Contentious meeting as veterans seek rent funding
By Bob Balgemann
ReporterBELVIDERE - The relatively new Boone County Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC) has outgrown its quarters on Cadillac Court, and plans to move into four rooms on the second floor of the downtown PNC building.
As such, monthly rent is going from $300 to $1,049 and the VAC is asking county government to pick up that tab.
Greg Kelm, commander of VFW Post 1461 in Belvidere, made the request of the county's finance, salaries and taxation committee at its meeting Tuesday night. A unanimous vote to recommend approval of the expenditure was made and referred to the full county board for consideration March 18.
But that only came after disagreements and heated exchanges between Kelm and Karl Johnson, committee chairman.
The finance panel was under a time constraint because another standing committee of the county board, city-county, was scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. That gave finance an hour to conduct its business and Johnson wanted to keep the meeting moving along.
A goodly number of veterans accompanied Kelm and some of them took Johnson's insistence for order as an infringement on their right to freedom of speech. There was more than one interruption from the audience, which prompted committee Vice Chairman Paul Larson to observe, "Public comment is over. Audience, please be quiet."
There always is time for public comment, at the beginning of the meeting, and Tuesday night no one signed up to speak. But that didn't keep them from letting their views be known as the meeting progressed.
Kelm started by revisiting what happened at an earlier administration and legislative committee meeting on March 2, as well as at the county board's annual retreat on Jan. 26. Johnson interrupted him, saying the purpose of the March 10 meeting was "not to rehash old wounds. We're here to consider the request for additional funding."
Right now the VAC budget of about $283,000 a year comes from a small property tax increase approved by voters in 2013. The county board initially gave commission start-up money, until tax dollars began coming in during June 2014.
One of two new committee members, Sherry Giesecke, said the VAC had a balance of $105,000 after its first full year of operation. The increased rent, totaling $13,000 a year, "wouldn't put much of a dent in the $105,000," she said.
But Kelm said the VAC is getting busier as it strives to assist Boone County veterans in need. "We're finding more need," he said. He added that of every $1 spent, 65 cents is going to help veterans.
In addition, he said the VAC "desperately needs a van," which would cost $60,000-$80,000.
Gieseke pointed to the need for the VAC to turn in detailed reports of how it spends taxpayers' money, naming animal control services and the county health department as examples of county departments doing that. "You deserve the very best," she said. "But you need to be accountable for the money."
"You'd like a better report, you'll get a better report," Kelm replied.
A COUNTY RESPONSIBILITY
There was disagreement over whether the county is responsible for paying the VAC's office expenses, including rent.
County board member Cathy Ward, attending in an ex-officio capacity, said state statutes were clear that it is the county's responsibility. Johnson disagreed, saying statute "talks in a lot of circles."
The community ultimately voted to ask Boone County State's Attorney Michelle Courier to request clarification of that point from the state Attorney General's Office.
After the committee vote Kelm continued addressing the issue, which prompted Larson to invite him to say after the city-county coordinating committee meeting. "We can talk, if you want to," he said.
But Kelm countered, addressing the audience, "Thank you for coming and seeing what I've been putting up with since 2011."
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