Stephenson County finance committee reviews proposed budget policy changes, fee study and grant procedures

The Stephenson County Finance Committee met April 14 and discussed proposed revisions to the county budget policy, with staff and elected officials raising deadlines, fee-study recommendations and concerns about matching grants and purchasing language.

Committee members said the draft policy contains several changes to grant handling and timelines. Finance Director (title listed in meeting materials as “Finance Director”) told the committee the draft contains numerous suggested revisions and that many changes pertain to grants; she said departments that regularly handle grants should provide the detailed input. “A lot of the changes pertain to the grants and you can see the sheriff is here to touch on a few of those suggestions,” the Finance Director said.

The committee focused on three practical items: (1) when departments must present grant information to the committee before the budget process, (2) handling of last-minute,…