DuPage County Board members have turned down a request to give the county clerk’s office more money, and one said a public censure of the clerk should be next.

The clerk’s office sought an additional $268,000 to fund expenditures for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends Nov. 30.

At a Nov. 12 meeting, county board members balked at the request, noting DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek spent roughly $265,000 to provide employee pay raises that weren’t budgeted for in her office’s current spending plan.

Meanwhile, the county’s chief financial officer said balances in various line items of the clerk’s budget — including $150,000 in salaries — bring the anticipated shortfall closer to $58,000.

In addition to raising doubts about the need for extra money, board members pointed to an ongoing lack of communication, questions over billing and bidding practices in the clerk’s office and Kaczmarek’s absence from county board meetings.

“They are giving us information piecemeal, which makes it really difficult for us to have a full financial picture,” board member Yeena Yoo said. “I just feel like we’re giving them a blank check.”

Board member Cindy Cronin Cahill, who serves as vice chair of the finance committee, said she planned to seek a censure, or public reprimand, against the clerk at the Nov. 25 board meeting.

“This pattern of disregard for lawful oversight cannot continue,” Cahill said in suggesting the censure for Kaczmarek’s “repeated failure to fulfill the duties of her office, her refusal to cooperate with this board, and her violation of the trust placed in her by the people of DuPage County.”

Kaczmarek did not comment about the potential censure in an email Thursday, but said she is considering her next steps regarding her budget request.

“I am seeking clarification from the State’s Attorney as to who would serve as my legal counsel to pursue action against the county board for failing to provide funding for the reasonable and necessary expenses of my office as required by Illinois law,” she wrote.

County board members suggested that Kaczmarek use the projected $150,000 in surplus cash to pay bills first before the board transfers any money out of the county’s reserve fund.

Some questioned if Kaczmarek was planning to use the $150,000 to give raises again. They noted that since 2020, the salary budget for the clerk’s office has increased by 42%. Last December, Kaczmarek approved $265,750 in salary increases the day after the current budget was approved.

“It makes me think they’re saving that money for something,” board member Jim Zay said. “You don’t want to think that way, but there’s no trust with the clerk’s office right now.”

He and others noted the county’s finance department warned last year that the raises could result in a budget shortfall.

Some point to various transfers that were made within the clerk’s budget this year. For example, $21,000 for postage had been moved to another part of the clerk’s budget. Now the clerk’s request for additional money includes $5,000 for postage and postal services.

Only two board members — Dawn DeSart and Michael Childress — supported the clerk’s request. DeSart said she did not want to see vendors go unpaid.

For more than two years, the clerk’s office has come under fire for running short on various budget lines. Kaczmarek has argued that state law allows her internal control over the clerk’s office, and the county cannot restrict how she spends the money they appropriate to her.

The county board filed suit against the clerk’s office last year, asking a judge to order Kaczmarek to follow the county’s accounting procedures. In August, a DuPage County judge ruled in the county’s favor.

Kaczmarek also filed a civil complaint, saying the county has no authority over how she procures equipment or services. Both sides will be in court on that issue Nov. 21.

Kaczmarek, who is seeking a third term, will face DuPage County Board member Paula Deacon Garcia in the Democratic primary in March.