After several no-shows, sheriff works on budget with Kane Co. board members

The millions lost by expelling federal inmates from Kane County jail can all be balanced out with corresponding expense cuts, according to Kane County Sheriff Don Kramer. But he's still going to need an additional $800,000 to stay out of the red this year.

Kramer made his first appearance Thursday before a county board committee in more than two months. It was a gesture toward burying the hatchet of blame associated with losing a $2.5 million contract earlier this year to house federal prisoners. The board's judicial and public safety committee kept Kramer's interrogation to a minimum while waiting for the results of a joint number-crunching session between Kramer's finance director and the county's overall finance director Thursday afternoon.

At that meeting, Kramer said he would present the specific line items where he has and will cut expenses to account for the lost federal income. He'll also make the case that there is no room to cut an additional $800,000 out of his budget to address a loss of income from declining foreclosure activities.

“It's the ebb and flow of business,” Kramer said in an interview after the meeting.

County officials agree a decline in foreclosures is a positive development for county residents — if it's really happening. There is some sentiment that Kramer's office simply may not be processing the foreclosures fast enough to meet the budgeted income expectations.

Research from the Woodstock Institute indicates foreclosures continued a downward trend in Chicago's six county region between 2013 and 2014. In Kane County, foreclosure filings dropped nearly 40 percent.

However, Kane County Court Administrator Doug Naughton said there's been a slight increase in foreclosures to begin this year. There is some expectation of another foreclosure wave as homeowners who refinanced at the beginning of the housing bubble find new problems paying their principal balance, Naughton said.

“I'm sorry to say it's too early to tell,” he said of the 2015 foreclosure outlook.

That creates a murky picture for Kramer's budget. If foreclosures kick back into high gear, the revenue may close the $800,000 shortfall he is expecting. If not, he'll ask the county to give him those additional funds.

“If this is actually the case (that foreclosures are down), it's something to celebrate,” said county board Chairman Chris Lauzen. “We'll take a hit on the revenue if people are actually staying in their homes.”

But the board isn't just going to give Kramer the cash without further scrutiny of the budget for the sheriff's office, said judicial and public safety committee Chairman Cristina Castro. Kramer must continue to rebuild trust with the board while also demonstrating a true need, she said. Castro is hoping a full opening of the books between Kramer and the county's finance department can find new savings.

“I'm going to be cautiously optimistic,” she said, “but also prepare for the worst.”