District 5 candidates talk about concerns, issues in Kane County

Two Republicans are vying in the Feb. 2 primary for Kane County Board District 5. Melisa Taylor, 41, a Sugar Grove Village Board trustee, is challenging incumbent Bill Wyatt, 48, of Aurora. Here are their thoughts on issues selected from a Daily Herald questionnaire sent to each candidate.

Q. Does the current committee system serve the county well? Is it an efficient way to conduct business? Should members be paid for committee attendance? Please explain your answers. Melisa Taylor: If the committee choices were at random then the system could work as long as there is diversity within the committee members in order to thoroughly assess every decision. Bill Wyatt: I believe the current committee system does work well because it provides balance (geographically and politically) and gives all board members opportunity to provide input. In my opinion, the base salary paid to a board member is sufficient and attendance incentives are not necessary. Showing up to meetings prepared and educated is the job of all board members.Q. Should county board members get health insurance? Why or why not? Taylor: This I am unsure about. I would need to do more research in order to provide an answer. Wyatt: I do believe elected representatives should have the option to contribute and participate in the county health program.Q. How would you equalize pay and benefits across all county departments so that unionized and non-unionized workers are treated the same?Taylor: This is a complicated question that requires a significant amount of research to determine the inequalities of the two groups in order to determine the course of action to equalize the two groups. I do feel that both groups need to be compensated equally. I see hard work coming from unionized and non-unionized.Wyatt: I have made efforts to treat all county employees the same in the area of health insurance contributions. I was the original chairman of the Health Insurance Review Committee and in my time as chair (1999-2008) made sure employee contribution levels were discussed and agreed upon by union and non-union members of the committee. I believe factors such as job performance, education level, years of service and overall importance to the county should determine salary levels of a given job.Q. Why should the county board have control over the line items of the elected officials' departments? Would you support a budgeting plan in which a certain amount was allocated to those departments, and officials were left to decide how to spend it?Taylor: Yes. One elected official should not be in control of another elected official's budget. This just clouds county government too much. This causes wasted money issues with unnecessary time and resources. Time is money. The taxpayers' money! Another elected should not be able to make multiple budget changes/cuts to another elected's office at any time of the year.Wyatt: State law defines a clear separation between the responsibility of the county to allocate lump budget sums and the right of the elected official to determine line item appropriations.Q. Why should or shouldn't the county board move out of Geneva and consolidate operations at the Route 38 campus?Taylor: I assume this is referring to the Randall Road and Route 38 building. If so, the building purchase transaction would need to be completed first. It would lead me to believe that the most expensive property would be the one to be sold at a profit while utilizing the lesser expensive building. This cannot be determined based on property value alone. Building expenses and size are also a factor to determine the decision.Wyatt: The county has developed a master plan for the Route 38 campus that brings a majority of the current government center services out there. I believe a prudent approach is to build and phase in over time as capital development revenues allow.False370489Bill Wyatt False