Outgoing Kane County Board member Dahl doesn't mince words

Brian Dahl logged his final official meeting as a Kane County Board member Wednesday. He didn't go quietly.

Dahl, of North Aurora, moved out of the district, forcing him to give up his board seat. His final words as a county official came in a letter he delivered to fellow members of the board's executive committee. The letter calls out board members and Chairman Chris Lauzen for a 2018 budget that caused the county to end GPS and electronic monitoring for potentially violent individuals awaiting trial.

Dahl was in the minority in voting against the 2018 budget last November.

"My hope (is) in the near future the right people will come to their senses and do the right thing by once again funding the GPS monitoring program," Dahl wrote.

A group led by Chief Judge Susan Clancy Boles and Sheriff Don Kramer are trying to reinstate the monitoring program with a dedicated funding source. But the monitoring program was the topic of only half of Dahl's parting shots.

The budget vote, Dahl said, also stripped funding for "justified pay increases" for county employees. Last week, the county's finance staff delivered a presentation that indicated the county may not be able to fund employee raises even if the board approves a property tax increase. All the county's union contracts expired last year. Negotiations, including those going to arbitration, have always resulted in raises for union employees.

The issue is of particular concern to Dahl. He is the membership director and fiduciary trustee for the Painters District Council 30 and vice president of the Fox Valley Building and Trades Council.

"Shame on all of those who voted 'yes' on the 2018 budget, which allowed for the carving out (of) potential, justified pay increases for our county employees," Dahl wrote. "When I brought up my concerns about not including pay raises in the budget, I was told by some on the board that there could be pay raises if the department heads and elected officials find it within their budget. When the chairman and this board does not provide each of them with adequate funding in the first place, then this is how we get to where we are now."

Dahl closed his letter with a promise to press the board, as a constituent, to ensure county employees receive pay and benefits they deserve.