•  Editor’s Note: The Kane County community outreach initiative is one of the programs funded by the Grand Victoria Casino Elgin Fund.

The Kane County Board approved more than $5 million of Grand Victoria Casino Elgin Fund projects and programs at Tuesday’s County Board meeting. A full list of the projects is provided below.

As with any effort to allocate funds, choosing which internal projects and external good causes to support was a difficult decision-making process for elected officials. At the Sept. 3 Executive Committee meeting, 2nd District County Board member Theresa Barreiro asked for and received consideration for a last-minute change to fund the Joseph Corporation’s salaries, building-space and administrative expenses in support of the county’s Foreclosure Task Force efforts. Barreiro had sought up to $25,000.

“Foreclosure is a huge, favorite topic of mine to try to overcome, to try to fix,” she told the committee.

Board member John J. Hoscheit of District 12, who headed the Riverboat Committee, put forward a motion for a compromise solution — to take $7,500 from a city of Aurora project for a neighborhood park to be built on a site where a home had been demolished, and $7,500 from Batavia MainStreet funding for flexible tech work space initiative called Project Mosaic — in order to provide $15,000 for the anti-foreclosure efforts.

At the Executive Committee meeting, Hoscheit said he hoped the committee members would be able to talk through the issue rather than send it back to committee, since “98 percent of the work” had been done by that point. He also asked the committee not to shift money from one geographic area to another, because the Riverboat Committee members had worked hard to distribute the $1 million-plus in funding for projects throughout Kane County.

“I wish we had $2 million or $3 million to allocate,” Hoscheit said. “I would ask or recommend that the geographic area be the same, if we’re going to add or subtract.”

Dr. Monica Silva, District 7, supported Barreiro’s request for continued funding of the county’s foreclosure mediation programs.

“Foreclosure, that’s the bottom line,” she said. “I remember being in Aurora and seeing belongings stack up outside, in the front lawns, because neighbors allowed them to leave them there until they could return to pick them up. We need to keep people in their homes.”

The compromise solution passed in a 6-5 vote.

County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen thanked the Executive Committee members for talking through the issue and reaching a decision that moved the resolution to the full County Board.

“This is a perfect illustration of how difficult this process is,” Lauzen said.

On Tuesday, the County Board members again expressed concerns about the Grand Victoria Casino Elgin Fund, which was formerly known as the Riverboat Fund.

Funding has been shrinking in recent years as casino revenues fall due to a variety of factors. Among those factors is increasing competition from the so-called “grandma casinos,” storefront video-gaming casinos targeted to women in the 55 to 60 age group. Kane County also has come out against a proposal that would bring gambling to Chicago.

Fifth District board member Melisa Taylor expressed concerns about any potential conflicts of interest or connections between elected officials and the agencies that receive external funding, and 13th District representative Phil Lewis wondered about the sustainability of internal initiatives supported by the Grand Victoria Casino Elgin Fund.

“This conversation occurred last year,” Lewis said. “It continues to be an issue. This budget year, we’ll be absorbing about $5 million in grants, $4 million (of which) is internal. We are spending down that fund, and on internal Kane County activities. (Eleventh District board member) Mike Donahue and I share a concern as we move to the future. With riverboat revenues at 60 percent, we’ll be spending that down in four years. This next calendar year, we need to take a position to find a new source of revenue or wean ourselves of internal projects.”

Grand Victoria Casino Elgin Fund

Kane County Projects / Programs (Internal)

1. Human Resources: Tuition Reimbursement  — $76,445
2. Information Technologies: Website Maintenance — $76,500
3. State’s Attorney: Title IV-D —  $22,487
4. State’s Attorney: Drug Prosecution — $185,190
5. State’s Attorney: Victim Coordinated Services — $38,318
6. State’s Attorney: Domestic Violence — $477,467
7. State’s Attorney: Child Advocacy Center — $482,053
8. Court Services: Drug Court — $538,460
9. Court Services: Juvenile Drug Court — $20,455
10. Health: Fit for Kids Program — $95,000
11. Health: Kane Kares — $248,855
12. Water Resources: Cost Share Drainage Program — $285,000
13. Environmental Management: Stormwater Management Program — $57,000
14. Development: Farmland Preservation Program — $450,000
15. Finance: JJC Bond — $805,998
16. Development: Demotion Program — $47,500
17. Environmental Management: Recycling Program — $75,050
18. County Board: Community Outreach Initiative — $50,000

TOTAL: $4,031,778

Kane County Projects / Programs (External)

1. Association for Individual Development (AID): Purchase a 12-passenger van & cargo van — $20,250
2. Batavia Access Television, Inc.: Purchase of three new studio camera — $9,283
3. Batavia MainStreet Project Mosaic: Flexible tech work space facility — $53,750
4. City of Aurora: Build a neighborhood park on home demo site — $38,125
5. Community Crisis Center Inc. Purchase of multimedia upgrade — $500
6. Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA): Train & supervise new CASA/GAL volunteers — $47,500
7. Dundee Township Historical Society: Replace existing exterior doors — $5,825
8. Elgin History Museum: Create African-American history documentary — $38,750
9. Family Service Association: IT upgrade: 10 laptops with wireless cards — $500
10. Food for Greater Elgin: Purchase a walk-in cooler/freezer — $30,000
11. Fox River Study Group: Complete/implement Fox River Implementation Plan — $50,000
12. Fox Valley Pregnancy Center: Replace windows and doors — $8,500
13. Friends of Aurora After School: Salary for Program Coordinator & Reading Mentor Scholarships — $15,000
14. Garfield Heritage Society: Restoration of 1842 threshing barn — $28,750
15. Geneva History Center: Purchase upgrades and installations to promote an accredited museum — $12,500
16. Hampshire Township Park District: Construct a community-build playground — $10,000
17. Hesed House (PADS): Tuck pointing and safety door replacement — $12,420
18. Literacy Volunteers of Fox Valley: Salary for Program Manager — $12,866
19. Joseph Corporation:  Operational Funding; salaries, building and administrative expenses — $15,000
20. Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry: Purchase a refrigerated truck, construct a janitorial closet & vegetable garden — $12,500
21. Mutual Ground: Create networked infrastructure (phase 3) — $6,250
22. NHS of the Fox Valley: Salary for a Housing Recovery Support — $7,500
23. Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley: Renovate 9 original windows at the Beith House — $5,000
24. Quad County Urban League: Purchase of technology & instructional equipment as well as staff training — $7,500
25. Rebuilding Together Aurora: Rehabilitate/repair and make accessibility  modification for four homes — $15,190
26. Salvation Army: Provide meals and nutrition education 26 Salvation Army through Golden Diners Program— $2,500
27. SciTech Museum: Graphics and Educational visual upgrade — $45,512
28. South Elgin Parks and Recreation/FUNdation: Construct Sensory Tree Trunk area of IM ABLE park project — $72,500
29. St. Charles Heritage Center: Upgrade 3 computers, photos, signageand display cases— $4,750
30. Charles Park District (Active River Project): Corridor Study/Design to establish a plan for the Fox River in St. Charles  — $46,250
31. U of I Extension: Community educational programs (Wellness, 4-H, Horticulture & Environment) — $97,500
32. United Way of Elgin — License & maintenance fees for web- based info & referral system — $7,619
33. Village of Lily Lake: Stabilization of eroded ravine as well as wetlands restoration — $47,500
34. Village of Elburn: Stabilization of eroded ravine as well as wetlands restoration — $8,750
35. Village of Montgomery: Update and reprint of Montgomery history — $4,356
36. Village of North Aurora: Install new water main with 2 new hydrants — $34,017
37. Village of Sugar Grove: Construct fiber optic cable — $25,000
38. Village of West Dundee: Downtown Redevelopment Plan; Purchase/construct temporary furnishings — $12,500
39. Wayside Cross Mission: Purchase of commercial kitchen equipment, fire pump and alarm upgrade — $70,000
40. West Aurora Cemetery Association: Gravestone repair, landscaping, chapelAssociation heating & plumbing upgrade, new fence — $7,500
41. YWCA Elgin: Renovate/adapt existing aquatic center — $51,250

TOTAL: $1,000,963

Read More

• County Board meeting agenda packet
• Riverboat Fund Renamed ‘Grand Victoria Casino Elgin Fund’