Kane County Board adds furloughs, considers unpaid holidays

Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham could've been the first winner of his own $100 challenge if he'd showed up at a county board meeting Tuesday that continued the debate about ways to slash $3.8 million from the budget.

Layoffs remain a possibility. For the first time, so are unpaid, involuntary days off and unpaid holidays thanks to action and discussion by elected officials.

Cunningham began a contest to bestow $100 on the county employee with the best ideas to cut the budget. In announcing the challenge, Cunningham suggested unpaid holidays as one possible alternative to layoffs. County Board Member Mike Kenyon decided to put some money where Cunningham's mouth was and had county staff work some numbers about the savings unpaid holidays could reap. There are 10 paid holidays for county employees every year. Making just four of those holidays unpaid would save about $965,000, Kenyon discovered.

"It makes good sense," Kenyon said. "Why go through the trouble of having a furlough day if they are off anyway. I really do think this is a good idea."

So good, in fact, that Kenyon showed up with a $100 to give to Cunningham for bringing it to the board's attention. Cunningham was absent so Kenyon decided the money goes back into the contest.

"The winner must be present," Kenyon laughed.

Board Member Jesse Vazquez quickly reminded the officials that Cunningham's office was over budget last year and one of the main contributors to the county finishing in the red.

"Maybe he can keep his clerk's office under budget this year to help us out," Vazquez said.

Despite those ideas, the county board still voted to add furloughs to its personnel policy as a method to cut employee costs. Union contracts still don't call for furloughs or unpaid holidays for those employees. Layoffs remain the only method to cut union employee costs. Board members left the implementation of furloughs up to department managers, but suggested employees volunteering for layoffs would be welcome.

Board Member Jim Mitchell said department managers should have the ability to factor in performance and salaries into the decision about how to distribute furlough days. His thinking was that, in some cases, it makes more sense for one person with a high salary to take one furlough day than it does for four people who make a lower salary to each take a day furlough. Mitchell also said managers should be given the opportunity to tag employees who do the bare minimum of work with more furlough days than an employee who always exceeds expectations.

The rest of the county board expressed some agreement with those ideas but rejected them as Human Resources Executive Director Sheila McCraven warned unequal distribution of furlough time may open the door to discrimination lawsuits.