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Kane County Treasurer Chris Lauzen received a national award from an investment consulting firm that serves government and public schools.
Joe Rulison, executive chairman of three+one, presented Lauzen with the 2025 cashVest National Leadership Award for Financial Management at the June 25 Finance Committee meeting.
“I’m deeply grateful for the privilege of working for the taxpayers of Kane County to generate tens of millions of additional interest income that should reduce the need for property and other tax increases,” Lauzen said of receiving the award.
It is the only national award given each year, Rulison said.
cashVest is three+one’s liquidity analysis tool offered to public bodies to increase their investment and interest income.
“You are the best of the best,” Rulison said. “All I can say to the treasurer, please, if you can take and just clone yourself for every county throughout the country, we need this.”
Since the Treasurer’s Office joined three+one’s cashVest program in January 2024, Kane County has generated more than $47.6 million in new revenue through proactive liquidity and treasury strategies, according to a news release. Specifically, through using the company’s program, Lauzen was able to:
- Add $47.6 million in cumulative revenue generated through enhanced liquidity practices – the management of investments and cash on hand
- Generate $4.65 million more in revenue in 2024 for the county compared to 2023 – a 28% increase in revenue while benchmark interest rates decreased by 8%
- Strengthen the county’s partnership with its primary bank, resulting in an additional $95,153 in revenue for 2025
Also, the county’s performance on cash was 95.1% of the 30-day Treasury benchmark in the most recent quarter – which means for every 1% returned by the benchmark, the investment yielded 0.951%, the release said. And a banking services request for proposals using three+one’s rfpPrep tool generated $541,910 in realized revenue for the county.
“To have a public official that had the legislative, executive, financial background – and at this stage of such a long career – to still be innovative with new solutions,” Rulison said of Lauzen, a former state senator.
To put it in perspective, Rulison said $47 million in interest means the county’s taxpayer dollars “are earning the highest in the country of any public entity that exists today.”
Kane County “outpaced the market that was down in interest rates by 8%. You were 28% above. Unheard of,” Rulison said. “And that is because of the fiduciary responsibility of Treasurer Lauzen and your staff. This is absolutely the highest standard.”
Rulison said the award is not easy to receive as the factors go through “incredible due diligence ... and shows the highest standards throughout the country.”
“This is an absolute incredible accomplishment,” Rulison said as he presented Lauzen with the award.
According to a contract and invoices released through a Freedom of Information Act request, the Treasurer’s Office pays three+one a fee of $70,000 a year for annual liquidity monitoring and treasury analysis services. The office also paid three+one $9,800 in October 2023 for request-for-proposal services, records show.
The contract began Dec. 1, 2023, and continues through Nov. 30, 2025. It states if the treasurer does not achieve the benefit of three+one’s financial recommendations, equal to or greater than the annual fee, then the company is owed nothing.
According to its website, threeplusone.us, its financial services enabled its clients to earn more than $3 billion in interest and investment income.