Published: September 26, 2009 12:01 am      

Budget issues force probation officers to play waiting game

Meredith Stewart stepped into a web of uncertainty when she became chief probation officer in Fayette County on May 1.

“I came in with all these great plans, but some of that had to be put on hold,” Stewart said. “My first budget, and we had to deal with these major cuts.

Stewart, like other probation chiefs statewide, has had to play the proverbial waiting game because of state budget issues. Probation funding statewide was cut from $65.1 million to $36.5 million in the fiscal year that began July 1.

While Gov. Pat Quinn has announced $16 million of the initial cut has been restored, no area probation chiefs know how much of the restoration will trickle into their department.

Fayette County’s Stewart, for example, initially faced a 43.7 percent cut. She still doesn’t know how much of that cut will be restored.

“I just don’t know how it will pan out for us right now,” she said. “Our biggest thing is that we want to keep our staff. But as we go along, these cuts will probably affect the way we do business.”

Stewart said the cuts may prevent her from beefing up programming for her adult probationers.

“We wanted to start some cognitive programming to get them thinking about moving toward making some changes in their lives, but I just don’t know how much extra we’ll be able to do,” she said.

Some area counties face even deeper cuts than Fayette, even with partial restoration.

In Clay County, chief probation officer Curtis Leib faced a 57 percent cut before the partial restoration. Leib said the shortfall between what the department receives from the state and what must be made up through either county general funds or probation service fee receipts has increased from $20,000 last year to $75,000.

Probation service fees are assessed each probationer as part of his or her court proceeding in an effort to relieve pressure on county and state funds.

Leib admitted the future is uncertain in his department.

“It’s still a mystery,” he said. “Hopefully, things will get better. If not, we’ll have to lay off an officer.

“We’re just playing a waiting game right now.”

In Jasper County, chief probation officer Caroline Matson said her department faced a cut of slightly more than 50 percent from last year before the restoration.

“We’re still waiting to hear how much will be restored,” Matson said, adding any shortfall this year would be made up by probation service fee receipts.

With a staff of two, Matson said there won’t be any personnel cuts. Still, she said relying on probation service fees isn’t a long-term solution.

“What we get from fees will get us through this year, but it won’t last forever,” she said.

In Effingham County, chief probation officer Cheryl Meyers doesn’t have as much of a problem as her colleagues in neighboring counties. Because of a state formula that rewards busier caseloads — and higher crime rates —, Meyers’ department faced a cut of “only” 15 percent before any restoration.

“We won’t have a reduction in staff this year,” she said, adding her department has raised $140,000 in probation service fees to help offset any state cuts.

Probation funding cuts were determined from a formula that takes into account the number of felony probationers considered a “moderate or maximum” risk to the community, number of pre-sentence investigations completed, and number of youth detained within a county.

Illinois Supreme Court spokesman Joseph Tybor said it has not been determined how the restored funds will be allocated, though he said it was likely a different formula would be used.

Bill Grimes can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 132 or bill.grimes@effinghamdailynews.com.