Finance committee rejects county clerk's $446,514 transfer request amid questions about documentation

The DuPage County Finance Committee on March 10 rejected a proposed $446,514 budget transfer (26-0939) that would have moved money from statutory and fiscal charges — the county's election judge account — into salary and temporary-pay lines for the county clerk's office.

The transfer drew sustained scrutiny from board members who said the clerk's office failed to provide supporting documentation or representatives to explain the request. Finance staff, represented at the meeting by Jeff Martin Novich, said they had not received an explanation from the clerk and that, based on current spending patterns, the clerk's personnel lines had sufficient funds through the fiscal year.

"We don't have any information," Novich told the committee when members asked why the transfer was necessary. He added that if the transfer were approved now the clerk's statutory and fiscal charges account "would be short based upon historic spend" for election judge pay later this year.

Several members moved to postpone the item to a date certain (Oct. 13, 2026) to allow the clerk's office to present documentation; that motion failed on a roll call. A later motion to approve the transfer likewise did not pass after debate and a roll-call vote. Members who opposed the transfer argued the clerk had not complied with standard practice of providing explanations and that the transfer could create election funding shortfalls; supporters said the clerk had discretion within an approved budget and that transfers are routine for departments.

The committee did not approve the transfer. Members emphasized that the clerk may return with additional information; under board rules, any new information could permit reconsideration or a new motion before the fall election if necessary.