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March 28, 2024

Algonquin Township – Public funds for private purpose?- You be the Judge!

By Kirk Allen & John Kraft

On November 14, 2017

Algonquin (ECWd) –

Once again we must emphasize the importance of Article VIII Section 1 (a), (b), and (c) of our State Constitution and Dillon’s Rule.  For those who don’t realize it, violation of that section of our State Constitution can be and has been prosecuted as a Felony crime.

Illinois State Constitution:

Article VIII SECTION 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
(a) Public funds, property or credit shall be used only for public purposes.
(b) The State, units of local government and school districts shall incur obligations for payment or make payments from public funds only as authorized by law or ordinance.
(c) Reports and records of the obligation, receipt, and use of public funds of the State, units of local government and school districts are public records available for inspection by the public according to law.
(Source: Illinois Constitution.)

We challenge the Algonquin township to provide the citizens with information on how the use of a township credit card to purchase personal items to include women’s clothing, gift cards, meals, and airline tickets for a non-employee has any public purpose.

In addition, part (b) outlines payments are only authorized by law or ordinance.  What law allows payment from Township funds for personal clothing, meals, and airfare, just to mention a few?

As it relates to 1(c), we have asked for numerous records and are looking forward to proving our point even further!

Dillon’s Rule:

In legal language, the first part of Dillon’s Rule reads like this: Local Governments have only three types of powers: 1.) Those granted in express words; 2.) Those necessarily or fairly implied in or incident to the powers expressly granted, and 3.) Those essential to the declared objects and purposes of the corporation, not simply convenient, but indispensable.

As Dillon’s rule is applied to the credit card spending on Bob Millers Township credit card, we find the following to be true:

  • There are no express words granting the power to use public credit to purchase non-public business items, such as women’s clothing, gift cards, meals, etc.
  • Those purchases are not “necessarily” or “fairly implied in” or “incident to the powers “expressly granted”, which they must be in order to be legal purchases.
  • Finally, the purchases exposed in the credit card statements below are clearly not “declared objects and purpose of the corporation, which is the Township.

You can review the purchase made on the credit card at this link or review below.  It won’t take much brain power to see numerous purchases that have no public purpose for a Road District.

Algonquin Township credit card information

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3 Comments
  • Sherry Brianza
    Posted at 12:38h, 14 November

    State, City, townships, county officials, etc…,it seems to be getting discovered more & more that some officials forget the money they are spending is taxpayer money meaning public money not private business money. They are held accountable for their spending and the public has a right to question where it is getting spent. They should not take the seat if they struggle with understanding this fact or being questioned about it or maybe need to step down. Trust but verify.

  • Purple Rider
    Posted at 05:06h, 15 November

    Algonquin, Arcola it must be have something to do with the letter A.Both Townships have a history of misuse of credit cards.Here in Arcola Deana Shields the Office Manager used credit cards from the township for a three state motorcycle trip.Because of the boards refusal to fully answer FOIA, we cannot verify let alone trust what the Arcola Township Board is doing with our tax dollar!

  • Richard Hernandez
    Posted at 13:35h, 25 November

    My verdict:

    GUILTY of 1) theft; 2) official malfeasance; 3) official corruption; 4) wire fraud; 5)first degree fraud and duplicity.

    Perhaps he bought the ladies’ clothes bc he wants to go the Bruce Jenner route …. Does his wife even know of it … or was she parading around in the ill-gotten apparel. Anna May does swan about in the highest fashion!

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