LaSalle County panel adds finance director to appointments list amid debate on roles

LaSalle County’s Committee on Appointments, Legislation and Rules on Oct. 6 voted to add a finance director to the list of appointed positions in the county board rule book, directing staff to draft or locate a job description that clarifies duties and reporting relationships.

Committee members debated how the finance director would interact with the elected county auditor, stressing that statutory duties of the county auditor cannot be removed by the board. The discussion focused on separating operational finance duties from the auditor’s statutory responsibilities and on spelling out whether the auditor would report monthly to the county board or through the finance director.

Members said current practice places many finance-related responsibilities on existing staff and that hiring a finance director would be a transitional process. One committee member said the director should help analyze departmental budgets, head count and expenditures and free existing staff to focus on core functions. Another member noted the finance director role is referenced in the county’s financial policies but not consistently defined in the rule book.

The committee moved and approved adding the finance director to Section 47 (appointments) of the board rule book; committee members asked that a clear paragraph or job description mirroring other appointment entries be added. Members also directed that the rule-book language clarify reporting lines and any statutory constraints on reassignment of auditor duties.

The motion passed; a committee member said the final language will be reviewed and returned to the committee before forwarding to the full board.