Plan to build new Kane County morgue signals end to political feud
The conclusion to one of the longest-running political squabbles in Kane County appears to be in sight.
The centerpiece of the truce would be a new facility of up to 55,000 square feet that would provide space for a morgue, vehicle maintenance and countywide storage.
It also may mark a new level of cooperation among county board Chairman Chris Lauzen, Coroner Rob Russell and the county board.
The site for the facility would be on the existing judicial center campus, south of Route 38. Though some plans with all the bells and whistles envisioned an expense approaching $14 million, members of the board's administrative committee signaled they will constrain the project to what can be built with financing through a $10 million general obligation alternative revenue bond.
Unlike the more common general obligation limited tax bond, the borrowing won't be backed by a property tax increase. Instead, the county will use its share of state income tax proceeds to support the deal.
With a projected annual interest rate of 3 percent, the total price of borrowing will come to $12.58 million. To pay for it, the county will spend down money earmarked for judicial center campus upgrades by $1.64 million to cover the first five years of bond repayments. It will then use money freed up by the retirement of a 2013 bond issue to cover the last five years of payments.
That structure cleared both financial and political hurdles to proceed with the project.
Lauzen questioned for months where the money would come from to build the facility after a clear majority of board members signaled a new coroner's facility was a priority.
The new facility deal eased Lauzen's concerns about potential tax increases, use of RTA sales tax funds that could delay transportation projects or pinning the deal on unknown proceeds from a possible sale of land the county owns on Fabyan Parkway.
"There are fewer moving parts in this now," he said. "There has been an unprecedented drop in long-term interest rates. It fell off a cliff. We want to take advantage of that."
The comments were subdued yet meaningful with Coroner Rob Russell in the back of the room. Lauzen and Russell, though fellow Republicans, have been political rivals since they first took their respective offices in 2012.
Lauzen worked to defeat Russell in two elections and often clashed with him over the running of the coroner's office. The name calling eased after the 2016 election, but while Lauzen passively endorsed the concept of a new coroner's facility in recent months, he had never signaled full support of a plan until Wednesday.
The county's morgue has been an ongoing source of public embarrassment. Last summer, high temperatures combined with an overflow of decomposing bodies at the facility to permeate the county campus with a putrid odor. Before that, a mold scare forced emergency air testing.
At one point, a light switch powering a cooler was accidentally turned off, leading to the destruction of police evidence. There are not even showers available to employees transporting bodies.
The full county board must approve the plan before it moves forward. Such a vote could occur within the next four weeks.
"Righteous persistence pays off," Russell said.