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Probation director outlines AOIC guidance on probation fees; committee amends budget lines and sends packet to finance
Summary
Probation Director Chuck told the county committee AOIC and Supreme Court guidance now limits the use of probation service fees and requires applying a 70/30 client-service formula, prompting movement of several formerly probation-funded line items into the general fund.
LaSalle County Probation Director Chuck told the Finance & Judiciary Committee the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC), under guidance from the Illinois Supreme Court, has issued clearer limits on what probation service fees may fund. Chuck said the clarification requires the department to apply a 70/30 formula: if 70% of total budget expenditures are direct client services, up to 30% of probation-fee revenue may be applied to certain operational costs. The AOIC list restricts items that can be paid directly from probation service fees.
Chuck said items previously paid from probation fees—maintenance and repairs on vehicles, software maintenance, travel, telephone, and dues and subscriptions—are now off-limits in many circumstances and must be budgeted in the general fund. He presented a new general-fund line for “general operating expense/miscellaneous” of $10,000 to cover the county share if the 70/30 test is not met. Chuck estimated roughly $64,000 of prior probation-funded items would shift into the general fund under the new interpretation.
Committee members repeatedly asked where the moved dollars would reside and whether the change simply “inflates” the general fund budget while holding the probation fund balance steady. Stephanie provided a snapshot of the probation-fee fund balance at $509,259 (snapshot as of the meeting) and the committee discussed that the money will remain in fund 26 but be restricted by statute to probation-allowed uses.
The discussion also reviewed probation program incomes and grant lines mentioned in Chuck’s quarterly report: adult redeploy income of $26,803.21, juvenile redeploy income of $194,852.17 and treatment-alternative court (TAC) income of $53,668.71 for the period covered by the report. Chuck warned the committee that variability in clinical evaluations and other client services will cause year-to-year fluctuation under the new formula, and he described the 2026 budget as a “work in progress.”
After line-item adjustments discussed in committee—reducing travel and overtime projections and updating dues/subscriptions—the committee voted to forward the amended general-fund and probation lines to the finance department for formal budget review. The motion to approve the changes and send the packet to finance was made by Ray, seconded by Mike, and recorded carried.
Ending: The committee approved the amended budget changes and directed staff to forward the updated general-fund and fund 26 probation budget lines to the finance office for formal review; Chuck cautioned the AOIC guidance may require further adjustments in future cycles.
