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Kane County Board District 15 candidate Scott Johansen answered Shaw Local’s election questionnaire for the Kane County Board primary election.
Voting ends for the primary election on the evening of June 28.
Full Name: Scott Johansen
What office are you seeking? Kane County Board Member District 15
What offices, if any, have you previously held? I have not held public office in the past. My experience in management comes from private business. I have an extensive engineering background and have a bit morethan 30 years of business management. I am an entrepreneur that has successfully created new businesses and raised and managed $30-40 million in capital supporting those enterprises, which included locations in Elgin and Hampshire, Illinois as well as Biejing, China.
City: Campton Hills
Occupation: I am retired. As mentioned previously, I was an entrepreneur and owned several businesses.
Education: Elmhurst University - Finance Northwestern University - Master of Business Administration - Operations and Finance
Campaign Website: I have not created one yet.
Do you support decreasing local property taxes? If so, how would the county make up the difference?
Illinois, and Kane County specifically, should be very analytical in reassessing the property tax burden on its residents. People are leaving the state as a direct result of property tax issues. The trend of upward moving property taxes should be reversed. It can be done by requiring the budgeting process of government sections being subsidized by property taxes be built on a zero-based budget basis for the next several years to require justification of the financial allocations to be re-validated as needed annually. School costs are app. 65% of the tax burden.
It needs to be understood by all property owners that their tax burden is independent of the actual value of their property.
Kane County is under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law which places a limitation on the total amount of property tax that can be levied by most local governments. Generally, the law limits the increase of a local government’s tax levy by 5% or the rate or inflation (whichever is less) over the highest levy of the prior three years. This law provides that a local government’s property tax levy is independent of property values, and property taxes can rise or fall regardless of what happens to property values. Before any reduction in government services are considered, the associated budgets under review need to be analyzed and any unnecessary expenses stripped away. It is quite normal for inefficiencies to creep into budgets. To remove them can be difficult and contentious. This process needs to be done with the intention to reach consensus by all involved parties, while realizing that the focus must be on the long term needs of our community.
What local road and bridge projects should be a priority to get done in the county?
The local road and bridge infrastructure projects are developed over years of study and analysis by many concerned municipalities, KDOT and in some cases the Federal Government. This is an area that I would need to learn more about for me to become an informed contributor. As an entrepreneur that has created and managed successful enterprises as well as analyzed and successfully justified many millions of dollars in the creation of new entities, I believe I have the basic skills to learn and understand the issues that are involved in the assessment and creation of new capital projects as well as management of ongoing road and bridge needs that are underway currently. Future community development and traffic safety generally are the focus of these projects. These issues are complex, and I would need to learn more to properly contribute. Working with those in place in a collaborative manner would be the initial step in this area.
Do you think there is a local crime problem? If so, what needs to be done about it?
The level of crime in District 15 is low. There exists a focus on collaborative work with the communities in District 15, the Kane County Sheriff’s office and local government to meet the needs of our citizens. The implementation of the pre-arrest diversion program displays a helping-hand approach to those in our community that need assistance in overcoming some of their life challenges. Similar programs have a long track record of success in other areas of the country. Creation of a healthy local business environment that will support job growth is also part of the overall effort to reduce crime and create an environment of well being in our community.
How will you work to keep crime low in Kane County?
Continuous oversight of the results of the pre-arrest diversion program are essential to its long-term success. The metrics of recidivism rates as well as reduction of drug, alcohol and other problem areas targeted by this program need to be monitored and reported on publicly to highlight areas that may need to be adjusted in the future. Data and input from the KaneCounty District Attorney, the Kane County Sheriff, social services as well as local law enforcement will be sought.
Do you support Kane County’s pre-arrest diversion program?
Editor’s note: This question has been updated from a previous version to correct that the Kane County State’s Attorney’s office created the program and the Kane County Sheriff’s office participates in it.
The Kane County Sheriff’s Office, the Elgin Police Department and the Kane County States Attorney’s Office have all been working with each other to implement this social/legal program. Its goal is to identify appropriate individuals that fit the criteria of this initiative and place them in this program rather than thru the legal process of arrest. When placed in this program, the outcomes of those struggling with addiction, poverty, or mental health issues have been shown to be superior and less costly than the traditional legal process. The program has been active in other parts of the country for app. 10 years and has been shown to be effective in reducing recidivism as well as reducing government costs. I support this initiative.
Do you support stronger county government ethics laws? What measures do you support?
The current ethics laws are extensive. All systems and rules need periodic reviews and updates. I believe it is appropriate for a regular annual review of the ethics rules. This review should take place with the data of any previous ethics complaint issues being publicly analyzed as a part of the review process. If circumstances warrant, this should be more frequent. I believe reporting of complaints should be made public, rather than to only a select few people. As an example, when an arrest is made, that arrest is officially recorded and made public. The record of the arrest is not withheld until a legal determination has been made. The ethics rules as well as any complaints process should be just as open.
What would you push for as a member of county government to boost local businesses?
I would actively seek out the opinions and needs of the local businesses. After that has been done, I would advocate for them in areas that Kane County Government has authority to help. Generally working for a high-quality, low crime, well managed and low-cost government will create a healthy environment for local businesses as well as the other citizens in our area. The difficulty is to reach a balance between the cost of government and the needs of the community. Some social issues fall into the gaps of our government policies. That balance is met by a collaborative process between the Kane County Board members and community input from our constituency. I will work to reach that balance with them.
Why do you think the county has had some positions open for a while and a number of employees have left the county in recent times. Why do you think county employees are leaving?
The current environment caused by the pandemic as well as the social conflict in our society has made for an unusual mixture of problems. I would not make any significant judgements in our current environment. I would also like to understand how Kane County is doing in relation to our surrounding areas.
How can the county seek to retain employees?
Creating a positive work environment and providing useful work that people understand to be aimed at being helpful to their community is key. Creating and maintaining a stable work environment that people can count on day-by-day is very important. All public employees can see and evaluate the pay of those around them as well as those in other counties due to the public nature of the pay system. They will compare their pay to others. There must be a level of fairness woven throughout the pay system that those that do look at the public data base see, to believe they are fairly valued.
That assessment of “fairness” must be performed by the managers throughout government. With the above in mind, I am not comfortable to reach a conclusion until I understand the system better.
I am not aware of any study that has reached the conclusion that we are not offering a competitive compensation rate in any specific area. If that is the case in specific areas of government, I would take it into consideration in this discussion. I am aware that property taxes are is a source of constant complaint among our constituency.
Do you support adding either a 0.25% or 0.50% retail tax to non-essential purchases (excluding groceries and gas)? Why or why not?
No. Not currently. There are too many cost issues confronting the Kane County citizens. I do not support any additional burden.
If there were an increase in retail tax revenue, what would you use the additional funds for?
I do not support any increase at all currently. If there is an increase, the funds MUST be directed back to the community directly in the form of some benefit received by the citizens we are serving. Pay increases for county workers should not be implemented using this kind of income source unless there is a formal study that shows a pay inequity exists when measured against other governments in our area as well as the private sector. I am not aware of a study at this time.
Do you support a county gas tax hike? Why or why not?
No. Not currently. We should not add any costs to our represented citizens. Inflation and costs are generally making live difficult. We should not add to that problem, if possible.
If there were an increase in the county gas tax revenue, how would you propose using the new money?
Any increase in the cost of gas, which I believe is wrong, should be used specifically for implementation of technology that will help our citizens become less dependent on gas, and as a result, save money and improve their financial wellbeing. It should NOT be spent on any area that is unrelated to reducing the cost of transportation. Subsidized installation of garage installed re-charging stations for EV cars would support this effort. Reduction on dependency of internal combustion engines and installation of garage electrical charging capabilities installed in individual homes, is an emerging need in our county. EV vehicles are growing in use in Kane County and there is a need for installation of home charging capability. That should be coupled with an initiative by Kane County Government to acquire Federal Grant Funding to make this a no-cost program to our citizens. Essentially, any cost increase should be used to reduce the cost and dependency of the item being taxed in the future use of the item.
Do you support more warehouse and industrial development in Kane County? Why/why not?
No. It will increase truck traffic and add to safety issues for the areas that see that increase in trucking.
How can municipalities best deal with the increase in semi-truck traffic?
Require that additional warehouse and industrial development plans be publicly disclosed and there is a public comment period. It is desirable that a set of guidelines be established to provide a framework for the decisions in this area to meet. That is beyond my knowledge base, but I believe KDOT or a similar agency should be the guiding authority. It is very desirable to require specified truck routes outside the main town roads.
Should county & municipal officials be required to disclose to the public the identity of a business, such as Amazon, that seeks to locate in the county?
Absolutely.
What are your thoughts on the Illinois Freedom of Information Act?
It is a critical source of information on the actions of government. The rules for requirements to respond to requests should be re-examined periodically to make it easier to obtain information and more difficult for government actors to stonewall FOIA requests. Data should be gathered from the government sectors that receive FOIA requests and a review of the system functionality assessed.
Please state your plan to maintain government transparency.
There are rules concerning Open Meetings, and there is access to meetings that occur on a scheduled basis, such as the KCB meetings. I believe it would be helpful if the KCB would re-think and modify how it reaches out to the community to include them in these meetings and the information they provide. This adjustment to the current process of outreach should start with assessing how effective the current communication system is working. This process would start with assessing how effective the communication system in in place with some of the major initiatives by measuring the awareness the public has about some of these current public projects.
The America Rescue Plan and its various programs and projects would be an ideal KCB public awareness test vehicle to understand the extent of effectiveness on the public awareness and transparency of government activities. This program has app. $103,000,000 of funding. That funding has been divided into 7 subgroups. There are monthly meetings. My discussions with many people in District 15 indicate that there is very little awareness of this program at all. There is very little awareness of the money being distributed or the areas these funds are being allocated to. That should change. It is indicative of a communication lapse in our KCB communication process and the effectiveness of our current Open Government process. That is correctable.
Should government employees and officials be allowed to sign nondisclosure agreements with private businesses?
There should be NO non-disclosure agreements between public employees and private business. Any government employee that has an existing agreement should be required to reveal that to the KCB and provide it to the Board for legal review to prevent conflicts of interest. No future agreements should be allowed without prior legal review. There should be a requirement for recusal in areas of possible conflict and, preferably, no NDAs should be allowed at all. Existing agreements may require the individuals to resign, depending on the nature of the agreement It should be a KCB rule that those that conceal an existing NDA or enter into an NDA wothout prior disclosure be required to resign their elected position.
Would you push for or against government officials and employees being allowed to sign non-disclosure agreements with private businesses?
My answer is contained in question 19. If NDA’s are allowed at all, there must be disclosure - for all KCB members to be aware of - and legal review undertaken. All KCB members need to be aware of those NDA’s because business discussions will take place between members. If there is no knowledge of a business conflict, business interests would be allowed to influence others without knowledge of the NDA interest. Rules must be put in place to the extent they are not currently, to require that they be disclosed and that a penalty exists for those who do not disclose the existence of an NDA.
How can the county best support municipalities that are seeking to promote restaurants, nightlife, tourism (St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia)?
Reaching out to identify any issues that foster a healthy community will spill into the local community. That includes several of the issues asked about earlier including reduction of crime and social services that provide support to community beautification and social system support. Those services help the community create a positive environment for all citizens. Gathering information from the service industries directly will identify areas that are needing help. Where there is a KCB role, I will advocate for those issues.
How long should the county support the Kane Vax Center in Batavia?
The Health Department must lead this area. I will provide my input and consult with them as my role allows, while recommendations are developed. It is likely that the current posture of the Vax Center will change but that is not for me to say. The state of the pandemic has indicated that the corona virus is very unstable and is still evolving into different variations. It has been discussed by some in the medical community that there is a need to expand centers that are able to test/diagnose corona virus illness and, once tested positive, be able to immediately provide one of the oral antiviral treatments.
This is a very critical need. We must control illness in our area to maintain a healthy community and positive business environment. The health professionals in our area must lead this effort. I believe Kane County should consider using the Kane Vax Center, or some other location to provide this function to our county. This general area should also be included in the current American Rescue Plan initiative. See below:
WASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is aiming to expand access to COVID-19 oral antiviral treatments like Pfizer Inc’s (PFE.N) Paxlovid by doubling the number of locations at which they are available, the White House said on Tuesday.
Pharmacies participating in the federal pharmacy program for distributing antiviral treatments will be able to order the free treatments directly from the U.S. government starting this week.
Currently, pharmacies depend on states to obtain the pills. The government sends the treatments to select pharmacies, as well as directly to states and community centers. Under the current system, the treatments are available in around 20,000 locations.
The County Board used more of the revenue it received from the American Rescue Plan to fund mental health services than it gave to social safety net services such as homeless shelters and food pantries. How can the county make funding for nonprofits impacted by the pandemic more equitable?
The American Rescue Plan is a $103,000,000 Federal program given to the citizens of Kane County. It is being managed by a committee on the KCB. It has until 3/31/2024 to distribute the funds. The ARP has a group of 7 project types within this committee.
The program is at the initial stages and there is a great deal to be done. The program has room in it to serve the areas you have identified. Water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure needs are also very great. I believe a waste stream sample system in all public buildings and schools is critical to identify emerging outbreaks of coronavirus. Hospital utilization in relevant areas should also be tracked and publicized as a part of this program. Cases in Elder Care facilities as well. This kind of data allows intervention to take place rather than wait for a crisis to deepen. Broadband needs are also important to have systems in place should they need to be used in the future given the environment we are in, order to support the public. There are several other areas BUT the major issue is not whether there should be more towards homeless shelters and food pantries and less toward mental health. All three areas need to be funded; however, I do believe much more should be funded in food banks and homeless shelters quickly. The funds have been here for a while and I do believe the pace of distribution should be accelerated and the areas being addressed expanded, as the program is designed to cover a wide area of issues.
Do you support giving a larger chunk of the $103 million in funding the county received to social services?
I support much more going to those areas as my answer 23 illustrates. The funding is available. The pace of distribution needs to accelerate, and the span of programs being addressed need to be widened. This can be done within the current program design.
Do you agree with the county paying the college tuition of a public employee? Please explain.
Private business typically pays only a portion of any employee tuition (25-50%). It is also common to pay for these courses based upon grade performance – the higher the grade, the higher the payment support. No support for sub grade C. The course work is generally required to be directly related to the current job. I do not support payment of employee tuition in full. I do believe some partial financial support along the lines of private business is appropriate.