Stephenson County, IL Chapter 18 Claims and Expenditures

[HISTORY: Adopted by the County Board of Stephenson County as Ch. 2, §§ 2-44 through 2-52, of the 1977 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 18-1 Claims against County.

[Amended 6-12-1984 by Ord. No. 84-56]

A. Any person, including County employees, desiring to seek reimbursement or payment from the County for services or goods provided shall complete a notice of claim form. Said claim form shall be available at no cost in the office of the County Clerk. Copies of receipts or an itemized billing statement shall be attached to said claim form. The person requesting payment shall sign said claim form and shall swear under oath or affirm to the veracity of its contents.

B. In order for the County Board to consider a notice of claim at its next regular monthly meeting, said claim form shall be filed with the office of the County Clerk by 4:00 p.m. on the 25th day of the month preceding the County Board meeting. If the 25th is a legal holiday or a Saturday or Sunday, then said claim form shall be so filed by 4:00 p.m. on the last regular working day before the 25th. Any notice of claim forms not filed in compliance with the above shall not be considered or approved by the County Board or any of its committees until the following month's County Board meeting.

C. Whenever possible, all contracts entered into by Stephenson County, any of its authorized agents, or subdivisions shall require that all payments made by the County pursuant to said contract comply with the provisions of this section.

D. This section shall not apply to payments:

(1) For travel expenses for County officials or employees.

(2) For tuition or registration fees for professional seminars or conferences to be attended by County officials or employees.

(3) Of an emergency nature which have been authorized by the Chairperson of the Stephenson County Board or by the Chairperson of the Finance Committee of the County Board or by their designee, if both Chairpersons are unavailable.

(4) From any existing or hereafter County Board established revolving petty cash checking accounts.

E. The Stephenson County Clerk and Stephenson County Treasurer shall not make any payments to any person until said person fully complies with provisions of this section.

§ 18-2 Publication costs.

[Amended 7-10-1984 by Ord. No. 84-58]

Whenever any state statute, County ordinance or order of court requires a County officer or employee to cause to be published a notice or item, the County officer or employee shall first ascertain the costs of publication from each qualifying newspaper. He or she shall then cause said item to be published at the lowest cost. No payment from any County fund shall be authorized or made for any publication in contravention of this section.

§ 18-3 Review by County Board.

[Amended 12-10-1985 by Ord. No. 85-79]

All bills or petitions that are to be submitted to the various County Board committees shall be in the hands of the County Clerk by no later than as provided in § 18-1 of this Code.

§ 18-4 Approval of expenditures.

[Amended 12-10-1985 by Ord. No. 85-79; 10-15-2003 by Ord. No. 03-31-279; 8-10-2011 by Res. No. 11-08-1821; 6-13-2013 by Ord. No. 13-06-1989; 5-20-2021 by Ord. No. 21-05-2195]

A. Except where provided to the contrary by state law, a proposed expenditure of funds which does not exceed the budget category affected shall receive final approval from:

(1) The department head, if the amount expended is less than $2,000.

(2) The department head, with prior approval from either the Chairperson of the oversight committee or the County Board Chairman, if the amount expended is $2,000 or more and less than $5,000.

(3) The applicable standing committee, if the amount expended is $5,000 or more and less than $10,000.

(4) The County Board, after receiving a recommendation from the standing committee and the Finance and Procurement Committee, if the amount is $10,000 or more and less than $20,000.

B. A proposed expenditure of funds which exceeds the budget category affected shall receive final approval only from the County Board, after reviewing the recommendations of the applicable standing committee and the Finance and Procurement Committee. "Budget category" means services, equipment and materials. The "services" category shall be comprised of the contractual and personnel sections of the department's budget, the "equipment" category shall be the capital section and the "materials" category shall be the commodities section.

§ 18-5 Expenditures over $20,000; contracts for professional services.

[Amended 12-10-1985 by Ord. No. 85-79; 10-15-2003 by Ord. No. 03-30-278; 8-10-2011 by Res. No. 11-08-1821; 6-13-2013 by Ord. No. 13-06-1989; 3-17-2022 by Ord. No. 22-03-13]

A. All purchases of services, materials and equipment involving expenditures in excess of $20,000 from any County fund may be authorized by the County Board upon receiving bids from qualified providers. Bids shall be received only in response to an advertised request for proposal (RFP) or a request for quotation (RFQ). The RFP or RFQ shall be in writing, approved by the respective standing committee, and advertised for at least five days prior to opening for bid, including at least one advertisement in a newspaper having general circulation in Stephenson County and appropriate trade publications. Said bids shall be procured by the standing committee having responsibility for the County department requesting said purchase, other than in the case of an emergency. In that event, purchases shall be authorized by the County Board when they involve an expenditure in excess of $20,000 after quotations, either in writing or verbally, are secured from at least two reputable suppliers who deal in the type of goods to be purchased.

B. Contracts for professional services shall be reviewed by the appropriate standing committee, and with its recommendation submit its request to the board for approval or disapproval.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: Former Sec. 2-49, Pay grade level change, which immediately followed this section, was deleted 8-10-2011 by Res. No. 11-08-1821.

§ 18-6 Contracts and legal titles.

[Amended 12-10-1985 by Ord. No. 85-79]

Contracts for the purchase of and legal titles to motor vehicles shall be held only in the name of the Stephenson County Board and the appropriate department. All other contracts shall be in the name of the Stephenson County Board and shall be signed by the Chairperson of the County Board, or his or her designee.

§ 18-7 Use of credit cards; exceptions.

[Amended 7-14-1992 by Ord. No. 92-07-177; 8-11-1992 by Ord. No. 92-08-179]

A. 9-1-1 Board. Including the five enumerated powers and duties set forth in 50 ILCS 750/15.4, it shall also be the responsibility and duty of the 9-1-1 Board to pay for and budget expenses without the use of a credit card. Manual checks drawn upon the treasury of Stephenson County pursuant to the Emergency Telephone System Act[1] shall not be issued without the prior approval of the Chairman of the Stephenson County Board or the Finance Committee Chairman.

[Amended 8-10-2011 by Res. No. 11-08-1821]

[1] Editor's Note: See 50 ILCS 750/0.01 et seq.

B. Those agencies and units of Stephenson County government which do not have internal control pursuant to Illinois Statutes and which come under the control of the Stephenson County Board for internal operation purposes are not authorized to have a credit card issued to them to be paid for out of funds authorized by the Stephenson County Board in the various budgets of those various departments or to be paid for out of the contingency fund.

C. Exceptions. The use of gasoline credit cards to purchase fuel, tires, batteries, and accessories by persons who are issued those credit cards with proper documentation is authorized.