Kane County Judicial/Public Safety Committee met June 15

By Philip Gonzales

Aug 16, 2023

Kane County Judicial/Public Safety Committee met June 15.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

1. Call To Order

Chairman Molina called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM.

PRESENT Board Member Myrna Molina

Board Member Michael Linder

Board Member Bill Roth

Board Member Vern Tepe

REMOTE Board Member Michelle Gumz

Board Member Rick Williams

ABSENT Board Member Bill Lenert

Ex-Officio County Board Chair Corinne M. Pierog

Also present: Co. Bd. members Allan*, Daugherty*, Juby, Kenyon, Kious*, Silva* & Strathmann*; KaneComm Dir. Guthrie; Under Sheriff Johnson; Sound Expert Dr. Thunder; Auditor Wegman; Dir. of OEM Mensching; State's Attorney Mosser; Coroner Russell*; Public Defender Conant; Court Funds Reps. Brad Labrum* & Heath Rosenstein*; Cir. Clk. Barreiro; Comm. Analyst Buschbacher; ITD Exec. Dir. Fahnestock*; Chief Judge Hull & staff Mathis; Sp. ASA Shepro; Court Srvs. Exec. Dir. Aust; KCDC Dir. Tsang; Treasurer Lauzen; Dev. Dir. VanKerkhoff; and members of the press and public.

2. Roll Call

3. Approval of Minutes: May 11, 2023

RESULT: APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT

MOVER: Vern Tepe

4. Public Comment

Mel Pohlman from Blackberry Township provided a brief video of various outdoor vehicles that have been disrupting his neighborhood. He expressed concern with the noise ordinance exceptions.

5. Monthly Financial Reports

A. Monthly Finance Reports

Chairman Molina stated the monthly financial reports were on file. No additional report was made.

6. Merit Commission

Chairman Molina stated the monthly report was on file. No additional report was made.

7. KaneComm (M. Guthrie)

A. Monthly Report

KaneComm Dir. Guthrie stated the monthly report was on file. She highlighted ongoing spatial and staffing needs. Discussion ensued regarding the following resolution.

B. Authorizing the Emergency Systems Telephone Board Chairman to Enter into an Agreement and Authorize the Expenditure of Funds for the 9-1-1 Radio Communications Study

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, Michelle Gumz, Michael Linder, Bill Roth, Vern Tepe, and Rick Williams

ABSENT: Bill Lenert

8. Sheriff/Adult Corrections (R. Hain)

A. Monthly Report

Under Sheriff Johnson stated the monthly report was on file. She briefly detailed the following resolution.

B. Authorizing an Intergovernmental Agreement Between DuPage County, Illinois, and Kane County, Illinois, for Reciprocal Housing of detainees

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, Michael Linder, Bill Roth, Vern Tepe, and Rick Williams

REMOTE: Michelle Gumz

ABSENT: Bill Lenert, and Corinne M. Pierog Page 2 of 6

9. Emergency Management

A. Monthly Report

Dir. of OEM Mensching briefly summarized the monthly report. He highlighted the campus fire department inspections that were recently completed.

10. State's Attorney (J. Mosser)

A. Monthly Report

State's Attorney Mosser stated the monthly report was on file. She highlighted position vacancies and other challenges. She announced a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the new Victim Witness Room located at the State's Attorney's Office on June 23, 2023 at 3:30pm. She noted that there will be a special appearance by Senator Linda Holmes.

11. Public Defender (R. Conant)

A. Monthly Report

Public Defender Conant stated the monthly report was on file. She highlighted vacancies, as well as current interns.

12. Judiciary & Courts (Hull/O'Brien)

A. Monthly Report

Chief Judge Hull noted that they are still awaiting the implementation of the SAFE-T Act. He spoke on the retirement of Judge Chuck Petersen.

B. Authorizing the Use of Courtfunds, a Jury Payment System, for the Judiciary

Deputy Court Admin. Mathis briefly summarized the following resolution. Much discussion ensued.

Court Funds Rep. Rosenstein detailed the jury payment process. He spoke on the benefits of utilizing cards and the disadvantages of the current process of compensating jury members.

Treasurer Lauzen discussed data that his staff Mata had compiled regarding the efficiency of paying with checks. Additional discussion ensued regarding the benefits of shifting away from check usage for payment.

KC Finance and Budget Committee

RESULT: MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE

TO: KC Finance and Budget Committee

MOVER: Bill Roth

SECONDER: Bill Roth

AYE: Myrna Molina, Michelle Gumz, Michael Linder, Bill Roth, Vern Tepe, and Rick Williams

ABSENT: Bill Lenert

13. Court Services Administration (L. Aust)

A. Monthly Report

Court Srvs. Exec. Dir. Aust stated the monthly report was on file. She highlighted that in the month of April, there were no resignations.

B. JJC Housing Report

Court Srvs. Exec. Dir. Aust stated the JJC Housing Report was on file. She spoke on position vacancies and recent audits on the Juvenile Justice Center that ranked them the best juvenile detention facility in the state. Discussion ensued.

C. KCDC Annual Report FY2022

Kane County Diagnostic Center (KCDC) Dir. Tsang provided the FY22 KCDC Annual Report. She highlighted staff members, as well as their background and experience. She stated that her department is fully staffed. She noted a number of services provided by her department, including psychological evaluations, treatment, crisis management, and expert testimony. She detailed examples of these services. She presented percentage data showing which of their services were most utilized. She spoke on divorce and sex offender services, as well as Spanish-speaking capabilities. She mentioned the focus on trauma and related crimes, which included a trauma-sensitive treatment room. She spoke on memory reprocessing and other events that she has been involved with. She presented a comparison chart of referrals which have increased from 2020, adding about 100 cases per year. She provided her contact information for any further questions or comments. Much discussion ensued regarding the history of these programs, costs and funding.

14. Circuit Clerk (T. Barreiro)

A. Monthly Report

Circuit Clerk Barreiro stated the monthly report was on file. She noted that the May 2023 report was missing. She can provide a copy to anyone who is interested. She stated that the number of phone calls have increased, but their number of employees have decreased. She announced that her office has received $148K in collections for April 2023 and that the annual report has been sent out. She spoke on Senate Bill 208, which may affect local government. More information on this Senate Bill can be found at www.ilga.gov.

15. Coroner (R. Russell)

A. Monthly Report

Coroner Russell stated the monthly report was late and will be on file shortly. He mentioned that his annual report will be sent out electronically.

16. Old Business

A. Amending Chapter 15 of the Kane County Code

Dev. Dir. VanKerkhoff introduced Sound Expert, Dr. Thunder, from Pingree Grove to speak on the Chapter 15 noise ordinance. He provided an intricate presentation with data points and graphs that went into great detail regarding permissible noise, industry terms, time frames, personal experiences, the history of monitoring and citing noise complaints. Discussion ensued regarding recommendations, consistency, monitoring devices, legal terms for the ordinance, and objectivity.

Dir. VanKerkhoff recommended working with the SAO to return next month with a revised ordinance. Chair Molina suggested a Special JPS meeting.

RESULT: INFORMATIONAL ONLY

17. Place Written Reports on File

RESULT: APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE

MOVER: Rick Williams

SECONDER: Bill Roth

18. Executive Session (If Needed)

None.

19. Adjournment

RESULT: APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE

MOVER: Rick Williams

SECONDER: Bill Roth