(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A defiant DuPage County Clerk has told county board members she isn't going to publicly debate $180,000 in bills her office has not paid.
Members of the Dupage County Board's Finance Committee were livid about County Clerk Jean Kaczmareck's failure to pay some vendors on time or to at least ask for budget transfers to cover the bills.
At the committee 's request, Kaczmareck appeared before them on Tuesday. She said she disagrees with an Illinois Attorney General's opinion about the board's authority.
She also said she wouldn’t engage in a public debate over the matter – but said officials are welcome to visit her office -- and walked out of the room.
"I don't know what that was," board member Jim Zay said. "We asked for a discussion. We're an open and transparent board. I'm not going down to the clerk's office to talk behind closed doors to talk about what's going on."
Lucy Chang Evans was among several other panel members who were clearly offended.
A clerk's office representative said eight of the 11 bills that had been unpaid have been resolved.
The Finance Committee is mulling what action to take next. DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin, the county’s chief legal officer, advised officials to carefully consider their next steps.
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