DuPage County Update

Chairman Dan Cronin

Choose DuPage
September 18, 2013

Thank you. Im very pleased to give you a brief update on the financial state of DuPage County.
I recently delivered the projected budget to the full county board for review and approval for FY
2014. Next week we begin public hearings on Tuesday evening, and the final vote by the board
will take place in October. I am happy to tell you that we are proposing a maintenance budget;
we are not incurring any new debt, and we are not burdening future generations with our debt.

As we enter my third budget season as Chairman, we find the economy improving

slightly. However, the challenge of doing more with less rings true once again this year.
I am very proud to say that we have built on our past successes and tough decisions. By
working together the budget for FY 2014 is lean and productive and reflects the priorities
of the community.

The economy in the Chicago region is not growing at a rate consistent with other major
cities across the nation. I meet regularly with the County Chairmen of the Northeast
Illinois region. At our last meeting we pledged to work together to promote business
growth in the region. The good news is, by working together and consolidating our
efforts we can do more for our region. I see it as one more way to help us here in DuPage
County. A plan is being developed for all of us to come together to discuss how we can
draw on our individual strengths and build a stronger case for doing business in this
region. I will update you as the plan is developed and you will be invited to participate in
this process as well.

On the revenue side, there is some positive news throughout the county regarding sales
tax. We are anticipating sales tax growth, in the next fiscal year, will increase by 4% in
FY 2014. During the last year we projected sales tax growth to be 3% and instead
averaged 4-and-a-half percent.

The regions unemployment is 9.7%. While lower than the region, our DuPage county
unemployment rate is 8.1% which is still unacceptable. Today it seems to be creeping up

again, which is a disturbing new indicator in what appeared to be a trend in the opposite
direction. We still have a lot of work to do and clearly we will remain cautious with our
outlook and continue to seek innovative ways to maximize our resources.
Some Highlights of the FY 2014 DuPage County Budget

The 2014 Budget is $434.4 million which is $3.1 million under last years budget of
$437.5 million. By reducing expenditures while maintaining service levels, this board
has worked together to produce quality services without increasing the cost to taxpayers.

The budget for FY 2014 is $10.5 million less than the budget of $445 million on the first
day I served as Chairman.

The largest single area of cost is personnel. Controlling these costs is essential for the
economic health of the county. Through previous measures such as transferring the
operation of the county youth home to Kane County and outsourcing most of the campus
security functions we have reduced head count significantly and we havent wavered on
that stance.

The full-time budgeted head count is 2,220 for FY 2014, as compared to 2,270 when I
took office two years ago. Thats a reduction of 50 full time employees.

This county has been strategically focused on head count reduction for the past decade.
Today the numbers tell a story more clearly than ever before. Headcount has been
reduced by nearly 3-hundred positions saving $18.6 million annually in salary and
benefits alone!

The watchful eye on spending has produced results. I am very pleased to say DuPage
county taxpayers will not face an increase in taxes in FY 2014.

During my time as Chairman, I am proud to report that we have saved taxpayers nearly
$6 million since 2010 by practicing fiscal restraint and holding the line on property tax
increases.

As a result of our efforts to reduce spending, we will be able to fund $3.4 million in
capital projects which will range from stormwater and drainage to road projects.

ACT UPDATE
Im pleased to update you on the Accountability, Consolidation, Transparency or (ACT)
initiative we have been working on for the past two years. Governor Quinn came to
DuPage County in August to sign the final phase of legislation that will empower us to
eliminate unnecessary units of local government.

Senate Bill 494 gives us the authority we need to dissolve outdated or defunct county
agencies. While the road to getting this done was long and hard, the real work is
beginning now as we embark on the review process that will lead to our plan for
consolidation.

Thus far the Projected ACT Initiative Savings has totaled the following: For County
Appointed Bodies: $1,748,400, inside DuPage County Government: $31,318,722,
adding up to Total Taxpayer Savings of $33,067,122.