The Public Policy Committee of the DeKalb County Board met on Thursday, November 4, 2003 at 6:30p.m. at the Legislative Center’s Liberty Room. Chairman Ruth Anne Tobias called the meeting to order. Members present were Patricia LaVigne,  Richard Osborne and Joseph Wiegand.  Ms. Vary and Mr. Pritchard were absent. Ray Bockman and Bessie Chronopolous and Senator J. Bradley Burzynski.   

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

Moved by Mr. Wiegand, seconded by Ms. LaVigne, and it was carried unanimously by a voice vote to approve the minutes from November 2003. 

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Moved by Mr. Osborne, seconded by Mr. Wiegand, and it was carried unanimously by a voice vote that the amended agenda be approved. 

PUBLIC COMMENTS:

There were no public comments for the evening.  

REVIEW/PRIORITIZATION OF LEGISLATIVE AGENDA 

With the assistance of Senator J. Bradley Burzynski the committee members reviewed the items that have been discussed previously for inclusion in the County’s 2004 Legislative Agenda.  Chairman Tobias had previously prioritized items and the committee reviewed in descending order. 

The first item reviewed was to seek state reimbursement for the County’s Public Defender’s Office.  The County has for many of years received reimbursement from the State for the impact that the university has on the State’s Attorney’s Office.  It has long been felt that some funding should be made available to the Public Defender’s Office for the impact of the university on that service as well.  Senator Burzynski asked if the public defender’s office had figures on the number of cases generated by N.I.U.?  Mr. Bockman said that he would contact Mr. Johnson, DeKalb County Public Defender, and see if an estimate could be made.  Senator Burzynski offered to assist the County in looking into this matter.

It was moved by Mr. Wiegand and seconded by Ms. LaVigne, to retain the state reimbursement for  public defender’s office as the number 1 County legislative priority.  The motion was carried unanimously on a voice vote.

It was moved by Mr. Wiegand to remove the number 2 legislative priority, Purchase of Development Rights, but the motion died for lack of a second.

It was moved by Mr. Osborne, seconded by Ms. LaVigne, to retain Purchase of Development Rights as the County’s number 2 legislative priority.  Motion passed with Mr. Wiegand voting no.

The committee reviewed the number 3 priority, which is Court Interpreter Fee.  Senator Burzynski offered to look into the possibility of reintroducing this legislation in the Spring Session of the General Assembly. 

It was moved by Mr. Wiegand, seconded by Mr. Osborne, to adopt the Court Interpreter Fee as the number 3 legislative priority of the County.  Motion passed on an unanimous voice vote.

It was moved by Ms. LaVigne, seconded by Mr. Osborne, to keep the Election Levy as the county’s number 4 legislative priority.  The motion passed on a 3 to 1 vote with Mr. Wiegand voting no.

The committee then discussed the number 5 legislative priority, which was the removal of levies associated with uncontrollable expenditures such as, pension funds, tort levies, from the Property Tax Limitation Law.  Senator Burzynski advised the committee that it would be very difficult for members of the Illinois General Assembly to support such a law until and unless a comprehensive review of PTELL’s impact had been conducted.  He stated that he and many others favored a review impact of PTELL since it’s inception.

It was moved by Mr. Wiegand, seconded by Ms. LaVigne, to replace the language of priority number 5 that calls for a legislative review of the impact of PTELL and establish that as the county’s number 5 legislative priority.  Motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.

The committee reviewed the number 6 legislative priority, which was to modify the law with regard to population parameters for the general fund tax rate. 

It was moved by Ms. LaVigne, seconded by Mr. Osborne to adopt this item as the number 6 legislative priority and the motion was carried on a 3 to 1 vote with Mr. Wiegand voting no. 

The committee then took up a discussion of the advisory referendum proposed by Lt. Governor Patrick Quinn.  Chairman Tobias advised the committee that the previous evening the members of the Administrative Services Committee  had decided to recommend against sending this proposition to the County Board and had asked that the Public Policy Committee consider adopting in addition to the Legislative Agenda calling for a broader and more comprehensive reform of education funding in the state of Illinois.  A considerable discussion ensued in which general agreement was reached that something substantial needed to be done to reform the manner in which school funding is accomplished in this State.

There was also a discussion on the obligations of local government to guard carefully those propositions that they place before the voters. 

It was moved by Ms. LaVigne, seconded by Mr. Osborne, to adopt an addition to the legislative agenda calling for the board’s support of school funding reform.  Motion carried on a 3 to 1 vote, with Mr. Wiegand voting no.

It was the consensus of the to forward the 2004 Legislative Agenda items to the full board for approval.

Senator Burzynski briefed the committee on the recent news from Springfield.  He indicated that the revenue picture continued to be good.  He explained that an additional $600 million dollars shortfall in revenues vs. expected revenues, would add significantly to the state’s fiscal difficulties.  He also informed them that at a recent meeting that he had hosted, that some thirty people showed up, who had been promised member initiative funds for various projects around the senate district.  Much of, in many cases, the work has been done in anticipation receiving these funds and yet the Governor and various members of the administration continue to refuse to release the funds that were promised. 

Senator Burzynski also informed the committee that the DeKalb County Child Advocacy Center is supposed to be receiving a $25,000.00 grant to assist in their activities.  The Governor vetoed 115 bills, which is the most in history.  There have been several overrides of those vetoes recently. 

Mr. Wiegand asked Senator Burzynski to speak on two item.  The first one being the proposed casino in Shabbona and the second, the Sheridan Correctional Facility converted to a drug rehab center. 

Senator Burzynski responded that while those interests representing the casino in Shabbona had lobbyists working in Springfield that he was aware of no movement at the federal level and viewed activities within the State of Illinois as an attempt to run around the federal government seeking to gain state approval in advance of federal approval of the Indian Rights. 

With regards to Sheridan, he said that many people were surprised by the Governor turning it into a drug rehab center and he wasn’t aware of the status of the remaining wing of that facility.  Mr. Wiegand indicated that he felt that the facility provided an opportunity to perhaps establish a regional facility for sentenced county inmates.  Senator Burzynski indicated that the state had several other facilities that had been constructed but were unoccupied around the state.   

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved by Ms. LaVigne, seconded by Mr. Wiegand to adjourn the meeting at 7:30p.m.

Respectively submitted,

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                                                                  Chairman Ruth Anne Tobias      

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Ray R. Bockman, Recording Secretary