Veterans in DeKalb County can expect more financial assistance, thanks to a referendum passed during Tuesday’s primary election.

DeKalb County passed the Veterans Assistance Commission, one of the last in the state, three months ago.

As part of the referendum, the commission’s budget was increased from $50,000 to $500,000. Funds will come from a new tax levy resulting in an additional $20 per year to residents’ property taxes.

County Board Chairman Ruth Anne Tobias described the amount as, “a couple of cups of coffee from Starbucks.”

With this money, the VAC will provide a wide variety of services, ranging from transportation to the grocery store to assisting with health-care payments..

“It’s a miracle,” VAC Superintendent Herb Holderman said.

Returning soldiers are having difficulty adjusting and want counseling, Holderman said. The county has more than 19,000 registered veterans, but there are others who are unregistered and seek assistance.

With such a large population, there are a lot of needs to meet, since the VAC’s inception. They established a transportation service and provided financial assistance to returning soldier’s saddled with debt, on a budget one-tenth the size of their new wealth.

Because the referendum was a part of the 2006 ballot, the money won’t reach veterans’ hands until the summer of 2007. Until then, the VAC will remain afloat via donations from local organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.

The city would have had to get the $500,000 out of its general fund if the referendum failed, said Paul Kallembach, chaplain of the 19th District of the Department of Illinois.

“We didn’t want that to happen,” Kallembach said.

According to state law, if a county has more than two veterans’ organizations, it must accommodate the addition of a VAC, and if necessary, fund it. With last night’s passage, that won’t be necessary.