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March 24 , 2 015 • $ 1 .0 0
TENNIS PREVIEW
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Jacobs talented, but Prairie Ridge might have edge in FVC / C1
HERALD RALD
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Committee approves rule changes Sets stage for popularly elected chairman, civility on County Board By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – New McHenry County Board rules that set the stage for a popularly elected chairman and try to promote more order and civility are on their way to an April vote. The board’s Management Services Committee voted Monday morning, 6-1, to recommend that the full board ratify the new rules, which are reviewed and updated after every November election.
The County Board is scheduled to vote on them at its April 9 meeting. The top priority for the committee was changing rules to accommodate voters directly electing the chairman starting in 2016. But spaced throughout the 23 pages of rules are several measures aimed at improving control over meetings and reining in what board members and staff have privately and publicly alleged in recent years has been questionable conduct and comments by
some members. Voters last year approved a referendum to elect the chairman to four-year terms, instead of the 24-member County Board electing the chairman to two-year terms. The chairman will be a 25th member who calls meetings and can only vote to break a tie, and has little added authority under state law. Proposed rule changes give the chairman the power to appoint the chairpeople and the membership of the standing committees where
much of the county government’s work gets done, with the consent of a majority vote of the County Board. The chairman gets one more chance if the board rejects the roster, and the job falls to the board itself if members reject the chairman’s plans a second time. The chairman would have to have his or her roster ready by the December meeting in which the new members are seated. The power to appoint the vice chairman also is given to
the chairman under the new rules, with the consent of a board majority. As for control, another change moves the agenda item for end-of-meeting members’ comments to the true end of the meeting after executive session, which supporters say would give members the opportunity to leave in the event of rambling, off-topic or offensive comments and not miss important county business. Committee member
See RULES, page A4
What’s next The McHenry County Board Management Services Committee voted Monday, 6-1, to recommend changes to board rules. The County Board is expected to vote on them at its April 9 meeting.
Online You can read the text of the proposed McHenry County Board rule changes at http://shawurl. com/1swm.
3 state workers seek to join suit Aim to end forced union fees from nonmembers By SARA BURNETT The Associated Press
Photos by Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Lily Mae Mitchell, 5, of Crystal Lake and her father, JC Mitchell, pile on the snow Monday while building a snowman in front of their Crystal Lake home. According to the National Weather Service, more than 6 inches of snow fell in some parts of McHenry County.
Winter weather not over yet County adjusts to snowy spring break Voice your opinion How much longer was your Monday morning commute because of the snow? Vote online at NWHerald. com.
On the Web To view video of local residents enjoying the snow, visit NWHerald. com.
By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – Brady Weidner expected to play soccer on his first day of spring break. Instead, he went sledding. Residents across McHenry County had to adjust their spring break agendas as the county recovered from a March snowstorm. Weidner, a 14-year-old Crystal Lake resident, was one of about a dozen people who had other plans but wound up sledding Monday in Veteran Acres Park in Crystal Lake. “Snow should be something that happens in
See SNOW, page A3
CHICAGO – Three Illinois state employees on Monday sought to join Gov. Bruce Rauner’s lawsuit against labor unions, a legal maneuver aimed at trying to end mandatory union dues for nonmembers across the U.S., not just in Illinois. All three workers’ jobs are covered by collective bargaining agreements, but the employees opted not to join their union. They say the requirement they pay so-called “fair share” dues, which range from about $19 to $60 a month, violates their First Amendment right of free speech because they disagree with union policies. “The First Amendment guarantees everyone the right to choose whose speech they support and what groups they associate with,” said Jacob Huebert, an attorney for the employees. “State workers shouldn’t have to sacrifice that right just to keep their jobs.” Rauner issued an executive order last month ending the dues, which nonmembers are required to pay to cover the cost of non-political union activities that benefit all employees, such as collective bargaining. The order effectively keeps about $3.75 million each year from the unions’ bank accounts. The new Republican governor also sued more than two dozen public-employee unions, asking a judge in U.S. District Court in Chicago to declare the dues unconstitutional. Labor unions and Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan are asking the judge to dismiss the case. They argue the lawsuit doesn’t belong in
A plow clears the parking lot Monday morning at the Best Buy store in Crystal Lake. See LAWSUIT, page A4
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Cruz targets conservatives as he starts White House run / B3
MCC candidates weigh in on tuition, private-public partnerships / A3
CLC grad Lavand top candidate to start at D-II school in S.D. / C1
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