Kendall County sheriff’s cuts help produce reduction in county’s 2023 budget

YORKVILLE – Budget cuts at the Kendall County jail are a major factor in a reduced total spending plan for the county government as a whole.

The county will operate under a $28.3 million general fund budget with no surplus for fiscal 2023, down from a $36.9 million budget that produced a nearly $7 million surplus for 2022.

The fiscal year starts Dec. 1. The Kendall County Board approved the budget plan at its Nov. 15 meeting.

The budget decrease is more easily seen on the revenue side of the equation, down $1.8 million, with much of the decrease resulting because of a reduction in the number of federal inmates held at the county jail, for which the county receives fees for housing and transporting the prisoners.

However, Kendall County Sheriff Dwight Baird’s budget is providing the county with more than $800,000 in savings through a partial closure of the Yorkville lockup and a reduction in the number of corrections officers.

The $4.9 million 2023 corrections budget is down from the past year’s $5.3 million spending plan, a savings of $367,000 after factoring in salary increases.

An estimated $171,000 in costs to house female inmates at the Kane County lockup is included in the budget.

In addition to the savings in salaries, the county administration will save about $440,000 in health care and insurance premiums.

The corrections budget for the sheriff’s office is part of a larger $12.1 million spending plan that also includes patrol operations, courthouse security and record-keeping.

Baird has closed the jail’s south wing, reducing the capacity of the jail from 205 beds to 105. On a typical day, there are about 70 to 80 inmates housed in the jail. A reduction in the corrections officer staff was achieved through attrition.

Meanwhile, the county is planning to increase its property tax levy request, from $22.7 million in 2022 to $24.4 million for 2023.

The Kendall County Forest Preserve District Board on Nov. 15 approved a $9.6 million budget plan and a $710,000 property tax levy for 2023.

The forest preserve board is composed of the same 10 County Board members, but operates as a separate entity.