Kane County deficit gone, but not potential problems
A culmination of deep spending cuts erased a $5.9 million 2018 budget deficit for Kane County Wednesday. Despite no vocal objections, questions remain about how much support the plan has going into a final vote next week.
Officials filled the budget gap with $3.5 million in spending cuts. Withdrawing new spending proposals, a small increase in the property tax revenue to account for new parcels coming on the tax roll, and reserves account for the remaining budget solutions. But it's the impact of the cuts that will fuel "no" votes Tuesday.
The budget plan is particularly perilous for Democrats on the county board. The proposal eliminates the county's electronic monitoring program, which tracks defendants while they await trail. Some of those defendants face charges for violent crimes, including murder or sexual assault.
Employees in the monitoring unit are union members. But they aren't the only county employees facing either job loss or a lean 2018.
The budget plan includes no provision for employee raises. All 13 of the county's union contracts are up for renegotiation. Board members who crafted the budget said any raises might trigger job cuts to free up cash for the remaining staff, a plan deemed "forced attrition."
Some officials are already consolidating positions. County Clerk Jack Cunningham deleted three management positions to slash $200,000 from his budget.
Other officials, like Chief Financial Officer Joe Onzick, will take pay cuts to keep all his staff in place.
Union officials already decried the budget plan as a political ploy heading into negotiations. But even if the unions fuel "no" votes by all 10 Democrats on the board, it won't be enough. The budget needs only 12 "yes" votes plus county board Chairman Chris Lauzen as a tiebreaker.
Interviews suggested as many as eight "no" votes in play as of Wednesday afternoon. There are efforts to coalesce the dissenters around a yet-to-be-determined alternative budget.
Ideas in the mix all involve more extensive use of reserves or working cash to address the deficit.
Lauzen took pre-emptive action to shift board members to the "yes" column by labeling any opposition as "spenders."
"Bad things are happening," Lauzen said. "The decision you get to make is whether you are going to respond or not. Sticking your head in the sand and hoping nothing happens, it never works. Proper action is being taken by this group. But we are not out of the woods. The votes take place next Tuesday. That's when we'll be able to determine if we are going to stand as saviors or spenders."