article, he or she shall forfeit to the township the sum of $50 and shall be disqualified to act as the supervisor of the township.
    (Source: P.A. 82-783; 88-62.)

    (60 ILCS 1/70-45)
    Sec. 70-45. Supervisors in Cook County. The supervisors of townships in Cook County shall perform the same duties as supervisors of townships in other counties under township organization, except that they shall not be members of the county board or exercise any of the powers of county board members. They shall have the same compensation for their services prescribed by law for similar services rendered by other township supervisors.
    Township supervisors may serve as members of the Cook County Townships Public Aid Committee. The supervisors shall not receive additional compensation for duties associated with the Cook County Townships Public Aid Committee but shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses related to service on the Committee.
    (Source: P.A. 90-210, eff. 7-25-97.)

    (60 ILCS 1/70-50)
    Sec. 70-50. Supervisor of general assistance. The township supervisor shall be ex officio supervisor of general assistance in the township and shall administer the general assistance program in the township as provided in Articles VI, XI, and XII of the Illinois Public Aid Code.
    (Source: P.A. 88-62.)

    (60 ILCS 1/70-55)
    Sec. 70-55. Member of board of health. The township supervisor shall be a member of the board of health for a public health district as provided in the Public Health District Act.
    (Source: P.A. 88-62.)

    (60 ILCS 1/70-60)
    Sec. 70-60. Road district treasurer. In each road district comprised of a single township, the township supervisor shall be ex officio treasurer for the road district and shall execute a bond and have powers and duties as provided in Article 6 of the Illinois Highway Code.
    (Source: P.A. 88-62.)

  26. Right, but if you actually read this it boils down to not much in modern society.

    It used to be that the Supervisor was in charge of all of the public aid.

    Now we have state and federal programs so the only public aid the townships do is vestigial.

    Also, cemeteries used to be a big deal as people used to bury their loved ones in their back yards.

    Now we have private ones and the old township cemeteries are mostly historical relics.

    This leaves serving as the treasurer for the Road District.

    This is a book keeping function.

    Bear in mind that the Road Commissioner also has a staff person (which in some cases is his wife paid at taxpayer expense), so there is duplication.

    The Board could also oversee that on a monthly basis instead of having the Supervisor cut all of the checks himself.

    Everything else in the statute revolves around those functions.

    The fact that there are a lot of words in the statute doesn’t translate into a lot of work in the 21st century.

    Are the Supervisors willing to start keeping time records like I have to do as a lawyer to show us what exactly they do and how long it takes them to do it?

    I had proposed to do precisely that as Nunda Supervisor and then use that data to set the salary for the next term.

    That scared the stuffing out them.

  27. Nunda does have at least one cemetery that is the charge of the supervisor, so its not out of date.

    Public aid takes about 6 months to receive any benefits, so the township can help the person in the short term.

    The supervisor is responsible for all of the township funds, including signing every check.

    They also are responsible for all employee taxes, paychecks, health insurance, and benefits.

    They manage the daily affairs of the township.

    The supervisor works with the attorney to ensure proper expenditures etc.

    They prepare the numerous financial reports required at every board meeting and by the state and
    county.

    They manage they liability exposure of the township.

    They often serve on county committees with your approval as a county board member.

    Etc Etc, you have chosen to overlook many things to suit your argument.

    How can you overlook all of this?

    As a failed candidate and a lawyer you would take note of the many penalties for failure to perform these duties.

  28. (1) The cemetery is a postage stamp and is basically deserted. It’s main use is to grow prairie plants. People go there to collect the seeds.

    (2) IDPA could just provide interim benefits while the application is pending without going through any townships. There are 17 counties in Illinois with no townships. How is it done there?

    (3) The Supervisor is paid an awful lot to do a bookkeeping job.Bear in mind that there is also a secretary who is paid quite a bit. (Maybe Cal could do a study on salaries of all township employees). The Road Commissioner has is own secretary (sometimes his wife).

    (4) What “daily affairs of the township”?

    (5) Financial reports are automatically generated by bookkeeping software these days.

    (6) They don’t need to be on committees.

    Again, if there is no township, none of this matters.

    What is it here that requires a separate unit of government to accomplish?

    One of the problems with townships is that few people pay any attention to them and they do not appear to have any patronage or nepotism rules.

    No department head or elected constitutional official at the county level could get away with hiring their own wife with out anyone’s approval being necessary, which is effectively giving themselves an additional family income at taxpayer expense with no oversight.

    The Township Board cannot review that or refuse it.

    Nor would the county DOT try to build culverts without going through the P & D Department for a stormwater evaluation and permit.

    Also again, I have given my name to this which allows you to do ad hominem attacks.

    What is YOUR name “22”?

  29. There is no excuse for nepotism, but, you as a lawyer know that there is no law against it unfortunately.

    You do not deny that you would be willing to prosecute a supervisor who fails to perform their legally required duties.

    You are incorrect in assuming that computer software prepares the financial reports that the supervisor must submit, example, the Treasurer’s Report that must be published in the newspaper.

    Nunda is required by law to have an annual audit, for which the supervisor must be able to track and explain every penny of township expenditures during the process.

    If your township is overstaffed and engages in nepotism, go to your board meetings and use public comment.

    Have you voted to approve township supervisors to be on the county’s numerous committees, for example, the senior grant commission?

    The county board doles out thousands of dollars to townships.

    As a county board member that would mean that you do support townships.

    The supervisor and board, with the work done usually by the supervisor, oversee the budget and ensure that expenditures are proper.

    Nunda has a multi million dollar budget, which is a lot more complicated than your personal checkbook.

  30. Mr. “22” skidoo …..are you a township employee/official?

    Seems like it!

  31. My concern is the “Supervisor donated a network fileserver and other related computer equipment”

    How can we get a copy of the assets serial numbers, make/model, etc?

    How were the “donations” aquired?

    Can receipts be provided?

    Were they listed on Mr. Jennings tax return as a donation?

    Does Nunda Township record the equipment as assets and depreciate them [if they were in fact donated?]

    Mr. Jennings job history is sketchy, former employer shows his salary history suffered a major decrease and job title change to a lesser grade level about 9 years ago [via FOIA].

    Why would someone leave an government IT job w/pension after 15+ years of service for a position with a term of only 4 years [unless re-elected]?

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