Kane County treasurer takes battle stance on budget cuts
Kane County Treasurer David Rickert gave a county board committee an ultimatum Tuesday in response to recent budget cuts by refusing to collect a new tax unless the county funds the additional work.
In doing so, Rickert joins Circuit Clerk Deborah Seyller as the second elected department head to rebel against an across-the-board 5.5 percent midyear budget cut.
Seyller last week said she won't answer the county's switchboard any more because she's not legally required to do so. Both actions serve, at a minimum, as notice that elected department heads will only be pushed so far to do more with less before they push back.
In Rickert's case, the push comes against a tax that would be paid only by 16 homeowners in unincorporated Elgin Township who have had flooded property dating back to the deluges of September. The homeowners would pay the tax for 10 years in trade for the county helping them solve drainage failures. All told, the homeowners would only be on the hook for a total of about $1,000 a year.
Rickert's office traditionally collects such Special Service Area taxes, but he is not legally bound to do so. So, with the recent budget cuts, he's decided to divert his time and resources elsewhere unless the county imposes an additional fee to cover the estimated $900 in the staff time associated with creating the bills and mailing them out.
"I'm not opposed to this, but someone has to pay for this," Rickert told the county board's Development Committee.
"How much would it cost, Dave?" Asked Committee Chairwoman Cathy Hurlbut, of Elgin.
"To begin with, it would be the $35,000 you cut from my budget earlier this year," Rickert said.
Calling it a public health concern, committee member John Hoscheit, of St. Charles, summed up the committee's reaction to Rickert's line in the sand.
"I think it's ridiculous to say that we'd hold this (project) up," Hoscheit said. "My opinion is that this is grandstanding by the treasurer."
The committee moved the project along, but left Rickert's concerns unanswered. The problem compounds if Rickert stops collecting taxes from other Special Service Areas, such as those recently created to address flooding in Campton Hills.
"I think this issue is going to come to a head very shortly," said County Board Attorney Ken Shepro. "If the agreements that are in place are not going to be honored the board will have to take some action."
After the meeting Rickert said his stance is a matter of being able to meet the budget cuts the board has imposed on him.
"I have a responsibility to the taxpayers to come in under budget," Rickert said. "I just want to do my job."