Legislation approved this week by the Illinois General Assembly would end a months-long standoff between the DuPage County Clerk and the DuPage County Board over competitive bidding and bill payment procedures.
The amendment clarifies language in existing law regarding when contract bids are required and how payments must be submitted for payment by county officials, DuPage County Board of Directors Chairwoman Deborah Conroy told the board at its meeting Tuesday.
The hope is that what appears at first glance to be a mundane administrative adjustment will resolve the ongoing dispute between county officials and Clerk Jean Kaczmarek, who has rejected board requests to answer questions about contracts she approved without soliciting a bid. to ask.
The law changes apply to all elected county officials, including those with internal control over their offices, Conroy said.
Since April, Kaczmarek has refused to discuss the bills she has submitted for payment, saying the county executive does not have the authority to demand she answer questions about the costs her office incurs because she is an independently elected official.
“I hope this measure leaves no doubt as to the intent of the General Assembly and the laws governing the activities of elected officials’ offices,” Conroy said.
In addition to invoices submitted for purchases made without competitive bidding, other invoices have been flagged by the county auditor’s office for not having proper authorization from Kaczmarek or County Deputy Chief Secretary Adam Johnson.
Earlier this month, the DuPage County Prosecutor’s Office announced it was preparing a civil complaint against the clerk’s office over the situation. Just a week earlier, Kaczmarek threatened to take legal action against the province if invoices her offices submitted were not paid.
So far, neither party has taken legal action. It is not clear whether the legislation, which is awaiting the governor’s approval, will affect either party’s position on the current situation. If approved, it would not come into effect until January 1.
Johnson said in an interview on May 15 that the clerk’s office has received conflicting information from different county officials.
“One day they say the invoice does not contain the correct details (despite it having exactly the same level of detail as previous invoices from the same supplier that we submitted and paid without any problems),” he said.
According to Johnson, the county council has moved the goalpost on the clerk’s office and its way of working when “they don’t have the authority to move the goalpost in the first place.”
“I have never viewed this issue with the clerk’s office as a dispute,” Conroy said. “The way I see it in DuPage County is we value transparency, we are guided by the principle of fiscal responsibility.
“I ask and expect the clerk and her staff to abide by the statutes and work productively for the people of DuPage County, and now we can get back to the people’s work,” she said.
Kaczmarek could not be reached for comment.
George Wiebe is a reporter for Pioneer Press.
