The county has been contacted by the Attorney General’s Office and the AG will be updated concerning county’s discussions with the VAC—Bill Pysson via Ken Terrinoni
The following will be released to the BDR, Rockford Register Star and Boone County Journal on Monday, September 16, 2013. They may use all or parts of it.
Boone County finally releases second $25,000 for funding of the VAC: VAC Boone County President Kelm's thoughts on this whole issue.
Just recently, September 10, 2013, County Board Chairman Mr. Walberg and County Administrator Mr. Terrinoni released the second $25,000 for the Veterans' Assistance Commission of Boone County. This was approved by the Finance Committee August 13th and by the full Board August 21st. Finally the money was released September 10th. Please remember, the County Board has some very intelligent, hard working, open minded members who welcome and support the VAC. On the other hand, there are members who will hop over the fence depending upon whether they are talking to the VAC or the County; yet they all voted 100% to fund another $25,000.
I would like to ask the entire County Board : Who will be the first to step up and state to the community how you really feel about your veterans?. Who wants to be the first to commit re-election suicide? It is my opinion that two members may have already done that.
Approximately 10 years ago, several veterans from Boone County approached the County Board asking for help to form a VAC, and they were told, "There would never be a VAC in Boone County ."
Several days ago in a telephone conversation with the county and the VAC, the VAC was told, "You can either borrow from the county or a bank."
Yes the county has funded $25,000 to start the VAC, and another $25,000 was finally released on September 10th, yet nowhere does the county tell the taxpayers what was really spent starting up the VAC office. When our group went to the County Board Finance Committee with our first detailed report of how every penny was spent, Karl Johnson turned it over without even looking at it and said: "I am not interested in the first $25,000, but I am interested in the second".
State Statute (330 ILCS) (from Ch. 23, par. 3090) says, "The county shall provide the office and furnish all necessary supplies, including telephone, printing, stationery and postage therefor". When the VAC asked the county for an office, used office equipment, and if they would write a check every other week for our superintendent, drawing funds from the VAC checking account, all answers by the county were: No! No! No!
The VAC membership will re-address the previous above paragraph, in detail again with the county, and then again with the Illinois Attorney General's office.
We had hoped the county would shoulder the burden of funding until the tax approved funds would be levied in July 2014. We told the County Board that all unused money in the VAC account would be returned to the general fund once the VAC tax levied funds are received in July 2014. Remember, it is always the county's responsibility to fund the VAC whether the referendum passed or failed, that is by Illinois statute.
Please remember, Boone county citizens stepped forward April 9, 2013, and said yes to a tax increase for the Veterans of Boone County and their families in financial need.
From the BDR Sunday August 18th page 8. Mr. Karl Johnson says: " Out of the $25,000 less than $500 has gone to help." Technically he is correct, and at face value that looks horrible. But what Mr. Karl Johnson conveniently omitted, was that several veterans had been helped, not financially, but with guidance and referrals to get medical care and other services in the first two weeks we were open. Also, we had not spent the whole $25,000; we had $6,000 left in the VAC checking, and the bulk of the money spent was to rent space and completely furnish it. We also pay our superintendent a salary of $576.92 per week, which is $30,000 a year.
Mr. Karl Johnson wondered hypothetically, what if the commission spends $300,000 a year of which $1,000 went to assist veterans? "Yet we're spending $30,000 on a salary." Mr. Johnson seems to have a big problem with our only employee receiving a $30,000 a year salary. That one employee happens to be very well educated in veterans' affairs and a certified Veterans' Service Officer. Mr. Johnson for the record, would you please provide the taxpayers and myself the number of all county employees who are paid over $31,000 a year? Also please recap total amount of yearly income by the top 10 highest paid employees of Boone County (no names please just total salary).
Mr. Thornberry, a very respected County Board member by the VAC answered, "We won't be able to answer Mr. Johnson's questions for two or three years". Mr. Thornberry has also attended our last two VAC meetings with rock solid input. Mr. Thornberry is also a veteran. Mr. Thornberry along with some of the other County Board members really want to see the VAC succeed, not fail.
After the attempted withholding of Board approved funds, the Attorney General's office was contacted by our Boone County VAC. The VAC will report now directly to Lisa Madigan's Office of Veterans Affairs with unresolved conflicts between the VAC & the Boone County Board.
Thank you to the community who did the right thing and voted themselves a tax increase to support the veterans and their families in need. Thank you to the members of County Board who truly wish to see the VAC succeed. To the other members of the Board, the VAC's of Illinois have been around for over 20 years, but it was your choice to sit on your hands and do nothing for your Boone County Veterans. You could have made this transition so easy, especially now with the funding from the tax levy.
If Board members paid more attention to the other 99.97% of the tax payers' dollars and spent less time trying to destroy the newly formed VAC, would our county be in such pathetic shape financially?
Respectfully submitted,
Gregory W. Kelm
President Boone County VAC
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