Will tax levy freeze remain as Kane County faces bigger deficit?

Facing an even larger deficit than projected for 2017, Kane County officials on Tuesday began to debate raising taxes for the first time in five years.

As members of Kane County's justice system presented budget plans, it became clear that maintaining the county's frozen property tax levy will be more difficult than projected.

For the past couple months, the county board sharpened pencils against a $4.5 million projected budget deficit for 2017. But budgets presented by state's attorney, public defender, sheriff and other members of the justice system showed a $5.7 million deficit.

With that number highlighted, county board Chairman Chris Lauzen painted a scenario in which those who want budget cuts support the tax freeze but anyone asking for money would be supporting “maximum tax and spend.”

“I'm very much in favor of continuing with the freeze,” Lauzen said. “But I don't even have a vote. If decisions aren't made now, two months from now you'll be casting votes to put yourself somewhere on that spectrum.”

Supporting a budget that unfreezes the property tax levy to the maximum amount allowed without asking voters would bring the county about $1 million in new income. However, that still won't be enough to close the deficit.

Lauzen decided to ask every county official requesting more than a 2 percent increase in spending whether they support the property tax freeze or not. They all said that's a question for the county board to answer.

But then Sheriff Don Kramer stepped to the microphone.

Kramer is asking for about $1.2 million in new spending. Of that, about $900,000 is related to the 2.5 percent raise for his 260 employees.

“That levy can't be frozen forever,” Kramer said.

The sheriff said he's spoken to dozens of people in recent days after his decision to pull officers out of local schools and return them to patrol duty because he isn't comfortable having just seven officers to patrol the entire county at any given time.

“If I have to take the hit and I'm the bad guy, the one who made your taxes go up, then don't re-elect me,” Kramer said. “I have to do the job the right way. It's the right thing to do.”

Kramer said if the county would have unfrozen the levy two or three years ago, there would not be a large deficit to address for 2017. He also suggested year-end surpluses don't all need to be set aside for future capital projects and rainy days.

“I look at reserves as being for a time and place when you need to use it,” Kramer said. “It's up to you to decide if now is the time and place.”

Lauzen said every year of the tax freeze put more money back into local taxpayers' pockets, and using reserves to address ongoing spending increases just sets up the county for trouble when the reserves run dry.

Kramer responded that giving employees across the county raises for the past several years is what moved the county toward financial trouble. If cuts must come, Kramer said, they shouldn't come at the expense of public safety.

“If you keep giving raises every year, (the money) has to come from somewhere,” Kramer said. “I'm begging the county board to support public safety. In this day and age, it's pretty important.”

Lauzen pointed out that the sheriff's budget grew by $4 million the past three years.

“So we're not cutting a thing; we're adding,” Lauzen said. “Take back to your officers our respect and our affection. We do appreciate what they do.”

Even after a three-hour debate, the county board had not trimmed back any of the $5.7 million deficit.