One Kane Co. budget request favored, other gets snubbed

While the saga of one blown budget in Kane County found a peaceful resolution Tuesday night, the discussion over a second blown budget resembled something closer to two enemies sticking their tongues out at each other.

Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez and Kane County Circuit Court Clerk Deb Seyller both have budgets at least $500,000 less than what they believe is needed to run their departments in 2010. So it was no surprise when they both asked the county board for more money in their 2011 budgets Tuesday. The difference is, Perez might actually get that money.

Perez came loaded with comparative charts showing staffing levels from year to year and a list of cuts he's made to chop away at his budget every year he's been in office. His staff is smaller. His overtime is cheaper. And he's helping negotiate a new contract for medical services at the county jail that may save $300,000 a year. Not only that, he indicated he might even be willing to cut a couple more jail employees if really necessary. Those proved to be magic words to the county board who saw a slew of departments asking for more money Tuesday.

Even though Perez is set to blow his budget for the jail by more than $500,000 this year, suddenly the county board was smiling and agreeing that a willingness to cut to the bone is exactly what they wanted to hear.

"Thank you," County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay said. "Now we're getting somewhere."

McConnaughay even went so far as to indicate Perez' budget this year was intentionally underfunded because she believed the jail only needed about 107 employees. It currently has about 122. It now appears the board might be willing to give Perez more money in 2011 if the new number becomes 120 employees.

In contrast, the board spent more than an hour arguing with Seyller over 14 new employees she added to her staff beginning at the end of 2009. About six of those hires replaced people who had quit. Eight of the hires added new costs to the payroll. Seyller's requests for about $500,000 of more money for her 2010 budget have been rejected at every county board committee she's pitched it at. Her 2011 budget request builds that $500,000 of shortfall in, plus factors in raises that her union staff may negotiate in a new contract. Those costs account for a request about 22 percent above Seyller's current budget. The county board was not nearly as receptive to Seyller as they were to Perez.

"I'm a little shocked, I guess, at a 22 percent increase," County Board Member Phil Lewis said. "You and I serve the same constituents. You and I know the foreclosure rate in Kane County is the highest it's ever been. You and I know there's 12 percent unemployment in the county. Why is it that you believe the circuit clerk's office is so special that it's appropriate for this board to either raise the taxes on our citizens, which I will not do, or move money from other departments' budgets?"

Seyller repeated throughout an hour of questions similar to Lewis' that she has legal obligations to meet that she simply can't without more money and the staff she's already hired.

"You're sitting there making, more or less, accusations that I run an inefficient office," Seyller said. "That's an insult."

The board is set to take a final vote on budget proposals in October.