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Court approves breakout of county engineer budget, creating separate development management department
Summary
Kendall County staff presented a red-lined budget that splits development work into a new 'development engineer' department (dept. 590) while retaining road-and-bridge functions under the county engineer (dept. 402). Commissioners asked for contingency planning for flood repairs and clarified where contract-service dollars will sit.
Kendall County commissioners reviewed a proposed reorganization of the county engineering budget during their July 30 budget workshop, approving a breakout that creates a separate development management department (department 590) while keeping the county engineer and road-and-bridge functions primarily in department 402. Mary Ellen, the county engineer, showed a red-lined version of the budget that reallocates vehicle maintenance, fuel, and portions of operating costs by function so that development work is budgeted separately.
Mary Ellen said the total appropriation remains unchanged but is shown split ‘‘for what part goes to development, what part goes to county engineer,’’ and that operating items such as a small notices line ($500 in each budget) were included to cover posting and RFQ notices. Chair of the court asked for confirmation that the split would be net-neutral; Mary Ellen said it would, with increases limited to the exempt personnel line only if the court approves a development engineer position and salary. ‘‘That included we ran some numbers. That's the cap of a step 6 with benefits,’’ Mary Ellen said, acknowledging the position’s exact salary would be plugged in after court action.
Commissioners pressed on contingency and flood-related repairs that staff expect to require outlays (temporary fixes, rebids, and new contracts). The court directed staff to include placeholders and to ensure FEMA and grant reimbursement paths are followed where eligible. The court will see the final proposed budget with the split reflected when staff publishes the formal proposed budget in August.
