Kane County Judicial/Public Safety Committee met Sept. 22.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
***SPECIAL MEETING***
1. Call To Order
Chairman Molina called the meeting to order at 1:30 PM.
2. Roll Call
PRESENT Board Member Myrna Molina
Board Member Bill Lenert
Board Member Michael Linder
Board Member Bill Roth
Board Member Vern Tepe
Board Member Rick Williams
ABSENT Board Member Michelle Gumz
Ex-Officio County Board Chair Corinne M. Pierog
Also present: Co. Bd. members Daugherty*, Lewis; Sheriff Hain & Undersheriff Johnson; State's Attorney Mosser & staff Hunt, Frank, Shepro; Public Defender Conant; Coroner Russell; Circuit Clk. Barreiro & staff Herwick, Johnson; ITD staff Peters; and members of the press and public.
3. Remote Attendance Requests
There were no remote attendance requests for today's meeting.
4. Approval of Minutes: None
None.
5. Public Comment (Agenda Items)
None.
6. Monthly Financial Reports
A. Monthly Finance Reports
Chairman Molina stated the monthly financial reports were on file. No additional report was made.
B. FY24 Budget Presentation - Vacant Positions
No presentation was made.
7. Sheriff/Adult Corrections (R. Hain)
A. Monthly Report
Sheriff Hain stated the monthly report was on file. No additional report was made.
B. Authorizing the Kane County Sheriff’s Office Purchase of a Bomb Squad X-Ray Machine
KC Finance and Budget Committee
RESULT: MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE
TO: KC Finance and Budget Committee
MOVER: Bill Roth
SECONDER: Michael Linder
AYE: Myrna Molina, Bill Lenert, Michael Linder, Bill Roth, Vern Tepe, and Rick Williams
ABSENT: Michelle Gumz, and Corinne M. Pierog
C. Authorizing the Kane County Sheriff’s Office New Administration Wing Project and a Budget Adjustment to the Capital Fund
Sheriff Hain addressed questions and comments from the Committee. KC Finance and Budget Committee
RESULT: MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE
TO: KC Finance and Budget Committee
MOVER: Bill Lenert
SECONDER: Bill Roth
AYE: Myrna Molina, Bill Lenert, Michael Linder, Bill Roth, Vern Tepe, and Rick Williams
ABSENT: Michelle Gumz, and Corinne M. Pierog
D. Authorizing the Re-Appointment of Todd Zies to the Kane County Sheriff’s Office Merit Commission
KC Executive Committee
RESULT: MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE
TO: KC Executive Committee
MOVER: Michael Linder
SECONDER: Bill Roth
AYE: Myrna Molina, Bill Lenert, Michael Linder, Bill Roth, Vern Tepe, and Rick Williams
ABSENT: Michelle Gumz, and Corinne M. Pierog
E. Authorizing the Kane County Sheriff’s Office to Implement a Standard Security Protocol to Enhance and Maintain Safety Measures for the Kane County Government Center
Sheriff Hain addressed questions and comments from the Committee. KC Judicial/Public Safety Committee
RESULT: HELD OVER
TO: KC Judicial/Public Safety Committee
AYE: Myrna Molina, Bill Lenert, Michael Linder, Vern Tepe, and Rick Williams
NAY: Bill Roth
ABSENT: Michelle Gumz, and Corinne M. Pierog
F. FY24 KCSO Budget Presentation
Sheriff Hain presented the Kane County Sheriff's Office FY24 Budget. He reviewed the amount of staff the Sheriff's Office oversees. Currently, there are 15 vacancies. The Sheriff's Office has three new positions: Social Work Director, LEADS Coordinator, and Correction's Command Executive Assistant. Hain presented a graph depicting the history of the Sheriff's Office financials. Over the past six years, the Sheriff's Office has come in under budget. He noted the changes that will affect the 2024 budget, such as the removal of OEM, impact of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA), and the addition of a new bargaining unit. The proposed revenue for 2024 is approximately $4M. Hain addressed questions and comments from the Committee. Discussion ensued.
8. State's Attorney (J. Mosser)
A. Monthly Report
State's Attorney Mosser stated the monthly report was on file. No additional report was given.
B. FY24 SAO Budget Presentation
State's Attorney Mosser thanked Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Hunt and the Kane County Finance Department for their work on the budget. She noted that this was the first week of the Safe-T Act implementation. Thus, made for a busy work week with respects to the budget process.
CFO Hunt provided a presentation on the State's Attorney Office's (SAO) FY24 Budget. He stated that the SAO is complex and is based upon a system of teams focused on specific assignments and responsibilities. He presented the SAO's FY24 Budget Organizational Chart Summary. He summarized the financial structure of the SAO. The SAO's Criminal Division operates as part of the County's General Fund. The other divisions and departments operate through seven significant active Special Revenue Funds and nine other lesser Special Revenue Funds. The proposed revenue budget is $1.692M, this is a $188K decrease from last year's amended budget. The proposed expense budget is $10.648M, which is an increase of $115K from FY23. Hunt presented a graph depicting the 2024 General Fund Revenue/Expense budget. The largest component of revenue is for services. The non-union salary wages are the largest expense. Hunt compared the 2023 Amended Budget to the 2024 Submitted Budget. He reviewed the "Significant" Special Revenue Funds, such as Civil Division and Domestic Violence unit. He noted that none of the Special Revenue Funds receive any portion of property taxes. Hunt presented the 2024 Special Revenue/Expense Funds. He summarized each "Lesser" Special Revenue units' revenue/expense budgets. To date, the SAO has 161 budgeted filled positions, and 26 vacant positions. The total for personnel expense is $14,577,216. Hunt noted that position titles do not equate to an individual employee. He spoke on the Human Resources' (HRM) Equity Project. He stated that the SAO will continue to work with HRM to see how this will affect the SAO. Hunt and Mosser addressed questions and comments from the Committee. Discussion ensued.
Mosser commented on the work that has been done and what is still needed in the SAO. She spoke on the spike in crime throughout Kane County and the affects it has on the office. She stated that crimes the Child Exploration Unit deals with are increasing. For many years, these types of crimes were not investigated to the extent they are now. Mosser summarized the amount of cases investigated over the last year in special units. Due to these increases, the SAO needs to hire additional attorneys with adequate salaries. Last year, the SAO lost approximately 20 staff members due to higher paying positions. It is crucial that the County finds a way to raise salaries in order to hire and retain adequate staffing.
9. Public Defender (R. Conant)
A. Monthly Report
No report was made.
B. FY24 Public Defender Budget Presentation
Public Defender Conant presented the FY24 Budget. She reviewed the office's headcount of 41 attorneys, 11 support staff, and 2 investigators. Currently, there are seven vacant positions. Due to the implementation of the Safe-T Act, there are four new open positions. Conant reviewed the opened and closed files from the past five years. In 2023, there were 4,706 opened cases and 5,072 closed. She spoke on the increase in murder appointments. Presently, there are currently 20 open murder cases in the Public Defender's Office. Conant compared starting salaries with similar-sized surrounding counties. The starting salary for a Kane County Public Defender is $62K per year. DuPage County's starting salary is $82,500. Currently, Kane County has nine misdemeanor assistants making less than $78K, and has 11 felony assistants making less than $82,500. Conant spoke on the need for salary increases. As a result of the Pretrial Fairness Act, the office is participating in Pre-Trial Release Weekends. The Pre-Trial Fairness Act mandates every person charged with a crime to be represented by the Public Defender's Office. Due to this, there is increased amounts of discovery that need to be reviewed prior to the hearing. This increases the workload of the attorneys. Instead of having only one attorney available for these added hearings, in 2024, the Public Defender's Office is seeking to have an additional two attorneys available on Sundays to handle all detention hearings from the weekend. Conant reviewed the salaries and wages of her staff. She is seeking an increase of $585K for FY24 to raise the salaries of her staff. Conant explained that an additional budget increase for 2024 is through the contractual expenses. They are asking for $70,004, which is an increase of $1,550. Conant explained that the office is working diligently to fill their vacant positions to help with the abundant workload. Even though it may look like the office is running efficiently without these positions, the current staff is working day and night to make sure the mandated work is getting completed promptly and accurately. However, without adequate pay, these positions are difficult to fill. Conant addressed questions and comments from the Committee. Discussion ensued.
10. Circuit Clerk (T. Barreiro)
A. Monthly Report
No report was made.
B. FY24 Circuit Clerk Budget Presentation
Circuit Clerk Barreiro provided her office's FY24 Budget. She reviewed the primary duties of the Circuit Clerk's Office. She shared the several locations her office is mandated to staff. Highlights from 2023 include winning the 2023 Tyler Excellence Award, increasing the entry level pay to $17.75, and receiving over $1M in grants. Barreiro shared the organizational chart. There are 94 filled full-time positions with ten vacant positions. She reviewed the duties of the Clerk's Office due to the Pretrial Fairness Act. She spoke on the elimination of bond money and the $75 warrant fee. In 2019, the money earned from bonds that was paid to the County's General Fund in the amount of $530,717. The amount collected from warrant fees was $95,120, with approximately $50K going to the Sheriff's Office. Barreiro defined the critical needs of the Clerk's Office, such as staffing all 32 courtrooms and completing the increasing workload on the current Kane County Information Technologies Department (ITD) case management system. She provided numerous reasons to justify staff wage increases. Currently, the Circuit Clerk's Office is within the competitive pay range with surrounding counties, however, this will change in the near future. The proposed revenue for FY24 is $5,890,645, and the total expenditures are $7,832,759. Barreiro presented a graph depicting the Fees Waived/Revenue Loss. Over the past two years, the office is working with less revenue, but producing more expenses. She listed the reasons for the decrease in revenue, such as court fees being waived and the utilization of remote court. In the General Fund, Barreiro has asked for no additional staff besides the mandated Safe-T Act positions. She spoke more on the vacant positions. She explained that the budget, as is, is misleading due to the number of expenses that are not listed. The total expense for personnel is $5,640,058. She spoke on shifting money from other County funds to help other departments. For example, 75% of the RTA Sales Tax goes to Transportation for bridges and roads. She noted that this amount could be shifted to help fund more public safety departments. Barreiro and staff addressed questions and comments from the Committee. Discussion ensued.
11. Coroner (R. Russell)
A. Monthly Report
No report was made.
B. FY24 Coroner’s Office Budget Presentation
Coroner Russell presented the FY24 Budget. He spoke on the vacant positions. With respect to the Finance Department's Vacant Position Presentation, the Coroner's Office has 17 filled positions and one vacancy. Russell spoke on the misleading information that the Finance Department's Vacant Positions presentation gives. He explained how the Coroner's Office staffing works. Currently, the office has 13 filled positions with no vacancies. Russell spoke on the collateral duties of himself and staff. Russell spoke on the expenditures that go along with the job process. The Coroner's Office has two accounts they work out of: General Fund and Special Fund. The autopsy and personnel expenses come from the County's General Fund. Russell noted that personnel is the largest expense. The Coroner's Office does not have a change in headcount. He broke down the components of the General Fund. Russell spoke on the large caseload per Deputy Coroner. On average, there are over 500 cases per Deputy Coroner per year. Each case takes about 10 to 12 weeks to conclude. He compared the expenses from the past five years. The total expense budget for FY24 is $1,517,905. Russell spoke on the difficulties of projecting expenses. He reviewed the Special Fund's revenue and expenses. The Special Fund account covers all commodities, vehicles, training, miscellaneous contractual services, operating supplies, and accreditation of the office. Russell addressed questions and comments from the Committee. Discussion ensued.
12. Old Business
None.
13. Place Written Reports on File
RESULT: APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE
MOVER: Bill Roth
SECONDER: Michael Linder
14. Executive Session (If Needed)
None.
15. Public Comment (Non-Agenda Items)
None.
16. Adjournment
RESULT: APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE
MOVER: Bill Roth
SECONDER: Rick Williams
This meeting was adjourned at 3:27 PM.
https://www.countyofkane.org/MeetingMinutes/6931/23-09-22%20Spec..pdf
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