The Administrative Services division provides leadership and support in the areas of human and financial management to promote the responsible use of resources. The division often serves as a liaison with other Lake County offices and state agencies. Division responsibilities include budgeting, purchasing, human resources, grant administration, training coordination and risk management. More about the individual functions of the division may be found here.
Budget and Finance
The total Lake County budget for 2011 is just under $480 million; about 28% of the county’s budget supports law and judicial activities in several county departments and agencies. The court’s portion of the county budget is spread across six funds and totals $22,481,055.
The largest expenditure category for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, as for most other agencies in the public and private sector, is personnel. Personal services, including salaries and wages, comprise 58% of the budget, while contractual benefits including health/life/dental insurance and retirement make up 23% of the court’s overall budget.
The court continued to hold numerous positions vacant in 2011 due to an ongoing shortfall in state funding. The number of unfunded vacant positions rose from 12 to 13, resulting in a savings of over $600,000.
In addition to holding vacancies, specific line items were cut wherever possible. All training was cut by 20%. Capital funding for significant computer, furniture or vehicle replacements was suspended. Treatment line items were cut by about 10%, with residential treatment cut by 33%.
The FY11 Corporate Capital Improvement Program (CCIP), which is in a different county budget, included $160,000 to replace outdated security camera systems at the Juvenile Detention Center, the Jail and the Coroner’s Office.
Grant Administration
In 2011, the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit was awarded $208,333 in Year 2 funding as part of a three-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to expand recovery services provided by the Therapeutic and Intensive Monitoring (TIM) Court.
A $395,984 multi-year grant from the Office on Violence Against Women was extended for an additional year to support the ongoing operations of the Family Visitation Center of Lake County. The Center, which is operated by A Safe Place, was established to meet the needs of families with a history of domestic violence or child abuse.
An $85,000 Juvenile Accountability Block Grant (with a $9,445 local match) was received from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority to continue the pre-employment program offered through juvenile probation. The funding supports a part-time coordinator and internships for youth at various government offices, businesses, and social service agencies. An additional $11,962 (with a $1,329 local match) was received to purchase equipment and supplies for the program.
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services awarded the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit a $42,711 grant to continue to contract with mediators for five hours a week to aid in the resolution of visitation and custody-related disputes in an effort to increase the collection of child support payments from non-custodial parents.
Human Resources
Annual Employee Awards were reinstated in early 2011 after being suspended for budget reasons the previous year. The following employees were honored for their contributions during 2010.
Environmental Sustainability Award: Sharon Lawrence, Adult Probation
Bonds Officer of the Year: Danielle Rosen, Adult Probation
Finn/Anderson Exceptional Employee of the Year: Kevin Dowe, Adult Probation
Leadership and Excellence Award: Keith Cooprider, Adult Probation
Employee of the Year: Beverly Brooks, Adult Probation
In November 2010, Chief Judge Rossetti approved the Reshaping Our Organization plan, a document that proposes significant changes to the court’s organization chart in an effort to use current personnel more efficiently. The plan seeks to reduce the number of assistant directors in the adult and juvenile divisions through attrition and the creation of a new management position, the unit manager. Through the end of 2011, the court has eliminated two assistant director positions in adult and one in juvenile, and efforts are underway to recruit and train the unit managers.
Hiring activity has increased as the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit’s budget outlook for 2012 has improved. The Circuit welcomed four new employees in 2010 and 14 new employees in 2011.
In other employee news, 16 employees received promotions through the Circuit’s career path program in 2011, and two employees retired.
Training Administration
The Nineteenth Judicial Circuit’s staff recorded over 6,875 hours of training in 2010 and over 5,400 additional hours through the third quarter of 2011.
All court personnel attended mandatory ethics training in 2011. Sworn officers also attended mandatory training on legal liability and confidentiality issues.
The Administrative Services director completed the National Center for State Court’s Court Executive Development program in 2011. She became the fifth staff member to earn the Certified Court Executive credential.