Government Center

719 S. Batavia Ave., Bldg. A

Geneva, IL 60134

Kane County

KC Judicial/Public Safety

Committee

Meeting Minutes

MOLINA, Lenert, Gumz, Linder, Roth, Tepe, Williams & ex-officio Pierog (County Chair)

Friday, September 22, 2023

1:30 PM

County Board Room

***SPECIAL MEETING***

Call To Order

Chairman Molina called the meeting to order at 1:30 PM.

Roll Call

Board Member Myrna Molina

Board Member Bill Lenert

Board Member Michael Linder

Board Member Bill Roth

PRESENT

Board Member Vern Tepe

Board Member Rick Williams

Board Member Michelle Gumz

ABSENT

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.

Remote Attendance Requests

There were no remote attendance requests for today's meeting.

Approval of Minutes: None

None.

Public Comment (Agenda Items)

None.

Monthly Financial Reports

Monthly Finance Reports

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

report was made.

FY24 Budget Presentation - Vacant Positions

No presentation was made.

Sheriff/Adult Corrections (R. Hain)

Monthly Report

Sheriff Hain stated the monthly report was on file. No additional report was

made.

Authorizing the Kane County Sheriff’s Office Purchase of a Bomb Squad X-Ray

Machine

KC Finance and Budget Committee

RESULT:

TO:

MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE

KC Finance and Budget Committee

Bill Roth

MOVER:

Michael Linder

SECONDER:

Myrna Molina, Bill Lenert, Michael Linder, Bill Roth, Vern Tepe,

and Rick Williams

AYE:

Michelle Gumz, and Corinne M. Pierog

ABSENT:

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:

TO:

MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE

KC Finance and Budget Committee

Bill Lenert

Bill Roth

MOVER:

SECONDER:

Myrna Molina, Bill Lenert, Michael Linder, Bill Roth, Vern Tepe,

and Rick Williams

AYE:

Michelle Gumz, and Corinne M. Pierog

ABSENT:

Authorizing the Re-Appointment of Todd Zies to the Kane County Sheriff’s

Office Merit Commission

KC Executive Committee

RESULT:

TO:

MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE

KC Executive Committee

Michael Linder

Bill Roth

MOVER:

SECONDER:

Myrna Molina, Bill Lenert, Michael Linder, Bill Roth, Vern Tepe,

and Rick Williams

AYE:

Michelle Gumz, and Corinne M. Pierog

ABSENT:

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:

TO:

HELD OVER

KC Judicial/Public Safety Committee

Myrna Molina, Bill Lenert, Michael Linder, Vern Tepe, and Rick

Williams

AYE:

Bill Roth

NAY:

Michelle Gumz, and Corinne M. Pierog

ABSENT:

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.

State's Attorney (J. Mosser)

Monthly Report

State's Attorney Mosser stated the monthly report was on file. No additional

report was given.

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.

Public Defender (R. Conant)

Monthly Report

No report was made.

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)

Monthly Report

No report was made.

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)

Monthly Report

No report was made.

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.

13.

Old Business

None.

Place Written Reports on File

RESULT:

APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE

Bill Roth

MOVER:

Michael Linder

SECONDER:

14.

15.

16.

Executive Session (If Needed)

None.

Public Comment (Non-Agenda Items)

None.

Adjournment

RESULT:

APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE

Bill Roth

MOVER:

Rick Williams

SECONDER:

This meeting was adjourned at 3:27 PM.

Savannah Valdez

Recording Secretary