Public funds, property or credit shall be used only
Constitution of the State of Illinois, Article VIII.
for public purposes.
Housing Authority of the County of DeKalb (HACD) reimbursed a housing authority employee $250.00 for a bridal event thrown for another employee.
Payment records obtained via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) show HACD reimbursed then-employee Jennifer Yochem just over $250 for lunch and dessert in two transactions on October 11, 2022. Receipts turned in for reimbursement include handwritten notes saying “Chelsea’s bridal luncheon” on them, and check stubs contain comments of “staff luncheon” and “cb luncheon.”
HACD doesn’t appear to have an expense reimbursement policy outside of a travel policy. However, its board has necessarily adopted the Local Government Travel Expense Control Act as part of its travel policy, which prohibits reimbursement for any entertainment expense.
Jennifer Yochem has since taken the position of community services coordinator for City of DeKalb.
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This article has been added to the Housing Authority Roundup series.