Lauzen breaks tie to reimburse himself for expenses

A growing number of Kane County Board members are objecting to expense reimbursements submitted by Chairman Chris Lauzen.

The split on the board over Lauzen's lunches, book purchases and magazine subscriptions put Lauzen in an awkward voting position this week.

County policy does not allow for taxpayer reimbursement of all the expenses Lauzen routinely submits unless the county board approves them. Lauzen's latest bill of $149.07 adds to a grand total of reimbursed expenses of roughly $12,000 since he took office at the end of 2012.

Receipts attached to many of the reimbursements indicate they were purchased with a credit card that rewards the owner with points that have a monetary value redeemable through Southwest Airlines.

Board member Myrna Molina consistently votes against the requests as being above and beyond what any other county employee can receive reimbursement for. In the latest bill, Molina highlighted a $34 book about how bitcoin works as a questionable expense.

"You don't think we should come up to speed on that?" Lauzen asked Molina.

"I'd be more inclined to vote on things that you plan on giving a presentation on," she replied.

Lauzen has never delivered a public presentation to the board on the taxpayer benefits of his purchases.

"There are no personal expenses here," Lauzen said in calling for a vote. "It is all business."

The vote resulted in a 10-10 tie. The chairman only votes when needed to break a tie. Lauzen voted in favor of giving himself the money.

County board members usually recuse themselves from any votes that involve a personal interest, especially those that may provide financial benefits. After the vote, Lauzen told several board members who voted "no" they should be ashamed.

The tie marked a significant increase in the number of board members souring on Lauzen's reimbursements. Molina triggered a vote on Lauzen's expenses in February that saw only about one-third of the board vote "no."