With stalemate’s end, Dundee mental health board releases grant money

Thousands of dollars in Dundee Township 708 Mental Health Board grant money, held up by an impasse over the board’s composition, were finally released Thursday.

For the first time since January, the board had enough appointed members to conduct business and approve nearly $800,000 in grants.

“It’s a joy to be here,” said Deidre Trout-Anderson, director of behavior health services, supported living and outpatient programs at the Association for Individual Development. “AID is thrilled for the opportunity to expand services in northern Kane County and, specifically, Dundee Township.”

The $14,000 presented to AID will allow it to hire a case manager in Dundee Township, Trout-Anderson said.

Board President Sue Harney, who’s also a Dundee Township trustee, and fellow members Amber Cotter, Ray Auger and Heather Corins approved the grants, which had been stalled due to an insufficient number of board members. There were two vacancies and one member who stopped attending meetings.

While the two new board members, Tarah McShane and Ken Schaffer, were not able to attend after having just been approved by the Dundee Township Board, the third, Joseph Connell, again failed to attend. He hasn’t attended any meeting held this year.

Even without their attendance, the appointment of McShane and Schaffer broke the logjam created when the township board refused to appoint the nominees selected by Supervisor Shefali Shah. One of them was someone who formerly served on the mental health board but reportedly did not support its mission.

The compromise came when Shah agreed to submit new nominees in exchange for Harney agreeing to step down as president and township board liaison. Trustee Henry Fixemer will replace her in 2027.

“I feel the compromise was necessary to get the Mental Health Board going again,” Fixemer said Thursday. “We worked so hard to try to compromise with Supervisor Shah, but she was very adamant about her choice. It was a choice we could not live with.”

The stalemate left the mental health service agencies in limbo. Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association, which provides recreation activities for people with disabilities, had to withdraw its programming because the money was not available.

On Thursday, its grant was finally approved.

AID, the only organization with representatives at the meeting, said its need to hire a case manager was supported by a mental health needs assessment conducted by the township in 2021. The review found that one of the biggest problems for residents seeking services is not knowing where to go, Trout-Anderson said.

AID created the position, but the lack of funding “put a huge barrier on us getting started on that project,” she said.

Elijah Braun, AID manager of behavioral health supported living, agreed, saying it “slowed down our ability to grow the program out here. We are generally able to keep things rolling as an agency and do our best to serve the community. But we definitely do rely on the additional funding to make sure we can provide the specific services the community needs.”

In addition to awarding the grants, the mental health board also voted to hire an administrator.

Among those in attendance was Kane County Board member Jarrett Sanchez, who spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting and urged the board to remove Connell or ask him to resign. His term ends in December.

“It would be the honorable thing for him to do,” Sanchez said.

But there is just cause for his removal in that he’s neglected his duty to the board, he said. Shah would have the authority to remove him.

Thursday’s meeting was a far cry from the last mental health board meeting in December, when Shah tried to have Harney removed by a police officer, according to meeting minutes. Harney remained at the meeting, prompting Shah to instruct three board members to leave so there wouldn’t be a quorum.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-News.