Kane County Board takes hollow vote to cut two seats

In a vote already showing signs of being reversed, Kane County Board members Tuesday decided to trim two seats from the largest county board in the area.

The board once again debated cutting its membership after receiving the results of a poll paid for by Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay. The poll surveyed about 1,300 registered voters in the county. The poll’s wording claimed reducing the size of the board by eight members would cut $1.4 million from the county budget in the next four years. It also said opponents of reduction argue a smaller board would make elected officials less responsive to community needs.

Based on that information, more than 82 percent of responses said it would be a good idea to cut the board size.

“Those are huge, huge margins,” McConnaughay said. “Folks have very strong opinions about this. There was an overwhelming sentiment that the people of Kane County support smaller government.”

County Board members Bonnie Kunkel and Jim Mitchell said the poll was biased because it told taxpayers cutting the board would save money, but neither the $1.4 million nor the efficiency of a smaller county board has been substantiated. Several board members doubt a smaller county board means saving any money.

“The size of this board will not influence the size of government,” County Board member Mike Kenyon said. “Government will be as big as it wants to be, as big as it has to be. Cutting down the people here just cuts down on the people that are adding to the process.”

Those comments triggered an emotional backlash from McConnaughay. She said many board members get paid $24,000 plus benefits and don’t do much work because their districts are in areas governed by city councils or village boards. Many board members could use a little more work for that pay, she said.

“You can’t represent more than 20,000 people?” McConnaughay said. “Give me a break. The reality is representation will not suffer. Let’s get serious, folks, about the job that you do here. Twenty-six is an absurd number of representatives for this level of government.”

The board’s redistricting task force recommended a cut to 24 seats at its last meeting. County Board member Mike Donahue said he wanted to vote on that number to lock it in. However, such a vote was not put on the agenda, making any binding vote legally impossible. The board eventually took a nonbinding vote in favor of cutting the board to 24 seats by a margin of 14 to 10. Board members Donnell Collins and Jackie Tredup were absent.

They may not have missed anything.

After the meeting, several officials said the nonbinding vote means nothing in practice. Mitchell voted in favor of cutting the board to 24 after voting against such a cut as a member of the redistricting task force.

“This doesn’t mean that it can’t go back to 26,” Mitchell said. “I’m still in favor of 26, but if 24 is the best I can get today, I’ll take it.”

County Board member T.R. Smith also voted to trim the board to 24 seats but said he believes the hearts of the majority of the board are with keeping 26 seats. He said he believes several of the votes in favor of 24 were to end the discussion about cutting the board to 18 seats.

“Twenty-four doesn’t really mean anything,” Smith said.

Even McConnaughay said board sentiments may change once proposed maps reflecting a 26-, 24- and 22-member county board are revealed. McConnaughay said Tuesday’s vote at least shows a willingness to talk about some level of a cut.

“The reality is we are overburdened with too much government,” McConnaughay said. “We have something like 200 to 300 units of local government just here in Kane County. People here do not lack representation.”