Proposed law seems to target Kane County Board member

It was about one year ago that Kane County Board member Cathy Hurlbut paid the property taxes, and late fines, on her Elgin office building. If Hurlbut is re-elected in November, she could quickly find herself out of politics if she pays late again.

State Sen. Chris Lauzen, of Aurora, is pushing a new law that appears to stem from the Hurlbut incident, if not specifically targeting her. The legislation renders anyone "in arrears in the payment of a tax or other indebtedness due to a county" ineligible to serve on any county board or commission. Lauzen said he was well aware of Hurlbut's actions.

"I think that it's time that the politicians live by the same rules that the rest of us have to," Lauzen said. "The first rule is, gosh darn it, pay your taxes."

Hurlbut could not be reached for comment this week. Her office said she's unavailable until Oct. 4.

Hurlbut, though, has spoken openly about her late property tax payments several times at county meetings. Most recently, Hurlbut, who is a lawyer and lives in Elgin, said a client owed her a lot of money but had not paid up, causing her to not have the cash on hand to pay her property tax bill when it was due. When the client paid, so did Hurlbut. While waiting for the payment, Hurlbut said she simply had to prioritize her bills just like everyone else is doing in a tough economy. The bottom line she said, is the taxes, plus the late fines, were paid eventually.

If Lauzen's bill, SB3944, becomes law, Hurlbut may have to factor in her desire to serve on the county board among those bill-paying priorities. Lauzen said he believes his legislation will receive the support of his colleagues in the Illinois General Assembly. Another aspect of the bill says anyone convicted of a felony in any state of the country is also ineligible to serve on a county board or commission. Lauzen said he has no problem applying that rule, if it doesn't already exist, to state lawmakers as well.

"If there's any logical thought given to it, this bill will receive the full support of Illinois' lawmakers," Lauzen said.