Belvidere leaders juggle options on Menomonie Street changes - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

Ben Stanley
Staff writer

Posted Nov. 24, 2015 at 6:09 PM
Updated Nov 24, 2015 at 6:48 PM

BELVIDERE — City leaders are mulling options to escape a quagmire of miscommunication, poor planning and neighborhood backlash on a road project that turned a thoroughfare near the Boone County Courthouse into a one-way street.

The city spent about $6,500 this fall to turn Menomonie Street into a one-way between Main and Webster streets and build islands that established angle parking for police cars. Neighbors say they don't want the changes and were never notified of the city’s intentions before construction began.

Adding to neighbors' anger and confusion, aldermen never passed an ordinance to make the changes, leaving the project in legal limbo while construction crews worked under contract with the city. When construction finished in October, the road was not opened to traffic because of the unapproved ordinance, Public Works Director Brent Anderson said.

At last week's City Council meeting, neighbors demanded that the city reverse the changes. Now they're questioning why the police station needed more parking stalls in the first place. Instead of tearing up Menomonie Street, neighbors say, non-officers could use a lot behind the Boone County Jail, which would make room in the front lot for police vehicles.

"I still think that we have completely sideswiped the whole issue to begin with," resident Susan Orr said at a Committee of the Whole meeting Monday. "We still have 35 empty parking places in that back lot behind the jail. We still have civilians parking in the lot next to the police station and patrol cars out in the street.

"I do not and cannot understand why this is even an issue, with all the empty parking places behind the jail. You have civilians, secretaries, detectives, dispatchers parking in the lot right next to the police station. I don't understand why the squad cars aren't there."

Chief Jan Noble said the city doesn't have the authority to park there without permission from Boone County Sheriff Dave Ernest.

"By agreement 20 years ago, the city gave up its oversight of the (Public Safety Building) and gave that authority to the county," Noble said. "The assignment of the parking stalls typically comes with oversight from the sheriff. So I would have to grab the sheriff, sit down, go through this and see if that would even be an option for us."

Anderson presented two construction options Monday that would maintain angled police parking on Menomonie while accommodating two-way traffic. The first, which would widen the street slightly to make room for an eastbound lane, would cost the city $2,320. The other, for more than $11,000, would more dramatically widen the street and add space for parallel parking on the north side of Menomonie in addition to angled police parking on the south side.

A third option, costing $1,901, would essentially turn the street back to the way it was. But Noble was unwilling to entertain that option because it would eliminate extra parking stalls he says his police force needs.

"I would ask that the aldermen not lose track of why we're here," he said. "While I appreciate the input of people who live there, the parking of cars really should be a decision between your police chief and the sheriff, but I realize that we're here because that could not get resolved."

Aldermen and Mayor Mike Chamberlain tabled discussion until Dec. 28 so Noble could explore alternative options with Ernest.

Orr said all she and her neighbors want is two-way traffic on Menomonie.

"It keeps getting thrown around and we keep coming back," she said. "I'm just saying, utilize the parking lots before you start changing streets. I'm not happy that (Noble) said it was none of our business about the parking."

Belvidere leaders juggle options on Menomonie Street changes - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

My View: 2018 Boone County Board will decide future of tax - Opinion - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

 

By Bob Walberg
Boone County Board chairman

Posted Mar. 28, 2015 at 3:02 PM
Updated at 3:46 PM

The Boone County Board of 2018 will still have the decision to stop or continue collecting the Public Safety Tax. An ordinance to abate property taxes used to guarantee the bond payments was on the board agenda and was properly published. One of the “whereas” statements was the pledge to demand that the board in 2018 will stop collecting the tax. One member pointed this out and remarked that we promised to only use the money for the jail and stop collecting it when the jail bonds are paid. Discussion during the meeting led to amending the ordinance and removing the “whereas” pledge to stop collecting the tax in 2018.

Who are the people who promised to stop collecting the Boone County Public Safety Tax when the jail bonds are paid in 2018?

They made a promise with no authority to back them up. The ballot made no mention of a sunset to this referendum that created the Public Safety Sales Tax. No one can promise and obligate a board 20 years down the road. The board of 2018 will have that difficult decision to make regarding the future of this tax.

That group promised to only use the money to pay for the jail building. In 2003 the board decided to also pay jailor salaries with the money. Since then, the money has also been used for Public Safety Capital Improvements. Every year the board voted for the budget with this spending included.

All the talk of removing this is a distraction and publicity stunt. I believe the real reasons most people supported the referendum is because they saw the need for public safety as the ballot stated. They believed that it was better to pay for this need with sales taxes instead of real estate taxes. The Public Safety Sales Tax does not tax food, medicine or titled property. If the board of 2018 stops collecting the sales tax, their next decision will be on how to replace those revenues or stop paying those expenses.

It was foolish to think that when the jail bonds were paid we would close the jail because there was no money to operate it.

Every year the Boone County Board makes cuts because our revenues are increasing much less than the increase in our costs. The state is making very large reductions to county revenues. Some of the proposed reductions include freezing property taxes and cutting the county’s share of the income tax by 50 percent.

The Boone County Board will need level-headed, responsible members to deal with the apparent overwhelming challenges that appear to be facing them.

A similar problem happened to the District 100 School Board. Rapid growth was impacting the district. The plan was to build schools to accommodate the future growth. They planned to pay for the schools with the larger population that would generate property tax dollars. That would require a smaller share of the cost of the new buildings for each taxpayer. Again, unforeseen events took place, and a declining population faced very large bond payments for the schools.

Page 2 of 2 - The community clearly saw the problem and passed a referendum for a sales tax to give relief to the property tax obligation of the school district.

In 20 years the situation can change. We can’t expect board members to bury their heads in the sand and ignore the responsibility of providing public safety for the county. Our present board only removed the demand being placed on the board of 2018. The decision to stop collection of the tax will still be the 2018 board's challenge.

Bob Walberg is chairman of the Boone County Board

My View: 2018 Boone County Board will decide future of tax - Opinion - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

Kane Co. could lose $2.5 million if federal prisoner deal ends - DailyHerald.com

 

Since 2009, Kane County has made as much as $2.5 million a year holding federal prisoners awaiting trial, but the deal could be in jeopardy with the U.S. Marshal's office poised to move about half the inmates.

But details on the arrangement possibly coming to an end are not forthcoming from the man in charge of the county jail, newly elected Sheriff Don Kramer, who did not return repeated phone calls, emails and Facebook messages on Wednesday and Thursday.

 

 

Some county leaders, who say they would like to preserve the deal, confirmed they had heard Kramer planned to end the six-year-old agreement that makes the county $88.32 each day for each federal detainee it holds in the county jail in St. Charles.

"I can't tell you why the sheriff made that move," county board member Drew Frasz said. "It would have been standard protocol to have a lengthy discussion about a decision like this."

Frasz and others said they were stunned by the prospect of giving up the added income from use of the jail.

"From a taxpayers' point of view, if you have an asset, why not make it a revenue-generating asset?" he said.

Managing these prisoners costs the county overtime, but the arrangement still nets about $2.5 million a year, which county leaders have used to fund such projects as a new shooting range and a law enforcement regional training center that opened last year.

The U.S. Marshal's office was going to take back about half of the detainees from the Kane County jail this week, said Sheriff's Lt. Pat Gengler.

He could not specify how many detainees were being moved, or to where.

County board Chairman Chris Lauzen deferred all inquiries about the agreement's status to Kramer, but insisted the sheriff was working to overcome the "bump in the road."

"They're going to be working on making sure we continue as in the past. It's a little premature at this point because we really don't know where it stands right now," Lauzen said. "(Kramer's) taken various actions and he would need to describe them."

Messages left Wednesday and Thursday with Belkis Sandoval, spokeswoman and special inspector at the U.S. Marshal's office in Chicago, were not returned.

Word that the agreement could be ending -- along with the loss of $2.5 million, or about 10 percent of the sheriff's budget -- surfaced at the county board's executive committee this week and caught members by surprise.

County board member Cristina Castro said she was "a little flabbergasted" by the potential loss of revenue.

Frasz said he expected such a major decision would create more discussion, especially because the county has worked to keep the county's tax levy flat from year to year.

Lauzen predicted board members would further discuss the U.S. Marshal's agreement at the county's judicial and public safety committee next Thursday.

The practice of housing federal detainees at local county jails while they await trial has been tried in other counties.

One example is DuPage County, where Sheriff John Zaruba inked a deal with the U.S. Marshal's office in 2003 to house federal detainees for about $107 per day per inmate.

At the time, about 55 federal inmates were at the jail in DuPage. But the practice ended after the DuPage jail in Wheaton filled up with the county's own defendants.

"When we contracted with the U.S. Marshals (in 2003) they brought in a more stable clientele because they tended to be longer-term clients which made it easier on staffing," Zaruba said. "But that only lasted for a year or two because the jail started filling up with judges putting more prisoners in. The deal became less attractive to the marshals because they wanted their inmates bulk-housed, but we no longer had the jail space to do that."

Kane Co. could lose $2.5 million if federal prisoner deal ends - DailyHerald.com

The U.S. has more jails than colleges. Here’s a map of where those prisoners live. - The Washington Post

 

There were 2.3 million prisoners in the U.S. as of the 2010 Census. It's often been remarked that our national incarceration rate of 707 adults per every 100,000 residents is the highest in the world, by a huge margin.

We tend to focus less on where we're putting all those people. But the 2010 Census tallied the location of every adult and juvenile prisoner in the United States. If we were to put them all on a map, this is what they would look like:

The map shows the raw number of prisoners in each U.S. county as of the 2010 Census. Much of the discussion of regional prison population only centers around inmates in our 1,800 state and federal correctional facilities. But at any given time, hundreds of thousands more individuals are locked up in the nation's 3,200 local and county jails. This map includes these individuals as well.

 

 

Read more by clicking on the following:  The U.S. has more jails than colleges. Here’s a map of where those prisoners live. - The Washington Post

McHenry County questions jail-rental program - News - Journal Star - Peoria, IL

Note to readers:  Boone County earlier this year signed a $85 per day agreement with the Federal Marshall Program-- that contact was negotiated with the help of an expensive consultant.  See that story at:  http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2013/12/boone-county-risks-20k-to-generate.htmlBy the Associated Press

Journal Star

By the Associated Press

Posted Dec. 28, 2014 @ 5:00 pm

By the Associated Press
Posted Dec. 28, 2014 @ 5:00 pm

WOODSTOCK, Ill. — A jail-rental program with the federal government that has produced more than $73 million in the past decade has some McHenry County officials nonetheless wondering if it is worth it.

The (Crystal Lake) Northwest Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1Aco4SX) that county taxpayers have subsidized the initiative to temporarily house detainees of the U.S. Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

They question whether the agreement should be renewed when it expires at the end of 2015.

At issue is the $85-a-day per-bed rate, which hasn't changed since 2008. A lobbyist hired by the county in 2013 found the county's cost is $131 daily. But that report has been criticized as oversimplified.

County Administrator Peter Austin claims the cost varies. He contends that while there are fixed costs to providing the jail, which the county must do by state law, the population varies, changing the daily inmate cost.

"We have to turn the oven on whether we're making 200 biscuits or 400 biscuits," Austin said.

The county has asked for an increase from its federal partners. The Marshals Service agreed to a $10-a-day increase — and then pulled its detainees the next day. Federal authorities note that other facilities in the Chicago area charge less — Dodge County, Wisconsin, has a $60-a-day rate.

ICE uses the McHenry County lockup to a greater degree than the Marshals Service did. In 2012, for example, the average daily ICE population was 241 compared to 45 in the Marshals' custody. But the county has felt additional financial pressure as the overall population has dropped from an average of 350 a day in 2011 to 180 daily this year, not counting December.

A consultant the county hired in the spring of 2013 plugged the county's costs into a federal reimbursement formula and determined the county was paying $131 per day to house the inmates.

That outraged some officeholders.

"We're talking between $40 and $50 million over a seven-year period," county board member Donna Kurtz said. "This never should have happened."

Information from: The Northwest Herald, http://www.nwherald.com

Above is from:  McHenry County questions jail-rental program - News - Journal Star - Peoria, IL

 

This problem has been a concern of some McHenry County board members for months.  SEE the First Electric Newspaper article of March 5, 2014 (http://www.firstelectricnewspaper.com/2014/03/county-board-members-ask-for-real-costs.html)

 

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

County Board Members Ask For Real Costs At McHenry County Jail

 

Controversy building behind the scenes for the past month about the cost of housing federal inmates at the McHenry County Jail finally broke out in public complaints at Tuesday's McHenry County Board meeting.  Administrator Peter Austin announced hopes the County will get more money per prisoner, at least for some prisoners, "within 30 days" but members complained bitterly that they're being kept in the dark about what it really costs to house one.
Finance Committee Vice Chairman Donna Kurtz charged that, using the only numbers available, McHenry County's lost $30 milllion keeping federal prisoners in McHenry County Jail since 2008.  "This isn't beanbag," she said.  "We're talking real money."
The problem, as Austin laid it out, is that the County houses a lot of federal prisoners for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshall's Service but the rate of payment hasn't gone up in six years.  The County's been trying to boost it since July of 2012 but without success, even after hiring a $60,000 expert who said he'd have a new contract in the bag by last July 31.  Austin, returned Monday from a trip to Washington,  said ICE still wasn't talking but that he'd secured an "oral agreement" with the Marshall's office, yet to be confirmed,  that he estimated would bring in another $1 million.
Former head of the Board's Justice Committee, Nick Provenzano, complained that was all very well but not much help if Members didn't know how much it cost the County to house prisoners in the first place.  Referring to an $85 per-day figure provided by consultant Joseph Summerill last year,  Provenzano asked, "Are they accurate or are they not accurate?"
"They're not accurate," replied Austin who hastened to say that the way federal officials figure prisoner costs isn't the same as the way the County figures them.  Austin said Summerill's Jail costs were more suggestive than definitive when he was trying to convince the Board to hire him..
"It was not presented to us as an illustration in a sales brochure," complained Member John Hammerand.  "It's infuriating to me."
Kurtz charged Summerill's numbers were sold to the Board as authoritative.  "Sheriff Nygren, Undersheriff Zinke and [Sheriff's Business Manager] Angela [Wood-Zuzevich] all nodded their heads," she said.  "I trust Sheriff Nygren when he said he was behind the numbers."
But if the Summerill numbers are no good, what are the real ones, inquired Member Paula Yensen?  "Many of us have been asking for that information," she complained.
FEN's been trying to find out, too., filing a Freedom of Information Act request last month for the federally-required Jail Operating Expense Information report McHenry County had to submit for the latest round of negotiations.  It lists 43 different kinds of Jail expenditures that the U.S. Department of Justice considers at least theoretically allowable in setting bed-rental rates.  In fact, FEN filed two requests since it wasn't clear who had the report and Summerill didn't reply to inquiries.  The one to McHenry County Administration was turned down on the premise the report was among "proposals and bids for any contract" and "preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations and memoranda",  both of which are exempt from disclosure.  The one to the Sheriff's Office was answered, eventually, with what appeared to be a standard printout of how close last year's Jail budget came to actual expenditures.  (Answer: pretty close.)
Austin told the County Board other newspapers have been inquiring about Jail costs, too, but said, "I'm not going to negotiate in public."

Boone County risks $20K to generate thousands in new income for jail - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

By Jennifer Wheeler

If the average daily federal prisoner count remains at 18, the new rate would generate an additional $92,000 in revenue annually, boosting the county’s total revenue from federal prisoner housing to $519,000.

“We have so many revenues that never recovered from the recession. This is a way to get nontraditional revenue in the system,” County Administrator Ken Terrinoni said.

The Boone County Board agreed Nov. 20 to pay Summerill $40,000 to negotiate a deal — $20,000 up front and an additional $20,000 once both the U.S. Marshals Service and County Board agree to a contract. The deal was contingent upon favorable experiences from past clients, which Terrinoni said Monday were positive.

County officials were willing to risk the initial $20,000 during a lean budget year. The County Board passed a balanced budget Nov. 20 but leaders were prevented from purchasing new squad cars and hiring an additional public defender.

Read the entire article by clicking on the following:  Boone County risks $20K to generate thousands in new income for jail - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

The Belvidere Daily Republican Featured News

Rosecrance to celebrate new Belvidere location

Nov. 15, 2013

BELVIDERE – The community is invited to visit Rosecrance’s newly opened Belvidere office at 915 Alexandra Drive for a Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting and Open House starting at 4 p.m. Dec. 4. The event goes until 6 p.m.

Behavioral health services were moved to the new location in October from a smaller site in the community. The move allows Rosecrance to serve more clients and offer new services, including an intensive outpatient program for adults in treatment for substance use.

The office provides a range of services for individuals with mental health or substance use disorders, including mental health assessments, crisis intervention services, individual counseling, social skills groups and case management.

The Belvidere Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a ribbon cutting at the new location for 4 p.m. Staff will be available at the open house to provide information about Rosecrance programs, and refreshments will be served. Guests are asked to RSVP to Jo Lyttle at 815.387.5607 or jlyttle@rosecrance.org.

 

Resident encourages county officials to move more quickly on new building

Nov. 15, 2013

By Bob Balgemann

BELVIDERE - Boone County officials think they're moving along quite nicely toward construction of a new building for the animal control department.

Not so with resident Robert Christianson, who thinks the county should be further along at this point.

He and Paul Larson, chairman of the health and human services committee, agreed to disagree during the committee's Nov. 7 meeting on how much progress has been made so far.

While the meeting had moved past the public comments portion of the agenda, Larson recognized Christianson several times and allowed him to speak from the audience.

The first occasion came after the standing committee of the county board looked at available options for construction of a new building. One of them was lease/option that Christianson, who has a lengthy background in real estate, said should not be underestimated.

There was some discussion about whether the health department had inspected the existing animal control facility off Appleton Road. Had that been done an official inspection, committee member Marion Thornberry said the building would have had to be closed.

"I went out there last week and there were ants coming out of the fax machine," he said. "I asked the health department if they had gone out there and they said, 'no.' They're afraid to go out there and shut it down because they would be in more trouble."

Christianson spoke for a second time at that point, saying the animal control project "has been kicked around and nothing gets done. It's frustrating to me that this has happened."

Larson took exception to those comments, saying, "We have been pursuing it. We are making progress down that trail. But government does not move rapidly."

"This topic has been on the agenda for 20 years," Christianson countered. "There are some on the (county) board who don't think this is a priority."

Larson also took exception to that observation, saying the county board was behind the project.

It was his opinion that working through an architect or a lease/purchase arrangement should be pursued.

 

Committee supports consultant seeking higher jail per diem

Nov. 15, 2013

By Bob Balgemann

BELVIDERE - The Boone County Finance, Taxation and Salaries Committee has voted unanimously to recommend hiring a consultant to negotiate a new contract for housing federal prisoners in the county jail.

County board members are expected to consider the recommendation at their Nov. 20 meeting.

Joe Summerill, senior principal in The Summerill Group LLC, based in Washington, D.C., made a detailed presentation to the committee at its meeting Tuesday, Nov. 12. He said he was confident he could negotiate a new per diem of $79.12, up from the current $65, for each U.S. Marshals Service inmate lodged at the jail.

He formerly was the chief contracts attorney for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

In October there were 20 federal detainees among a total population of 85 in the Boone County jail. That number included 57 local inmates and eight from DeKalb County.

Summerill said there is a need in the region, within two hours of Chicago, for more beds to accommodate federal inmates. There only are three jails in this area that accept those prisoners - Boone, Ogle and McHenry - with the Ogle jail at capacity. Kankakee County, south of Chicago, also has federal inmates.

Boone County sheriff's Lt. John Hare, the jail commander, said the $65 per diem had been in effect since the county began housing federal detainees.

Boone has lower rate

That rate is lower than the $75 per diem charged by Ogle and the $85 charged by McHenry and Kankakee. Summerill said his company has contracted with McHenry County and expects its per diem to increase to $110.

He said he had taken a preliminary look at the Boone County Jail operation and came up with a new per diem of  $79.12.

With the U.S. Marshals Service looking for more beds, he said it was realistic to believe Boone County could increase its average daily population of federal inmates to 28. That would increase the annual revenue from the current $427,050 to $808,600, he said.

A three-year contract, which he said he wanted to secure, would bring in $2.426 million compared with the current $1.281 million.

Before the vote was taken committee member Cathy Ward looked to County Administrator Ken Terrinoni for his thoughts.

He said he was undecided coming into the meeting. But after hearing Summerill's presentation, he said, "I'd say 'do it.' If we don't generate additional revenue it's going to be a tough three-to-five years. To me, it's all about the revenue."

Questions from members of the committee, he said, satisfied his concerns.

Committee member Karl Johnson had a number of questions. He asked Hare if he could handle 28 federal inmates without having to hire additional corrections officers?

"Today, yes," Hare answered, adding it would depend solely on how many local inmates and those provided by DeKalb County were in the jail. "I don't think I want to turn away any DeKalb  prisoners," he said. With the number of detainees changing every day, he said, "I prefer to see it as fluid as possible."

Another five officers would be needed if the county opened up another 20 beds at the jail.

Part of the committee recommendation included paying $40,000 for Summerill's services, with $20,000 required up-front. The money would come out of the county's contingency fund.

"We do have the space" at the jail, committee Chairman Paul Larson said. "If we can utilize that it's a win-win for everyone."

For the BDR’s recent features click on the following:  rvpnews | Belvidere Daily Republican

Committee recommends new software for Boone County Jail | Belvidere Daily Republican

Written by Bob Balgemann

Terrinoni told the committee it could authorize placing the order but would be doing so on faith that the full county board would approve the expenditure later in August.

There are five county board members on the roads committee, one of seven standing committees of the county board. They voted 5-0 to forward the issue to the public safety committee with a positive recommendation.

Member Denny Ellingson suggested the motion include that this was an emergency situation “because we’re not following protocol.”

Click on the following to find out more about this and other agenda issues at Roads Subcommittee:  Committee recommends new software for Boone County Jail | Belvidere Daily Republican

34 Boone County Jail staffers' unpaid work now paid for - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Why would the Sheriff’s Correction Department ever think that employees could be required to work without being paid?

By Jennifer Wheeler

RRSTAR.COM

 

Leaders don’t think the $34,000 check will break the department’s $2.7 million budget, although the paid time off could lead to an understaffed group billing taxpayers for overtime.

“That’s something we need to look at and study. We may need to respond in a different manner on how we do some other things,” jail supervisor Lt. John Hare said.

Click on the following for more details:  34 Boone County Jail staffers' unpaid work now paid for - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Early starts fuel pay dispute for Boone County Jail officers - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

---

The two groups took a step last week: Leaders implemented a policy that requires corrections officers to arrive five minutes before their shift, instead of 15, and also read an email detailing jail safety concerns. It’s unclear whether employees will be compensated for this time.

“The important thing is that the officers know when they are coming on duty what to expect, what the problem have been on the post or jail-wide,” said Lt. John Hare, jail supervisor.

Click on the following for more details: Early starts fuel pay dispute for Boone County Jail officers - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Arbitrator OKs 3% raises for Boone correctional officers - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

By Jennifer Wheeler

The Aug. 29 ruling states that the 28 corrections officers and six supervisors will receive no pay increase for fiscal 2011 and 1.5 percent increases for FY12 and FY13.

The union asked for a 6 percent raise — 2 percent each fiscal year — to keep up with the cost of living and increased income taxes….

With just more than a year left in the correctional officers’ and supervisors’ three-year contract, officials question whether the group will be without a contract

Click on the following for more details:  correctional officers - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Goals of DeKalb County jail's future debated | Daily Chronicle

DeKalb County prisoners are a big income to Boone County that may be changing soon.

[DeKalb] county has gotten turned down by Boone County when its jail is full, although it is fortunate Kendall County’s jail still has some room.
“Will the price go up? You bet it will,” Klein said.
The big problem is not having the right space for certain inmates with special needs because no one else will take some of those people, Klein said.

Click on the following for more details:  Goals of jail's future debated | Daily Chronicle

Old Kane jail still serves purpose, but future in doubt - Courier News

use of the 35-year-old building is pretty limited.

“There’s no way we can use it for a correctional institution again, or even offices,” he said. “The building was ready to be decommissioned when we left it.”

Old Kane jail still serves purpose, but future in doubt - Courier News

IL Prisoners Not Released Early | The Corrections Reporter

According to this source Governor Quinn’s scandal was no scandal.

Illinois’ early prisoner release controversy was no scandal, according to a recently-released report from Northwestern University School of Law, which claims stopping early release may have actually made the state less safe.

The report dated Oct. 28 claims that most news stories on early prisoner release have been false and the issue has wrongly turned into a scandal. Malcolm Young, director of the Program for Prison Reentry Strategies at the university’s Bluhm Legal Clinic, wrote the report, saying the controversy on the issue “resulted in ill-advised legislative and administrative decisions that may actually increase risks to public safety.” Reported in the Illinois Times. Complete report from Northwestern University School of Law

 

Click on the following for more details:  IL Prisoners Not Released Early | The Corrections Reporter

McHenry County Jail will be Navy Brig for $85 a day

McHenry County Jail|will provide 2-4 inmates food preparation training

Boone County Jail also uses ARAMARK however less than  100 inmates are held versus McHenry’s approximate 500.

Sheriff Keith Nygren has announced that beginning November 1, 2010 the McHenry County Correctional Facility will offer a new, unique vocational training program called IN2WORK (I2W).

I2W has been developed and is being taught by the Correctional Facility’s foodservice provider ARAMARK. The training provides hands-on and classroom training in proper food preparation skills.

I2W is a 12 week program that ARAMARK Correctional Services created to help its clients provide non-violent offenders with valuable training and work experience in a commercial kitchen.

McHenry County Jail.  1,500 meals served daily at the Corrections Facility

There are three phases to this program which cover

• Kitchen Basics,
• Retail Basics, and
• ServSafe.

After successful completion of coursework and all exams, participants in this program will receive ARAMARK and ServSafe certifications.

Click on the following for more details:  McHenry County Blog |

Analysis of 1999 Boone County Public Safety Tax

To the Boone County Board and Public

Did you know...?

The Public Safety Sales Tax of one-half percent, to be taxed on merchandise sales in Boone County FOR THE PURPOSE OF FINANCING AN EXPANSION

OF THE EXISTING JAIL FACILITY--passed April 13, 1999 by a margin of 66%

Yes, and 34% No.  It was passed for building an expansion of the jail--not for jail operations and Boone County General Fund expenditures.

The following is the use of the Public Safety Sales Tax funds since 2004 suggested by and according to Ken Terrinoni, Boone County Administrator's accounting:

Revenues (actual 2004-2009, projected 2010)

$10,583,234

Expenditures (actual 2004-2009, projected 2010)

$ 5,320,245   Bond Payments

+

          $    285,000 Transfer out, Gen. Fund allowable expenses

          $    521,725 Transfer out, Job staffing

          $ 3,934,268 Transfer out, Jail staffing

          $    376,977 Transfer out, Sheriff's equipment

          $    125,000 Transfer out, Logan Building

          $      15,000 Transfer out, Architect

          $    400,000 Transfer out, Courtroom

$    250,000 Transfer out, Courtroom, Probation, & States Attorney

$ 5,907,970   Total Transfers out

$11,228,215 Total Expenditures (Bond payments & Transfers out)

Total Expenditures minus Total Revenue

$11,228,215 - $10,583,234 = (-$704,981)  More money expended then Sales Tax revenue

$5,320,245 has been expended for voter approved Jail Expansion

$5,907,970 (more than approved for the Jail Expansion) has been expended for General Fund operations, staffing, sheriff's equipment, Logan Avenue Building, Architect, Courtroom Probation, and the State's Attorney--none part of the voter approved Jail Expansion.

Question:  Will the voters of Boone County trust future Boone County tax referendums as being used as proposed?

-- compiled and organized by Patrick B. Mattison, Boone County Board District 3

Courthouse preliminary plans come in over budget | Daily Chronicle

How much longer will DeKalb send prisoners to the Boone County Jail?

On June 16, the DeKalb County Board approved building a 36,000-square-foot addition to the county courthouse that will expand the existing facility to the north. About $16 million in bonds will be issued to fund the project, with most going to fund the courthouse and about $1.5 million used to start planning for a proposed expansion to the county jail.

Click on the following for more details:  Courthouse preliminary plans come in over budget | Daily Chronicle

Boone County Journal: County Deficit Reaches $434,000

Great article—It appears from the discussion that the sheriff is renting out the jail to other counties/government and the county does not even know if the jail is covering the additional costs of these prisoners.

County Deficit
Reaches
$434,000

 When it came time for Boone County’s 2010 financial
report for May, County Board Finance Committee Chairman
Karl Johnson (District 2) attempted some levity with, “Ken,
tell us the good news.”
Before he addressed the gravity of the situation, County
Administrator Ken Terrinoni answered “Let’s move on to
the next item. We’re still in a recession that affects your
critical revenues. I don’t see that turning around this fiscal
year. It’s virtually all your taxes, your income tax, your
replacement tax.” Terrinoni recited the litany of revenue
sources that remain depressed. “Your income tax is off the
most,” Terrinoni said.
Committee members asked for Terrinoni’s best estimate
for the current deficit and he replied, “$434,000 is the current
estimate.” He also said, “The transfer that was voted down
by the board is obviously not in the general fund anymore,”
Terrinoni said.
County board Representative Cathy Ward (District 2)
referred to last month’s county board vote denying the
transfer of Jail Bond Funds. Denial of that transfer served
to increase the deficit from almost $234,000 to the new
estimate of $434,000. “Ken if the board chooses can they
put that back in there?” asked Ward.
“I think it can be,” said Terrinoni. “You’d have to check
with the state’s attorney on procedural issues, if that falls
under your rules as a ‘procedural reconsideration.’”
Terrinoni continued by saying that there is another
$150,000 budgeted for transfer from the fund, the final
payment for Fiscal Year 2010. Terrinoni explained that the
county has been trying to decrease the amount of money
transferred in from the Jail Bond Fund for several years.
Addressing the concern of taxpayers and the people that
represent them, Terrinoni offered to come up with a written
plan to sunset the tax.
“I’d be more than willing to write up a proposal,” said
Terrinoni. “In fact, two years ago I did write up a proposal
that did exactly that [by 2018]; the proposal did that. Of
course this recession did change that to some degree.”
“I think [there is] something that gets lost in this
whole process of the money getting utilized,” said Johnson.
“The board at that time failed to realize...they’d need the
money to staff that jail at the same time. It was determined
by the then state’s attorney, that the money could be used to
staff the jail. Then we realized we needed to wean ourselves
off of that.”
County board Chairman Bob Walberg (District 1)
questioned the current capacity of the jail. “Is there another
section we could be operating that would support the jailers
and then we wouldn’t need this money?” asked Walberg.
“There is a section, but there weren’t people
(detainees) so we even ended up laying-off two people
(officers),” said Johnson.
“The issue was whether or not we should keep taking the
additional prisoners; if it was just a break even deal,” said
Ward, who served on the board at that time. “It wasn’t just
additional revenue, it was additional expense. It was passed
by just one vote. The pay for the personnel, even without

the step increases...” Ward said.

The idea of leasing jail space to other municipalities and the federal government has brought in additional revenue. Lt. John Hare, administrator of the county jail has shown marked increases in that revenue stream into the general fund.
At the previous night’s meeting of the county board Public Safety Committee, county board members recalled Hare’s financial report that indicated revenues were up.
“The revenues could not be called income, but just revenue, so we still don’t know where we are at when we are done covering expenses?” asked county Representative Paul Larson
(District 2). “We don’t actually know for sure if it’s a break even situation or not,” said Ward.
Terrinoni reminded the committee that he had offered to bring the numbers in for analysis.
“You’ll need that for your [Fiscal Year 2011] budget anyway,” said Terrinoni. “I don’t think
I am hearing anybody against having me write up a phase-out plan.”
Unanimous consent was offered and Terrinoni was asked to present two repayment
scenarios that included sunset of the Public Safety Sales Tax by 2014, or later by 2018.
“I am hesitant to mention this, but there has been some discussion to add on to the Public
Safety Building...to increase for needed space,” said Larson. “Once this is solved, will we
come back to this? It hasn’t been talked about in a while, but I think it is still needed.”
County Representative Kathy Hartwig (District 1) stated her views. “I would remind
the committee of the promised sunset. It was a previous board who promised this tax would sunset. It was promised the voters that it would sunset in 2018. I think we should ask the voters what they want us to do.”
“We were talking about an advisory referendum at a previous meeting,” said Terrinoni.
“I think it was a local resident who brought that up; Laura Guerin Hunt.”
County Representative Marshall Newhouse (District 1) expressed his own perspective
with, “Having gone to the community with a referendum and to try and do an end run we
would end up in the hot seat.
Ward offered that she understood why Larson brought up the issue. “But, the city is in
trouble for doing this,” said Ward. “We need to make sure what we are doing this in today’s
financial crisis. We have people coming in and crying because they can’t pay their taxes. I
have talked to people who want to know what could happen. I don’t think we’ve really seen
the worst of it yet. We need some type of what if scenario. Otherwise, people are going to lose their jobs and positions who don’t need to. We’ve done this before, what’s the “worst case scenario? Ken, can you write that up for us?”
“I’d be happy to do that, in fact, I’d like to do it at the front end of your process,” said
Terrinoni. “I could do the base line and then the possible worst case and work realistic
numbers on either and compare that with a possible appropriation estimate.”
Larson and Hartwig indicated that to sunset the tax earlier than later could save interest
on the debt. “I think that would affect what date we are going to put a sunset on that Public
Safety Sales Tax,” said Larson.

See the article for yourself at:  http://boonecountyjournal.com/news/2010/Boone-County-News-06-11-10.pdf#page=4

DeKalb Courthouse, jail projects go to public hearing | Daily Chronicle

 DeKalb County will enjoy low rates for these projects through the federal stimulus program.  Boone County board members should note the start date of DeKalb’s new jail. After that is completed Boone County will lose a sizeable source of revenue.

Finance Committee agreed to use a combination of Recovery Zone Bonds and Build America Bonds, which are federal stimulus programs with a subsidized interest rate.

majority of the jail project may be funded by new revenue generated by an expansion of the landfill, which is a multiyear process needing approval by both the county and the state. Those bonds and the start of the jail construction are slated for 2012, though Hanson said it all depends on the landfill outcome.

Courthouse, jail projects go to public hearing | Daily Chronicle