State begins new trend of late payments to Kane County

Having just learned the state might slash the share of income tax revenue it receives, Kane County has stopped seeing any income tax revenue at all.

The county hasn't seen a dime of income tax revenue from the state in nearly six months, Finance Director Cheryl Pattelli told the county board's Finance Committee Thursday. The county is already facing a $1 million shortfall to its budget next year if Gov. Pat Quinn's plan to reduce income tax payments to local governments by 30 percent goes through.

"This is kind of new for us," Pattelli said. "Tax collections should be monthly. I've never had it where they've just stopped."

The county has had ongoing issues with state disbursement of grant money, but never with a revenue item as vital as the share of the income tax the county receives. Compounding the delay is also a backlog of several months in the state's reimbursement of probation department employee salaries. Those salaries are being paid out of the county's savings right now. That's become more of an issue as the county has turned to its savings more frequently in recent years to address budget deficits.

Pattelli said she's watching the state's progress on budget solutions in hopes that both income tax and the probation salary reimbursements come to the county before the state begins its new budget year this summer.

"I anticipate we'll get our income tax," Pattelli said. "The question is when."

Pattelli also reported that employee salary payments for five departments - county clerk, judiciary, circuit court clerk, sheriff and adult corrections - are trending higher than they should be. If the trend continues it would place those departments at a budget deficit at the end of the year.