New year will see major decisions on taxes, transportation, justice

The year 2008 set the stage for a 2009 that will either see continued hard times stemming from a struggling economy and despairing, angry voters looking for continued change, or a period of hope, rebuilding dreams and new growth in Kane County and the Tri-Cities. Odds are, the year will more likely be a mix of both. Here's a look at the stories we expect to fill many headlines to come in 2009:

Kane County

• Despite the opening of a brand new jail in 2008, the county housed many more inmates outside the county than it planned for, pushing the budget for dealing with the overcrowding way past the anticipated need. The jail has the potential to add more beds, but that also means hiring more correctional officers. That's a move the county simply can't afford, and it's sent a message that the expansion won't happen any time soon as the county is in a hiring freeze for the foreseeable future. The question for 2009 is will the county be able to steam line the courts process enough to cut down on the number of inmates in the jail who are waiting for trial at any given time.

• Related to the issue is how long can the county get by with just a minimal budget cut across the board and a hiring freeze if the economy doesn't rebound in early 2009. Layoffs already occurred in the Health Department to cut the county's most costly expense: employee salaries. A second special election to fill Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat would once again tax a Kane County Clerk's budget pushed into the red, in part, because of the special election to fill Dennis Hastert's vacated seat in the House of Representatives.

• One way to increase jobs in the county may be through construction, but that will only happen if the county gets some financial contributions for the projects through the state (which is broke) or the federal government. If President-elect Barack Obama does indeed create a public works project reminiscent of the Works Progress Administration of the Great Depression, some projects, including more bridges over the Fox River, could be fast-tracked. If so, commuters may see less traffic congestion sooner than they thought, at least until the commercial growth that is expected to follow the construction takes seed.

• Get ready for a tug-of-war that begins with the heart strings as the county receives money to deal with foreclosed properties through the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac bailout. The money may be a political conundrum for elected officials as advocacy groups push for a big chunk of the cash to create group homes for the mentally and physically disabled, but neighborhoods fight the projects because of long-held stigmas about such group homes.

Kane County Courts

• Erika N. Scoliere should have her day in court in 2009. The case has already taken a few wild turns with misplaced evidence and Facebook photos being used to argue bond violation. The St. Charles teen is accused of reckless homicide and driving under the influence stemming from an incident back in July 2007 when police say her 2003 Ford Escape struck a motorcycle driving by Frank Ferraro, 40, of South Elgin. Ferraro died as a result of his injuries.

• The bench trial of two sisters accused of their 84-year-old mother is also set to begin in March. Jill Barry, 47, and Julie Barry, 54, face two counts of criminal neglect in a case where police found their mother covered in ants and lying under urine-soaked sheets.

• The trail of the three carnival workers charged with beating and stabbing a St. Charles woman to death should also begin in 2009. The victim, Naromi N. Mannery, was the first homicide in St. Charles in five years.

St. Charles

• The big news in town will surely be the pursuit of a $294 million referendum by St. Charles Unit District 303 if the school board decides to put such a question on the April ballot. The board will make that call in January, but an opposition group has already formed to defeat the question from even getting the chance to have a communitywide vote.

• The sentiments of the community toward the school district's tax increase investigation may play a large part in the composition of the school board going forward as the majority of the board is up for re-election with four seats on the ballot. Likewise, the city council, including the mayor, and the park district will all have a majority of their elected offices on the April ballot.

• Also in store for unincorporated residents of St. Charles is a tax increase to build a new fire station staffed by St. Charles fire personnel to cut response times. The tax increase with definitely be on the April ballot, but the price tag has not yet been determined.

Geneva

• Geneva residents will get to rejoice in the opening of a brand new Fabyan Elementary school in the later part of 2009, out in the Mill Creek Subdivision. On the other side of the coin, the school board will continue puzzling over what to do with the old Coultrap Elementary and the former Fourth Street School. There will be no school referendum in 2009 as previously anticipated, so questions still linger about space at the high school level.

• A chain reaction of movement may occur if and when the Kane County Regional Office of Education moves out of the old Sixth Street School and the Geneva Public Library decides to buy the old school for an expansion. All the moves hinge on when the Kane County Forest Preserve finished rehabbing and refitting the Fox Valley Ice Area for its new offices.

• Geneva residents satisfied with the direction the community is headed also will have a chance to re-elect Kevin Burns for a third term.

Batavia

• Like all other local communities, Batavia will also have local elections in April 2009. However, Batavia may very well have a new mayor depending on whether or not Jeff Schielke decides to run for office again. As of Christmas week, Schielke had not made an announcement either way.