McHenry Co. panel OKs another $100,000 for special prosecutors
The finance committee for the McHenry County Board approved setting aside another $100,000 for special prosecutors and consultants, like those retained for the ongoing investigation of State's Attorney Louis Bianchi, who is accused of using a county-funded secretary to do campaign work on the clock.
Finance and audit committee members voted 5-0 on a resolution to use an additional $100,000 from the county's general fund to pay an invoice for $74,306 to special prosecutors and consultants for services provided from January to June 2010.
That invoice, coupled with the $34,321 in work prosecutor Henry Tonigan III and his associates completed in the Bianchi case between September 2009 and February of this year, exceeded the initial $100,000 the county set aside. The latest sum will cover the additional expenses, as well as any unforeseen costs, the resolution said.
"The provenance of our committee is to make sure there is sufficient money in the budget," said Marc Munaretto, chairman of the finance and audit committee. "We allocated money that could be spent. It might not be spent, but there is enough money in the budget to allow prudent expenditures to be paid."
Committee members said the funds are not exclusive to the Bianchi investigation, but committee member Scott Breeden said almost $100,000 had been expended on that case.
"We set the money aside as a budgetary situation so that if something should occur, we are not surprised," Breeden said. "It's one of those things that you hate to see occur, but sometimes it happens."
Tonigan is investigating claims by former state's attorney employee Amy Dalby, who says that while working as Bianchi's personal secretary she performed numerous political tasks at his direction, including typing letters to campaign supporters, setting up a campaign fundraiser and tracking a donor list.
Bianchi has denied those accusations.
The McHenry County Board is expected to vote on the resolution Sept. 21.