[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6263283,"mediaKeyId","3108031-114fc50c0f6eecc79f9b228e1dd74acf","parentId",3108031,"title","Kane County committee approves mental‑health coverage expansion to county health plan; debate over scope and cost","audioSeconds",916,"startMs",2166000,"endMs",3082000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3108031-114fc50c0f6eecc79f9b228e1dd74acf&start=2166&end=3082","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3108031-114fc50c0f6eecc79f9b228e1dd74acf/thumbnail_2166000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6263283/Kane-County/Illinois/Kane-County-committee-approves-mentalhealth-coverage-expansion-to-county-health-plan-debate-over-scope-and-cost","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6263283-4c5fee58dc1abfa8b5f2b5bd7b5d6f37/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161808&Signature=OoBxBqV2GR5sJG7oxJz3Iw92iXZWSrPpV6-Ldu0xeLAdw6MvC0AHL-G~sYB7ADgbo1izLNT0HLpxMqOs0c1sM5pH-lIK3rgxal7XofWZkuW1R12KRTKFiLUKalCwlath1SNV8auW6fYpoL6yZEAOBnD7YNdDL0xV9PimOCYxEwyargYTWOhFEEJaioRmN4CBXOTZtB60U4R0cT7BgpN8Q8tYkyJNBQbU~cIAhQTk0-~buTM5l42cR3f~xZPen0dVWQTNtNkwDsHlaIQXkCdNo~E7qg0N1kguVQp-2MX9Ox7VVvDoHCOMrStjoEJUYbjnQmNDcZ-LEd9howXpXIxF4Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kane County, IL","date","2025-04-24T08:26:51.697Z","article","The Kane County Finance and Budget Committee voted on April 20 to update the county’s self‑insured health plan to include the state‑mandated mental‑health benefit for first responders. County staff recommended adding the benefit to all participating health plans rather than creating a separate plan for first responders; the committee approved the recommendation following discussion.

County staff told the committee that duplicating health plans for first responders alone would create significant administrative complexity and likely higher upfront costs. Staff estimated that adding the benefit for all plan participants would increase expected plan costs by about 1.5% — roughly $23,000 per month on the county’s total claims (an estimate presented by staff) — while limiting the benefit to first responders only was estimated to cost about $8,000 per month. The change is funded by the county’s self‑insured health reserve, not by the general fund.

Several commissioners supported offering the benefit to all participants, saying it keeps administration simple and keeps the county competitive with other municipalities that have adopted similar coverage. Other members argued for restricting the benefit to first responders to limit cost exposure and suggested amending the resolution to create a separate plan for first responders only. County counsel and benefits staff explained the statutory language and administrative constraints and said making the benefit first‑responders‑only would require creating duplicate plans and result in additional administrative costs.

After the discussion, the committee approved the plan change. The committee asked staff to track usage and fiscal impact during the first year so the board can evaluate whether further changes to plan design or premiums are warranted.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","KC Finance Committee April 23 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Kane County Finance and Budget Committee on April 20 approved adding a state‑mandated mental‑health benefit for first responders into the county’s self‑insured health plan and voted to apply the change to all participating plan members rather than creating a separate first‑responder plan.","taxTitle","Kane County, Illinois","taxId",12845,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6263288,"Finance director warns Kane County general fund gap could exhaust reserves by 2027",1564,4595000,6159000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3108031-114fc50c0f6eecc79f9b228e1dd74acf&start=4595&end=6159","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3108031-114fc50c0f6eecc79f9b228e1dd74acf/thumbnail_4595000.jpg","/articles/6263288/Kane-County/Illinois/Finance-director-warns-Kane-County-general-fund-gap-could-exhaust-reserves-by-2027","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6263288-80565e44e0822264c70a1364518aaaa9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161808&Signature=G14h3DNzXgzzUcRk0e4aT0gZNgQdQBJEFgZMCeqapMmfHY4skJduhGSntq~LAO8O72k4rD5ZqbEuLUD4WQwTWny7BGJywAjXiEadBcVP84noU63txzHieiMr-BlKQbwafHRNNW69WxoHvbcjuUFzpyUJMi5J4mn1jOpSMUFCfZ5l7a9q5hF9UMn7pnNiIz5YJvsIywzIt-iiptjyQcJxaum1STlVHDjwUkgLuY~HqsGmtjCaVVp4wzmCbgZxeLE5v1nsMPLdKHyQUCqkibMO~UdE2bVNbj9xkV2iVVxROeJUTCBws69JK1WiLEb0YXMB7VKzD9oW6iQi-FAc3bSg8Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kathy Hopkins, Kane County finance director, told the Finance and Budget Committee on April 20 that the county’s general fund faces a structural gap and that continued reliance on fund balance will exhaust the fund by 2027 unless the board reduces expenses or increases revenues.

Hopkins said the county’s 2025 general fund budgeted expenses are roughly $140.4 million while new revenues are about $112 million, leaving a gap of approximately $27 million. She said those numbers reflect the county’s current amended budget and that, without corrective steps, the general fund’s reserved balance will decline steadily over the next two years.

Hopkins walked committee members through multiple charts showing historical interest earnings (now projected at roughly $15–18 million for the current year compared with about $21.6 million in 2024) and the county’s cash balances. She explained that much of the large fund‑balance increase in recent years resulted from one‑time federal funds (CARES and ARPA) that temporarily covered payroll costs for certain operations; those sources have largely ended.

Committee members and staff discussed a range of options: reallocating eligible restricted special funds, tightening hiring and spending controls, pursuing attrition rather than layoffs, and asking departments and elected offices to propose reductions. Hopkins recommended an early start to the 2026 budgeting process so departments can enter their budgets and the committee can evaluate options; she noted the county typically aims to have a draft budget to the finance committee by July for public display and an adopted budget by late November.

The committee agreed to schedule a special finance meeting to develop concrete reduction proposals and to request detailed program-level information from departments, including which programs are grant‑funded or mandated and which are discretionary.","Finance Director Kathy Hopkins told the committee that the county’s general fund shows a projected shortfall and that continued use of fund balance to cover operating expenses could deplete reserves by 2027. She urged early action in the 2026 budget process.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6263293,"Kane County finance committee adopts 3-month general fund reserve ordinance amid concern over emergency access",1122,3486000,4608000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3108031-114fc50c0f6eecc79f9b228e1dd74acf&start=3486&end=4608","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3108031-114fc50c0f6eecc79f9b228e1dd74acf/thumbnail_3486000.jpg","/articles/6263293/Kane-County/Illinois/Kane-County-finance-committee-adopts-3-month-general-fund-reserve-ordinance-amid-concern-over-emergency-access","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6263293-32fc1e5ada0c19fa1c80b40dabfafd23/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161808&Signature=g8wt7i7NCl0Mi-pNGaunk5Svkht7tguxma59WH3PpZAZkEQcFPRtNw6auaqKNfVTJxAJrcKCazvMGqE6sCNWf~SrKnEdc~iXJ7fAKe8gT1cRroUAjZMQVBhamyVoCobuqie7IZXbYCvDRRlsjSL54hOQ-ywS7kD03w~lfSglWfyHhYu9AVWfZB8hNoc59iiQVcWptCKXxKWEkJMtEo1mjrCdLus7Xv~9n2LHD0tSjJI4kEYcNnOUWsCM-bj1vSJmEtBSxhpBETMrk7lzJdrN-gApDj-XMXrks2ySR9uvd6bi5s016d8SqjiAM6S4wT8GoVD5752DXK3wLHQWWLrPXQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Kane County Finance and Budget Committee on April 20 voted 5-2 to adopt an ordinance that sets a three-month (90-day) minimum reserve level for the county general fund.

Finance Director Kathy Hopkins told the committee the ordinance would create a “hard floor” that the board itself would have to change if it needed to go below that level. The measure passed after extended debate about whether the county should be legally restricted from dipping below the floor during an emergency.

The ordinance’s proponents said a formal floor is needed to prevent the county from eroding reserves to cover recurring operating costs. “If we don’t, we’re going to do the same thing with this 3‑month reserve that we did with all the other reserves we’ve had,” one supporter said during debate, urging the committee to lock in a minimum level of fiscal discipline.

Opponents warned the ordinance could impede the county’s ability to respond quickly to unforeseen emergencies. Several members argued the board should add an explicit, narrowly drawn exception or an emergency procedure — for example, a supermajority vote to authorize a temporary drawdown — before adopting a binding legal floor. County counsel described the tradeoff plainly: the ordinance would restrict the board’s discretion and, if the board later needed to go below the floor, it would have to change its own law.

The committee’s discussion ranged from technical accounting questions (how the general fund is composed and which subfunds are accessible) to broader policy concerns about whether to enshrine a fiscal rule in ordinance form or retain it as board policy. Finance staff said that, as of mid‑April, the general fund general account did not meet the 90‑day threshold and that implementing the ordinance would require a transfer from the county’s special reserve to comply immediately.

The committee voted 5 in favor and 2 opposed. Members who asked for more explicit emergency language urged that staff and counsel draft clarifying language and that the matter be considered by the executive committee or returned to finance for revision and a proposed exception process.

The ordinance now moves to the next step under county procedures for final adoption and any follow‑up drafting requested by the board.","The Kane County Finance and Budget Committee voted 5-2 on April 20 to adopt an ordinance establishing a three-month minimum reserve for the county’s general fund. Supporters said the floor would force fiscal discipline; critics warned it could handcuff the county during emergencies and asked for clearer exception language.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6263275,"County auditor finds control gaps in Animal Control petty cash; recommends written petty‑cash policy and reconciliations",418,974000,1392000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3108031-114fc50c0f6eecc79f9b228e1dd74acf&start=974&end=1392","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3108031-114fc50c0f6eecc79f9b228e1dd74acf/thumbnail_974000.jpg","/articles/6263275/Kane-County/Illinois/County-auditor-finds-control-gaps-in-Animal-Control-petty-cash-recommends-written-pettycash-policy-and-reconciliations","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6263275-13bbe52edf10ba093533870066b36cf2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161808&Signature=UPsHlHiRv0lDmTDCdLvP5v9QBdnB9x~rUo7g43y0Si00Xb06CoGF8y5gdsP2-ivxMoOe-Ixnjq5HbZz8XcYHcz9CiFSQghSwuv8pOpf~7lFdSlunQFW1~xpyBOKPAh9ankAd4gKgV3D5rnvQkpoHcpy~xNFqsPfeA1sIKw2dZJPaSvBetWhf3T1ddnuBv0j58fLnnCnYDQLDGvgejJ5BFfr4TpmIfMVD62P0PfFzXv~1yka8Zft2mkAz97hnlpbYvuqYv~JmjSVBcpk0FpmDI21KSOLJmRU0OH1P3dOXsP36ycp6ESt1CZGWxCmi5y-WAIKNpU7wSw7oDFHcL1cSEQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kane County Auditor Penny Wegman reported to the Finance and Budget Committee on April 20 that the auditor’s office completed a six‑month petty cash audit of Animal Control and identified eight findings and four recommendations.

Wegman told the committee the audit found incomplete bank statement receipt and reconciliation documentation, the absence of an accessible reconciliation policy, a lack of written procedures for processing cash, and no countywide petty‑cash policy against which auditors can evaluate activity. The auditor said missing affidavits have historically acted as placeholders when cash receipts are not available, but she warned that the practice leaves the county without sufficient supporting documentation.

The auditor recommended the Animal Control unit receive full bank statements; that reconciliation policy be accessible to departments; that written cash‑processing procedures be adopted; and that a countywide petty‑cash policy be created so departments can be audited against a standard. Penny Wegman thanked Animal Control and finance staff for cooperating on the six‑month review and said the audit took about six months to complete given other workloads.

Commissioners asked whether the county could adopt an existing petty‑cash policy template rather than creating one from scratch; Wegman said staff could review the budget book and existing policies and work with departments to identify gaps. The committee accepted the report and asked staff and the auditor to coordinate on recommended policy language.","Kane County Auditor Penny Wegman reported the office completed a six‑month petty cash audit of Animal Control and identified eight findings and four recommendations, including requiring complete bank statements, access to reconciliation policy, written cash‑processing procedures and a countywide petty‑cash policy.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6263279,"Votes at a glance: Kane County Finance Committee approves claims, contracts and subawards on April 20",1801,1424000,3225000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3108031-114fc50c0f6eecc79f9b228e1dd74acf&start=1424&end=3225","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3108031-114fc50c0f6eecc79f9b228e1dd74acf/thumbnail_1424000.jpg","/articles/6263279/Kane-County/Illinois/Votes-at-a-glance-Kane-County-Finance-Committee-approves-claims-contracts-and-subawards-on-April-20","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6263279-c6817166ee1b1805cf76fc224b975965/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161808&Signature=Lw7eyeR~mS485DEglqV6z7IMfEo~-vaKSWFMZ0HN04TqkzgxnleqbfSSpnv~iCW9THJXU3fTU3BQNnAZ7JXqfljJ26aMKSUgATrLhSS~toJ3fAdRQanewU3~-PnDdsLR-pi5lu0jHFFoTs5CbDZp~yidKdnwLSYzvXGCPOiOfNzgY5u2ZRU6JmgmKZMjOr7hpOghl2UAzRkl1fKPvN9ne8yXeSR78ZWlAQlAI14OBVQIevS~XAeZoE0DdYisLu60Oz2nDNLgx4DVcvhxkj712pE532mnXsYFqIjnywMf2-jX376MxnIf8lyWDXYY7sRGkXjRXlRILXk1Kq-Dj0-Irg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Kane County Finance and Budget Committee took a series of routine and contract votes on April 20. Below are the actions the committee approved, the dollar amounts where applicable, and the committee outcomes as recorded in the meeting minutes.

• March claims paid — $6,344,865.58. Motion to approve carried (roll call; passed).

• County board personal expense reimbursements — $827.02 and $824.72. Motions to approve carried (roll calls; passed).

• County health plan update — authorized updates to add mental‑health coverage as discussed; passed (committee vote 4 yes, 3 no). (See separate coverage for details.)

• Motorola Starcom radio management system agreement — $115,323.71. Motion to approve carried by roll call (passed).

• Subaward agreements under composting and food‑waste reduction funds:
- Northern Illinois Food Bank: $59,586 — approved.
- Sherman Hospital (as listed in agenda): $14,940 — approved.
- Kane County Cougars (youth/park partnership listed on agenda): $5,150 — approved.

• Emergency appropriation: transfer/appropriation of $5,144 from recovery zone bond debt service fund (DePasadena Drive special building areas) — motion to approve carried.

• Lead poisoning prevention and response grant: budget adjustment/authorization — motion carried.

• Miscellaneous other motions listed on the agenda (e.g., placing reports on file) — carried by unanimous consent unless noted.

Where the record listed movers and seconders, those names were recorded in the minutes; committee roll calls were used for final approval on each item. If a specific vote tally was not listed by member name in the transcript excerpt, the committee minutes recorded the outcome and, where the transcript shows a tally, that tally is included above.","At its April 20 meeting the committee approved the March claims paid, multiple expense reimbursements, a Motorola radio agreement, several subaward agreements for food‑waste/composting funds, an emergency appropriation and grant budget adjustments. Vote tallies are summarized below.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Kane County committee approves mental‑health coverage expansion to county health plan; debate over scope and cost

Finance director warns Kane County general fund gap could exhaust reserves by 2027

Kane County finance committee adopts 3-month general fund reserve ordinance amid concern over emergency access

County auditor finds control gaps in Animal Control petty cash; recommends written petty‑cash policy and reconciliations

Votes at a glance: Kane County Finance Committee approves claims, contracts and subawards on April 20