Kane deficit shrinks, but circuit clerk backlog still a problem

Kane County's budget deficit shrunk by more than $1 million Wednesday, at least on paper, in large part thanks to a promise by Sheriff Don Kramer that his office will finish in the black by the end of the fiscal year.

But there wasn't much detail about how he will do that.

County officials received rosier sales and video gambling tax projections Wednesday. Along with transferring money between accounts, and Kramer's promise, the deficit shrank to about $1.7 million, a drop from the previous hole of $2.8 million.

Kramer must find about $560,000 in new revenue or spending cuts to fulfill his promise. He did not attend the county board's budget meeting, though a spokesman did have responses to questions about the office's budget.

Joe Onzick, the county's finance director, said he believes most of Kramer's budget solution will be found by not filling job vacancies. That may be a challenge with Kramer recently reporting the county jail is operating near capacity. Kramer has made good on previous promises to close projected deficits in earlier budget years.

Assuming Kramer finds the money, nearly all of the remaining deficit results from a drop in collections by Circuit Court Clerk Tom Hartwell. His office is behind on collecting payments associated with court cases as his staff works to implement a new computer system.

Hartwell previously estimated the backlog to be about $1 million. Numbers presented Wednesday by Onzick show Hartwell is $1.68 million behind on fines and fees he was expected to collect this year. The county board gave Hartwell an infusion of new employees in recent weeks to help him catch up.

A new "enhanced" budget committee Thursday will begin the task of closing the 2017 budget deficit while looking forward to 2018. The committee will get some help on the 2018 budget from an efficiency study, which will examine programs and services the county must provide and how other counties provide those services. The hope is to cut costs by eliminating the unnecessary.

Some board members said the efficiency study would be successful only if it results in ideas that save more money than the $150,000 cost of the study. Some even feared the study might increase costs by uncovering unknown failings.

"When I'm going to spend money I'm hoping to have a return on that money," county board member Bill Lenert said. "It does seem like a lot of money to spend, and I don't know how beneficial the outcome will be."

Finance committee Chairman John Hoscheit said the study would be unlike anything done during his more than 20 years on the board as it brings in outside eyes to examine the county's operation. Those eyes may help create both short- and long-term cost savings, he said.

"Our mandate is to have a balanced budget," Hoscheit said. "We will get there."