Champaign County Board of Review’s Misuse of Supervisor of Assessment’s County Credit Card –

Champaign County, IL. (ECWd) –

The Board of Review has engaged in inappropriate use of public credits cards with their purchases of the following, using the County Supervisor of Assessment’s public credit card:

• Jimmy Johns, $18.63, on Dec 27, 2021 – this was labeled as “employee lunch”
• Biaggi’s, $140.00 on Dec 30, 2021 – this was labeled as “employee lunch”

The Biaggi’s receipt is for 4 entrées, 4 sides, and 4 deserts – who was the 4th person when the Board of Review is only 3 people?

John Bergee, Chairman of the Champaign County Board of Review, reimbursed the county for those funds, including the tip of $3.12, which showed up on the Supervisor of Assessment’s visa card bill.

According to the receipts, these unauthorized purchases were made as tax exempt purchases. Also, you can see John Bergee’s name on the receipt when it was the Supervisor of Assessment’s card being used.

Both purchases, according to responsive documents to a Freedom of Information Act request, were not in compliance with Champaign County policy and deemed non-conforming, and apparently the county purchase policy does not apply to elected officials (Bergee is not an elected official).

What does apply to elected officials (and everyone else) is the Illinois Constitution, Article VIII, Section 1(a) which states that “public funds, property, or credit shall only be used for public purposes.” The Illinois Supreme Court has already stated constitutional violations can be used as a predicate for official misconduct (see the former Mayor of Pekin, Illinois’ case).

More on Champaign County spending coming soon.