DeKalb Times

DeKalb County Finance & Administration Committee met May 7.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

The Finance & Administration Committee of the DeKalb County Board met on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in the Administration Building’s Conference Room East in Sycamore, Illinois. Chair Scott Campbell called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. The members present were John Frieders, Rebecca Johnson, Roy Plote, Ellingsworth Webb, and Chair Campbell. A quorum was established with five members present and one absent. Patrick Deutsch arrived at 6:36 p.m.

DeKalb County Rehabilitation & Nursing Center (DCRNC) Administrator Bart Becker, Interim County Administrator Derek Hiland, and Comptroller Robert Miller were also present.

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Ellingsworth Webb moved to approve the agenda and Rebecca Johnson seconded the motion. The motion was approved.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

Rebecca Johnson moved to approve the minutes of the March 5, 2025 meeting, John Frieders seconded the motion, and the motion carried.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Mary Hatch of Sycamore expressed support of the proposal to add the Accounting Clerk A position to the DCRNC business office.

Anna Wilhelmi of Paw Paw Township expressed support for the proposal to add the Accounting Clerk A position to the DCRNC business office.

Janet Berkes of DeKalb Township spoke in support of the addition of the Accounting Clerk A position and urged the Finance & Administration Committee to follow the advice of the DCRNC Oversight Board in establishing the position.

PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS

Financial Update from DCRNC

Bart Becker reviewed the current financial data for the DCRNC, referring to the financial statement included in the packet. He highlighted that admissions are trending up and agency expense continues to drop.

Committee members inquired about the large difference between the Jordan Healthcare projected expenses on the statement compared to actual, with the Jordan number being much larger. Members also inquired about several figures in the financial statement that appear to be in error. Becker and Robert Miller were not immediately able to provide explanations for the items in question.

Becker outlined that efforts continue with Medicaid patients and their families to ensure an insurance plan is in place that will supplement Medicaid benefits and provide better expense coverage for services provided by DCRNC.

Becker mentioned that the Illinois Department of Public Health recently completed an inspection and that the results were good. Becker added that one tag remains for a fire alarm strobe light issue that is in the process of being resolved. Becker said that he expects the facility’s star rating to increase as a result of the good inspection outcomes. He stated that the continued addition of insurance company contracts is assisting with an increase in census.

Becker mentioned that the individual serving in the Community Laison position has submitted her resignation. He added that there are several strong applicants and that he is in the process of extending an offer to one of the candidates.

Becker said that the DCRNC website has been improved following the receipt of a grant for the project. He thanked Mary Hatch for her work on the DCRNC brochure that is assisting with marketing. Becker also thanked Administrative Analyst Liam Sullivan and Facilities Management Director Jim Scheffers for arranging for portable air conditioners to be placed in the therapy gym during the air conditioner outage in the therapy gym.

Discussion/Direction of FY 26 budget and recommendation to Executive Committee for Tax Levy policy for FY 26

Chair Campbell provided overview of committee’s role in approving a draft budget and opened the floor for general budget discussion.

Derek Hiland stated that he doesn’t foresee any significant new construction for the upcoming cycle and said this will have a negative impact on the budget. Hiland added that he has communicated to department heads to plan for a 0% budget increase. He mentioned that there are several companies exploring wind energy options in the county and that operation changes with Waste Management may result in additional funding for the county.

Discussion of report on Federal funding to DeKalb County

Chair Campbell stated that he has been looking into the potential impact of federal funding cuts on the county. Derek Hiland mentioned that he is having conversations with department heads on possible impacts to their operations.

Chair Campbell obtained a consensus from the committee to ask staff to prepare budgets based on a 0% increase budget. He asked the committee to consider possible federal cuts and opportunities for financial relief.

ORDINANCES

Ordinance O2025-08 – An Ordinance Implementing a County Grocery Retailers’ Occupation Tax and a County Grocery Service Occupation Tax for the County of DeKalb

Ellingsworth Webb moved to advance Ordinance O2025-08 to the full county board. John Frieders seconded the motion. Following discussion, Chair Campbell requested a roll call vote on the ordinance and all committee members voted no. The motion failed.

RESOLUTIONS

R2025-061 – A Resolution Approving Year-End Budget Amendments for the Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2024

Robert Miller reviewed the proposed budget amendments in detail. Rebecca Johnson moved to advance Resolution R2025-061 to the full county board. Patrick Deutsch seconded the motion. Chair Campbell expressed concern with the large budget variances resulting from the amendments, and he added that overspending is not a substitute for budgeting. The motion passed.

R2025-062– A Resolution Approving the Payment of County Claims for May 2025, and Off-Cycle Claims Paid During the Previous Month, Including All Claims for Travel, Meals, and Lodging Ellingsworth Webb moved to advance Resolution R2025-062 to the full county board. Roy Plote seconded the motion, and the motion passed.

NOMINATION OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE MEMBER TO BE APPOINTED TO SERVE ON THE DCRNC OVERSIGHT BOARD

Chair Campbell provided an overview of the nomination process. Chair Campbell called for nominations and then called for nominations a second time. John Frieders nominated Rebecca Johnson, and she accepted. Chair Campbell called for nominations a third time. Roy Plote moved to close nominations and Patrick Deutsch seconded the motion. The motion passed.

CONSIDERATIONS

Creation of an Additional Accounting Clerk A Position in the DCRNC Business Office Derek Hiland stated that he prefers the recommendation to add the position come from Jordan Healthcare and not from a staffing perspective. Ellingsworth Webb stated that Jordan Healthcare was represented during the recent Health & Human Services Committee meeting and that Jordan recommends adding the position.

Chair Campbell recognized Bart Becker and Becker expressed his support for establishing the Accounting Clerk A position. Committee members outlined their desire to have Becker identify adjustments in the budget that would offset the new position expense. Campbell requested that a written proposal be created to illustrate the offset, and he offered his assistance to Becker.

OLD BUSINESS

None

NEW BUSINESS

Ellingsworth Webb shared that he continues to participate in the Illinois nursing home group calls that allow the sharing of information and best practices among the seventeen county-run nursing homes in the state.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved by Rebecca Johnson and seconded by Patrick Deutsch to adjourn the meeting. The motion was carried, and the meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m.

https://dekalbcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/packet-fin-06042025.pdf