DeKalb County Finance & Administration Committee met March 4.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
The Finance & Administration Committee of the DeKalb County Board met on Wednesday, March 4th, 2026, in the Administration Building in Sycamore, Illinois. The members present were chair Scott Campbell, who called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m, Roy Plote, John Frieders, Suzanne Fahnestock, Rebecca Johnson, and Ellingsworth Webb. Interim County Administrator Derek Hiland, Comptroller Robert Miller, and Treasurer Becky Springer were also present.
Approval Of Agenda
Campbell moved to approve the agenda as presented; Johnson seconded the motion, and it was approved unanimously by voice vote.
Approval Of Minutes
Campbell moved to approve the minutes from February 4th,, 2026, were seconded by Fahnestock and carried unanimously by voice vote of the Finance & Administration Committee.
Public Comments
There were no comments from the public.
Presentations/Discussions
No presentations/discussions
Ordinances
No Ordinances were presented.
Finance & Administration Committee
Resolutions
Resolution 2026-027 A Resolution Authorizing the County Board Chair to Assign Mobile Home Tax Sale Certificate of Purchase:
Treasurer Becky Springer briefly noted the mobile home had been sold. Minor typographical correction noted—motion to forward to the board by Johnson, seconded by Fahnestock. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Resolution R-2026-028, a resolution authorizing the position of an accountant.
Presented by Bob Miller. Three planned retirements in the department (2022, 2023, 2026). The payroll transition has already been completed after a previous retirement. The Accounts Payable position was left unfilled during a system transition. The Proposal is to replace an Administrative Clerk position with a professional Accountant position. The reason for the wanted change is that it increases accounting expertise in the department, provides payroll backup coverage, improves financial system usage, supports succession planning if key staff leave, and centralizes invoicing and financial tracking. The financial impact would be a $10,000 impact in 2026 with overlap. $30,000 annual budget increase beginning in 2027. Concerns raised by the committee were whether hiring should wait until a new County Administrator begins, how long the training timeline would be, and how difficult it would be to find someone willing to take the position. The committee was in favor and voted to table the resolution for one month.
Old Business
There was no old business.
New Business
Solar and Renewable Energy Bonding:
The discussion’s main topic was financial guarantees required for solar and wind farm decommissioning. DeKalb County currently doesn’t have specifications on companies providing a financial guarantee for removal costs. So, the concern for the committee was that some bonding companies could face financial trouble, as seen in other states, and the county needs to ensure it will be protected long-term. The committee discussed that, since it should be implemented, companies must provide a financial guarantee as a specification. The committee discussed what financial guarantees would be accepted in the future, such as bonds, cash, and cashier’s checks. This would be addressed as an ordinance.
State Zoning Legislation:
The committee brought up concerns about potential Illinois legislation that could centralize zoning authority at the state level. The issue is that it could remove zoning authority from counties and municipalities, and the potential legislation is partly sponsored out of Chicago, and as Chicago has more sway, its worrysome. The actions suggested are to monitor legislation closely, possibly pass a county resolution opposing the bill, and/or coordinate with other counties and the Illinois Association of County Board members.
Health Insurance Fund Issue:
Treasurer Becky Springer, Comptroller Robert Miller, and Interim County Administrator Derek Hiland brought up and discussed with the committee members a major issue with the current health insurance fund. The county’s health insurance fund is currently overdrawn by $10,000 because the county had to pay $1.092 million to IPBC, the insurance cooperative. The reason this happened was that the county’s insurance claims exceeded the premiums. Previously, the county moved $2-3 million from the insurance fund to repay debt early for the jail and nursing home bonds. What is needed for the payment is $200,000 to cover the deficit from claims, as well as an additional $800,000 that is required for the reserve deposit with the insurance cooperative. There should also be a buffer of approximatley $500,00 to stabilize the fund. As of now, the fund lacks cash flow to operate normally. The committee discussed several options to solve this; the options included general fund reserves, debt repayment funds, ARPA interest funds, the Tort fund, or a budget amendment. The consensus was that members leaned toward using general fund reserves rather than altering long-term debt repayment plans. A formal resolution will be drafted and presented to the board.
Additional Administrative Discussion
The committee briefly discussed the transition of the interim county administrator’s salary once the new administrator begins, and ensure that proper documentation and transparency are carried out with that.
Adjournment
The meeting was moved to adjourn at 7:23 p.m. by Campbell, seconded by Fahnestock, and unanimously passed by voice vote.
https://dekalbcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/minutes-fin-03042026.pdf
