ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – The Winnebago County Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC) claims the county council cut its budget by $500,000. However, the council says that assessment is inaccurate.

Jesus Pereira has proposed a budget of about $1.6 million for the VAC in fiscal year 2025. The board says the organization will receive $1.12 million, $500,000 less than the original proposal.

“I want to be clear: The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors is not cutting its budget,” McDonald said.

Keith McDonald is not only a member of the Winnebago County Board – he’s also a veteran. He says he would gladly accept the organization’s proposal, but the tax money is already accounted for and moving $500,000 isn’t that easy.

“I think a lot of our departments are doing a good job. We’ve done a good job of not raising the county’s levy, so we have to be careful how we spend the money. It’s no insult to the VAC, but the extra half a million dollars is just not in the cards right now,” McDonald says.

McDonald says the commission has only seen growth in recent years:

FY2019 – $570,000

FY2020 – $572,000

FY2021 – $658,000

FY2022 – $658,000

FY2023 – $658,620

FY2024 – $861,155

FY2025 – $1.12 million (to be approved at the September Winnebago County Board meeting)

McDonald attributes the increase to Pereira’s work in revitalizing the position since taking office in November.

“(Jesus) and his entire department have hit the jackpot. They have helped so many veterans that they are now bringing over a million dollars in federal funding to our community,” McDonald said.

“We have applied for half a million dollars specifically for the welfare portion of our work,” says Pereira.

Pereira says they pay out $20,000 to $30,000 a month in benefits to the 230 to 280 veterans. Not getting that extra $500,000 is a budget cut for him.

“We had a visit from some board members, which was great. That’s what I want. I want the board members to come and see what’s happening with the taxpayer money. But I think they have the wrong idea about what we’re doing here,” Pereira says. “This week alone, we’ve housed five different homeless veterans.”

Pereira says there is no doubt that the VAC is getting much more than it asked for, arguing that this is partly due to the Commission’s lack of success before his arrival.

Since Pereira took over, staff numbers have increased from one part-time employee with access to administrative data to five full-time employees. In addition, two new vehicles were purchased to transport veterans to medical appointments throughout the county.

He says he has received little response from the CFO and board members on the issue, and now plans to raise his concerns at the finance committee meeting Thursday night.

“I don’t do that, nor do I approach it from a nefarious perspective. I really look at how we can stay within the law and provide the best services to the veterans of this country,” Pereira says.

McDonald says they comply with the Military Veterans Assistance Act, which requires the board to take 0.02% of the tax collection and, if able, can take up to 0.03%.

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