Kane Co. board wants to know now if departments are over budget

If you're going to run over budget in Kane County, you may be better off being immediately in the red than waiting until the end of the fiscal year.

That was the subtle message delivered by members of the Kane County Board's Finance Committee Wednesday as Public Defender David Kliment received a thumbs-up for the extra funds he said he'd need almost as soon as the fiscal year began three months ago.

Kliment came to the Judicial and Public Safety Committee in January saying he needed $66,000 to fund contractually obligated raises for unionized support staff in his office plus the replacement of a senior-level attorney. The figure shrank to about $57,000 as Kliment held open an entry level position for three months to save money.

"This brings us to what the chief judge and I have agreed is the minimum level of staffing I need," Kliment said. "I do not anticipate anyone else leaving, but that could change between now and when I get back to my office."

The public defender has complained to county board members in the past that his staff is underpaid compared to counties of similar size. Raises have been mostly absent, making turnover a larger issue than in other public defender offices, he has said.

Kliment has an overall salary budget of about $2 million.

The Finance Committee approved the budget increase with few questions. The request must still be heard by the board's Executive Committee and full county board before final approval.

Finance Committee members also learned Wednesday that salaries in the Circuit Clerk's office are trending about $350,000 over budget, if spending stays on the current pace throughout the year. The office has eight new employees. Finance Committee members said they hope Circuit Clerk Deb Seyller comes to one of their meetings soon to explain the salary overage and how she expects to deal with it.

Contacted by e-mail after the meeting, Seyller said she plans to present a budget resolution to address the situation at an upcoming Judicial and Public Safety Committee meeting.