Budget Gap Closed; Revenue Could Come From Increased User Fees
Kane County was looking to close an $800,000 budget gap and might have found it if the County Board agrees to up some user fees.
According to a spreadsheet provided by Kane County Finance Executive Director Joe Onzick, the county could see additional revenue of $1,394,720 in fiscal year 2015 — assuming the total number of fees stays the same.
Onzick made a presentation at the 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30,County Board Committee of the Whole meeting.
The nearly $1.4 million total added revenue breaks down to about $712,720 for the General Fund, $195,000 for the Geographic Information Systems Fund, $32,000 for the County Clerk’s Vital Records Automation Fund and $455,000 for the Recorder’s Office Automation Fund.
“The $800,000 budget gap that we were trying to close was a gap in the General Fund budget only,” Onzick explained in an email. “Therefore, it is really only the $712,720 of additional user fee revenue that impacts the General Fund that can be applied to closing the General Fund budget gap. So even after the $712,720 of additional user fee revenue, there still remained a gap of $87,280 that had to be closed with other cuts. Those additional cuts included the elimination of the request for an additional sheriff’s deputy ($70,903) and a $19,150 reduction in food cost for the adult correctional facility as a result of a new contract that was bid out.”
User fees generally would increase for services provided by the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, Kane County Recorder’s Office and GIS Department, County Clerk’s Office and the Animal Control division.
In early August, Kane County found itself facing a potential budget gap of $2,088,155. It whittled that down to $1,092,885 by Aug. 27, then to $795,911 by Sept. 1.
The county went looking for other ways to cut the budget gap and found it after doing a comparison of its user fees to the user fees charged by neighboring counties. It also did a deeper dive to determine the actual cost of providing each service, and in many cases found that a service costs more than the fee.
For example, mortgage lenders pay an $88 fee to process evictions, but the county spends about $125 to do the job.
Some of the user fees are small amounts, but a high percentage. A rabies tag replacement fee for the Animal Control Division would go from $1 now to a proposed $5 — an increase, obviously, of $4.
Others are smaller percentages. The user fee for a marriage or civil-union license would go up $5 — from $22 now to $ 27, if approved.
A Google document spreadsheet showing all the fees is embedded below. If you have trouble reading it, you can view the Google spreadsheet by clicking on this link.
Kane County | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budgeted Increased User Fee Revenue | |||||||||
| Fiscal Year 2015 Budget | Budgeted Increased User Fee Revenue | ||||||||
| Office/Department | User Fee Description | Current User Fee | Increase | New User Fee | General Fund | Animal Control | County Clerk Vital Records Automation | GIS Fund | Recorder's Automation Fund |
| Adult Corrections | Jail Bond Fee | $ 46.00 | $ 4.00 | $ 50.00 | $ 9,000 | ||||
| Total Adult Corrections Increased User Fee Revenue | $ 9,000 | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ - | ||||
| Animal Control | Rabies tag, replacement fee | $ 1.00 | $ 4.00 | $ 5.00 | $ 592 | ||||
| Animal Control | Pick up stray or sick or injured animal neutered | $ 75.00 | $ 25.00 | $ 100.00 | $ 25 | ||||
| Animal Control | Boarding per day neutered | $ 17.50 | $ 7.50 | $ 25.00 | $ 195 | ||||
| Animal Control | Municipal contract - pick up per animal | $ 25.00 | $ 15.00 | $ 40.00 | $ 765 | ||||
| Animal Control | Municipal contract - Boarding per animal per day (max $70) | $ 10.00 | $ 15.00 | $ 25.00 | $ 765 | ||||
| Animal Control | Municipal contract - specimen pick up | $ 30.00 | $ 70.00 | $ 100.00 | $ - | ||||
| Total Animal Control Increased User Fee Revenue | $ - | $ 2,342 | $ - | $ - | $ - | ||||
| County Clerk | Birth Certificate, first copy | $ 11.00 | $ 5.50 | $ 16.50 | $ 92,050 | $ 8,399 | |||
| County Clerk | Birth add copy | $ 4.00 | $ 2.00 | $ 6.00 | $ 20,120 | $ 6,120 | |||
| County Clerk | Marriage Certficate | $ 11.00 | $ 5.50 | $ 16.50 | $ 22,450 | $ 2,049 | |||
| County Clerk | Marriage add copy | $ 4.00 | $ 2.00 | $ 6.00 | $ 7,210 | $ 2,193 | |||
| County Clerk | Death Certificate | $ 11.00 | $ 5.50 | $ 16.50 | $ 24,090 | $ 2,198 | |||
| County Clerk | Death Certificate add copy | $ 4.00 | $ 2.00 | $ 6.00 | $ 36,380 | $ 11,041 | |||
| County Clerk | Marriage License | $ 22.00 | $ 5.00 | $ 27.00 | $ 22,000 | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Raffle 501-5000 | $ 6.00 | $ 8.00 | $ 14.00 | $ - | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ - | ||||
| County Clerk | Civil Union Certificate | $ 11.00 | $ 3.00 | $ 14.00 | $ - | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Civil Union add copy | $ 4.00 | $ 2.00 | $ 6.00 | $ - | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Civil Union License | $ 22.00 | $ 5.00 | $ 27.00 | $ - | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ - | ||||
| County Clerk | Notary Public, returning the signature letter by mail | $ 10.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 11.00 | $ 1,000 | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Notary Public, returning the signature letter in person | $ 5.00 | $ 10.00 | $ 15.00 | $ 7,000 | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Assumed Name Certificate | $ 5.00 | $ 5.00 | $ 10.00 | $ 2,620 | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Supplemental Assumed Name Certificate | $ 1.50 | $ 3.50 | $ 5.00 | $ 80 | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Fax copies | $ 2.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 3.00 | $ - | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Issuance of Tax Deed | $ 5.00 | $ 13.00 | $ 18.00 | $ - | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Photocopies | $ 0.50 | $ 0.50 | $ 1.00 | $ - | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Reassign of Tax Cert | $ 10.00 | $ 2.00 | $ 12.00 | $ - | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Redemption fee | $ 68.00 | $ 1.50 | $ 69.50 | $ 5,000 | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Active Voters - Spec Twps | $ 3.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 4.00 | $ - | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | All Voters Twp / Pct / Name | $ 3.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 4.00 | $ - | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | C of Aur Pct Comm Label | $ 0.05 | $ 0.05 | $ 0.10 | $ - | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Labels by Voters Twp / HSHL | $ 0.02 | $ 0.08 | $ 0.10 | $ 1,790 | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | New Vtrs Twp / Pct / Name | $ 3.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 4.00 | $ 15 | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Pct Comm Pers / Dep Label | $ 0.05 | $ 0.05 | $ 0.10 | $ 10 | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Voter Certification | $ 1.50 | $ 1.00 | $ 2.50 | $ 20 | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Voter List Alpha / Street | $ 3.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 4.00 | $ - | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Voter List Alpha / Votname | $ 3.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 4.00 | $ - | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | Voter List Walk / History | $ 3.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 4.00 | $ 165 | $ - | |||
| County Clerk | District Voter List w/History | $ 3.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 4.00 | $ - | $ - | |||
| Total County Clerk Increased User Fee Revenue | $ 242,000 | $ - | $ 32,000 | $ - | $ - | ||||
| Recorder & GIS | Real Estate Documents, 1st 4 pages, std | $ 42.00 | $ 15.00 | $ 57.00 | $ 325,000 | $ 195,000 | $ 455,000 | ||
| Recorder & GIS | Real Estate Documents, 1st 4 pages, non-std | $ 54.00 | $ 20.00 | $ 74.00 | |||||
| Recorder & GIS | Non Real Estate Documents, 1st 4 pages, std | $ 32.00 | $ 10.00 | $ 42.00 | |||||
| Recorder & GIS | Non Real Estate Documents, 1st 4 pages, non-std | $ 53.00 | $ 10.00 | $ 63.00 | |||||
| Recorder & GIS | Blanket Assignment 1st 4 pages, std | $ 42.00 | $ 10.00 | $ 52.00 | |||||
| Recorder & GIS | Blanket Assignments 1st 4 pages, non-std | $ 54.00 | $ 10.00 | $ 64.00 | |||||
| Recorder & GIS | Plat | $ 80.00 | $ 10.00 | $ 90.00 | |||||
| Recorder & GIS | Plat of Survey | $ 42.00 | $ 10.00 | $ 52.00 | |||||
| Recorder & GIS | Condo Plat and Declaration submitted as 1 doc | $ 92.00 | $ 10.00 | $ 102.00 | |||||
| Recorder & GIS | UCC Financing | $ 50.00 | $ 10.00 | $ 60.00 | |||||
| Recorder & GIS | UCC Termination | $ 35.00 | $ 10.00 | $ 45.00 | |||||
| Recorder & GIS | Liens & Releases submitted by Fed and State | $ 11.00 | $ 10.00 | $ 21.00 | |||||
| Total Recorder & GIS Increased User Fee Revenue | $ 325,000 | $ - | $ - | $ 195,000 | $ 455,000 | ||||
| Sheriff | Serve / Attempt Serve and Return (excl mileage) | $ 37.00 | $ 8.00 | $ 45.00 | $ 19,200 | ||||
| Sheriff | Alias Services & Notice of Posting (excl mileage) | $ 37.00 | $ 8.00 | $ 45.00 | $ 6,400 | ||||
| Sheriff | Tax Notices (within Kane County) (excl mileage) | $ 37.00 | $ 38.00 | $ 75.00 | $ 45,600 | ||||
| Sheriff | Evictions (service fee +1st hour, excl mileage) | $ 125.00 | $ 20.00 | $ 145.00 | $ 36,000 | ||||
| Sheriff | Hourly rate, after 1st hour (evictions charged min of 1/4 hr) | $ 88.00 | $ 7.00 | $ 95.00 | $ 4,375 | ||||
| Sheriff | Replevins / judgments / levies, add'l hourly rate | $ 88.00 | $ 7.00 | $ 95.00 | $ 350 | ||||
| Sheriff | Civil Attachments / Body Writ (plus mileage) | $ 133.00 | $ 67.00 | $ 200.00 | $ 24,120 | ||||
| Sheriff | Civil Attachments / Body Writ Alias Service Fee | $ 10.00 | $ 4.50 | $ 14.50 | $ 675 | ||||
| Total Sheriff Increased User Fee Revenue | $ 136,720 | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ - | ||||
| Total County Increased User Fee Revenue | $ 712,720 | $ 2,342 | $ 32,000 | $ 195,000 | $ 455,000 |
Total County Increased User Fee Revenue for 2015 Budget
- Editor’s Note: This article is updated around 5:535 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014, in order to provide additional numbers and clarification of the monies that go in each fund.
[…] draft budget estimates revenue conservatively, and instead aims to draw additional revenue from increases in user fees. It provides for a 2 percent salary increase, at managers’ discretion, for non-union […]
Interesting information. What I would like to hear from Kane County is what is being done to be more efficient. Using your example – mortgage lenders pay an $88 fee to process evictions, but the county spends about $125 to do the job. What are the details that make doing that cost $125? Is there process improvement work being done at every level to reduce waste and improve efficiency. That would be something worth Sharing and celebrating. Illinois has a dismal record for doing things that make people want to stay in Illinois. Raising Taxes, Raising fees are not helping the bigger cause. Please let us know what is happening on that side of the coin.
Thanks