County judicial system headed for trouble

The budgets for the Kane County jail and the judicial system as a whole are on course for financial disaster as decisions made Thursday will leave the county with almost no room for the traditional last-minute bailout.

The county board's Finance Committee recommended paying for about $17,000 in cost overruns in the state's attorney's office and another $470,000 in an arbitration ruling for additional payroll costs in the sheriff's budget Thursday.

That leaves the county with only about $675,000 in emergency money to pay for unforeseen costs the rest of the year. A forecast predicts at least $1.3 million in unbudgeted costs.

The Finance Committee blasted State's Attorney John Barsanti, Circuit Court Clerk Deb Seyller and Jail Commander Pat Keaty for cost overruns Thursday. Managers of the county's court system may have faced the same treatment but did not show up to discuss the problem.

The severity of the situation may depend on where the county board draws the line on costs. For example, although the committee encouraged Barsanti to find a way to find $17,000 on his own, his request for a budget boost was passed on to the full board with a recommendation for approval.

Keaty did not receive the same treatment for his request for another $587,000.

"What's happened is the corrections department has chosen to employ more people than they had funds for," committee member John Hoscheit said. "We either have to decide if that's poor management or that we don't have enough resources there."

Keaty believes it's the latter. He also believes the federal government can solve most of the problem.

The jail expects to receive between $400,000 and $500,000 in reimbursements for the cost of housing illegal immigrant detainees, Keaty said. That reimbursement program was expected to be cut, but the county was recently notified it would receive funds again.

But even though that money is earmarked for corrections costs, angst over the perception of blown budgets in the sheriff's department the past couple of years may see that money go elsewhere. The county has not given the jail the money in past.

"We've already housed those people, and we've already paid for those people to be housed in the jail," committee member Cathy Hurlbut said. "My problem is you didn't do anything to try to cut your budget."

Keaty said further cuts would force the county to ship inmates to Kendall County and pay even more than it costs to house them locally.

"I don't have the privilege of saying I'm going to release inmates or I'm not going to accept inmates," Keaty said.