Committee questions frequency of hand-drawn checks as members approve weekly bills

LaSalle County committee members approved the weekly bills and questioned the prevalence of "hand-drawn" checks to local vendors, asking staff to follow up with the auditor's office.

At the meeting a member asked why several invoices were marked as hand-drawn checks and whether local vendors would accept delayed payment: "It just seemed to me it's a local company. It was due, 04/04/2022. Is there, something since it's a local company, would they extend, terms to the county so that it doesn't have to be a hand drawn check?" the member asked.

Staff replied that the invoices had been received only that week and that they had just turned them in for payment; staff said they would check with the auditor's office to determine why the items were marked hand-drawn. "I could talk to the auditor's office, see why that was hand drawn," staff said. The staff member also noted many vendors are local and likely to accept payment without charging late fees, and said they will investigate recurring vendors to minimize the number of hand-drawn payments.

Why it matters: frequent hand-drawn checks can complicate bookkeeping and press local vendors; committee members asked staff to examine regular local payees to reduce ad-hoc hand checks.

Committee action: the committee voted to approve the bills as presented (a motion was made and seconded; a voice vote followed). No change to accounts payable policy was adopted; staff agreed to follow up with the auditor and report back.

Next steps: staff will check with the auditor's office on why invoices were marked hand-drawn and will review recurring local vendors to minimize future hand-drawn checks.