Getting Starting
This page contains all of the services that Bellwether provides for counties. If you would like to jump straight to the section that pertains to you, feel free to use the menu on the left to select your position or topic of interest.
County Board Services
Improve Non-Property Tax Revenue by ensuring that all fees for services appropriately cover the cost of the service. “Fees are intended to bring the cost of a requested service as close as possible to the individual benefiting from the service” Improper fees result in the tax payers of your county subsidizing services.” Typical Areas for fee services include:
- Fee Review for County Clerk / Recorder
- Fee Review for Sheriff Departments
- Fee Review for Court Security
- Fee Review for Animal Control
- Fee Review for Environmental Health
- Fee Review for Adult Immunizations
- Fee Review for Coroner Services
- Fee Review for Highway Department
Staffing Models and Staff Impact Analysis
- Bellwether used leading practices in Lean Operations to define the exact level of staffing necessary to provide quality, timely services.
- Bellwether translates state inspection results such as the Illinois Department of Corrections Inspection criteria into objective minimum staffing for jails.
- Bellwether evaluates internal processes and criteria to help define minimum staffing levels for critical services such as public safety and highway maintenance / snow removal.
Labor Negotiation Tools
- Analysis to support scenarios and live discussions with bargaining units.
- Models calculate the exact expense of every possible option in negotiations.
Operations Review
- Complete a review of all departments to assess the following
- Appropriate Fees
- Impact of staffing changes
- Opportunities for efficiencies
Budget Services
- Bellwether can streamline your budget process and provide tracking and reporting throughout the year.
- Budgets begin with an analysis of the prior two years department claims.
- Departments are interviewed to identify potential upward or downward changes in expenses
- Draft budgets with levy impacts are presented to the board for review
- Bellwether works with the board to establish a levy strategy
- Budgets are returned to the departments for revisions to meet levy strategies
- Budget drafts are presented to the board for public viewing
- Final revisions are prepared
- Supporting documentation is provided
Retained County Administration
- Bellwether becomes the contract administrator
- Action plans are defined to improve revenue and manage expense
- Actions are taken to manage labor / benefits costs
- Includes fee review services
- Includes budget services
- Includes advisor role for departments
- Includes advisor role for board
Tax Processes
Bellwether works closely with the Supervisor of Assessment, the County Clerk and the Treasurer to develop a smooth tax process that allows a smooth assessment, billing and collection process aimed at accuracy and prompt collections.
County Clerk
Cost of Service (Fee Review)
The county clerk services :
- Vital Records: These services are intended to be 100% funded from transactions fees. This ensures your staff is safe from budget pressures from the general fund.
- Tax Redemption: These services are intended to be 100% funded from transactions fees. This ensures your staff is safe from budget pressures from the general fund.
The County Clerks fees include special funds for automation that should fully fund the necessary technology and equipment needed to do the job.
Budget Services: Quite often the County Clerk ends up holding the bag on the constructing the county budget. (insert wording on budget from County Board – modified as needed)
Tax Processes
Bellwether works closely with the Supervisor of Assessment, the County Clerk and the Treasurer to develop a smooth tax process that allows a smooth assessment, billing and collection process aimed at accuracy and prompt collections.
Recorder of Deeds Services
Cost of Service (Fee Review)
The Recorder services :
Land Records: These services are intended to be 100% funded from transactions fees. This ensures your staff is safe from budget pressures from the general fund.
UCC / Non Land Records: These services are intended to be 100% funded from transactions fees. This ensures your staff is safe from budget pressures from the general fund.
The Recorder’s fees include special funds for automation and document storage that should fully fund the necessary technology and equipment needed to do the job.
Circuit Clerk Services
Fee Review
- The Circuit Clerk may raise fees within a range defined by state statute. Bellwether offers free tools to assist in evaluating your current tools.
- Services are available to assist in this review.
Debt Collection
- Circuit Clerks spend most of their time ensuring the courts operating as planned.
- Debt collection firms provide services that often cost the county too much in a percentage of colleciton
- Bellwether evaluates the debt collection process, negotiates with providers and provides ongoing analysis aimed at increasing and accelerating collections.
Treasurer Services
Budget Services
Quite often the Treasurer ends up holding the bag on the constructing the county budget. (insert wording on budget from County Board – modified as needed)
Tax Processes
Bellwether works closely with the Supervisor of Assessment, the County Clerk and the Treasurer to develop a smooth tax process that allows a smooth assessment, billing and collection process aimed at accuracy and prompt collections.
Sheriff Services
Sheriff Fees
Process Service fees, Civil Standby fees, Jail fees
Court Security Fee
Labor, equipment, training and physical security
Staffing Models
Translates the workforce necessary to meet the minimum standards of the IDOC Inspection Criteria.
Dispatch Cost Sharing
Analysis of calls and responses can indicate which departments benefit from dispatch and translate that services into an expense formula for use in Inter-governmental agreements.
Labor Negotiation Tools
- Analysis to support scenarios and live discussions with bargaining units.
- Models calculate the exact expense of every possible option in negotiations.
State's Attorney
Risk Mitigation Planning
Bellwether develops detailed Risk Mitigation plans for county programs and departments
Issue Evaluation
- Objective evaluation of areas of concern in county operations.
- Objective evaluation of areas of concern voiced by the public.
Highway Department Services
Overweight / Oversize Fees
Bellwether can define the appropriate fees
Special Requested Services (Culverts, etc)
Bellwether can define the total actual cost of services.
Collecting for damaged county property
Bellwether can assist in collecting total costs from insurance companies and individuals for damage to county property.
Health Department Services
Food Service Inspection Fees
Bellwether can define the appropriate fees
Well, Septic Inspection Fees
Bellwether can define the appropriate fees
Adult Immunization
Bellwether can define the appropriate fees
Supervisor of Assessment Services
Tax Processes
Bellwether works closely with the Supervisor of Assessment, the County Clerk and the Treasurer to develop a smooth tax process that allows a smooth assessment, billing and collection process aimed at accuracy and prompt collections.
GIS Fees
Bellwether can define the appropriate fees