For Immediate Release
Contact:  Jason Gerwig
630/407-6022
October 16, 2007

SCHILLERSTROM PROPOSES CUT BUDGET

Proposal Includes 235 Layoffs; Reductions Would Hit Public Safety and Human Services the Hardest

WHEATON (October 16, 2007) — DuPage County Board Chairman Robert J. Schillerstrom presented his Fiscal Year 2008 budget on Tuesday which, if passed, is $50 million below this years already reduced budget, includes 235 layoffs and will adversely impact public safety and human services programs.

The County, which continues to seek the authority from legislators to enact a cigarette tax, is in need of a new revenue source to ensure residents maintain the quality of life they have come to expect and deserve, Schillerstrom told Board members. 

“This is not a budget I want.  It is not a budget you want.  It is not a budget our Elected Officials want or will probably accept.  It is not a budget that will meet the needs of DuPage  County or our constituents,” said Schillerstrom.  “Unfortunately, due to Springfield’s inaction, it is the budget we are forced to present.”

The Fiscal Year 2008 budget proposal is over $50 million below this years already reduced budget, putting budget levels at FY99 levels and aggregate headcount will be below 1997 levels.

The absence of a new revenue source, noted Schillerstrom, most adversely impacts the Corporate Fund, which provides the majority of resources for law enforcement, judicial, public safety and healthcare.  The proposed FY 2008 Corporate Fund budget is cut $10 million below FY 2007 levels.

Included in the budget cuts is the elimination of 235 positions, which makes up 15 percent of the corporate workforce.  Over 179 of these layoffs will come from public safety agencies, with 100 layoffs occurring in the Sheriff’s office.

“The elimination of 100 employees from the Sheriff’s office will drastically impact the county’s law enforcement arm, meaning less manpower to monitor an already crowded jail, fewer officers on our streets, delays in response times and a greater strain on security levels throughout the county,” said Schillerstrom. 

There will also be a 20 percent reduction in the number of probation officers – who already handle high case loads, which will translate into more offenders spending time unmonitored on our streets.

“A budget reduced by this magnitude will adversely affect our public safety and stretch an already over-burdened judicial system to the breaking point,” said Michael McMahon, Chairman of the County’s Judicial and Public Safety Committee. 

The cuts in this budget will not be confined to public safety agencies; they will impact the human services community as well.  The County is reducing the Health Department levy by $600,000.  This is in addition to eliminating another $2 million in other financial support that the County has historically provided.

“These reductions will result in the closure of community health programs, which provide emergency dental care for children and cervical and breast cancer screenings,” said Linda Kurzawa, Chairwoman of the County’s Health Department. 

The Convalescent  Center, which has been an oasis of care and community for over a century, will also feel the pain of cuts.  By reducing their financial support, which is already the lowest subsidy among county nursing facilities in the region, the County will be forced to reassess its role in the operation of this facility.

Schillerstrom stated the County “must take an in-depth look at long-term options for our Convalescent  Center, including the market feasibility of public or private partnerships that will allow the Convalescent Center to continue to be a valued resource.”

DuPage  County also has a proud history of caring for its environment and open spaces.  Unfortunately, without new revenue the Household Hazardous Waste program, the regional recycling center in Naperville, and SCARCE – a model of environmental education – will no longer receive funding from the county.  Funding for water quality programs, mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), – will also be compromised.

Other programs and services affected by the reduced budget include the:  closure of traffic courts; further reductions in funding for Access DuPage and the mental health collaborative; elimination of funding for the U of I Extension; closure of the Historical Museum; delays in property tax distributions to schools and local governments; inability to provide remaining staff with merit or wage increases and a delay in payments to vendors who do business with the County. 

“The cuts I am proposing today should leave all of us ill at ease if not ill.  We must work together to see that this county maintains its quality of life,” said Schillerstrom.  “To that end, I will continue to work with the Legislature and all of you over the next few weeks as the county debates this budget.”

The County’s Fiscal Year begins December 1, 2007.

# # #