An initial budget overview shows DuPage County may experience over $65 million in impact hits related to HB3653.
Initial Costs Show $65 Million Impact
Personnel, commodities, contractual services, and capital costs over a five-year period for the county’s circuit court, sheriff’s and state’s attorney offices, probation and court services, public defenders and facilities management are anticipated to total $63,196,998.71.
“This is really what we currently estimate from what we took throughout all of our conversations to be the cost of this crime bill,” said DuPage County Chief Financial Officer Jeff Martynowicz.
At a special Judicial and Public Safety Committee meeting today Matrynowicz added there would be a $2,286,997.47 loss of revenue in a three year span staring fiscal year (FY) 2023 due to loss of commissary funds, bail bond fees, restitutions to crime victims, and anti-crime funds disbursements.
Projected Costs Over The Years
Martynowicz estimates in FY21 projected costs relating to the landmark bill would be $9,038,209.00. Costs jump the following year to $20,191,226.30 due to facility expansions. Over the next three fiscal years initial expected costs are $9,795,778.38, $11,493,888.67, and $12,677,896.32 respectively.
DuPage County may need to expand their budget by 10-15% in order to fund the bill.
“All of these departments [budgets] are out of the general fund,” said Martynowicz. “Determining how to fund this, and what the revenue source may be, or cuts in other areas will be extremely difficult.”
HB3653, which was signed into law last week, ends the practice of monetary cash bail, requires all police officers to wear body cameras, makes it a felony for an officer to turn off their camera, and bans police chokeholds, among many other reforms.
Some of the bill’s provisions won’t take effect for several years. It’s possible trailer bills will be enacted over the next several years, which could change some of HB3653 mandates, thus changing some of the expected costs.
Tax Increases?
However some board members aren’t counting on that.
“The only way we can do this is not by cutting, and not by doing anything else,” said DuPage County Board Members James Zay. “It’s by raising taxes and finding additional revenue, which is more new taxes to pay for this.”
Initial cost estimates from today’s meeting could change, DuPage County staff said.
The county said its next steps would include further refinement of potential expenses, developing potential savings, and finding a funding source.
Naperville News 17’s Christian Canizal reports.
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