County moves forward on plans to trim sheriff's office

GENEVA – Kane County appears set to move ahead with plans to limit the number of police officers at the county’s sheriff’s office.

Wednesday, the Kane County Board’s Executive Committee voted unanimously to move forward on to the full county board a measure that would reduce the maximum number of deputies the Kane County Sheriff may hire.

Presently, the sheriff may appoint up to 95 sworn deputies.

Under the proposed ordinance, however, the sheriff would be allowed to appoint only up to 87 deputies that are paid from county tax revenue.

The ordinance would allow the sheriff to appoint more than 87 deputies, should those deputies be paid from sources other than county tax revenue, such as the federal Community-Oriented Policing Services program, or COPS grant.

The sheriff’s department presently operates with 90 deputies, said Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez.

Board members noted that the measure would not require the sheriff to immediately reduce staff by laying off deputies.

Rather, the measure would effectively prohibit the sheriff from appointing new deputies to replace any who depart, so long as the department employs 87 or more sworn deputies.

Kane County Board Chairwoman Karen McConnaughay said the measure would give the sheriff “a tool to help him meet the demands of a retooled budget.”

Earlier this year, the board asked all county offices to reduce spending by 5.5 percent.

Perez asked the Executive Committee to postpone action on the measure until he learned from the federal government how many officers he would be allowed to hire through the COPS program.

He said he hopes to receive funding for three officers.

Board members, however, pressed ahead with the measure, noting that its effects would likely not be fully felt immediately.

“If you don’t get the three, through attrition, you will get to 87,” said county board member John Fahy, R-West Dundee.

Perez said current staffing levels have placed pressure on his department to meet its obligations to public safety and other duties required of the county sheriff by law, including serving notices of eviction and foreclosure.

But he said he would be satisfied if he was allowed to continue operating with 90 deputies for now.

The measure will advance to the full Kane County Board for a vote on July 14.