Kane board member says county can't afford 3rd year of raises

At least one Kane County Board member will vote against a third straight year of salary bumps for the county's highest-paid employees because he hasn't seen enough evidence that the county can afford them.

Board member Phil Lewis told board Chairman Chris Lauzen's executive committee he will vote "no" on 2.5 percent raises for 11 department heads next week. The raises are already factored into the budget for 2016, as are equal raises for union and nonunion county employees. Lewis voted in favor of the overall county budget. Now he wants a better public accounting of how those raises will be funded.

"We're adding millions to our personnel expense this year," Lewis said. "If we're going to continue to do this - and I'm anticipating next year we'll be wanting to have a flat levy - I think it's appropriate for this board to evaluate how we're able to afford these increases and where the money is coming from."

Lewis said not accounting for how new expenses are funded is in the mold of Springfield politicians. He doesn't want the county to go down that road.

Lauzen and other board members shot back that the time for that conversation was during the budget process, which lasted just about all of fall. Lauzen pointed to a $70 million reduction in t he county's debts as symbolic of the financial flexibility available to fund ongoing raises.

There can be a discussion on where the specific money for the raises comes from, but not before or during the full county board meeting next Tuesday, he said. That's when the full board will vote on the department head raises.

"I don't want to mislead you that on Tuesday we're going to have some general discussion of the budgets of the county," Lauzen said. "That's not what's on the agenda."

Lauzen has pushed to make department head salaries more competitive with those in neighboring counties since he took office in November 2012.

That push has fueled pay bumps of what would be about 13 percent since 2013 for most of the department heads if the full board approves the pending raises.

Board member Drew Frasz has been supportive of the nonunion raises, including those for department heads.

"What we're voting on is to align nonunion employees with other union employees," Frasz said. "For years, every time we vote on the budget and raises it was exempt for nonunion employees. They bore the brunt of our cost savings for at least five years."

The raises for the department heads would add about $30,000 in base salary expenses to the budget.