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DeKalb County, Illinois |
Minutes of the
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The
Public Policy Committee of the DeKalb County Board met on Monday, September 16,
2002 at 6:30p.m. at the DeKalb County Legislative Center’s Freedom Conference
Room. Chairman Ruth Anne Tobias called the meeting to order. Members present
were Pat LaVigne, Jeffery Metzger, Eileen Dubin and John Dlabal. Members absent
were James Barr and Ed Brown. Others
present were Ray Bockman, Gary Hanson, Paul Miller and Greg Millburg.
Moved
by Mr. Metzger, seconded by Ms. LaVigne, and it was carried unanimously to
accept the minutes of the August 2002 meeting.
Moved
by Mr. Metzger, seconded by Ms. Dubin, and it was carried unanimously that the
agenda be approved.
No one was present for public comment.
Legislative Agenda 2002: Chairman
Tobias compiled the list of requests made by the county department heads for the
2002 legislative agenda. She
included some items from last year’s list too.
The committee then began to review the agenda items.
Item #1 – Property Tax Limitation Law – Chairman Tobias asked if
there was anything that the committee could do to move this item along in
Springfield? The
Finance Department is asking that the law be amended to exempt tax levies
where the unit of government, such as funding State Retirement Programs and
paying Tort, cannot control the expenditures and Liability claims.
Chairman Tobias asked how many counties are capped?
Mr. Bockman, DeKalb County Administrator, said around 20 or 30.
It was agreed to keep this item on the agenda perpetually.
Item #2 – Population Parameter – General Fund Tax Rate – This item
from the Finance Department is a request to keep the rate the day the law was
adopted. Mr. Hanson, DeKalb
County Deputy County Administrator, explained that we would be asking the
legislators to keep the population parameters based on 1990 Census data, not
change it to 2000 Census data. Chairman
Tobias said, so this law would affect the same 20 or 30 counties that are
capped? Mr. Bockman said yes.
It was agreed to keep this item on the agenda perpetually.
Item #3 – Contributory Negligence allowed in Worker’s Compensation
– It was agreed to keep this item on the agenda perpetually.
Item #4 – Farmland Preservation – This is a request to develop
legislation to grant counties the right to initiate Purchase of Development
Rights programs, along with a funding mechanism, to further farmland
preservation which was sent by the Planning and Zoning Department.
Chairman Tobias said that she believed that this was already happening in
Kane County. Mr. Paul Miller,
DeKalb County Planning and Zoning Director, said that Kane County is going on
this alone and that they have deeper pockets than we do. They have basically translated the program into a purchase of
farmland, which is not what he is talking about. The Purchase of Development Rights, explained Mr. Miller, is
basically a conservation easement where an entity goes to a farmer and pays the
farmer the difference in the value of their land as farmland vs. developed land.
In return for that payment the farmer grants a permanent conservation
easement that shall remain in farming in perpetuity.
The idea is that land that is primed for agriculture, that isn’t in the
way of natural development, should be preserved for farmland.
DeKalb County for a long time has done what we can to preserve farmland
recognizing that it’s not just in the terms of the natural resources, which is
the soil that is unique, but our heritage and community character.
Mr. Miller said that the idea on this proposal is to ask someone like
Senator Bradley Burzynski or Representative David Wirsing to consider sponsoring
a bill that makes it overt in State law that Counties may initiate these kinds
of programs. The county could say that it would use some “fund”
money for the program or it could be tied to a very modest tax. The committee voiced concern over certain groups that may
want to attach themselves to a tax levy.
After further discussion it was agreed by the committee to invite Senator
Burzynski and Representative Wirsing to the next committee meeting and get their
opinions on this law.
Item #5 – Retiree Medical Insurance Issue – Chairman Tobias said that
she had no information on this item and that she needs to get in touch with Ms.
Cathy Anderson, Director of Operations at the Rehab and Nursing Center.
Item #6 – Local Employees as Poll Workers – Chairman Tobias said that
Ms. Sharon Holmes, DeKalb County Clerk, approached the committee about this
item. She has said that there is a
significant need for people to work the polling places as election judges in the
April and November elections. Employees
need the protection of legislation to be able to take time off to do this
important work. She has suggested
that the legislation would allow local government employees to get paid time off
from work to serve as election judges in their local jurisdiction with a 20-day
written notice to their employers. The
committee agreed that Chairman Tobias needs to have this request clarified more
by Ms. Holmes with regards to all state employees or local employees.
Item #7 – Mortgage Electronic Recording System – The committee felt
that this was a dead issue.
Item #8 – Cost Sharing for county jail inmates – The Sheriff is
requesting that the State develop legislation that would mandate the local
communities to share the costs of providing medical coverage for prisoners sent
from their jurisdictions. Mr.
Bockman said that he felt that this item does need some attention.
Chairman Tobias said that she would talk to our local legislators about
this item.
Item #9 – State funding for jail expansion – The committee thought
that this is a good suggestion and Chairman Tobias said that she would check on
which committee we should send this to at the State level.
Item #10 – Statute of Limitation on Sex Offenses – Chairman Tobias
said that the department that sent this item is requesting the removal of the
statute of limitations because sex offenders are often repeat offenders. By removing the statute of limitations they feel better able
to protect the general population against the sex offenders and people that are
labeled repeat offenders could be labeled predatory. Ms. LaVigne said that she felt that this was a “no brainer”
- that there should be no limitation on this.
Ms. LaVigne also felt that this should be a federal item.
Item #11 – Collection of DNA samples from sex offenders, National DNA
Registry – Chairman Tobias said that she felt that just like #10 above, that
this a national level item. The
Sheriff’s Department recommends that we work at the state level to establish a
state DNA registry; establish state law requiring DNA sample at time of
registration as a sex offender. Promote
establishment of a national DNA registry. The county has never done this before
and we need to find out who we should bring it to the attention of.
Item #12 – Immigration & Naturalization Service – Chairman Tobias
said that she doesn’t feel that we can do anything for this item, but that it
is good for us to be aware of the situation.
Item #13 – Support appropriate levels of federal funding for Community
Development Block Grant Programs to pay for county anti-poverty programs.
Once again, said Chairman Tobias, this is a federal item and that it is
good that we are being made aware of what is going on.
It was suggested that maybe the committee could ask the county board
members to write individual letters to each of their federal representatives.
Item #14 – School Funding Sources – to Study and support the
recommendation of the EFAB (Education Funding Advisory Board) with our state
legislators. The committee agreed
to keep supporting the item and the need for reform.
Item #15 – Court Interpreter Service Fee – to support legislation
similar to that which established the court security fee and other court fees to
offset this expense. A court
interpreter service fee of $1 - $2 dollars could be established for broad
categories of court users rather than charging those who use interpreters a much
higher fee. Mr. Hanson said that he
liked this item and that he felt it was necessary.
It is a real problem for the judges, public defender and state’s
attorney’s office. It was agreed
to leave this item on the agenda.
Item #16 – Ability to increase county fuel tax to support county road
maintenance. Mr. Bockman said that
when the law was negotiated at the last minute a population threshold was thrown
in. They weren’t willing to give
it to everyone at that point in time. He
further stated that an exemption for off the road vehicles should be included so
that farmers won’t have to pay the tax. The
committee agreed to keep it on the agenda and keep bringing it up each year.
Item #17. – Appropriate Cost of Living adjustments for Mental Health
and Public Health grants – Chairman Tobias said that she needs to get more
information on this item.
Item #18 – Legislation to prevent predatory lending – this is an item
that needs to be looked at now and in the future, so that we are aware of what
is going on in the state regarding these predatory lending facilities.
“They are seeking caps on the rates or just so people are aware of what
they are getting themselves into when they go into one of these Cash Stores,”
said Ms. LaVigne. The committee
agreed to support this legislation.
Before adjourning, Chairman Tobias said that she
would get in touch with Senator Burzynski and Representative Wirsing about
visiting with our committee next month on these agenda items.
Moved
by Mr. Dlabal, seconded by Ms. Dubin, and it was carried unanimously to adjourn
the meeting.
Respectively
submitted,
______________________________
Chairman Ruth Anne Tobias
______________________________
Mary C. Supple, Secretary
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