DeKalb Times

DeKalb County Finance & Administration Committee met Oct. 2.

Here is the agenda provided by the committee:

1. Roll Call

2. Approval of Agenda

3. Approval of Minutes

a. Minutes from September 4th, 2024 Regular Meeting

b. Minutes from September 18th, 2024 FY2025 Budget Question & Answer Forum

4. Public Comments

Any member of the public may address the Committee for up to 3 minutes on any topic of their choosing. There will be no yielding of time to other members of the public and agenda time for public comments is limited to 30 minutes in total.

5. Resolutions

a. Resolution R2024-107—A Resolution Authorizing the County Board Chair to Execute a Deed of Conveyance for Parcel Number 09-29-254-015, Located in Cortland, Illinois, to EK LAND, in the Amount of $3,413.00.

The County of DeKalb, as Trustee for the Taxing Districts therein, has undertaken a program to collect delinquent taxes and to perfect titles to real property in cases in which the taxes on such real property have not been paid, pursuant to 35 ILCS 200/21-90. These proposed resolution(s) are to authorize the Chairman of the Board to execute such deeds of conveyance of the County’s interest or authorize the cancellation of the appropriate Certificate(s) of Purchase, as the case may be for the following two (2) Resolution(s) to be paid to the Treasurer of DeKalb County Illinois, to be disbursed according to law.

b. Resolution R2024-108 A Resolution Authorizing the County Board Chair to Execute a Deed of Conveyance for Parcel Number 01-19-334-008, Located in Kirkland, Illinois, to James Boult, in the Amount of $8,555.00.

See Resolution R2024-107.

c. Resolution R2024-109—A Resolution Approving of the Annual Participation in the Service Program of the Office of the State's Attorney’s Appellate Prosecutor.

Resolution R2024-109 approves the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office’s annual participation in the service program of the Office of the State's Attorney’s Appellate Prosecutor, commencing December 1, 2024 and ending November 30, 2025, by hereby appropriating the sum of $31,000. This program provides offer Continuing Legal Education training programs to the State's Attorneys and Assistant State's Attorneys and designates the Office of the State's Attorney’s Appellate Prosecutor as its Agent to administer the operation of the appellate offices and process said appellate court cases for this County.

d. Resolution R2024-110—A Resolution Approving the Payment of County Claims for October 2024, and Off-Cycle Claims Paid During the Previous Month, Including All Claims for Travel, Meals, and Lodging.

6. Considerations

a. Consideration of County Courthouse Space Plan Study Proposal from Dewberry Architects Inc.

In late 2009, the County began the preliminary work for the expansion of the DeKalb County Courthouse. As part of this process, a contract for Architectural Services for the project was awarded to Dewberry Architects Inc. By 2011, the County had begun construction on the project. In June of 2020, construction on the expansion project was stopped due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it is anticipated that construction will be resumed in 2026. Due to the length of time that has passed since the original floor plan for the expansion was created, as well as changes in the personnel and needs of the departments housed within the building, staff believes it to be necessary to reevaluate the plan prior to construction being resumed.

Staff has reengaged with Dewberry Architects Inc and sought a proposal for a County Courthouse Space Plan Study due to their familiarity with the project and the prohibitive costs associated with engaging a new architectural firm. Dewberry has submitted a proposal that would provide the County with a revised floor plan that reflects the current needs of the building, as well as create an updated cost estimate for the project. The cost of the work covered under the proposal amounts to a fixed sum of $19,320 and includes a schedule for the hourly billing rates for additional work that may be requested that is not covered under the scope of the proposal. Resolution R2024-106 authorizes the Interim County Administrator to execute the proposal.

This item will be considered as an action item by the Facilities & Technology Committee at their October 1st meeting and is being brought to the Finance & Administration Committee for further consideration.

b. Consideration of FY2025 Tax Levy Publication.

In accordance with the FY2025 Budget Calendar, the first notice of public hearing regarding the FY2025 Budget and Tax Levy is due for publication on October 8th. The Preliminary FY2025 Budget utilizes the County Board’s philosophy of using new construction to hold the line on taxes for the average existing taxpayer. The FY2025 Preliminary Budget was assembled using conservative assumptions for new construction when calculating the levy. As was discussed during the Budget Q&A Forum, Staff continually evaluates all the assumptions used, including new construction figures as they relate to the tax levy. Staff will present the most up to date information at the meeting.

7. FY2025 Budget

a. FY2025 Budget Appeals

County Board Members and Department Heads are provided with the opportunity to file an appeal concerning Administration budget recommendations. Appeals must be filed by September 22, 2024 and will be reviewed by the appropriate Board Committee. If the Committee concurs with the appeal, it will then be forwarded to the Finance & Administration Committee for a decision in November.

b. Committee’s Questions & Review of Departments’ FY2025 Budget Requests

8. Old Business

9. New Business

10. Adjournment

https://dekalbcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/packet-fin-10022024.pdf