Iroquois County board approves $45,000 advance to veterans assistance office to cover cash‑flow gap

The Iroquois County Board approved an advance of $45,000 from the general fund to the county Veterans Assistance (VA) office on a motion at the June meeting to address a temporary cash‑flow shortfall.

The VA director told the board that the office’s checking account had been overdrawn by about $300 and that cash‑flow timing for property‑tax distributions had left the office short. “We budget to the penny,” the director said, describing the shortfall as a timing issue tied to when property‑tax distributions arrive. The director said the office had previously received a $15,000 emergency advance and was requesting an additional $30,000 so the total advance would be $45,000; the office proposed repaying the full amount over three years.

The board’s motion, made during the meeting, instructed staff to advance $45,000 from the general fund to the local VA office and to set repayment over the next three fiscal years in a form acceptable to the VA office. The motion was seconded and approved in the meeting; the transcript records multiple “yes” responses but does not capture a complete roll‑call record of individual votes.

The VA director described several drivers of the shortfall: irregular timing of property‑tax distributions (the office receives distributions three times a year), an unexpected jump in telephone billing after the county’s phone contract converted to fiber, and two recent cremation payments of $900 each for veterans with verified DD‑214 forms. The director said the office’s annual budget remains intact (the director cited available budget figures of about $61,202.45 remaining as of the discussion) but that the lack of an internal cushion in the VA account meant the office reached negative balances between distributions.

Board members and finance staff discussed steps to prevent recurrence. Suggestions included creating a miscellaneous or contingency line in the VA budget to provide a small buffer between distributions, improving communication and monthly reconciliations between the VA and the treasurer’s office, and structuring repayment monthly rather than as a single lump sum. Finance staff confirmed that the previously advanced $15,000 had been made from available general‑fund balances under emergency procedures and repaid to date.

The board resolution passed at the meeting directs county staff to implement the advance and to work with the VA director and the finance office on a repayment schedule. The board discussion also signaled intent to consider a budgetary adjustment in the upcoming budget cycle so the VA office will have a contingency cushion to avoid future overdrafts.

The board did not set a specific repayment schedule in the public discussion; the advance will be repaid over three fiscal years in a manner acceptable to the VA office and finance staff, the motion stated.