DuPage County pays up on two overdue election-related bills

Payday finally came for two vendors owed more $230,000 for election-related services provided to the DuPage County clerk’s office.

Naperville-based Prager Moving & Storage and Lisle-based Governmental Business Solutions received payment for services they provided for the 2025 election. The payout came just days after Clerk Jean Kaczmarek filed an appeal of a judge’s ruling denying her request to compel the county to pay the bills.

The county had denied payment of the bills, citing questions about whether the two contracts were properly bid by the clerk’s office.

In July, the county sought, and won, the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate whether the clerk’s office violated the state’s competitive bidding laws and if any charges, including official misconduct, were warranted.

A DuPage County judge appointed the Illinois attorney general’s office to investigate. To date, no findings have been released.

Kaczmarek, who had submitted the bills for payment earlier this year, said she was not given advance notice of the payments or consulted before the bills were paid by the county. The vendors received notification of payment on Oct. 29.

“This sudden reversal proves that payment for these vendors could and should have been signed off on long ago,” Kaczmarek said in a written statement.

“Nothing has changed regarding these legitimate and essential services that were performed for the voters of DuPage County,” she said. “There is no rhyme or reason to the county’s payment procedures. It’s just whatever direction the wind is blowing.”

In the clerk’s request for a temporary restraining order to get the bills paid, officials from both companies indicated they would not provide services for the 2026 elections if the bills were not paid. They also wanted assurances that they would be paid for any services provided for the upcoming elections.

Though the bills were paid, an official with the county said no assurances were given about future work.

Kaczmarek, who noted she must contract with vendors for the upcoming elections in the coming weeks, said she intends to continue working with GBS and Prager Moving & Storage.

“I'm hoping she bids out … or we're going to have the same problem over again,” said county board member Paula Deacon Garcia, who serves as chair of the board’s finance committee.

Deacon Garcia is challenging Kaczmarek in the Democratic primary for county clerk.

Kaczmarek’s attorney, Kenneth Florey, said he was unsure what prompted the county’s decision to pay the outstanding bills. However, he noted the clerk’s office filed an appeal of a recent ruling denying Kaczmarek’s request to compel the county to pay the bills.

Florey said the clerk’s office filed the appeal, and the state’s attorney’s office filed its response on behalf of the county last week. But when the checks were sent out, the appeal was withdrawn.

Deacon Garcia said payment was delayed due to the ongoing litigation and the investigation of the clerk's office by the attorney general's office. However, she said, both she and DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy decided last week to pay the two bills.

Deacon Garcia noted that the payment will not impact the ongoing investigation or litigation. She added that the clerk's office also signaled they did not intend to seek other vendors for the services provided by Prager or GBS.

“At that point, with the 2026 election cycle beginning, it was recommended to pay the invoices so as not to risk any potential impact on the election process,” a county spokesperson said.

The clerk still has pending litigation against the county in which she argues the county cannot prevent her from procuring goods and services needed to run her office. The next hearing date in that case is Nov. 21.

The clerk’s office also said it will reach out to the county’s finance department this week regarding a projected budget shortfall.

Last week, Kaczmarek told members of the county board’s finance committee that her office did not have enough funding to carry her office through the end of the fiscal year. She also said the proposed allocation for the 2026 fiscal year would fall short.