$20,000 luncheon won't be a casualty of Kane County budget cuts

A Kane County committee decided Tuesday that a $20,000 employee recognition lunch is at least as important as the jobs it recognizes, even if keeping it results in more layoffs or pay cuts to employees.

Every year the county has an employee luncheon in June and a holiday party at the end of the year to recognize employees for jobs well done and boost morale.

With pay cuts, unpaid holidays, early retirements and layoffs all on the table this year, it's perhaps the morale booster that led county Human Resources Director Sheila McCraven to recommend keeping the luncheon in place.

The luncheon, McCraven said, already is accounted for in her department's budget and there is no need to cut it because she's already found another 5.5 percent in savings to her department's bottom line through attrition.

The $20,000 cost covers food plus a fruit basket and small gift for every one of the 1,340 employees in the county. The cost comes to $14.92 per employee.

McCraven said the luncheon will help show that county officials still value their employees no matter what monetary impact elected officials hang on their paychecks to balance the budget.

"It is worth the money we are going to spend," McCraven said.

No member of the county board's Human Services Committee disputed the value of employee recognition or the employees themselves. The cost of the lunch, however, seemed questionable to some.

"It's very tough for me to spend $20,000 when we are laying people off," said board member John Fahy, of West Dundee.

Committee members debated letting employees decide for themselves if the luncheon should go on or be eliminated to help spare jobs. Fahy said he didn't think he'd change his mind even if the majority of employees wanted to keep the lunch.

"My opinion would be swayed more by the one employee whose job would be saved," Fahy said.

In the end, committee Chairman Mark Davoust, of St. Charles, decided to let the luncheon stand without a committee vote.

The fate of the holiday party is not yet up for debate.

In other discussion, the committee also said raising insurance premiums for employees may be considered to help balance the budget. At a cost of $14 million, health insurance for employees is the largest expense in the budget's general fund.

Lunch: Holiday party hangs in the balance