After losing re-election, Hunt gets new $105K job with sheriff

ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP – The day after he left office, Dec. 1, former Kane County Auditor Terry Hunt started a new job at $105,000 as Justice Managers Finance Coordinator for the Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Ron Hain said he is making Hunt's expertise available to the State’s Attorney’s Office and the Chief Judge.

Hunt, a Republican, lost his bid for re-election to Democrat Penny Wegman in the Nov. 3 general election.

Hunt referred questions about his new position to Hain.

Hain said he wanted to tap into Hunt’s experience in finance and budgets to to aid all three divisions.

“His budgetary presentations were incredibly impressive and his historical knowledge of county finance is priceless,” Hain said. “We have no finance director and we operate the largest general fund budget for the county. I am sharing Terry with the new State’s Attorney and the chief judge to help with advice and coordination of all our budgets.”

Chief Judge Clint Hull said he appreciated Hain's offer to make Hunt's expertise available, "but at this point in time, we have not made the decision one way or another to utilize his services he's offering. ... We in Justice Managers support one another."

Hull said the Judicial Managers also includes the Circuit Clerk, court reporters, bailiffs, court security and public defenders.

Similarly, Kane County State's Attorney Jamie Mosser said in an email statement, “I have not made any decisions at this time. I am grateful that the sheriff has offered his services as a test and that he is trying to eliminate duplicating items or services between our two offices. It is great when elected officials can work together and for the betterment of each other and the shared mission of public safety.”

Still, Hain said he believes there is a lot of overlap and duplication within their budgets.

Hunt’s job will be to analyze and research the last four years of their budgets and determine how to go forward to save the most money by eliminating duplication and waste, Hain said.

Hunt’s job will also be grant writing for Hain’s office and the State’s Attorney.

The Sheriff’s Office has not had a grant writer for about seven years, Hain said.

“We will focus on pre-arrest diversion grants, whatever grants there are supporting addiction treatment, supporting medically assisted treatment in the jail and providing community resources to marginalized communities,” Hain said. “There are a myriad of federal grants for this.”

Hunt’s salary was set at $105,000, based on the medial salary for financial advisers within the county and grant writers, Hain said.

As county auditor, Hunt’s salary was $88,213.84, with benefits, the cost was $120,088.16, according to 2019 county employee compensation data.

Hunt’s salary will likely be recouped through the savings he will find across the platforms of State’s Attorney, Sheriff and chief judge, Hain said.

One possible wrinkle is Section 13 of the Kane County Ethics Ordinance entitled Future and Former Employment, which states no officer “shall solicit or accept employment with the County within one … year of such officer's resignation or termination of an elected term (whichever shall first occur).”

The section also states, “The County Board by a two thirds … vote of all of the members then holding office may waive the prohibition in this paragraph.”

“I am aware of this. In consulting with the State’s Attorney, I have internal control by state statute. It is on my authority and my decision to hire or not hire,” Hain said.

The Sheriff's Office hired Hunt and is solely responsible for paying him, not the State's Attorney's Office, nor the Chief Judge.

“Because I believe in transparency and good politics, we will see the resolution go through in January ... to bring him on as staff,” Hain said.