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

Gov. Rauner’s New State Prisons Chief Abruptly Resigns « CBS Chicago

 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s state corrections director, who took over a crowded prison system just two months ago, has resigned, officials confirmed Friday.

The governor’s office gave no reason for the premature departure of Donald Stolworthy, named to the $150,228-a-year job on March 9.

“At our request, he has agreed to help during the transition period to continue our transformation of the Department of Corrections while we identify the leader that will succeed him,” Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said in a statement.

Corrections Department spokeswoman Nicole Wilson said Stolworthy was “not available” for an interview Friday. She referred questions to Kelly.

The 54-year-old Stolworthy, put in charge of penitentiaries designed for 32,000 prisoners but which hold 48,000, had come from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, where he assessed foreign prison systems and guided senior administration officials.

Stolworthy raised some eyebrows early on with a memo that said sick-time and overtime rules governing union employees were leading to unreasonable costs. The Springfield Bureau of Lee Enterprises newspapers reported in April that Stolworthy said contracts with bargaining units — such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — contribute to “many of the ills” in the agency.

With a budget of over $1 billion, the agency beset by legal actions over health care and mental health treatment and continued criticism of inmate conditions must deal with the same bleak financial picture that all state government faces.

Rauner and the General Assembly are entering the final week of the spring legislative session without agreement on a budget plan that faces a possible $6 billion deficit.

“There’s no money, and the cuts they may have to make they may not want to,” Sen. David Luechtefeld, a southern Illinois Republican whose constituency includes thousands of prison workers, said of Rauner’s cabinet. “Being a director right now is really difficult because you know that likely you’re going to have to make a lot of cuts that you may not want to make.”

Filling the position requires the Senate confirmation. Stolworthy had not been confirmed, but Sen. Andy Manar, a Bunker Hill Democrat who is vice chairman of the Executive Appointments Committee, knew of no reason why it would have hit any snags. While he had not spoken to Stolworthy, Manar said the acting director had contacted him, but they’d not yet set an appointment.

Luechtefeld says another transition “slows the process down,” and Manar said the agency needs “stability” soon.

AFSCME reacted to the Stolworthy memo by pointing out there wouldn’t be so much overtime pay if there were more staff members. There were 16,200 employees in June 2000 compared to 11,200 in February, according to state figures maintained by The Associated Press. The union said on Friday it’s also eager for a permanent chief.

“All employees of the state prison system work around the clock to keep Illinois communities safe,” AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall said in a statement. “They deserve — and all Illinoisans should demand — committed, professional leadership of the Department of Corrections that is never subject to political influence.”

Gov. Rauner’s New State Prisons Chief Abruptly Resigns « CBS Chicago

Retired Iowa prisons chief tabbed to run Illinois Department of Corrections - News - The State Journal-Register - Springfield, IL

 

Posted Aug. 14, 2015 at 4:49 PM

Gov. Bruce Rauner has picked a retired Iowa prisons chief to preside atop a troubled Illinois Department of Corrections.

John R. Baldwin led the Iowa prison system until his retirement in January. There he oversaw a staff of almost 4,000 officers and 38,000 inmates.

Baldwin takes over the $150,000 job from Rauner's initial pick Donald Stolworthy. Stolworthy was a federal law enforcement professional who started in March and abruptly resigned in mid-June. The Corrections Department denied requests from The Associated Press for Stolworthy's correspondence with the governor in his last six weeks.

Baldwin began work for the Iowa agency in 1983. He served in several leadership positions including budget and personnel.

The Illinois system has been beset by administrative problems and crowding for years.

The Senate must confirm Rauner's appointment.

Retired Iowa prisons chief tabbed to run Illinois Department of Corrections - News - The State Journal-Register - Springfield, IL