Kane County Board candidates across four districts largely agree on one thing: the federal COVID-19 relief money was never meant to last. But what the county should do next, which programs to keep, which to cut, and how to pay for any of it, is where consensus breaks down.

The candidates were asked in their Shaw Local election questionnaires: One financial stressor is the end of COVID-19 relief dollars. What should the county do with programs funded by federal COVID-19 dollars?

Let the programs sunset

Several candidates take a firm line: if the money is gone, the programs should go with it.

“Programs created with one-time COVID relief funds should sunset as those dollars end,” said District 9 candidate Jennifer Abbatacola. “These were never intended to become permanent.” She added that she would support a review and audits of all COVID-related spending.

District 9 candidate Jeffrey Magnussen put it plainly: “If the programs cannot generate enough revenue to sustain itself then it would need to be cut.”

District 13 candidate Anthony Catella framed the end of the funding as an opportunity to reduce waste. “This sounds like a government surplus, in this case, when the government has money left over from a program the choice is simple — give the people their money back,” he said. “If the program is done the money flow should stop.”

District 2 candidate Martha Davidson echoed the same principle. “The COVID funding never was expected to be permanent,” she said, adding that the county should look for program redundancies across departments.

District 2 candidate Ellen Nottke agreed. “If those programs were not in the budget prior to receiving COVID-19 funds then those programs need to be eliminated,” she said. She also noted that the county should have planned further ahead for when the funding ran out.

Evaluate case by case, and fight to preserve what works

Other candidates want a more measured approach, arguing that blanket cuts could harm the residents who depend on those services.

District 11 incumbent Leslie Juby said it has always been county practice to treat grant dollars as finite – but that successful programs deserve a second chance at funding. “If a program is successful and delivers positive outcomes for the county, alternate forms of funding should be sought, whether it be different grant funds, special fund monies, or general fund expenditures,” she said.

District 13 candidate Nicolas Jimenez argued that programs addressing homelessness, jail populations, and public health must continue wherever possible. “Programs that cannot be maintained should be responsibly phased out with clear communication to the community,” he said, but warned that simply cutting them could shift costs elsewhere — into emergency rooms, jails, and schools.

District 13 candidate Ryan Deniz took a case-by-case approach as well. “Each program needs to be reevaluated to see if funds can be diverted from another program,” he said.

The primary election is Tuesday, March 17.

Note on methodology: This article includes summaries of candidate questionnaires that were generated with the assistance of an artificial intelligence tool. Journalists on our team reviewed, edited, and verified all summaries for accuracy and fairness before publication.