Kane chairman: 2019 spending requests are 'nonstarters'

The consistent themes of 2019 budgets presented by Kane County department leaders are some form of "we need more."

But the consistent theme from the county's own financial projections is the county will have less in 2019.

The monetary tug-of-war is familiar to anyone who has followed the county's budget process in recent years. Every year the budget pitches create some sort of hole - in this case, a $5.2 million deficit - heading into the next fiscal year. Yet every year the county seems to close its books with a surplus approaching seven figures or more.

That's part of why county board members weren't panicking about the deficit during budget presentations this week.

But there was at least one subtle difference: For the first time since 2011, board members asked the finance department for revenue projections of what a full-blown property tax increase would generate.

In the past couple of years, the board has increased the property tax levy only to account for new dollars coming in from new construction coming onto the tax roll. What's being discussed in increasingly public fashion is what raising the property tax levy to also include the largest nonreferendum amount under state law would look like.

County board Chairman Chris Lauzen made it clear he won't support such an increase.

"Even if the majority of this board wants to put their names on a maximum tax-and-spend plan, we are still $5 million away from (eliminating the deficit)," Lauzen said. "The budgets as submitted in some of these agencies are nonstarters. I don't think it's possible to wiggle those all the way back to a balanced budget."

One of the budgets Lauzen is most concerned about comes from Sheriff Don Kramer. The sheriff's office has more than 80 employees who earn at least $100,000 a year in salary and benefits.

"We have a real dilemma here," Lauzen said. "Four years ago, it cost us $5.7 million less to provide public safety in Kane County than it does under this budget. We are going up $1.6 million more this year alone."

Kramer attributed most of the spending to the union contracts the county board has approved and rising health care costs. Lauzen countered by asking Kramer if he needs all the personnel in his office.

"I need the 90 deputies I have," Kramer said. "If you were to ask me to reduce it by five, I could not do that. I could not reduce my patrol by one officer or my corrections officers by one person."

Indeed, Kramer indicated his office needs up to 20 more people. Emergency response calls now average a response time of about 12 minutes, he said.

The county board has until late fall to lock in a 2019 budget.