Democrats battled against fellow Democrats in a debate that ultimately saw Kane County adopt new rules that will see the use of union labor for all of the most valuable county construction work.
Neither a gas tax increase nor a property tax hike could muster enough support to be included in the final version of Kane County budget. The board voted to balance its budget with $16 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds and delay solving the deficit that will still exist once all the federal money is gone until after next year s election.
Premium Content
Subscriber only Interactive street art, innovative honey dispensers, a find-a-pet-sitter service, and an invention making hydraulic flow testing safer. These are just some of the products pitched at an event at Split Spaces in Mackay on Friday night including from the founder of Mackay s Laneway Project which beautified the CBD with colourful murals. Qualified art educator Jodie Connolly said she wanted to enrich people s lives through contemporary art and engaged with Mackay artists as a creative matchmaking service . We included augmented reality, Ms Connolly said. Mackay Laneway Project founder Jodie Connolly presented at Split Space s quarterly Pitch Perfect event on Friday, May 14, 2021. Picture: Heidi Petith
Former Kane County state s attorney McMahon appointed to Metra board Joe McMahon
Updated 5/14/2021 1:53 PM
Former Kane County State s Attorney Joe McMahon is the county s newest appointment to the Metra board of directors. The decision comes despite criticism from several county board members about the process, McMahon s qualifications and his tenure as state s attorney. The county board voted 19-4 Tuesday there is one vacant seat on the 24-member board to make the appointment.
McMahon was one of 18 applicants for the position, which comes with a $15,000 stipend.
A subcommittee overseeing and vetting the applications narrowed the pool to four finalists for interviews. Three of the four would have been worthy appointments, said county board member Drew Frasz. Frasz sat on the subcommittee along with county board members Vern Tepe and Mo Iqbal, and Carl Scheidel, the county s executive director of transportation.
Kane County Board members to consider raises for themselves, other elected officials
Updated 4/29/2021 9:19 PM
Kane County officials will wade into a politically thorny debate of whether to give raises to themselves, or possibly their replacements.
County board Chair Corinne Pierog has outlined the raise discussion twice in the last month to various groups of board members.
Please don t think individually about your own vote; think about future boards, Pierog told board members earlier this month. You re not just voting about yourself. Think what a future board member may want.
But Pierog is not up for reelection in 2022. Meanwhile, the entire county board is up for reelection thanks to reapportionment after the 2020 Census.