Kane County looking to increase even more court fees
In Kane County, a starting corrections officer at the jail gets paid more money than the starting assistant state's attorney lawyer who prosecuted the inmates. But any county resident entering the court system may soon pay to reverse that fact.
Chief Judge F. Keith Brown Tuesday proposed increasing more than 50 fees and fines associated with both civil and criminal offenses. The increases range from a $5 hike on civil damages filings of less than $250, to a $125 increase on forcible entry case filings with damages greater than $15,000.
The increases, if implemented, are expected to net the county about $1.1 million in new income. The county can increase the fees thanks to the recent Census kicking Kane's certified population beyond the 500,000 mark. Brown's proposal piggybacks on the county board's recent vote to increase the fines associated with petty offenses, such as traffic tickets, to provide funding for the county center that provides services to children during abuse investigations.
Brown's proposed fees may help the county fund the costs for new technology to track cases and increased personnel costs associated with the four new judges coming to the county. But Brown said he's also in favor of using the money to fund a more starting pay grade for state's attorneys that is more competitive.
Starting assistant state's attorneys in Kane County are paid $40,000. All other surrounding counties pay at least $50,000. A starting corrections officer in Kane County is paid about $43,000. Sheriff's office employees are unionized and assistant state's attorneys are not, Brown pointed out. Board members didn't knock sheriff's officers for their pay, but said they were uncomfortable with the pay gap.
“There's an outward migration from Kane County to virtually any other county,” county board member Bonnie Kunkel said. “It is quite sad. It's a complement that we continue to have such incredible quality despite it all. But it's amazing to me that people who don't have college degrees are pretty consistently making more money than people who have law degrees.”
Sheriff Pat Perez was not present for the discussion. In a telephone interview, Perez said the salary comparison is unfair. Perez said sheriff's department employees are based on peer salaries in neighboring counties, but also on arbitration agreements the county board has knowingly signed off on.
“The board signs all these collective bargaining agreements,” Perez said. “There's also an element of danger we face that no other county employees do that we're being paid for. If the pay is low for the (assistant) state's attorneys, that's not my fault. It's also not the state's attorney's fault. That's up to the county board. Getting us involved is making an apples to oranges comparison.”
County board members said they are open to Brown's proposed fee increases but only if they are tied to specific expenses. The fees would funnel into the county's general fund, which is the major account used for the majority of county expenses. Board members will discuss the fee increases during the upcoming 2012 budget deliberations.