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Split board approves read access to Madison County USL financial system amid privacy and authority concerns
Summary
On a 13–12 vote, the Madison County Board adopted a resolution granting read‑only access to the USL financial system to the County Board Chairman, County Administrator and County Treasurer, while the Auditor said he would not comply until an investigation concludes and the State's Attorney said the board may lack authority to impose access rules.
Madison County’s board voted 13–12 on March 20 to grant read‑only access to the county’s USL financial system to the County Board Chairman, County Administrator and County Treasurer, a resolution intended to increase fiscal transparency and oversight.
Supporters argued the change would give elected oversight officials timely access to financial data needed to evaluate fiscal performance. Opponents raised concerns that full ledger access could expose private data and exceed the board’s legal authority. Auditor Rick Faccin said he would not turn over data while an active investigation is underway. State’s Attorney Mark Gibbons warned that publishing unsanitized ledger data could violate privacy and statutory limits.
The resolution reads that the County Chairman, his designees, the County Administrator and the County Treasurer “shall have read access to the County USL financial system in real time.” Proponents described the access as read‑only and comparable to arrangements in other Illinois counties where department heads and administrators can see budget and ledger information for oversight.
Auditor Rick Faccin told the board he would “revisit this at the end of the investigation” and said he would not “turn over personal information to people under investigation.” Mr. Gibbons cautioned that some portions of the general ledger are legally exempt from release and that wholesale online publication of raw records could produce privacy violations and potential class‑action liability. “To accomplish the scrubbing of these things is an extraordinary task,” Gibbons said, noting records span decades and formats.
Treasurer Chris Slusser and other board members urged practical steps: scrub private information where required and provide administrators with the access needed to perform oversight. Several board members urged seeking an Attorney General opinion or crafting precise procedural controls to limit liability.
The approved resolution does not specify technical standards or a compliance timetable; Auditor Faccin said he will revisit the issue after the ongoing investigation concludes. The division on the board was reflected in the roll call: AYES: Chapman, Foster, Gray, Guy, Harriss, Jones, Kuhn, Madison, McRae, Michael, Moore, Walters, Wesley; NAYS: Glasper, Gorman, Hankins, Holliday, King, Malone, Minner, Novacich‑Koberna, Parkinson, Petrillo, Pollard, Trucano.
