Fee increases may solve Kane Co. 2015 budget shortfall

Kane County residents will pay more for such services as marriage licenses, death certificates and real estate transfers under a new plan to close an $800,000 budget deficit looming for next year.

County officials began the 2015 budgeting process with a $2 million shortfall. Board members cut that gap in half last month with by trimming health insurance costs, finding more state money for probation officer salaries and deciding to leave as many vacant positions unfilled as possible. Then they went fishing for new revenue by commissioning a review of service fees charged by the county in the clerk, sheriff, recorder and animal control departments.

The study, revealed Wednesday, showed Kane County charges less than neighboring counties for 17 different services. More importantly, the fees charged for those services don't cover the cost to provide them. For example, Kane County charges law firms representing mortgage lenders an $88 fee to process evictions. But completing the task costs $125.

Individual board committees will review the proposed fee increases for the departments they oversee. Committee members will then recommend to the full board which fee increases should be implemented by the November full county board meeting.

If approved, the cost of birth, death and marriage certificates would increase $5 for a total of $14 each. The cost of a tax deed would increase $13 to a total of $18.

County board Chairman Chris Lauzen recognized fee increases may not be popular for residents using the services. He defended the new fees as legitimate increases to cover costs and a more palatable alternative to raising property taxes.

Finance Committee Chairman John Hoscheit said there's a calculated risk involved with increasing fees.

"When user fees go up, the use goes down," Hoscheit said. "That's economics."

Judging from past county fee increases, Hoscheit is still betting on reaping enough new income to close the $800,000 budget gap.

Debate, at the committee level, on the individual fee increases will begin in mid-October. The county's 2015 fiscal year begins at the close of November.