My View: Boone County's fines, fees need recheck - Opinion - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

• Posted Aug. 15, 2015 at 12:46 PM

  BELVIDERE — The words “fee increase” on Boone County's agendas are making me see red, and I'm shaking my head in disbelief as I see county boards and committees give easy blessings to these hikes as high as 66 percent.

  The two requests that gained almost unanimous approval — I cast the only no vote — came from Boone County Circuit Clerk Linda Anderson and Boone County Health Administrator Cynthia Frank.

  The full board will vote on the proposed increases Wednesday.

  Anderson wants the fees hiked from $15 to $25, a 66 percent increase — the highest the state of Illinois will allow. Frank wants a variety of increases for fees in various categories, such as food permits and septic evaluations. Frank also wants to put new fees on food permits for nonprofit groups. Health Department increases are as high as 52 percent.

  I object to both because, first of all, both departments have fund balances of more than $500,000. The Circuit Clerk Department has a balance of $306,344 in the document storage account and a balance of $258,917 in the court automation fund for a total of $565,261. The health department has a total of $278,055 in the health fund and $299,458 in the health grant fund for a total of $577,513.

  Also, I believe any kind of fee or fine increase is a tax hike, and these increases are well above the inflation rate that has been about 2 percent.

  The arguments I hear are that these departments may have to use some of their reserves or that they might get sued and might need the reserves. I say, use your reserves or, in the words of my taxpayer friends, live within your means. What I really hate to hear from any department is that if you “board members” don't agree to these increases, etc. then we won't share our reserves with you.

  Please note, this is taxpayer money, not department money, and our taxpayers already pay taxes to provide money to make these departments work.

  The argument for new fees for nonprofit groups for food permits was turned down by the County Board a couple years, but the health department is trying to add those fees again. They claim they could add to their assets with money from those fees. I'm sure they could. I also know that the not-for-profit groups who seek food permits for their fundraisers are doing a lot of great work for the people of our county and often have very little profit for the work they are doing. They are a tremendous asset to our community. To add fees for their volunteer efforts makes no sense to me.

  Keep in mind, the health department was the same department which gave 55 percent, 33 percent and 13 percent raises a couple years ago to some staff when other county employees and many taxpayers were getting 0-2 percent. The health board, headed again by Dr. Kent Hess, voted unanimously to approve most increases.

  Page 2 of 2 - Only on the issue of not-for-profit fee permits was there any objection. Health board members Sherry Branson and Barb Thrun voted no. The not-for-profit food permit fees will be reviewed again by County Board members in September.

  In a related issue, I tried for months to get the raffle fees for not-for-profit groups reduced. Even if you have a 25-cent raffle for a pair of gardening gloves, you need to pay a $25 raffle permit. Ogle County has no raffle fee, DeKalb County has raffle permit fees only for raffles more than $5,000 and Winnebago County has no raffle fee for under $100, a $10 fee for up to $5,000 and a $25 fee for more than $5,000. The vote on the raffle reduction failed 3-2. County Board members Sherry Giesecke, Jeff Carlisle and Committee Chair Paul Larson voted not to reduce the fees. Sherry Branson and I voted to reduce the fees.

  Board members who voted to give Circuit Clerk Linda Anderson the fee hikes she requested were Board Vice Chair Larson, Giesecke, Carlisle, and  Branson.

  Board members who approved the health department fee hikes were Vice Chairman Larson, Giesecke, Branson and Ray Larson.

  Right now, board members are in the midst of working on a strategic plan for our county. I can't imagine any better plan than remembering we work for our taxpayers first, last and always, and increasing fees and fines is not positive for them.

• Only on the issue of not-for-profit fee permits was there any objection. Health board members Sherry Branson and Barb Thrun voted no. The not-for-profit food permit fees will be reviewed again by County Board members in September.

  In a related issue, I tried for months to get the raffle fees for not-for-profit groups reduced. Even if you have a 25-cent raffle for a pair of gardening gloves, you need to pay a $25 raffle permit. Ogle County has no raffle fee, DeKalb County has raffle permit fees only for raffles more than $5,000 and Winnebago County has no raffle fee for under $100, a $10 fee for up to $5,000 and a $25 fee for more than $5,000. The vote on the raffle reduction failed 3-2. County Board members Sherry Giesecke, Jeff Carlisle and Committee Chair Paul Larson voted not to reduce the fees. Sherry Branson and I voted to reduce the fees.

  Board members who voted to give Circuit Clerk Linda Anderson the fee hikes she requested were Board Vice Chair Larson, Giesecke, Carlisle, and  Branson.

  Board members who approved the health department fee hikes were Vice Chairman Larson, Giesecke, Branson and Ray Larson.

  Right now, board members are in the midst of working on a strategic plan for our county. I can't imagine any better plan than remembering we work for our taxpayers first, last and always, and increasing fees and fines is not positive for them.

  Cathy Ward is a member of the Boone County Board.

  Cathy Ward is a member of the Boone County Board.

• By Cathy Ward

  Posted Aug. 15, 2015 at 12:46 PM

My View: Boone County's fines, fees need recheck - Opinion - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL