Read carefully – this shows the total for 5 years! Not per year.
By: Diane Benjamin
As usual, the County website has less information than any other government website. Citizens would be appalled at vendors and the amount of County tax dollars they receive – if they knew. Unfortunately, there is no yearly summary per vendor making that possible.
Local agencies like the Economic Development Council and the Ecology Action Center are supported by all local governments, making them an unofficial government agency not subject to FOIA laws or transparency. Your money pays their salaries but there is no clear benefit to their existence – just what you are told.
I mention this because very simple things like what County Board members are paid is not disclosed. What are the board policies for expenses, auto allowances, and additional pay for the chairman? It should be listed under “County Board”. It isn’t.
Today I received a FOIA request for Matt Sorenson’s pay for the last 5 years. Here’s the summary – It Is (the total) For 5 Years!
Click to enlarge:
Did you know Sorensen got a call allowance? What’s the additional pay? From this email, evidently he gets additional pay per hour:
H
If the board policies were prominently posted where citizens could inform themselves, you would know.
What else are they hiding?
Tons of consultants?
.
.
What the heck is call pay for a county board chairman? And (off subject) how come the emergency siren didn’t go off a couple weeks ago when trees were being uprooted??? Bad government sucks!
His arraignment got delayed until Wednesday. Wonder why.
paper shredding
To speak to your question about the sirens. Right after the really bad storms in November of 2013 I wrote the City and McLean County ESDA questioning why the sirens were not sounded. The members I contacted at the time were wondering the same thing. I then contacted Curtis Hawk director McLean County ESDA and asked him. It seems that in that case the criteria for sounding the sirens was not met. Criteria being a tornado or winds above 70 mph. It was also explained that tornado sirens are ment as a warning to individuals outdoors and should not be used as a primary method for knowing when severe weather is approaching.
Lesson: Government claims to exist to protect you. They are not capable of fulfilling their purpose for existing.
Birds of a feather! Wonder what the REST of the county board is hiding. Sounds like a good movie title-Gang of Thieves! I think AFTER this, I’ve lost ALL faith in ANY Illinois politician, clear down to the dog catcher! I DO NOT know of ANY business/association who would keep an employee AFTER they have been INDICTED! Take the Sheriffs office and the deputy who stole money from the funds, he was fired, but I guess if you’re ABOVE the law it don’t matter, and it’s NONE of OUR business! He should resign, just out of moral decency and RESPECT for the character of the OTHER members!!