For Immediate Release                                                   
Contact:  Jason Gerwig                                        
630/407-6022
November 25, 2008

COUNTY APPROVES FISCAL YEAR 2009 BUDGET        

WHEATON ―The DuPage County Board approved its Fiscal Year 2009 budget on Tuesday, a budget which continues the county’s commitment to public safety, traffic congestion relief, infrastructure improvements and human services, while at the same time remaining balanced and fiscally conservative.      

DuPage County remains one of the leanest counties in the nation.  The Fiscal Year 2009 approved budget, which is $481 million, is nearly the same level as Fiscal Year 2004 with headcount nearly 90 below 2004 levels. 

The board approved the framework for DuPage 2013, a county-wide infrastructure program.  The Board will continue to monitor and analyze economic conditions before making any decision on whether to issue bonds for the program.   However, the framework allows the county to aggressively position itself to take advantage of favorable market conditions in order to achieve its strategic objectives, as well as improve its economic development.  The budget does appropriate $7.5 million for one-time capital projects. 

“This budget follows the strategic vision and priorities born of our Strategic Plan, which was a collaboration of elected officials and members of the public coming together to chart the future of our county,” said Schillerstrom.  “We recognize the current economic conditions affecting our region, and our nation, which is why we have ensured our revenue projections and spending priorities are conservative.”

The Fiscal Year 2009 budget:  includes no increase in the property tax; maintains the county’s commitment to public safety; invests in public transit, which will alleviate traffic congestion; invests in economic development, which will create jobs and retain and attract businesses; reaffirms the county’s commitment to the environment and green initiatives; brings the salaries of Sheriff’s Deputies and State’s Attorney’s to competitive levels; and assures access to health care and critical human services.

This budget includes over $96 million in direct spending on public safety, not including pension and Social Security costs.  It includes an increase of $8 million over the restored Fiscal Year 2008 budget levels, and $18 million, or 23 percent, from the Fiscal Year 2008 budget the county originally passed last November.    

“This investment in public safety will keep our crime rate low, and it responds to our public safety priorities, including funding for the implementation of the recommendations in the jail study,” said Schillerstrom. 

The budget ensures the State’s Attorney’s Office continues to:  support a high level of investigations against crimes, including crimes against abused children; attract and retain the highest quality Assistant State’s Attorneys to serve the people of DuPage; fully staff the courthouse, including those who are seeking orders of protection; and ensure the State’s Attorney has the tools to prosecute those who pose a threat to our communities.    

The budget also includes $400,000 to fully enable the Department of Homeland Security and Office of Emergency Management to implement organizational and operational changes as it redirects its focus and mission.    

The County Board also approved an inter-governmental agreement Tuesday between the Illinois Tollway and the City of Aurora, which includes funding for the construction of the new Eola Road interchange with the Reagan Tollway.  The Fiscal Year 2009 budget includes the county portion of the funding for this project. 

Other highlights of the Fiscal Year 2009 budget include:  increasing the Human Services Grant Fund from its 2008 level of $500,000 to a 2009 level of $1,000,000; $300,000 for county food pantries, which is part of the DuPage “safety net” for those in need; $400,000 to support Pace and the RTA as plans progress for the first Bus Rapid Transit route in DuPage County; $1.6 million for local connector bus routes in Downers Grove, Addison, Lombard and Oak Brook/Oak Brook Terrace; annualized funding for the Naperville Recycling Center, the Woodridge Paint Recycling Center, environmental education through SCARCE, and environmental enforcement through the IEPA; $4.5 million for the Stormwater Department, which will help upgrade equipment and regional floodplain maps and facilities to protect communities from the dangers of flooding; and $180,000 for the Office of Regional Education that will go toward the “Building Bridges of Understanding” program, which will ensure every student in DuPage County has a chance to succeed in the classroom. 

To view a copy of the budget, please visit www.dupageco.org.

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