Kane County Jobs Committee trims co-chair role, approves consulting and engineering contract extensions

Deborah Allen, co-chair of the Kane County Jobs Committee, opened the Feb. 21 meeting and led the committee through several housekeeping and project items, including a code amendment to remove the committee’s co-chair position and two contract extensions to continue economic-development and trail work.

The committee voted to amend Section 2-48 of the Kane County Code (Standing Committees) to eliminate the jobs committee co-chair role and move to a single chair model. Committee members said the change is primarily housekeeping to align the jobs committee with other committees and to reflect the committee’s current workload and structure. The amendment also narrows committee language on workforce development and removes references to responsibilities now handled by other county departments.

Mark Minkirkoff, Kane County economic development staff, described a second contract extension with JEG360 LLC, an economic advisory consultant, and said the extension adds up to $95,000 for the coming year to support the county’s strategic plan, regional economic-development outreach and the launch of the county’s first economic development corporation. “I just can’t say enough of what Mr. Goolin has done to support this effort,” Minkirkoff said, recommending approval of the extension.

The committee also approved an extension with Hay & Associates Engineering Company tied to the Fox Water Trail infrastructure project. Minkirkoff and Julia Tavong, who works on grants and ARPA administration for the county, said the requested extension covers additional engineering work during construction, including oversight and responses to construction questions that were not part of the original contract. Minkirkoff said the overall Fox Water Trail project budget is about $1,460,000 and that the county is primarily using ARPA funds and a state grant to cover the work; he identified a local match and said some match accounting involves the county’s economic development fund (Fund 400), but the precise split for every line item was not specified at the meeting. “Most of that is the construction costs, and the engineering costs, and it's all being paid for from ARPA funds and our state grant match,” Minkirkoff said.

Staff said final construction bids selected Earthworks as the contractor for the five launch sites and that the county is seeking U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits before on-site work begins. The committee noted that the successful bidder will install BoardSafe-accessible launch improvements aimed at multi-ability access.

In a staff update, county economic development staff encouraged nominations of Kane County manufacturers for the Illinois Manufacturers Association’s annual “Maker’s Madness” contest. Staff said the public nomination window runs through March 2 and that the county previously promoted entries through its Kane County Connects channels to raise visibility for local manufacturers.

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes, Jan. 17, 2025: approved by unanimous consent (no roll-call objections recorded). - Ordinance: Amend Section 2-48 (Standing Committees) to remove the jobs committee co-chair position and refine workforce development language: approved (roll-call recorded: Doherty — yes; Penisis — yes; Strathman — yes; Young — yes; Allen — aye). - Resolution: Second contract extension with JEG360 LLC (economic advisory services), authorizing up to $95,000 for the coming year: approved (roll-call recorded: Doherty — yes; Hennessy — yes; Strathman — yes; Young — yes; Allen — aye). - Resolution: Contract extension with Hay & Associates Engineering Company for Fox Water Trail engineering and construction-phase services: approved (roll-call recorded: Doherty — yes; Penisis — yes; Strathman — yes; Young — yes; Allen — aye). - Motion to place committee reports on file: approved by unanimous consent. - Motion to adjourn: approved by unanimous consent.

The committee spent about 25 minutes on the agenda, with staff fielding questions about funding sources, construction timing and how the county will measure return on investment for economic-development efforts. Staff said the economic development corporation will track impacts such as jobs, wages, investment and tax-base changes on an annual basis. The Fox Water Trail team said it expects to pursue required Army Corps permits and start construction work as early as April, contingent on permitting and contracting timelines.

The committee’s actions were procedural and funding-authorization measures intended to keep ongoing economic development and trail infrastructure work on schedule. Members did not discuss substantive changes to project scopes during the meeting; several members asked for follow-up details on funding-match accounting and the county’s plan to quantify economic-development outcomes.

The committee adjourned after completing the agenda.