By Stephen Nelson
At the meeting of the Kankakee County Board on Tuesday, November 14, the board approved a $40 million budget for the fiscal year that begins December 1.
Board Chairman Andy Wheeler said it is a higher budget amount than usual, but that is because $1.6 million in already captured revenue is being allocated to pay off the jail.
Wheeler touted the county’s financial health and said: “We have money in the bank” and “we are operating debt free.” Wheeler noted, “We are supplying added resources where this frankly awful safety act is impacting the county, particularly in the court system.”
The safety act passed last year by the Illinois General Assembly eliminates cash bail in many instances. Wheeler added increasing costs for county employees health insurance will put additional upward pressure on the county budget next year.