Kane Co. looks at increasing jail fee, declaring itself a 'Recovery Zone'

Kane County took two imperfect steps forward to improve its economic health on Wednesday, but heaped more scrutiny on a plan to improve the health of its residents.

County Board Executive Committee members all agreed a plan to increase the room and board fees charged to jail inmates who only serve time on the weekends must be increased. The current rate is $15 per day. Sheriff Pat Perez and Chief Judge F. Keith Brown want to double the amount. Board members suggested $30 is still not enough to cover the actual daily cost of housing an inmate. Board member Phil Lewis suggested an amount closer to $80 would be more appropriate. When other board members said $80 may not be affordable for an inmate, officials with an eye for the bottom line interjected.

"I have a solution for that," board member John Hoscheit said. "Don't break the law."

The Judicial and Public Safety Committee will take another look at the fee.

Also getting a hard look was a request to break the county's hiring freeze and add a $150,0000 salary to the budget. Health Department Executive Director Paul Kuehnert told the committee he believes the county must hire a new epidemiologist to track the swine flu outbreak and become the state's healthiest county. The current epidemiologist is an out-of-state contractor earning about $75,000. The new position would be a full-time medical doctor.

"In these times do we really think it's essential to bring in a $150,000 job here,?" County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay asked Kuehnert. "I just think it's a hard sell to our general public at a time when we're supposed to be cutting."

"I have to ask how the heck did we get along without this person last year,?" added board member Mike Kenyon asked. "Throwing money around like this, to the average person, would seem irresponsible."

The Executive Committee also voted to send a final proposal to the full county board that would declare the county a "Recovery Zone." The declaration would open the door for attractive lending and borrowing options for local businesses through the federal stimulus package.

County unemployment was 11.5 percent in June, 11th highest in the state. Home foreclosures as of July totaled 2,229, almost equaling the number for all foreclosures in 2007. The county had 3,451 foreclosures in 2008.