Name: Jeffrey Magnussen

What office are you seeking: Kane county board seat district 9

What is your current age? 61

Occupation and employer: Bus Driver school District 301

What offices, if any, have you previously held? Village President of Hampshire 16 years. 2005 to 2021

City: Hampshire

Campaign website: N/A

Education: High School

Community involvement: Knights of Columbus, 3 terms as Grand Knight. Usher at St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. Scoreboard operator for boys and girls basketball at St Charles Borromeo for the last 18 years.

Marital status/Immediate family: Married for 30 years to Elizabeth. 4 children and a grand daughter.

What are your top three priorities for this district?

Balanced Budget, Transportation and Economic Development

Should the County Board regulate short-term rentals? If so, what regulations would you want to see?

No. We don’t need more government oversight. How would the county effectively enforce such an ordinance in a cost effective manner?

How would you like to see the former Fabyan Parkway jail site redeveloped? Should all or part of the property be sold?

All of the property should be sold and the funds used to replenish the cash reserves that have used to balance the budget for the last 2 years.

Last year, the board was divided on a “We Stand Against Hate Week” proclamation. What is your view on it?

If it was as easy as passing a proclamation to solve hate then I am all for it. The problem is deeper than a symbolic piece of paper.

The Kane County Board has limited federal immigration enforcement on county property. Do you support that move? Do you support the Illinois TRUST Act more broadly and what, if any, reforms to it would you like to see?

The County should support law enforcement actions including ICE. I do not understand why we would make it harder for law enforcement to remove illegal, law breaking individuals.

The county board is expected to have another tight budget season this year. Looking ahead, if you must decide between raising the property tax levy or cutting programs, what would your choice be? What specific areas of spending would you prioritize cutting? How much further are you willing to dip into reserve funds to avoid program cuts? Do you support the diversion of RTA revenue from transportation to public safety?

I would not support any new taxes. Covid era programs would need to be cut first if there is no sustainable funding source to keep them running. I would not use reserves to continue programs. At some point the county needs to make the hard choices and stop kicking the can down the road. The road is ending.

Along those lines, are you willing to consider other new revenue sources like asking voters again to approve a countywide safes tax increase or increasing the motor fuel tax?

No new or increased taxes.

One financial stressor is the end of COVID-19 relief dollars. What should the county do with programs funded by federal COVID-19 dollars?

As stated earlier if the programs cannot generate enough revenue to sustain itself then it would need to be cut.

What is your stance on solar energy facilities or data centers on agricultural land? Does the risk of lawsuits factor into your stance? What about battery storage?

Solar farms should not eat up prime agricultural land or future economic development areas. Use industrial building rooftops before using more farm land. Data centers and battery storage facilities need to be closely scrutinized and located strategically.