Kane County Board members won't give up benefits
Kane County Board members received an opportunity Tuesday to reduce the county's costs by about $177,000 next year. All they had to do was agree to receive the same insurance and pension benefits all other part-time county employees receive - nothing.
There were no volunteers.
Board members face a budget gap for 2017 of over $5.3 million as of Tuesday. All county departmental budgets are now accounted for in that budget process. Several departments presented budgets Tuesday that lowered the previous budget projection of $5.7 million.
Much of the good news came in the form of higher-income and lower-cost projections from the building management, county recorder and development departments.
"This is a happier meeting than our last meeting was," county board Chairman Chris Lauzen said. "But we are still $5.3 million away from having a balanced budget."
Having said that, Lauzen rehashed a discussion from earlier this summer about countywide elected officials receiving raises. He said Kane County gets a "great deal" with his leadership because he doesn't use a full-time administrator to handle day-to-day operations like neighboring counties do. Lauzen then thanked the minority of board members who voted to give the chairman position a raise for the term beginning Dec. 1.
But because the raise was rejected, Lauzen said, he will reconsider forgoing the pension and benefits package that comes with the chairman job.
He presented a chart showing the county saved $98,000 over the past four years by Lauzen declining those benefits. His decision to take the benefits would add at least $22,000 in costs to the 2017 budget.
Half the county board is also up for re-election in November. Like the chairman's position, adjustments to the official compensation of the board can't occur within an existing term, unless elected officials individually decline benefits.
Lauzen presented a chart showing the cost of each board member's benefits to county taxpayers. For board seats on the ballot this year, the cost of those benefits is about $177,000. For the entire board, the benefits cost taxpayers about $318,000. Several board members boosted the $25,000 salary of their positions with benefit packages exceeding $20,000 this year.
Lauzen pointed out that county board members are part-time employees.
"Although I do have enormous respect for a number of the board members who do commit a lot of time to their constituents, currently all other part-time employees in the county reimburse the county 100 percent of health care costs."
Lauzen then asked if any board members would consider changing the board member compensation to that of other part-time employees, even on a phase-in basis. No board members raised their hands.
A new state law signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner this week will eliminate all pensions for any new county board members elected in November. All veteran Kane County Board members must work at least 600 hours to qualify for pension benefits.
Lauzen said most other surrounding counties set a 1,000-hour standard. He asked if any board members would be willing to adjust Kane's 600-hour standard. No board members raised their hands.
With that now added to the background of the ongoing budget debate, the county board's finance committee will meet Wednesday to receive an update on how negotiations are progressing with the sheriff, curt services, state's attorney and public defender's offices. Those four departments alone have requested $3.57 million in new spending for 2017.