Comparing McHenry County Board Agendas

Below are two agendas for McHenry County Board meetings.

The first is from November 15th, when a majority of the Board voted to raise taxes about $3 million.

mch-co-bd-agenda-11-15-16-p1

It was prepared by County Board Chairman Joe Gottemoller.

The second agenda is for the meeting at which Jack Franks will chair his first meetng.  Since he has not been sworn in by 2:10 Friday afternoon, as far as anyone knows, this agenda was also presumeably prepared by Gottemoller.

mch-co-bd-agenda-12-5-16

On the second page of the short agenda appears “Executive Session” and “Adjournment.”

There is a time noted for swearing in the new Board members, but none for swearing in the new Chairman.

Perhaps that means that Franks had a private swearing in ceremony.

Note that “Adopting the Agenda” found on the November Agenda is missing from Monday’s Agenda.

Is this a signal from Franks through Gottemoller that the County Board under Franks will not be able to amend its Agenda?

Further down something new to McHenry County, but which occurs when the Illinois House of Representatives is organized.

It reads,

“CREATION OF TEMPORARY RULES COMMITTEE”

In Springfield, the Democrats always move to make the last session’s rules the Temporary Rules.

Nowhere on this agenda is there an item indicating actual adoption of the County Board Rules.

I guess the County Board could replace the “Creation” agenda with one saying, “Adoption,” if amending the agenda is a goal of the members.

As one can see from the Agenda, the meeting starts at 9 AM on Monday.  It will be in the Administrative Center, which is located north of the County Jail.


Comments

Comparing McHenry County Board Agendas — 15 Comments

  1. In the past, the Board Rules have always carried over from one term to the next until they were amended.

    That was done by the Management Services Committee, on which I served for each of the last two terms.

    Management Services would then spend several meetings in the Spring discussing whether or not any changes were desired in the Rules and proposed amendments, which were then passed on to the full Board for a vote.

    Unlike the General Assembly, you don’t have an entirely new body every two years.

    No one calls it the “98th County Board” as you do in Congress and the GA.

    It is considered to be a continuation of the previous Board with some new faces.

    We have never had a “Rules Committee” separate from Management Services.

    If this is considered to be an “ad hoc” committee, the Chairman can select the members without Board approval.

    Management Services, on the contrary, would be picked by the Committee on Committees, which will now be composed of one member from each county board district as selected by the members of that district in a caucus.

    By taking the drafting of Rules out of Management Services, the new Chairman can potentially control that process.

    The Rules Committee so selected can then draft proposed Rules giving the popularly elected Chairman more powers that previous Chairmen who were elected by the Board members enjoyed.

    This could set the stage for a later showdown.

    Stay tuned.

  2. What ever Mike

    you are just going to be a problem with the new county board chairman no matter what

  3. Mike, your comments are always appreciated and educational.

    We have a new position filled with a catamite of Madigan.

    There is absolutely no way the Madiganite fills this role without a plan to give as much value as possible to Madigan.

    He bears watching very closely by an educated public.

    Keep attempting to educate in every venue available.

    Madigan has rarely lost a political battle.

    Let us hope McHenry County will be his Waterloo with your help.

  4. Who will control what moves out of the rules committee when Jack Franks takes his oath of office?

  5. If Jack Franks is able to control what moves out of the McHenry County Board Rules Committee as Michael Madigan controls what moves out of the State House of Representatives rules committee, McHenry County just took a big step backwards.

  6. So, the games begin.

    If this county board falls for the tactics of Mr. Franks… Katie-bar-the-doors.

    What was once a county ranked at the top in this state for management and fiscal responsibility, is now a county headed for the dust-heap… in the image of the state and Cook County.

    From what I am hearing, we have a group of… so called Republicans… eager to curry favor from this person and will sell their souls to join in his take-down of McHenry County.

    The board rules were written to prevent the accumulation of power into the hands of one individual. In other words, to specifically prevent vote buying by appointing favored members to plum committee assignments and chairmanships.

    Prior board member, working with this man, cut the legs out from under the taxpayers when the first referendum for electing the chairman at large was soundly defeated. They didn’t like the results of that vote so deliberately came right back, during a “low-turnout” election, and submitted another referendum… thus accomplishing their goal.

    McHenry County, welcome to more of what the entire country rose-up to rebuked in the last election.

  7. Gas Bag Gasser has cut a deal… with the devil.

    He is JUST like Jack Franks only caring about himself.

    He is an arrogant, angry white man.

    Mark my words Gas Bag Gasser will vote with Jack Franks every step of the way.

    Gas Bag Gasser will vote for this so he gets support for his cush township race.

    YOU WILL NOT FOOL US GAS BAG GASSER.

    The Republican Party should censor Gasser for ruining the party.

    Mark my words – Gasser will destroy us.

  8. “we have a group of… so called Republicans… eager to curry favor from and will sell their souls”

    But, Ersel, I received all kinds of mail from MCGOP, from our local Tea Party as well as the “reform minded” “McHenry County GOPAC” Telling me all the candidates running were solid.. including the ones you’re talking about here.

    Are you telling me they weren’t being truthful?

    Go figure…

  9. I am sure I had no say in anything MCGOP… or some Tea Party has made.

    Yes… spineless RINOs… actually I call them “untruthful” with themselves and the public they asked to support them as Republicans.

  10. The current County Board Chair has the final say in what is placed on the County Board Agenda for Regular meetings?

    Why is the incoming inaugural voter elected County Board Chair not on the agenda to be given the oath of office?

    Because he is not part of the County Board?

    Yet someone he how got Agenda Item “12. Creation of Temporary Rules Committee” on the agenda?

    The Temporary Rules Committee being something new for the County Board?

    Shouldn’t that be introduced at the meeting?

    Then voted on in a subsequent meeting?

    To allow the topic to be properly understood by the voters.

  11. Why was Adopt the Agenda added in the Rules changes in 2015?

    Has there been an indication from anyone at the County or on the Board as to why Adopt the Agenda was removed from the December 5, 2016 agenda?

    Who decided not to place Adopt the Agenda on the December 5, 2016 agenda…or if that’s unknown, who is the final decision maker(s) as to what goes on the agenda.

  12. Disappointing to observe the vitriol from Serwatka.

    Will his ‘broad brush’ painting of people who run for office with an ‘R’ behind their name affect his political future?

    The elephant does have an excellent memory.

    Already I see past events in Paul’s life being brought forward again.

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