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March 29, 2024

Laura Hois, Downers Grove Township Clerk, seeking taxpayer funded pension based on void ordinance –

By John Kraft & Kirk Allen

On March 27, 2017

Downers Grove, IL. (ECWd) –

Corrected to reflect she is not currently receiving a pension (but has been seeking one).

Laura Hois is a Candidate for Downers Grove Township Assessor, current Downers Grove Township Clerk, and Deputy Assessor for Sugar Grove Township, and has been seeking a higher taxpayer funded pension for the past several years. She is also an experienced attorney.

It is clear, from the affidavits and other statements trying to quantify the hours worked, that she is attempting to qualify for IMRF, and back-date the qualification, in order to bolster a taxpayer funded pension.

The problem is as we have noted in other public bodies, and in particular, the DuPage County Board, is that Downers Grove Township never included IMRF for the Township Clerk in its resolution setting the compensation for their Clerk. Without being included in the resolution, it is unauthorized according to law – “compensation shall not be increased nor decreased during the term of office

WHAT DO THE MINUTES SAY?

During the Sep 2016 meeting in which compensation of elected official was discussed and voted on, the Township Board voted to EXCLUDE the Clerk from IMRF for the upcoming 2017-2021 term of office – which is a good thing!

However, later in the same meeting, the Board approved a resolution “acknowledging” that the Board, in October of 2012 (minutes), approved IMRF for the Clerk (and others). Based on that, this Board, in Sep 2017, approved a resolution authorizing IMRF for the Town Clerk for the 2013-2017 term. All present voted in favor except for Trustee Cuthbert, who voted “nay” – and incidentally, is the only person who voted correctly.

WAS IMRF PROPERLY APPROVED IN 2012?

No!

In order for an item to be voted on by a public body, during a public meeting, it must first be properly placed on an agenda as an action item to be voted on.

The agenda for the 2012 meeting in question only states they were going to “revisit salaries/benefits for next term” – it says nothing about taking a vote on the item, which should make any vote for approval void and improper.

ATTEMPT TO CORRECT

During the October 2016 meeting, there was an attempt to correct the minutes for Sep, and it was voted and approved to correct it, but the Township Clerk never made any corrections to the posted meeting minutes, leading readers to believe that IMRF was actually approved for the 2013-2017 term. The only amendment to the minutes was an annotation of a “motion to amend these minutes” but no text explaining that the motion passed, and no text of what was actually amended.

The short version of what happened here is that Laura Hois tried to ram-rod IMRF, and backdate it, for herself under the guise that it was previously approved in a set of minutes from 2012. However, nothing was on the agenda to vote on for that meeting, leaving any vote VOID. Additionally, the Sep 2016 meeting where a vote was taken to approve IMRF for the earlier 2013-2017 term of office was never presented with the fact the agenda was improper and therefore no legal vote could be taken.  During the Oct 2016 meeting, the board voted to amend the Sep 2016 minutes to reflect an incomplete vote, and took a new vote which nullified the resolution granting IMRF for the earlier term. Hois never amended the minutes, only placing a note that a motion to amend them was made.

I suggest the board look at the posted Sep 2016 minutes and demand they actually be amended as they voted to do in Oct 2016.

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6 Comments
  • Maureen Kevin
    Posted at 13:07h, 27 March

    You have it all wrong. This IMRF is a way to have a retribution against Laura Hois because she was promised by the Republican organization to back her as assessor and they backed out running Greg Boltz because he was owed the position as assessor in Downers Grove Township. Please check the information that is being provided by Ms. Hois.

    • jmkraft
      Posted at 13:10h, 27 March

      What retribution? It is a part-time position and the vote in 2012 was an illegal vote.

  • Madison Black
    Posted at 13:08h, 27 March

    Here you go again. County Clerk looking for more pension benefits. She can start
    her own 401(k) like the rest of us do?
    And she thinks she is a real public servant. No way. She’d just busting the local taxpayers again.

  • eWorth
    Posted at 14:34h, 27 March

    Or end the nonsense by voting for Boltz for assessor – he promised he will not take any public pension.

  • Laura Hois
    Posted at 21:11h, 27 March

    This article is all wrong. The truth is, I am not receiving a pension as Town Clerk, and there is no “void ordinance.” No taxpayer dollars, NONE, have been paid to me for IMRF. See all agendas and minutes on dgtownship.com. One may not “correct” the minutes to reflect a change in position or viewpoint that was changed after the meeting. Yet, that is exactly what Trustee Cuthbert is trying to do. October 2012 was over 4 years ago! He and Trustee Boltz don’t like that I am running for Township Assessor; so they engage in political retaliation.

    • jmkraft
      Posted at 22:34h, 27 March

      OK, I corrected it to show you do not currently receive a pension. We called the 2012 vote to approve IMRF a VOID ordinance because it was never on that agenda to approve anything – making it an improper vote and void. This also makes last Sep’s vote invalid as it was based on the understanding that the 2012 vote was valid.

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