[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-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],{"_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",6148615,"mediaKeyId","5514836-627b6cd94ad67522082eced87c1d6c42","parentId",5514836,"title","Ordinance committee advances changes to county nursing-home language, harassment policy and purchasing code; local-preference debate to be clarified","audioSeconds",1491,"startMs",2270000,"endMs",3761000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5514836-627b6cd94ad67522082eced87c1d6c42&start=2270&end=3761","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5514836-627b6cd94ad67522082eced87c1d6c42/thumbnail_2270000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6148615/Will-County/Illinois/Ordinance-committee-advances-changes-to-county-nursing-home-language-harassment-policy-and-purchasing-code-local-preference-debate-to-be-clarified","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6148615-99df00e3ae8f00443f5b22c1e1d9dd17/orig.mp4?Expires=1773586903&Signature=o2m2yg-2P3PURprk6biNCNzcrx3X33Nlv9dKrD81vw~g~g8hxyEXFp1cvubuCddlY5IyMYGWNs016hIv~0HclVwnlurW2xLOK0Xj781sKURTmRCwgmCnaIT4gQQWip0im-YQjJ4gFrpT6YViqcVIim95dKOJ2TMivoITxLpVLm3SdeCr9frufdQH7JxWzfpVVjDJUnSPN3sajVK5xoIRRl3ZLrM5OswSBQrq38s35kpX4aWcyE2oCvcw3X-~iPthk~Cl-Ju~NlhvbiT88IY10TE5DaHa8SzV5X4g-b5Mj7BC9tR0sZDvFs9RjUbKftA3aOS4vOrQ81LyETlQmRfCVQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Will County, IL","date","2025-07-30T14:38:05Z","article","The ordinance committee reviewed multiple chapters of the county code and approved technical and substantive edits, including: changing references to the county nursing home in Chapter 35, adding reporting/contact language to the anti-harassment policy in Chapter 39, incorporating the responsible-bidder language into the purchasing code (Chapter 41) for executive-committee consideration, advancing the county lobbyist registration chapter (Chapter 42), and reviewing Chapter 43 on code enforcement.
On Chapter 35, staff proposed replacing references to the facility name Sunny Hill with the generic term \"county nursing home\" to avoid the need to amend the ordinance if the facility name changes; the committee approved the changes as amended and forwarded them for further processing. Committee discussion clarified that the medical director language was changed to allow the position to serve \"on a full-time or part-time basis,\" and the word \"employees\" was struck from a paragraph relating to the medical director's duties because employee medical matters are handled by HR and county insurance.
On Chapter 39, the committee added a paragraph to the newly drafted anti-harassment policy to replicate the complaint-filing contact information in the existing sexual-harassment policy so that remedies and filing paths (including cross-filing with Illinois agencies) are clear. The committee approved copying the contact/filing paragraph and removing a narrowly worded reference so the provision applies to harassment generally.
Chapter 41 (purchasing) drew the most extended discussion. Staff and an attorney for the county executive described changes to definitions and bid procedures and confirmed a previously approved \"responsible bidder\" ordinance (adopted by the full board in May) needs to be inserted into this chapter. Committee members debated a local-preference proposal: staff and the state's attorney's office advised the committee that, because the county is not a home-rule county, a local-preference procurement preference is legally problematic and may not survive legal review; the committee agreed to add the responsible-bidder language to the chapter and forward it to the executive committee, and asked the state's attorney for a written opinion about the legal viability of any local-preference language before the next executive meeting. A roll-call vote (Logan yes; Butler no; Freeman yes; Newquist yes; Trenier yes) approved adding the responsible-bidder chapter and sending it forward.
The committee moved Chapter 42 (county lobbyist registration), which implements state-required registration procedures; the chapter passed committee review and will move to the executive committee. The committee also reviewed Chapter 43 (code enforcement), corrected several typos and discussed the adjudication process; members asked land use staff about enforcement discretion and the limits of administrative adjudication versus court processes.
Actions taken at this meeting included committee approval of Chapter 35 as amended, approval of the anti-harassment paragraph for Chapter 39, approval to incorporate the responsible-bidder purchasing language into Chapter 41 and forward it to the executive committee, and advancement of Chapters 42 and 43 to the next steps. Committee members asked the state's attorney to provide a written opinion on the legal viability of a local-preference procurement provision before the executive-committee meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Will County Ad Hoc Ordinance Review Committee Meeting July 22, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The ordinance committee reviewed multiple code chapters and approved edits to the county nursing-home language, the anti-harassment policy and the purchasing code while asking the state's attorney to clarify the legality of a local-preference procurement provision.","taxTitle","Will County, Illinois","taxId",2549,"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},6148620,"Will County treasurer outlines online payment options and warns of credit-card fees",152,1564000,1716000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5514836-627b6cd94ad67522082eced87c1d6c42&start=1564&end=1716","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5514836-627b6cd94ad67522082eced87c1d6c42/thumbnail_1564000.jpg","/articles/6148620/Will-County/Illinois/Will-County-treasurer-outlines-online-payment-options-and-warns-of-credit-card-fees","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6148620-6faeef5e9cf1ef6e3c42507db3057b67/orig.mp4?Expires=1773586903&Signature=JkRZjotZswGQVMAJetIbNtYE3H8OZGdnP8i6K1~HBWsdX4mtMQe3tjMyE5VDLVWH~Ii-TyBCpo9ghp8nbrhekDlG5DqWNrMUmDjgtX0U-ISdI3ilfiHVfQlOyTZXEK-HjiElrbGBJsBHkWapVgqBPl3ZCQ7PTeD3LLUaHIWpNhTWbCKi-xWP3~XTVSUvNjd8HyJ8D4OTVhO0nBeydIkjHfbOfJk52quPymPQE65Xy9FcQXA8EQ9Cq2re6nbLCrCPOTw8ICS3jCZMiQCgcrtr9CqNQ24M14T1lz-pPXdVgUkS1ivd47~VlaqFz-n58dXBkOAEj93MiJsvpwCJroQFhw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Will County Treasurer Tim Brophy briefed the committee on electronic payment options for property taxes and other county receipts and urged residents to use ACH/eCheck to avoid a negotiated 2.28% credit-card processing fee. Brophy said the county's current vendor charges 2.28% for card payments and that funds paid by card go to the card processor, not the county. \"The credit card rate we negotiate is at 2.28%. So that payment would have cost them about $700 in fees,\" Brophy said of an example $30,000 tax bill.
Brophy said the county offers an eCheck (ACH) option that requires customers to enter a bank routing and account number; if users can complete ACH before the due date, the county honors that date for timeliness. He explained why consumer peer-to-peer services and card-on-file wallets are not viable for typical tax payments: many have low per-transaction limits (Venmo/Zelle) or do not collect the full payer contact information needed to research payment disputes. \"Venmo, Zelle, Apple Pay's structures don't do that. Their structures'and so we would be,\" Brophy said.
Board members raised practical issues: limits on debit card or peer-to-peer transfers, the ability of customers to call their banks to release debit-hold limits, and whether ACH could be provided without fees. Brophy said some processors have provided ACH at no fee as a negotiated service and that other treasurer offices do charge for ACH. He also said debit and credit card transactions are often indistinguishable to processors, which complicates charging different fees.
Treasurer Brophy said the county tries to negotiate the lowest card and ACH fees and periodically rebids the contract; he encouraged taxpayers to use eCheck/ACH for large tax bills and to have mortgage companies pay taxes directly where possible. Board members with payment-industry experience said the 2.28% rate is competitive.
No formal action was taken; the treasurer's office said it will continue to evaluate payment options and competitive vendor bids and bring proposals back to the board if substantive changes are available.","Treasurer Tim Brophy described the county's online payment options, encouraged ACH/eCheck to avoid 2.28% card fees, and noted consumer payment apps lack required payer data or have transaction limits that make them unsuitable for many property-tax payments.",{"_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},6148625,"Will County finance officials explain $5,000 capitalization threshold, minor-asset tracking and depreciation rules",1467,129000,1596000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5514836-627b6cd94ad67522082eced87c1d6c42&start=129&end=1596","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5514836-627b6cd94ad67522082eced87c1d6c42/thumbnail_129000.jpg","/articles/6148625/Will-County/Illinois/Will-County-finance-officials-explain-5000-capitalization-threshold-minor-asset-tracking-and-depreciation-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6148625-3da468b78afc3ed62c637f94ab6f4700/orig.mp4?Expires=1773586903&Signature=RF4-wTKYKlZ-fp4VMNlaQlEG6kiFxyFTRgGm4AGL36IMxryjlOWK~jig3NjIPpYlCCKPMl7Fs2C-u71EXroYTap~BrSQWUYC7Vn9mNzNNa5wzMLxqcAzLY1UsMBfB7EEUJ8jXGzk4~XfAZW6y5nQw82ERGn~q3W1ydhBJF5N-A61flpYvVfr016kPFecmxtCh5R5LaS530~7xNoyQG1bviTqAFY3J~i~eVieZBYGIQgc69ZAG4bBrEyCEfJNFlW7derQDoAzVrHCBHENnIZ2k9wxVT8F3md8tIfIUlhXtV-jfp0TVYSxwQRdwtsUMjVY3kmKG1uyC0yqjZM606UU8Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Will County finance staff reviewed the county's asset accounting and record-keeping standards, explaining why tangible assets are capitalized at $5,000, intangibles at $50,000 and how minor assets are tracked at the department level. The presentation covered asset types, capitalization thresholds, depreciation schedules, and annual inventory procedures.
The finance presenter said the county follows Governmental Accounting Standards Board guidance and Government Finance Officers Association best practices to prepare financial statements and set capitalization rules. \"GASB and GFOA are the organizations that tell us how we need to present our financial activity,\" the presenter said. Assistant Finance Director Emily Perkins explained that tangible assets under $5,000 are monitored differently than capital assets and that items valued between $1,000 and $5,000 are inventoried by departments as \"minor assets.\"
Board members pressed staff on how the policy treats groups of lower-cost items and on replacement of furnishings. Perkins said individual items are evaluated on their unit cost and \"you don't capitalize\" simply by aggregating many sub-$5,000 items, except when furnishings are part of a new building project and were capitalized with that project. She said departments receive annual lists to confirm what they have, and that surplus removals follow the county surplus process.
Finance staff reviewed depreciation useful lives used by the county: buildings 50 years, roofs/parking lots variable (25 and 7 years), equipment/vehicles/computer hardware five years, and infrastructure lives depending on asset type. The presenter said the county uses straight-line depreciation and compiles its own annual financial statements for audit review.
On controls for more sensitive minor assets (weapons, radios, laptops in the sheriff's office, power tools for facilities), Perkins said departments may tag items themselves and maintain lists; the finance office provides guidance and an annual reconciliation. The internal audit office conducts periodic physical inventories of capital assets.
Board members discussed whether the $5,000 threshold should be raised because of inflation; Perkins said GFOA still recommends not going below $5,000 and that state and federal grant rules sometimes require higher thresholds (she cited an internal practice that the state may use $25,000 and federal grants $50,000). Perkins also noted the county monitors items below $5,000 and will standardize sensitive-item tracking if the board directs staff to do so.
The presentation concluded with a brief discussion of the county's capital asset modules in the finance system (previously New World; migrating to current system D365 by year end) and the role of auditors in testing additions and balances. \"When capital assets are booked, that gets set up in the capital asset module, and that's where the depreciation happens,\" Perkins said.
Board direction: staff did not propose ordinance changes but suggested standardizing how departments record sensitive minor assets; the committee asked staff to provide a standardized form or guidance rather than an ordinance change at this time.
Background: county staff said the $5,000 tangible threshold and the $50,000 intangible threshold are drawn from longstanding GASB guidance and GFOA best practices; grants and higher-level reporting may require different thresholds.","Finance staff explained the county's asset accounting rules, including a $5,000 tangible capitalization threshold, a $50,000 intangible threshold, five-year useful life for vehicles and equipment and department-level tracking for minor assets, while board members pressed for clarity on furnishing replacements and auditing procedures.",{"_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},6148610,"Committee flags need for countywide AI policy after national conference briefing",56,3254000,3310000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5514836-627b6cd94ad67522082eced87c1d6c42&start=3254&end=3310","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5514836-627b6cd94ad67522082eced87c1d6c42/thumbnail_3254000.jpg","/articles/6148610/Will-County/Illinois/Committee-flags-need-for-countywide-AI-policy-after-national-conference-briefing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6148610-9246fc6e15acc9c0934fc761aa842d58/orig.mp4?Expires=1773586903&Signature=Ren2yGPCGb5fp1gVqn5slYrDdFJeJb8gfet5ns-LrgfJebSD5kYWDt3Pn-kwbsVFxOylN76qqpojSHV8mdZwCxNjjBuHTmeWDS8NU6AG9B0ZCafeWXtt34kPFaP2yefvySYQI77O0PYQr8NmfLXLlHrjXI6DMgg4T~961Q57ntElTa66NQFAf5ahLwsFzGylwor4H7mZSmX1OAgUkGdie53qZZwmd~cJ51woJpmD9~ruGW1IlEOh5p6srBYBWPA9t2Yvcf81-P00toj416FoygdNP2EkuGssyeq2j-d8gnX7aiD0oXdc-JSn~0PmZOUMaSoJZhfxACHa~vyeHNxriw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The committee discussed the potential benefits and risks of artificial intelligence in county operations and asked staff to consider whether a countywide policy or guidance is needed. The chair said an AI session at a national conference highlighted use cases such as automating invoice processing (one county reported a 95% accuracy rate and large manual-hour savings) and said county departments currently lack a consistent policy outside emergency management. \"It became very clear to me sitting in that room, it could have huge advantages for us, but could also put us in a real bad spot for different things too,\" the chair said.
Board members recommended a staged approach: identify county functions where AI could safely assist (for example document processing or routine administrative tasks), audit current staff use of AI tools, and adopt departmental or countywide rules that specify permitted uses, data-handling requirements and records retention. Member Newquist noted accuracy concerns and suggested comparing AI error rates to human error rates before deployment. The discussion ended without a formal motion; the committee asked the chief of staff and appropriate departments to return with recommendations about where AI might be piloted and whether a policy or ordinance is warranted.
No binding decision was made; staff will evaluate use cases and return with options.","After staff attendance at a national county-association session on artificial intelligence, the committee discussed that AI could improve some county processes (for example invoice processing) but that risks and current lack of countywide guidance mean the executive's office should assess where to permit, restrict or standardize AI use.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Ordinance committee advances changes to county nursing-home language, harassment policy and purchasing code; local-preference debate to be clarified

Will County treasurer outlines online payment options and warns of credit-card fees

Will County finance officials explain $5,000 capitalization threshold, minor-asset tracking and depreciation rules

Committee flags need for countywide AI policy after national conference briefing