Kendall County Board moves to shore-up forest preserve district's budget--for now

Acting in their dual role as Kendall County Forest Preserve District Commissioners, the Kendall County Board voted Tuesday, Dec. 15, to transfer funds to prevent the forest preserve district's budget from showing a deficit by February.

The district's current fiscal year began Dec. 1.

The board approved the transfer of bond and land-cash revenues into the district's budget in a unanimous ballot.

After the board voted to slash 10 percent of the district's operating fund in late November, forest preserve staff realized that a lack of cash flow would put district funds at a negative balance. Even after Tuesday's approval of the fund transfers, the board will have to vote again in February to prevent the district's operating fund from running another deficit by next summer.

"We have sufficient reserves," said Dave Guritz, forest preserve director. "(Money in the operating fund) should carry us into February, possibly March. But what we do know is it's not sufficient to carry us into June."

Also in the forest preserve's amended budget is the postponement of expenditures for two grants: one for the Fox River Bluffs Trail and another for the Pickerill-Pigott estate south of Oswego.

Guritz said the district lacked "significant capital funding" for the Pickerill-Pigott estate project.

Guritz assured the board that state disbursements will replenish the agency's budget come June.

"It's just not making sense," said commissioner Amy Cesich, adding that she thought the district's budget cuts would "make sure that we didn't go into that deficit amount."

"I guess we'll have to wait until February to see where we're at," she concluded.

Later in the meeting, three board members, Brian DeBolt, Scott Gengler and Matt Kellogg, pledged not to accept per diem payments for forest district meetings in order to fund compensation for district employees.

"We are going to be compensated very well from the county board side," said Gengler, vice-president of the district. "As far as the forest preserve side, I would like to think that other board members would do the same thing."