If Kane County officials legally cannot have a strict policy regulating the use of their credit cards, then perhaps they should not allow county credit cards at all, Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen said Thursday.
Lauzen was responding to a legal opinion from Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon that a proposed resolution to regulate credit card use among elected county officials largely is illegal and exceeds the County Board’s authority.
“The bottom line is – and I don’t mean to be harsh – but to have a credit card is not a fundamental constitutional right in America,” Lauzen said.
“And if we are going to have a meaningful policy, the first thing is not to have a government-issued credit card,” Lauzen added. “If we are not going to have stringent control over the use of credit cards, then one of the options available to the board is not to issue credit cards that the county taxpayers have to stand behind.”
McMahon sent the letter to Lauzen and Finance Committee Chairman John Hoscheit, recommending that an item addressing a more strict credit card policy be removed from an agenda earlier this week “and be revised consistent with the statutes.”
At issue, according to McMahon’s letter, are provisions in the proposed credit card policy “which conflict with county elected officers’ internal control statutes.” McMahon also cited earlier opinions from Illinois attorneys general.
The item was removed from the agenda, but the issue continues, Lauzen said. The proposed new credit card limitations came after Kane County Coroner Rob Russell charged $5,700 on a county credit card to pay for promotional items, such as bike reflectors.
“This all started because the coroner used the credit card to circumvent the approval process that was in place to pay bills, even though he knew those bills had not been approved,” Lauzen said. “There was a weakness in the procedure that he could use that credit card before it could be stopped.”
Russell said McMahon’s letter left him feeling “very vindicated.”
“Obviously, this shows a chairman that is overstepping his bounds,” Russell said. “I think that it kind of highlights the fact that he selectively bullied me. … I knew I was right.”
Russell said he paid the county back out of his own funds “because I wanted this to be over.”
Lauzen characterized Russell’s use of the credit card in that instance for “personal expenses of campaign material” and that Russell paid it back because he knew it was wrong. Russell disputed that.
“It was stuff to hand out at National Night Out, safety items, like blinkers, that the state’s attorney said was legal to buy,” Russell said. “Part of my job is prevention … death prevention. It was not a personal thing.”
Russell said Lauzen circulates promotional cards with his name on them as well, but Lauzen said he pays for the items personally. Lauzen provided an invoice to prove he pays for them.
As to the possibility of not having a county credit card at all, Russell said it would be up to Lauzen.
“That’s his decision,” Russell said. “The law says they have to provide for us reasonably to do our job. And part of my job is death prevention, and that is what I used those items for – to help make my office approachable and have things to give to kids and help them to be seen late at night.”