Brett Youngstead, an animal-control staff member, told the Kane County Public Health Committee on Aug. 20 that tag fees account for roughly 96 to 98 percent of animal-control revenue and that timing rules for multi-year tags can delay receipts by months.

Youngstead said the department will hold a low-cost rabies and microchip clinic Saturday, Aug. 23, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with additional clinics planned for Wednesday, Sept. 17, and Saturday, Oct. 18. The clinics aim to increase vaccination and registration compliance in the county.

On revenue, Youngstead told the committee that tag-fee revenue is collected on calendar-year cycles and that three-year tag cycles can make it take "an average of 2 to 3 years to really show our revenue" after fee changes because of timing of issuance. He said the department reclassified municipal reimbursements as charges for service to improve tracking, and that this reclassification accounts for part of a roughly $72,000 projected revenue increase for the 2026 budget compared with 2025.

Youngstead described the department's expense pressures: higher costs for fuel and electricity, capital replacement and a near-term vehicle replacement. He said the shelter's new generator came online recently and sustained power during high-humidity events. He reported that one vehicle is approaching nine years and has needed more than $4,000 in recent repairs; fleet ages cited in the meeting were nine, eight, seven and six years for the four vehicles.

Committee members asked how the department tracks delayed tag receipts and payments from municipal or corporate veterinary practices. Youngstead said his finance staff use the Chameleon computer system to track accounts receivable and that the state's attorney had to be involved once for collection in an unusual case.

The department noted that solar panels provide about 75 to 80 percent of its electricity and that rising utility costs still affect its budget. Youngstead said contractual services and commodities (fuel, electric) are the largest expense increases in the proposed budget and that capital outlay includes the vehicle replacement.

No formal committee action on the animal-control budget occurred at the Aug. 20 meeting; Youngstead presented the material and answered questions.