Lake County Financial and Administrative Committee Meeting

Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026 – 8:31 AM Committee: Financial and Administrative (FA) Chair: Frank Members Present: Clark, Hewitt (remote – medical), Maine, Vice Chair Park (remote – work/family emergency), Peterson, Volitzik Also Attending: County Administrator Patrice Sutton, CFO Regina Tuzak, HR Director Darcy Edka, Deputy County Administrator Matt Myers, and other staff.

The committee convened with a quorum and approved routine consent items. The majority of the meeting was devoted to a detailed review of proposed budget policies for Fiscal Year 2027, followed by informational updates on human resources and several action items.

Consent Calendar

• Items 8.1–8.3: Approved unanimously.

Discussion Items

• 8.6 – FY2027 Budget Policies Review CFO Regina Tuzak presented proposed revisions to budget development policies (Policy 3.5) based on earlier feedback and a department comment period. Key topics and committee guidance included:
  • Small Grant Amendments: The Health Department requested a $75,000 budget to allow small-dollar grant amendments (<$20,000) to bypass HCS and FA Committee approval. Staff proposed a countywide alternative of $125,000 total for all departments. The committee expressed support for the countywide approach, seeing it as a streamlining improvement that also applies to other departments. Staff will include this in the final policy.
  • Elimination of Positions Vacant >12 Months (Policy 5.9.8): Several departments expressed anxiety over the automatic elimination of positions vacant for more than a year. The committee discussed maintaining the 12-month justification requirement but adding an exemption for positions under active recruitment. Members generally favored this approach, with some suggesting that the justification burden be placed on positions vacant >6 months for budget instructions. Staff will modify the policy to include an active recruitment exemption.
  • Compensation / Grade Table Movement (Policy 5.9.10): Departments requested that grade tables be adjusted by CPI plus a merit component (e.g., 3% total), rather than the current formula (CPI or non-union wage increase, whichever is less). Staff recommended leaving the policy as written, consistent with a 2024 compensation study that advised against moving grade tables at the same pace as merit increases. The committee agreed to maintain the current policy but noted that a separate COLA-plus-merit approach for non-union employees is being explored for the balanced budget.
  • Dedicated Stormwater Capital (Policy 5.19 Request): The Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) requested a minimum 10% allocation of capital funds for stormwater improvements. Committee members generally did not support this, arguing that capital should be prioritized through a unified process alongside other needs, and that SMC had recently benefited from $120M in state grants. No change was made.
  • Medicaid Match / Health Department Capital (Policy 5.10.8): Discussion arose about aligning Health Department capital planning with the county’s consolidated capital improvement process. Opinions were divided; some members favored consistency across all departments, while others noted the Health Department has its own levy and board with expertise. No consensus was reached, and the topic was tabled for further consideration.
  • Other Policy Items: The committee discussed departmental input on budget targets, clarification of reclassifications/reorganizations, and a request to fund new program requests more proactively. The committee generally supported leaving the current competitive NPR process in place, while encouraging departments to reallocate existing resources.
• 8.7 – Human Resources Annual Update (Informational) HR Director Darcy Edka and Deputy Director Caitlin Everett reported on major initiatives: the Workday ERP implementation (HCM, payroll, scheduling, talent, etc.), progress on union bargaining (multiple groups, 485 employees affected), benefits administration, risk/safety improvements (fire drills, tornado drill, CPR training scheduled), and organizational development (employee data dashboard, training). The committee commended the team on safety advancements.
• 8.10 – Elected Official Compensation Resolution (Postponed) Deputy County Administrator Matt Myers presented compensation increases for countywide elected officials (County Clerk, Treasurer, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Coroner) and County Board members per the established policy. A debate arose over whether the countywide offices – whose salaries are set every four years – should receive a three percent increase only once per term rather than a biennial adjustment. Member Clark moved to postpone the item to the next meeting and direct staff to prepare an amendment providing a three percent increase every two years for these offices. The motion passed. The policy will also need companion amendments.
• Other Action Items:
  • 8.4: Generator maintenance contract with Altior Power Systems, $32,338 – approved.
  • 8.5: Fire protection equipment service contract with Johnson Controls, $193,141 – approved.
  • 8.8: Emergency appropriation of $3,807 for CPACE fees – approved.
  • 8.9: Intergovernmental agreement with City of North Chicago for public Wi-Fi – approved.
  • 8.11: Property conveyance to IDOT for Route 60/83 improvement – approved.
  • 8.12: Authorization for County Administrator to execute subrecipient agreements for federal contingency funds (up to $500,000 of $2M total) for continuum of care – approved.

Key Outcomes

• Approved all consent items (8.1–8.3) and action items 8.4, 8.5, 8.8, 8.9, 8.11, 8.12.
• Directed staff to incorporate several policy amendments for FY2027, including:
  • Countywide small grant amendment budget ($125,000);
  • Exemption from automatic position elimination for vacancies under active recruitment;
  • Review of biennial compensation adjustments for four-year countywide elected officials (to be voted next meeting).
• Tabled decisions on stormwater capital dedication and Medicaid match alignment.
• Committee will reconvene next week to consider the revised compensation resolution and finalize budget policies.

Next Meeting: May 7, 2026 (tentative).