Executive Committee: Relaxes Rules for Retiring Employee Proclamations

Will County Board Executive Committee Meeting | January 8, 2026

Article Summary: The Executive Committee voted to amend county board rules to allow proclamations honoring retiring county employees to pass with a simple majority vote rather than a unanimous one. The change aims to prevent political disagreements from blocking recognition of long-time staff.

Rule Change Key Points:

• New Threshold: Proclamations for retiring Will County employees now require only a simple majority vote in the Executive Committee.

• Previous Rule: All proclamations previously required a unanimous vote, allowing a single member to block them.

• Opposition: Member Frankie Pretzel opposed the change, warning it could lead to political battles over which employees are honored based on their ideologies.

• Outcome: The motion passed despite opposition from Members Oxley and Hickey.

JOLIET, Ill. — The Will County Board Executive Committee approved a rule change on Thursday, January 8, 2026, designed to make it easier to honor retiring county employees. The new rule allows proclamations for retirees to move to the full board with a simple majority vote, removing the previous requirement for unanimous consent.

The proposal sparked debate regarding the potential politicization of employee recognition. Member Frankie Pretzel (R-New Lenox) voted against the measure, expressing concern that the board would eventually argue over honoring employees with differing political or social views.

“I just see the future here where we’re gonna have some really conservative retiree that the Republicans want to recognize and the Democrats are going to have a problem with it,” Pretzel said.

However, proponents argued the change was necessary to ensure dedicated staff could be recognized without being blocked by a single dissenting vote. “We just wanted to give them the proper respect,” Speaker Joe VanDuyne said.

The motion carried, though not unanimously.