As an elected official and a taxpayer, I believe it is important to be a good steward for the taxpayer’s tax dollar. Over the past four years, we have implemented a number of cost-saving measures to demonstrate that commitment.

When I took office, the police were still laboring under a system that required them to stay a minimum of two hours past the end of their shift at the taxpayer’s expense before they could appear in front of a judge and present information necessary to file a felony charge. I changed the system to allow officers to file written affidavit to accomplish the same purpose and eliminated the overtime expense and inconvenience.

We have implemented a system in which we utilize the grand jury system to seek criminal indictments to satisfy the probable cause requirement in criminal matters that previously had been established through preliminary hearings. The preliminary hearing process would have 15 to 20 officers standing around for two or three hours with the end result being that the defense would, in nearly all cases, waive its right to a hearing, which only wasted the officer’s time and cost taxpayers money. The grand jury process allows us to schedule the officer at a particular time during the grand jury session, limiting the expense to the taxpayer and the time that the officer has to be present instead of patrolling. The system also allows the officer to testify on multiple cases at one grand jury setting rather than coming back for multiple preliminary hearing dates.

We have implemented an aggressive forfeiture program to lawfully seize the vehicles of repeat drunk drivers who continue to drive without a license. The vehicles are sold, and the proceeds go back to the agency that made the arrest. The proceeds are used for additional DUI enforcement, saving the taxpayers the expense of separately funding those activities and promoting public safety at the same time.

Our attorneys are routinely sent to training that is provided free of charge by organizations such as the National District Attorney’s Association and the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor’s Office. Our attorneys routinely utilize e-mail to communicate with other attorneys and witnesses rather than incur the expense of stationary and postage. I was reimbursed for $41 in mileage expenses for a 2001 conference, but otherwise, I have never sought mileage reimbursement for any of my required travels around the state. Neither myself nor the attorneys in my office have cell phones paid for by the taxpayer with the exception of the one cell phone used by an assigned on-call attorney who is available at any time after hours for the police to call for assistance.

Nearly one-third of my budget is supported by state grants, which reduces the burden on local property taxpayers. The non-personnel side of my budget has actually decreased by $15,000 since I took office. The only increases in my budget since I took office resulted from the hiring of one half-time and three full-time positions. Those positions were the first additions of personnel in the office over the past 15 to 20 years and were necessary to enable us to efficiently and effectively carry out the multitude of responsibilities of our office.

I will continue to do my best to be a good steward of the taxpayer’s investment in our office and will explore any reasonable suggestion to further that responsibility.

Ron Matekaitis

DeKalb County State’s Attorney