Bill Dolan, Times of Northwest Indiana
bill.dolan@nwi.com
CROWN POINT | The Lake County Council voted unanimously Thursday to enforce a 15 percent budget cut on the offices and officials of the departments of the county clerk, sheriff, prosecutor, coroner, board of commissioners and judges.
The action balances county government's 2010 budget, but sets up a possible court battle with judges whose mandates may block job eliminations in their courts as well as a war of words with officials who claim the reductions would cripple essential public services.
State-mandated property tax cuts and economic problems that have reduced tax collections are forcing the budget moves.
Dante Rondelli, the council's finance director, indicated 28 elected officials and department leaders had failed to comply with the council's deadline to completely shoulder their share of $11.8 million in spending reductions through salary or job cuts. Twenty-one did comply with their own 15 percent cut and aren't subject to the push.
Chief Superior Court Judge John Pera said Thursday after the meeting he will be calling a meeting with all county judges to respond to the compulsory cuts.
"Our courts handle more than 100,000 cases each year," Pera said. "Those won't stop. What if a woman in a domestic violence case turns to the court for a protective order? Justice delayed is justice denied."
Councilman Thomas O'Donnell, D-Dyer, took Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez to task Thursday for publicly announcing he had cut more than $6 million from his budget.
"It turns out that it's not true," O'Donnell said.
Dante Rondelli, the council's finance director, said the sheriff's budget moves amounted to $2.2 million.
"I dismissed some of the sheriff's cuts" he said. "We only have those things left that are not absurd."
Dominguez said his salary proposals were sound, but he will continue working with the council before its final vote Oct. 13 on next year's budget.
He said the council should end its practice of giving more than 200 county police and jail corrections officers the luxury of two days off after only four work days, a schedule that creates an extra 17 off days each year and forces him to pay them large amounts of overtime.
Sgt. Dan Murchek, president of Lake County Police Association Local 72, said the sheriff's proposals to cut salary increases and paid holidays would violate the police officer's labor contract. Council President Larry Blanchard, R-Crown Point, assured Murchek, "We have taken no action to compromise the labor agreement."