Public commenter urges return of $2 million CTCL grant; clerk says funds will follow grant rules

David Young, a member of the public, urged the Kane County Public Service Committee on Jan. 23 to return a $2,000,000 grant the county clerk received from the Center for Tech & Civic Life (CTCL).

Young told the committee the grant agreement identified CTCL as the awardor and that the county received $650,000 in July 2023 and $1,350,000 in December 2023. “The grant funds were supposed to be used for three things: key physical components like election equipment, key technological components like software, [and] key human components like election judges,” Young said, arguing the county’s spending on equipment and software meant the CTCL funds were not being used as intended and asking that the money be returned.

The county clerk’s office responded that any money the office spends will “follow the rules of the grant.” Clerk Pollock told the committee the clerk’s office intends to use the grant funds in ways that comply with the grant agreement and that decisions about allocation are still being made. “Any money that will be spent will follow the rules of the grant,” Pollock said.

Committee members pressed for clarity about whether the funds could be returned to CTCL and how unspent grant money would be handled in county accounting. Committee member John Greif asked whether the committee could help facilitate returning the funds; the clerk said internal control decisions rest with the clerk’s office and that the office expects to use the grant to help offset budget pressures. Committee member Lewis noted the county board previously voted a resolution in support and said the board itself would need to act if it wanted to require a return of the grant funds.

Committee members asked the clerk to report back with final decisions at the next meeting if allocations have been made. The clerk also said there was no membership fee to the CTCL alliance and described the county’s participation as an exchange of best practices rather than a paid membership.

Why it matters: The item raised questions about allowable uses of a large election-related grant, how elected offices account for external funds, and whether those funds can be reallocated to the general fund. The committee requested an update once the clerk’s office finalizes spending decisions.

Details: Young alleged CTCL has ties to partisan organizations and cited out-of-state litigation and bans; those assertions were made by Young in public comment and are reported here as his claims. The clerk’s office said it will follow the grant’s terms in any spending and that some of the grant is expected to be used to offset county budget shortfalls, but final allocations were “not specified” at the meeting.

What’s next: The committee asked the clerk to provide an update at the next meeting if the clerk’s office has decided how to allocate the grant proceeds.