Kane County Judicial and Public Safety Committee met January 11.
Here is the minutes provided by the Committee:
1. Call to Order
Chairman Martin called the meeting to order at 9:00 am.
Attendee Name; Title; Status; Arrived:
Rebecca Gillam Board Member Present
Kurt R. Kojzarek Vice Chair Late 9:04 am
Bill Lenert Board Member Present
Monica Silva Board Member Late 9:04 am
Thomas Smith Board Member Present
Susan Starrett Board Member Late 9:12 am
John Martin Chairman Present
Also present: Co. Bd. Chairman Lauzen; Co. Bd. members Kenyon, Sanchez, & staff Nagel; Finance staff Waggoner, Dobersztyn; Adult Drug Court Judge Kostelny & staff Wessel; Court Svcs. staff Hill, Smith, Tsang; JJC Supt. Davis; ITD Exec. Dir. Fahnestock & staff Peters; Sheriff Kramer; Judiciary staff Naughton, O'Brien; KaneComm Dir. Farris & staff Guthrie; Coroner Russell; Circuit Clk. Hartwell; Public Defender Childress; Asst. State’s Atty. Engerman; Merit Commission staff; and members of the press & public.
2. Approval of Minutes: December 14, 2017
Result: Approved With Voice Vote [Unanimous]
Mover: Bill Lenert, Board Member
Seconder: Thomas Smith, Board Member
Ayes: Rebecca Gillam, Bill Lenert, Thomas Smith, John Martin
Absent: Kurt R. Kojzarek, Monica Silva, Susan Starrett
3. Public Comment
None
4. Monthly Financial Reports
Monthly financial reports were included in the agenda packet. Finance staff Waggoner reported no FY18 overages in the General Fund at this time. A couple of the Special Revenue Funds have been trending higher than recommended but they are not a concern. Finance has been working on closing out FY17. According to reports ran yesterday, the only overage in the General Fund was for the Coroner's Office. A resolution will be presented today for the committee's consideration.
5. Specialty Court Update
Referencing a PowerPoint presentation not included in the agenda packet, Adult Drug Court Judge Kostelny provided an overview of the Drug Rehabilitation Court (DRC), Treatment Alternative Court (TAC), and the new Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) programs. (Kojzarek and Silva arrive @ 9:04 a.m.) She reviewed participant statistics and qualifications for each program. Kostelny provided an update on grant funding and court certifications. Effective January 1, 2018, the State of Illinois has mandated each Chief Judge to establish a Veterans and Service Members Court program. Kostelny reviewed the process used to create the VTC. (Starrett arrives @ 9:12 a.m.) Starting February 1, she will preside over all three courts. Kostelny reported the Kane County Specialty Court Advisory Board would now help with fundraising for all of the Kane County Specialty Courts. She introduced the Problem Solving Courts facility dog, Forrest.
6. State's Attorney (J. McMahon)
Asst. State's Atty. Engerman provided an update on filing statistics for 2017-2018. He presented the following resolution:
A. Resolution: Authorizing Participation in the Appellate Prosecutor Program
This authorizes the participation in the service program of the Office of the State's Attorney Appellate Prosecutor for Fiscal Year 2018, commencing December 1, 2017 and ending November 30, 2018. It further appropriates the sum of money not to exceed $42,000.00 for the express purpose of providing a portion of the funds required for financing the operation of the Office of the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor on request during the Fiscal Year 2018. Said funds shall be paid as follows: $42,000.00 from line item 001.300.300.50150.
Result: Moved Forward With Voice Vote [Unanimous] Next: 1/31/2018 9:00 am
To: Finance And Budget Committee
Mover: Susan Starrett, Board Member
Seconder: Kurt R. Kojzarek, Vice Chair
Ayes: Rebecca Gillam, Kurt R. Kojzarek, Bill Lenert, Monica Silva, Thomas Smith, Susan Starrett, John Martin
7. Sheriff/Adult Corrections (D. Kramer)
1. The monthly reports were included in the agenda packet. Sheriff Kramer noted mandated overtime has been very high in the correctional center. He has been down eight staff with about 12 more off on Workman's Compensation. Kramer discussed the challenges of hiring new personnel. There will be testing for new applicants later in January.
Chairman Lauzen shared his concerns regarding comments made by officers at the County Board meeting in December. They stated, "Our community should fear for its safety," and "Increasing the number of officers at the jail is the only way to avoid more incidents in the future". When asked if he agreed with those comments, Sheriff Kramer discussed the progress he has made since taking office. Referencing a slide presentation, Lauzen discussed a graph reflecting a $4M increase in expenses over revenue for the Sheriff’s Office from 2014-2018. He reviewed spreadsheets showing the salaries of Correctional Officers noting over 100 officers are paid over six figures per year. He acknowledged the importance and dangers of the job. Lauzen concluded that enormous sacrifices have been made by the taxpayers to pay for public safety. Referencing a previous comment made by Kramer, Lauzen asked him to provide a list of the employees that have left the county due to pay and a better workload at the DeKalb County Jail. He felt it would show the Board members how serious of an issue this has become. Lauzen asked for an update on the Delnor incident and a status on the officer involved. Kramer responded that he is limited on what he can say due to ongoing litigation. There has been a determination of all the officers that have violated the policy. He anticipated all discipline would be handled through arbitration. Lauzen shared his concerns over inconsistencies in articles regarding the number of officers needed for the jail system. He asked Kramer how many employees were presently out on medical leave. Kramer responded the Daily Herald's report was inaccurate. They currently have 116 employees. He has budgeted for 124 employees. He said he has never intentionally let any position go vacant. There have not been enough applicants or people passing the psychological testing. They are currently eight officers short. People have been out on FMLA recovering from surgeries or an injury. Some employees have intermittent FMLA where they can work but also call in sick whenever they want. His department has been monitoring the people that call in sick frequently or have a pattern of sick time abuse. Currently, there are 12 that he cannot be sure they will be able to come to work every day. That has been in addition to only having 116 officers. Brief discussion occurred.
8. Judiciary & Courts (Chief Judge Clancy Boles/D. Naughton)
The monthly reports were included in the agenda packet. Staff Naughton announced they have been awarded a Federal Grant. A resolution will be presented in February to allocate the grant funds.
9. Court Services Administration (L. Aust)
The monthly report was included in the agenda packet.
10. Juvenile Justice Center (M. Davis)
Supt. Davis reported the monthly reports were included in the agenda packet. He presented the following resolutions:
A. Resolution: Authorizing an Intergovernmental Agreement with Kendall County for Juvenile Detention Services
This authorizes an intergovernmental agreement with Kane County wherein Kane County will guarantee housing for up to seven Kendall County minors at its Juvenile Justice Center with a per diem charge of $120 per day per minor. The new intergovernmental agreement is to commence on date of acceptance by both parties, and expire on December 1, 2020.
Result: Moved Forward With Voice Vote [Unanimous] Next: 1/31/2018 9:00 am
To: Finance And Budget Committee
Mover: Rebecca Gillam, Board Member
Seconder: Kurt R. Kojzarek, Vice Chair
Ayes: Rebecca Gillam, Kurt R. Kojzarek, Bill Lenert, Monica Silva, Thomas Smith, Susan Starrett, John Martin
B. Resolution: Authorizing an Intergovernmental Agreement with McHenry County for Juvenile Detention Services
This authorizes an intergovernmental agreement with Kane County wherein Kane County will guarantee housing for up to 12 McHenry County minors at its Juvenile Justice Center with a per diem charge of $120 per day per minor. The new intergovernmental agreement is to commence on date of acceptance by both parties, and expire on December 1, 2019.
Result: Moved Forward With Voice Vote [Unanimous] Next: 1/31/2018 9:00 am
To: Finance And Budget Committee
Mover: Susan Starrett, Board Member
Seconder: Rebecca Gillam, Board Member
Ayes: Rebecca Gillam, Kurt R. Kojzarek, Bill Lenert, Monica Silva, Thomas Smith, Susan Starrett, John Martin
11. KaneComm (D. Farris)
The monthly reports were included in the agenda packet. KaneComm Dir. Farris reported they are on schedule to go live with the new CAD system in March. He commended Tele communicator Powel for her professionalism and diligence in handling a call that led to a rapid capture of a suspect who assaulted a 13 year old.
12. Merit Commission
None
13. Circuit Clerk (T. Hartwell)
Circuit Clk. Hartwell reviewed statistics from his monthly reports included in the agenda packet. His department has been short staffed. They have been working to fill those positions.
14. Public Defender (K. Childress)
Public Defender Childress stated the resolution that was tabled at the December Committee meeting would be presented again in February. Her department has been working to redistribute workloads within her office to work more efficiently. Their statistics at the close of 2017 showed a decrease in workloads in one area. Cases in the felony division have increased about 30% over the course of the last two years.
15. Coroner (R. Russell)
The monthly reports were included in the agenda packet. Coroner Russell reported the opioid challenge has continued while heroin use has gone down. The use of synthetic opioids have increased. They have been killing people at an alarming rate.
A. Resolution: Authorization to Amend FY2017 Budget
Chair Martin asked to table until they have time to look at final figures from FY17.
Result: Tabled [Unanimous] Next: 2/15/2018 9:00 am
Mover: Susan Starrett, Board Member
Seconder: Bill Lenert, Board Member
Ayes: Rebecca Gillam, Kurt R. Kojzarek, Bill Lenert, Monica Silva, Thomas Smith, Susan Starrett, John Martin
16. Executive Session (if needed)
None
17. Place Written Reports on File
Result: Place Written Reports On File [Unanimous]
Mover: Susan Starrett, Board Member
Seconder: Rebecca Gillam, Board Member
Ayes: Rebecca Gillam, Kurt R. Kojzarek, Bill Lenert, Monica Silva, Thomas Smith, Susan Starrett, John Martin
18. Adjournment
Result: Adjourned By Voice Vote [Unanimous]
Mover: Thomas Smith, Board Member
Seconder: Susan Starrett, Board Member
Ayes: Rebecca Gillam, Kurt R. Kojzarek, Bill Lenert, Monica Silva, Thomas Smith, Susan Starrett, John Martin
This meeting was adjourned at 9:53 am.
http://kanecountyil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=15&ID=2022&Inline=True
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