County passes $72 million budget
By RITA DWIGGINS HOOVER
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editorial@kcchronicle.com
GENEVA – The county passed its 2010 budget Tuesday during a public hearing packed with Sheriff's personnel – many of whom are facing layoffs and still don't know if they'll see their last paycheck of this fiscal year.
Several in the standing-room-only crowd held signs with the slogan "Stop Taking Our Police" as board members listened to concerns expressed by the Sheriff's union and several deputies, who said the 2010 budget is stretching an already struggling department too thin.
Besides concerns with next year's budget, the Sheriff's Office is expected to run out of funds before employees can get paid their last paycheck of this fiscal year. Board members are expected to discuss that issue later this month.
The county-wide budget eventually passed Tuesday with members Deborah Allan, R-Elgin; Drew Frasz, R-Elburn; and Bonnie Lee Kunkel, D-Aurora; casting dissenting votes.
With a bad economy and shrinking county revenues, the proposed 2010 budget has been sliced and diced for months, and the $72 million budget passed Tuesday reflects a 2.4 percent reduction from last year. All county departments were asked to cut costs and present a reduced budget this sprint – halfway through this fiscal year.
Most complied with various sacrifices to personnel and services.
The largest portion of the county budget is for the Sheriff's Office, whose budget last year was $23 million
Sheriff Pat Perez has been accused of not cooperating with the board regarding cuts they requested of all county offices this spring.
But Perez has pointed out that he shaved 2.3 percent off his budget earlier in the year, and he fears public safety will be impacted if he is asked to cut further.
Perez could not attend Tuesday's meeting because of an illness.
Addressing the board before their vote Tuesday, Deputy Dennis Carroll, president of the union representing the Sheriff's employees, reminded members that the proposed budget is $2 million less than what the sheriff states he needs.
“We understand the need to cut back in hard times,” Carroll said. “However, I ask each of you, how do you know when you have cut too much?”
Carroll said that despite the union having proposed many concessions, “I don’t feel that this union can make the shortfall that is on the table today.”
Sgt. Craig Campbell asked the board to consider what value it puts on the Sheriff’s office and its employees and gestured to a group of eight young deputies who would face layoffs under the proposed budget.
“These are the faces you will be letting go,” he said.
In addition, Sheriff's employees still are in suspense over whether they will get their final paycheck in December, when the sheriff is expected to run over his yearly budget.
Lt. Ron Grommes also asked the board if they'll use contingency funds so sheriff's employees get their last paycheck of this year, so those affected can make the appropriate financial plans for their families.
But no decision was made Tuesday.
It was decided, however, to dip into contingency funds to offset this year’s $145,000 in “unforeseen expenditures” for the Judiciary and Courts Department, which was also facing an end-of-year shortfall.
Several board members admitted they felt the county's budget process is problematic and others spoke out to assure the Sheriff's department that they support them and want to see the department funded appropriately.
“I think we made improvements [to the budget process] but there are significant improvements that need to be made and this is a good example of that,” said Kunkel, D-Aurora.
Kunkel stated she felt the county board gave “intensive scrutiny” to many of the departments, but “a cursory one of our own,” and that there was no opportunity to make “value judgments” about the cuts.
A tearful Sylvia Leonberger, D-Aurora, agreed.
“I didn’t like the [budget] process," she said. "I didn’t understand the process."
Michael Kenyon, R-South Elgin, assured the crowd that the passage of the budget is not “the end of the world … it’s a continuation. Nobody wants to cut the Sheriff’s department or any of their staff,” he said, adding “we’ll always support our sheriff.”
Despite the budget’s passage, Carroll said, he felt hopeful about the “intentions and the spirit” expressed by board members.
“It is a good day to start from," said Carroll. But without answers to the possible payroll problem, Carroll said, he’s telling employees to “plan for the worst” and contact their creditors just in case.
The board will meet Tuesday, Nov. 24, to discuss whether or not to fund the department's last payroll of the fiscal year.
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