State's attorney reviewing actions by county board member

A Kane County Board member's push to save some money has sparked a repudiation from Chairman Karen McConnaughay and a legal review by State's Attorney John Barsanti.

Administrative Committee Chairman Jim Mitchell, of North Aurora, received a letter from McConnaughay Thursday that accuses him of violating the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

The violation dates back to a series of events over the summer triggered when Mitchell's committee began reviewing the ramifications of selling the Sixth Street School building. The building is currently owned by the county but leased to the Kane County Regional Office of Education. Discussions at a series of meetings, including a tour of the building, resulted in the drafting of a resolution in support of the county keeping the building but requiring the regional office of education to pay for all the utilities costs.

The utilities for the building currently cost the county more than $100,000 per year. In trade, the regional office of education would have its lease extended until 2013. In theory, the county would have saved nearly $500,000 in costs during the new lease.

McConnaughay's letter to Mitchell doesn't question the merits of the idea. However, the letter does object to Mitchell stepping on McConnaughay's toes.

"The purchase of sale of a county facility is outside the scope of responsibilities of the Administrative Committee," the letter reads.

The document goes on to say McConnaughay wrote Mitchell a letter back on Sept. 8 informing him of an upcoming meeting between herself and the Geneva Library board. The Geneva Library has long expressed an interest in the property for a possible expansion. Indeed, the library has a first right of refusal if and when the Sixth Street School building ever goes up for sale.

McConnaughay's letter says she asked Mitchell "to please not propose any action regarding the school building until we can have a meeting with the library board."

McConnaughay states in the letter that she is the only person in the county with the authority to negotiate any possible sale of the old school.

Finally, the letter claims the actions of Mitchell and his committee are "invalid" and a "violation of the Open Meetings Act" because the vote on the resolution extending the lease was not specifically listed on the meeting agenda.

Mitchell said the resolution was listed on the agenda. A copy of the Sept. 10 Administrative Committee agenda shows the last item, under a header of "Discussion" is a single item that reads, "6th Street School - Possible Resolution." The resolution itself runs eight paragraphs and was distributed at the meeting.

Mitchell said Friday that he's done nothing wrong. He's asked Barsanti to review the matter in hopes of being exonerated.

"I find this a very simple solution to saving money, but apparently some other board members don't," Mitchell said of the lease deal. "We started this to save a half a million dollars in this current economy. And people are complaining?"