Kane won't use $1 million for ice arena to solve budget deficit

Kane County Board members decided Tuesday the one place they won't go looking for a secret cookie jar of money to solve budget woes is the $1 million they've promised the forest preserve district to help pay for the purchase of the Fox Valley Ice Arena.

County board members are also forest preserve district commissioners. Each entity has a separate budget. However, when the decision to purchase the ice arena was made, county board members put on both hats and decided to share the costs since it would ultimately benefit both the forest preserve district and the county. The problem now is the forest preserve district budget is looking a lot better than the county's budget.

With that as a backdrop, county board member Deborah Allan suggested holding off on giving the $1 million to the forest preserve district.

"I don't think we should make this transfer at this time," Allan said. "We have, in our budget meetings, been declaring a financial crisis for the county. I don't think we should be removing $1 million from any of our funds for the forest preserve district at this time."

Allan suggested withholding the transfer, and at least considering using the $1 million to chip away at the county's budget deficit, would help the county's credibility if it decides to turn to the employee unions for help with cutting costs.

County board member and Forest Preserve District President John Hoscheit said that would be poor financial policy. Hoscheit said the $1 million sits in the county's environmental fund related to the closed landfills. As such, that money is earmarked for capital projects, such as the ice arena.

"I philosophically disagree with using capital funds to solve operating fund deficits," Hoscheit said. "This maximizes the value of the (old) jail site as a potential economic development in the long term."

Other board members agreed in overriding Allan and approved the $1 million transfer.