The 2024 Election will be significant.
Help me by: putting up a sign; calling your neighbors; mailing a post card; emailing your friends; posting (or reposting) to your FB account.
I promise you that I will continue to do my best to improve Kane County and our area for everyone. You just need to keep me get there.
Kane County 2025 Budget
KANE COUNTY HAS NOT HAD A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE IN 13 YEARS. Yes, looking back on my property Tax Bill, I paid the same dollar amount (with minor fluctuations) to Kane County in 2024 that I paid in 2011.
So, when the Preliminary Budget Numbers for 2025 came in -I was shocked!!.
BY LAW – WE MUST operate with a balanced budget. For the County’s General Fund (where most people are paid), we initially had a $35,000,000 deficit. That will use up over half of our available reserves.
INFLATION has been a big contributor. Retaining people and renewing contracts with our Labor Unions are also big contributors. We see it whenever we go to a grocery store or restaurant. If you’re on Social Security, you’ve seen an 18% increase in the last 3 years. BUT you’ve also seen a tremendous increase in rent, food, and basic living expenses.
ANOTHER big contributor is that there has been NO INCREASE to Kane’s portion (about 4%) of Real Estate Taxes in 13 years. Federal COVID funds enabled us to balance our budget (required) for the past several years. But we will be forced to virtually use ALL of our reserves by 2026, which is disastrous!
For the past three years I’ve been very vocal about this happening. FINALLY – I’m being listened to. We have really good people on the County Board and my prediction is that we will come together with an approach to deal with these issues without major cuts in services. BUT, your understanding and cooperation will also be necessary.
AND, we also need more space for Courts, Personnel, and to replace aging buildings. We have a long-term plan to accomplish this, but effective funding is required to make this happen.
We have been able to reduce the 2025 deficit to about $25,000,000 by using the remaining COVID Funds for Building Maintenance Projects. BUT COVID FUNDS ARE NOW GONE.
Kane’s Board WILL be balancing the 2025 Budget with $25 Million in Reserves (we currently have about $70,000,000. In reserves).
Unless something major changes, in 2026 we will have a $40,000,000 deficit. KANE COUNTY DOES NOT HAVE ADEQUATE RESERVES TO COVER THAT SHORTFALL.
The Kane Board has voted to put a .75% Sales Tax referendum on the April 1, 2025 Consolidated Ballot. That would generate about $51,000,000, per year, in revenue.
This revenue is desperately needed.
If the referendum fails, we will have no choice but to make DRASTIC CUTS affecting personnel and services.
I’ll continue to keep you informed on this issue as things progress.
Taxes
I will see that your money is used wisely!
Kane County’s budget is about $300 Million a year. About $50 Million (1/6) comes from property taxes. The rest comes from fees, sales tax, gas tax, etc (about 300 different sources). The County has operated on an ‘austerity’ approach for too long. The new board will have to deal with the effects of this ill-advised method.
I will endeavor to keep taxes low – but one of my key strengths has been to see that you (the taxpayer) gets the best value out of the taxes & fees that you pay.
Water
A County issue
Here on the East side of the county we are fortunate to have the Fox River as one of our primary water sources. But on the West side – which is growing – they get almost all of their water from wells and our aquafers are beginning to shrink. Kane County is growing and providing resources to sustain that growth is necessary. I’ll work on addressing this (and all the other resources necessary to support county growth).
Senior Services
I will CONTINUE TO STAND UP for Seniors
I will stand up for elders and people with disabilities!!!
Living on a fixed income, that in many cases is inadequate to begin with, is a major challenge.
For many people, particularly seniors, having to choose between food and medicine is a sad and unnecessary situation.
Elgin Township passed a Senior Referendum six years ago, and I am proud to have been the Trustee that worked with the Township’s Senior Committee during its creation and initial selections for funding. Providing support to address food insecurity, transportation, isolation and other issues is necessary and appropriate.
Most recently the RIDE-IN-KANE program has been taken over by the county. This will allow us to expand this program throughout the county.
I will fight to preserve and strengthen programs and services for Seniors in Kane County.
Mental Health
It is less expensive to deal with the issues now rather than ignore it.
- The PANDEMIC has created an environment where more people than ever before need help!
- Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US and the second leading cause of death for American youth.
- Every hour, eight people in America die of drug overdose, from opioids and increasingly from other drugs as well.
- Rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal behavior are all rising among our teens and young adults, but the time from first symptoms (usually around age fourteen) to treatment continues to be almost a decade for many people.
Renewable Energy
The future is NOW
The science is clear. Experts have long known that climate change is caused by human beings, it is here, and it is accelerating. We already see its effects — record floods, devastating wildfires, 100-year storms that happen every year — costing lives, causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damage, and disproportionately impacting our most vulnerable communities, including communities of color, children, and low-income communities. This is something that we must deal with now.
I believe in RENEWABLE energy!
Key Issues 2020 to Present
KANE COUNTY BOARD – KEY ISSUES from 2020 until NOW – Vern Tepe – 10/3/2024
In December of 2020, when Democrats took control of the Kane County Board, we had several major challenges. Here, in my opinion, is what they were and how these, and other issues, have been addressed.
- We were in the midst of COVID
- We found that pay inequity – particularly with women – was commonplace. We actually had full-time employees who were on food stamps, and some women who would have been justified, in my opinion, to bring discrimination suits against the county.
- Maintenance projects had been delayed for so long that they were often dealt with on an emergency basis. At a higher cost.
- Starting pay for nurses & attorneys was so low that we could not hire people, or if we did hire them, they soon left to go to another county.
- Cost-of-living Real Estate Tax increases, that virtually every other taxing body does, had not been done in 9 years (it’s now 13 years).
- Long-term planning, at the top level, was non-existent.
- Few elected officals planned any further than the next election cycle.
Under the direction of Corinne Pierog, our new County Chair, and the 1st ever Democratic County Chair, we began to address these issues & a lot more.
First, COVID was our top priority. Addressing COVID, vaccine distribution, and all of the effects was a challenge. Not everything was perfect, but in retrospect, I think we did an excellent job.
Second, the county received over $200 million in COVID Funds. A large part was distributed to local businesses & non-profits in order to keep them operational. But, because of county finances, we have utilized these funds, for county operations, wherever & whenever we could. This saved county taxpayers money AND allowed us to address some of the issues listed above.
Third, we supported our State’s Attorney, Public Defender, Sheriff, & Health Dept. in raising salaries so that we could retain key personnel and hire new staff. Sometimes filling vacancies that had been open for years.
Fourth, we addressed the pay inequity that existed and have cured many, but not all, of the underlying issues. It takes time to ‘turn’ a big ship.
Fifth, we re-organized the Maintenance Department, had them do a careful & through review, and now have both short & long-term plans to address the on-going maintenance issues.
Sixth, we hired a consulting firm that did a review of all county facilities and created a Facilities Plan. Key recommendations are that we need more space – at least 100,000 sq. ft. – at the Judicial Center & need to redo the Government Center in Geneva. Cost estimate – $250 million.
Seventh, we have failed on Cost-of-living Tax Increases. Even though the typical homeowner would only pay about $25 per year more, too many of my fellow board members are afraid that they won’t be re-elected.
BUT, by utilizing COVID Government Funds, we currently have about $70,000,000 in reserves.
SO WHERE ARE WE TODAY?
We are all feeling the impact of inflation. Yes, Social Security has been increased over 15% in the past few years, but so have grocery, rent, taxes & other expenses.
Kane County Finances are complicated. Our total budget is about $415 million. Much of it is paid for by State, Federal, and grant funds. Only about $60 million (1/5th) comes from Real Estate Taxes, and the county portion of your RE Taxes is only 4% of your tax amount.
The key fund that pays most of our people is the County General Fund. Its budget is about $160 million. That funding comes from RE Taxes, Sales Tax, Fuel Tax, and county fees.
Preliminary 2025 budget numbers had us showing a $35 million deficit. And for 2026, the deficit is estimated to be $40 million.
By utilizing COVID Funds and reallocating revenue from KDOT we have decreased the 2025 deficit down to $29 Million.
The cost increases are primarily due to inflation, personnel, and increased product costs. I saw this happening four years ago, but I was unable to get any support in addressing the issue. We desperately need more revenue in order to provide our mandated services and properly service the residents of Kane County.
It looks like the proposed solution will be to have a Sales Tax Referendum on the Municipal ballot on April 1, 2025. That will be for .75%. That would bring in about $51 million/year.
But, if the referendum fails, we will have no choice but to make severe cuts to personnel and services. At least 150 people would be laid off – which would severely impact morale and services. – Thanks for your attention, I’ll continue to keep you informed.
Vern
Past Issues
Mask Project
Food for Greater Elgin fund raiser goes viral
So you have a major health pandemic, live in a senior community, and suddenly are confined to your house (with your wife) all day long!! Sooo – what do you do?
After hearing a lot about the lack of masks and what a challenge it is to get them, I thought why not get some of the ladies that are ‘sewers’ in my community to start making masks?
We could sell them to our friends & neighbors and give the money to the local food bank! Might even generate $2,000-$3,000.
Boy was I wrong!!! Our ‘little’ mask project skyrocketed!!
