Motion to define county "C fund" fails as debate over chair authority intensifies

A motion to suspend the rules and consider an ordinance that would define how the county’s so‑called C fund can be spent failed on a roll call vote at the Winnebago County Board meeting on April 24, 2025.

The measure, moved onto the floor by a board member seeking to accelerate consideration of changes to the county’s allocation process, was defeated 8 yes, 11 no, with one member absent after a roughly one‑hour series of remarks and rebuttals.

The vote came as several municipal leaders and local advocates pressed the board to restore the county chairman’s administrative authority to an earlier, broader role. Bobby Holdsworth of Transform Rockford told the board the mayors of several Winnebago County municipalities had asked the county to “let the county chair we all voted for lead the county,” a position that Mayor Greg Jury of Durand echoed during public participation. Mayor Jury said the mayors—representing both political parties—want the chairman to “lead the county” with the authority it had about a decade ago.

Board member John Sweeney (County board member) framed the contested item as a matter of principle for some sponsors and critics: "...voting yes on that item, 11A, retaliatory vote for what was done by this board during the BMO Harris funding," he said on the floor, describing the proposal as political retribution. Board member Mr. Butita (County board member), who moved the suspension, said he viewed the measure differently: "I look at it more as a wake up call and to look at our future revenue sources and future county needs."

The roll call contained the following recorded positions (as read by the clerk): - Yes: Michael Thompson; Ray Thompson; Jim Webster; Paul Arena; Aaron Booker; Mr. Butita; Tim Lindmark; Mr. McDonald (8 yes) - No: Mr. Tassoni; Christina Valdez; Angela Goral; Angela Fellers; Valerie Hansard; Joe Hoffman; Kevin McCarthy; John Penny; Chris Stellgado; John Sweeney; Jaime Salgado (11 no)

The motion’s failure leaves the proposed ordinance defining C‑fund expenditures unacted upon. Earlier in the meeting, board member John Sweeney had referred an ordinance amending chapter 2 of the Winnebago County code to restore administrative authority to the county board chairman to the operations and administrative committee; Sweeney said 13 board members had agreed to sponsor that ordinance alongside County Board Chairman Joe Chiarelli.

Where it stands next: Because the suspension motion failed, the full ordinance will proceed through the committee process; Sweeney said the ordinance was referred to the operations committee for detailed review. Several speakers and sponsoring members said they want the operations committee to examine the scope, implications and legal limits of any change before the board votes.

Supporters of restoring the chairman’s authority argued a stronger county chair would improve coordination with municipalities and state and federal partners; critics said changes require careful committee review and should not be rushed onto the floor. The board did not adopt any substantive change to chair powers at the April 24 meeting.