Cost of settling squabble shocking

The good news is that our sheriff has found the funds to cover the extra compensation for his staff. This was done without going to court with the added expense of legal help — good for all involved.

When we first heard of the concern to cover the wage increase, I thought, oh no, not another costly court case for citizens to pay.

You do remember the last dispute over extra funds for employees with the circuit clerk’s office and county management, right? That did go to court and our taxpayers spent some $460,000 to settle that in legal fees for both sides.

I looked at that settlement again when the sheriff was looking for extra funds. I reviewed my last real estate tax bill paid and I found that I contributed $300 to the county. That did not include the separate line items of forest preserve or retirement contributions.

Only using that number I thought I would look at how many Kane County homeowners it took to cover that $460,000 expense. Divide the $460,000 by $300. And, oh no, it can’t be right. I found if every dollar we invested in this one expense, it took 1,533 households at $300 to pay that $460,000 fee. Sorry, I could have found a better use for that money. Bet you could have also?

A related thought — asking for extra compensation in this economy could have been reconsidered. The security of that job with our sheriff would satisfy many; ask someone who has had no job for a year or more if they would be happy with last year’s pay or not.

Ron Petrucci

Campton Hills