Kane Co. may withhold cash from state

Money is so tight in Kane County that officials are considering entering into a game of chicken with the state of Illinois.

County board executive committee members decided to look into the ramifications of withholding payments it sends to the state until the state catches up on its backlog of payments to the county. The state is nearly $1 million behind on payments it owes the county health department.

County board member Jim Mitchell first suggested the plan, but it was immediately endorsed as a "great idea" by Chairman Karen McConnaughay. The county's legal staff will do some research before the county decides to follow through.

The idea was one of several discussions by board members Wednesday that marked the area's tough economic times.

Human services committee members also gave preliminary approval to hire four new case managers in the department of employment and education. The department helps prepare people for layoffs and offers job retraining programs. The new case managers will be paid by a federal grant.

"We are seeing so many people now because of the downturn in the economy that we just can't keep up with them," said Sheila McCraven, the county's director of human resources.

The most recent numbers show 111 businesses in the county have gone through layoffs so far this year. About a dozen of those cases involved 50 or more employees.