ROCKFORD — Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana wants the County Board to restore more than $2 million to his budget.
"I'm going to go for a budget amendment very soon," he said Wednesday during an Editorial Board meeting at the Register Star. Caruana plans to make his request to the County Board's Public Safety and Finance committees. "I'm looking for $2.2 million to be put back into my budget because I've got to hire seven patrol officers, 29 corrections officers and six dispatchers."
The sheriff said the jail is so understaffed that inmates endure 10 to 12 hours of lockdown on a daily basis.
He warned, "We are going to get sued."
Ten corrections officers were laid off in the fall shortly after the County Board approved a balanced fiscal year 2018 budget, which began Oct. 1. A projected $6.8 million budget deficit, which stemmed from reduced revenues in the county’s general and 1 percent public safety tax funds, was wiped out largely by cutting $4.3 million from the sheriff's budget.
Other cuts to county offices include: Recorder of Deeds, $300,000; State’s Attorney’s Office, $200,000; probation and courts, $300,000; Public Defender’s Office, $150,000; Circuit Clerk, $150,000 and Coroner’s Office, $75,000.
The board also approved taking $500,000 from the Host Fee Fund, a total of $700,000 in reserve spending, and taxing new growth to the tune of $173,000 in property tax revenue.
Jail Superintendent Bob Redmond accompanied the sheriff at Wednesday's editorial meeting. He said roughly $2.5 million in cuts to the sheriff's budget have been made.
"We're at a point where we just can't keep cutting," he said.
In addition to the corrections officers, the sheriff has laid off 64 reserve deputies as well as support staff members.
Redmond also said the county already has the money in hand to restore funding.
"When you look at the Public Safety Sales Tax reserve fund (over $12 million), there is no statute that says you have to have that," he said. "If that is your rainy day fund, well we're in a hurricane right now."
Redmond also said another $12-plus million is sitting in the county's general reserve fund.
County Board Chairman Frank Haney has maintained the county has spent $18 million in reserves since 2005.
Carla Paschal, the county’s chief financial officer, has warned the County Board that continued reserve spending will jeopardize the county’s credit and bond ratings.
"He (Haney) says it's going to hurt our bond rating. I understand 100 percent," the sheriff said, "but come on man. If we have a crime rate that is out of control and crime goes up. But we have a good bond rating?"
Caruana said the County Board can commit millions of dollars to large-scale community development projects. The board meets that commitment by making yearly payments or installments with money drawn from the county's host fee fund.
"When you look at economic development and Barber Colman (Redevelopment Project). What did they get, $3.2 million? I asked (Haney), 'How did you do that?' And he said, 'A little at a time.' Well why can't you do that with my budget?
"You have to burn both ends of the candle. You just can't take out law enforcement."
Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen