Financial and Administrative Committee Meeting - May 7, 2026
Financial and Administrative Committee Meeting - May 7, 2026
The Financial and Administrative Committee met on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at 8:31 a.m. Chair Frank presided. Members present in person: Clark, Frank, Maine, Park, Peterson, Volitzik. Member Hewitt participated electronically due to medical reasons, with no objection. The meeting covered consent agenda approvals, line item transfers, budget policy updates, and a discussion on elected official compensation.
Consent Calendar
- Items 8.1 through 8.22 were approved unanimously via a single motion, with no items pulled.
Discussion Items
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8.23 - Vehicle Replacements Line Item Transfer: Michael Wheeler (Finance) and Regina Tuzak (CFO) explained that two vehicles (one for the sheriff's office, one for the health department) were inadvertently omitted from the FY26 budget. Funding is available from general operating expense contingency and a sheriff's office transfer. Approved by voice vote.
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8.24 - Child Support Enforcement Program Line Item Transfer: Wheeler explained that the state's attorney's office had revenue for the child support enforcement program in FY26 but not the corresponding expenses for the latter half of the state fiscal year (December 2025 – June 2026). The transfer of $421,531.43 from contingency covers the period through June 30, 2026. Member Maine inquired about a previous grant alignment issue and was assured this is a separate program. Approved by voice vote.
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8.25 - Budget Policy Updates: Wheeler presented red-line revisions to budget policies (3.5, 3.6, and FY27 planning policy) and a proposed FY27 budget calendar. A new policy (CFO2C) allows departments to accept grant amendments under $20,000 without committee approval, up to a cumulative $125,000 countywide. Member Maine noted that agenda language for new grants can be misleading; Administrator Sutton agreed to improve clarity. Chair Frank noted that Medicaid match and capital budget consistency for the health department will require further discussion. Approved by voice vote.
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8.26 - Elected Official Compensation Policy Amendment: This resolution amends the county elected official compensation policy to allow a midterm salary adjustment (every two years) for the county clerk, treasurer, and clerk of the court, in line with the non-union employee raise (currently 3%). Member Clark argued that inflation erodes purchasing power and that the change helps retain experienced officials. Vice Chair Park noted that without adjustments, the real value of salaries decreases by 40% over 10 years. Member Volitzik asked about the scope (county board chair is a 2-year term, not affected). Member Maine expressed concerns about legal requirements and asked for state's attorney review; she abstained. Member Hewitt (via remote) questioned the lack of data on recruitment difficulty and opposed the increase. The amendment passed on voice vote, with Member Maine abstaining.
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7.1 - Resolution Setting Compensation for Elected Officials: This resolution sets salaries for countywide elected officials, county board members, and the county board chair for the upcoming term. It incorporates the midterm adjustment for county clerk, treasurer, and clerk of the court as per the newly adopted policy. Board chair and board members receive a 3% increase (consistent with county employee raises). Sheriff and state's attorney salaries are set by statute. The resolution was approved with 5 ayes and 2 nays, after a brief discussion confirming the vote count.
Executive Session & Minutes Review
- The committee entered executive session to review closed session minutes from April 2 and April 9, 2026. Motion carried unanimously.
- Upon return, the committee approved the FNA executive session minutes (items 11.1 and 11.2) unanimously.
- For periodic review of closed session minutes (item 11.3), the state's attorney's office recommended releasing 101 of 242 FNA items and keeping all 16 ethics and oversight committee items closed. The committee accepted the recommendations unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously.
- 8.23 (Vehicle Replacements): Approved by voice vote.
- 8.24 (Child Support Program): Approved by voice vote.
- 8.25 (Budget Policy Updates): Approved by voice vote; agenda language for new grants to be clarified.
- 8.26 (Compensation Policy Amendment): Approved on voice vote; Member Maine abstained.
- 7.1 (Compensation Resolution): Approved with 5 ayes, 2 nays (specific members not recorded in transcript).
- Executive Session Minutes: Approved unanimously.
- Closed Session Review: Recommendations accepted unanimously.
Member Remarks
- Chair Frank wished everyone a happy Mother's Day (May 10, 2026).
- The next FNA committee meeting is scheduled for May 28, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
It is 8:31 a.m. on Thursday, May 7th, 2026. I call to order the financial and administrative committee. In addition to being able to attend in person, remote attendance has been made available to the public via Zoom. And per our county board rules and the state uh open meetings act, tendance via remote means permittive or qualifying reasons as long as a majority of members are physically present. We were notified in advance by member Hewitt, uh requesting to participate electronically due to medical reasons. Uh a physical quorum is present, so we'll uh deem Member Hewitt present unless there's an objection to the notice. Seeing none, Member Hu will be present. Please rise. Member Clark, would you lead us to the pledge of the question? I pledge allegiance to the United States of America and to the Republic for original stands for nation under indivisible liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Well called police. Member Clark here. Chair Frank. Here. Member Maine. Vice Chair Park. Member Peterson. And Member Volitzik. Member Hewitt is here. He is here. I'm sorry. Member Hewitt. Thank you. Thank you, Member Hewitt. Do we have any addenda to the agenda? We do not. Do we have any public comment on items on or off the agenda? We have no public comment. Okay. Chair's remarks, I'll just note in just a minute. I'm going to ask for your consent to move 7.1 towards the end year 8.26, which is a recommended change in the accompanying policy. So the two items are related. So we're going to bounce that down to the bottom. So related to that unfinished business is item 7.1 resolution setting the compensation for specified countywide elected office holders, county board members, and the county board chair, which we discussed last week. And so it's on our unfinished business. We get a motion to table this until after item 8.26. Motion by Member Clark, second by member Volitic. Any comments or questions on the motion to table? All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Great. We'll get to that towards the end of the open session agenda. And members all note we do have an executive session today as well. Our new business items, consent agenda items 8.1 through 8.22. Do any members wish to pull any of the items from the consent agenda? Motion to approve by member Clark, second by Vice Chair RA. All in favor, please say aye.
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