Committee rejects budget increase of Circuit Court Clerk

When Kane County Circuit Court Clerk Deborah Seyller pitched a 2010 budget on Tuesday even more costly than what she requested last week, there may have been some method behind what county board members perceived as madness.

Seyller and the board clashed earlier this year in a struggle over her budget overages in 2009 that resulted in both sides securing outside attorneys to settle differences. The lawyers were dismissed last week as the board's Judicial and Public Safety Committee tried to put all differences aside in discussing Seyller's 2010 budget request.

The initial request called for a 12.2 percent increase. After much discussion about employee counts, raises and the mandated functions of Seyller's office, the committee told Seyller to come back with a 2010 budget request that better reflects the county's need to slash another 4.5 percent overall.

On Tuesday, Seyller proposed a budget calling for a 27 percent increase and did so with a message that there is a good reason other departments can and should be cut before hers.

"I'm not going to commit any more crimes for this board," Seyller said. "I'm sorry." The comment was in reference to Seyller's admission last week that she illegally pays all or part of the salaries for some employees from funds that can't be used for such an expense.

"Well, your budget is 27 percent above last year," committee Chairman Mike Kenyon told her. "How are we supposed to do this?"

Seyller said that's the increase she needs to make her payroll legal again. She also said there is an extensive list of non-mandated costs the board could cut, starting with whatever mileage reimbursements county board members receive.

Kenyon countered that he and several other members have not taken mileage and returned parts of their salaries.

"If we all came here and worked for nothing, we couldn't make up your deficit," Kenyon said.

The committee debated Seyller's need for new employees, but Seyller wouldn't budge from saying she needed at least four new people to adequately staff courtrooms. In the end, the committee passed a budget for Seyller that is flat from 2009 except for the mandated union pay raises and health care cost increases.

After the meeting, committee members expressed shock that Seyller came with a 27 percent budget increase request despite them telling her to lower her request. But Seyller said it's possible for someone to look at the committee's decision on her budget and view it as a backdoor message to continue illegally paying some employees out of improper funds. If a lawsuit ever develops from that, Seyller said she's not going to be the only person on the hook.

"Now that I've put it out there you can believe that I'm not going to take it alone," Seyller said. "It's called covering your (self)."