County Board chairman, sheriff continue to go back and forth about budget
By RITA HOOVER
-
editorial@kcchronicle.com
Kane County Board members will have to make some key decisions in the next few weeks as two major county offices are expected to run over budget by mid-month.
County Auditor Bill Keck said memos have been sent to both Chief Judge F. Keith Brown and Sheriff Pat Perez, informing them that their offices' expenditures will exceed their 2009 budgets and it will be up to the county board as to whether those bills can or will be paid.
The county’s fiscal year ends Nov.30, which means there could be about two weeks without the required funding before the 2010 budget goes into effect.
Keck said that while this type of situation has happened over the years, it has not happened during “a cash crisis,” such as the one the county is experiencing.
County board Chairwoman Karen McConnaughay said state law prohibits the county from paying bills that exceed a department’s budget and that both departments have been receiving monthly notifications that their pattern of spending was leading them toward end-of-year deficits.
However, in emergency situations, she said, the county is allowed to dip into its reserve funds, which, she said, are “at a bare minimum now.”
But, McConnaughay said, in this case, she is not willing to use reserves “for an emergency that is not an emergency.”
“We have sat down with him (Perez) and his management team repeatedly to go over whatever it is he thinks we need to know,” McConnaughay said.
Referring to the staff of 90 sworn deputies, 43 of which patrol the streets, she said, “I still believe that if only half of your workforce is on the streets that your other half can fill in the gap,” suggesting Perez use some of his salaried employees to fill in during this predicted shortfall.
Perez, however, said that the deputies who are not on patrol are used for state-mandated activities, such as issuing eviction notices and warrants for arrests. They also respond to emergencies as they happen throughout the county and back up the patrol officers.
Perez said he is not sure what he would do if the board does not approve meeting the shortfall, which is mostly payroll. He said he has been working with Brown and Kane County State’s Attorney John Barsanti, and there has been some talk of a possible court order to pay the bills if necessary.
McConnaughay called such extreme action “ridiculous,” stating that a court order can only be enacted if a county board is not providing adequate funding.
She also said county officials are working closely with the departments involved and she expressed hope that the situation will be resolved within the next week or so.
Comments
