Kane County has to move fast with Pattelli’s departure

Kane County officials will act fast to find a temporary finance director to guide them through the creation of next year’s budget. Members of the county board’s Finance Committee will consider contracting with an auditing firm or bringing in a retiree from the world of government finance until the end of the year.

The frantic pace comes in response to the resignation of Cheryl Pattelli, the county’s current finance director. Pattelli is leaving to work for the city of Boulder, Colo. She is the second department head to quit in the past couple months. Former Kane County Health Department Executive Director Paul Kuehnert was the first to resign.

The salaries and raises of Kuehnert, Pattelli and about a dozen other department heads are the subject of a lawsuit against Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay that is gaining steam in recent weeks. The lawsuit alleges McConnaughay handed out raises to department heads without the permission of the county board. McConnaughay has repeatedly defended the raises as part of a management restructuring.

Pattelli’s resignation comes at a tough time. County officials will soon begin preparing next year’s budget. The fiscal year begins Dec. 1. But with a new county board and chairman coming on board at the end of the year, officials said they won’t saddle the new team of elected officials with a new, permanent finance director.

Instead, committee members Monday debated the value of contracting with an auditing firm or hiring from a pool of about 10 recently retired members of the Illinois Government Finance Officers Association who might be in the market for temporary employment. Such retirees could work up to 600 hours without impacting their state pension benefits.

County officials said they do expect even a temporary or a part-time finance director to cost more than $30,000. Finance Committee Chairman Jim Mitchell said he’d like to hire someone who may be able to stick around with the new administration for awhile.

“It would be a travesty to have a new chairman elected, and we say, ‘You don’t have a finance director; good luck to you,’ ” Mitchell said.

Officials will seek out applicants for the job, similar to the process already under way for a temporary coroner, and try to hire someone by the end of July.