Kendall County Keeps Horses at Ellis

board members approved a surplus budget Monday that maintained the horses at Ellis House and Equestrian Center in Minooka.

The budget predicts $4.59 million in receipts and $3.69 million in expenses for a estimated fund balance of $4.41 million on Nov. 30, 2012. Part of the budget includes $50,000 in revenue from Ellis and $183,500 in expenses for the , its staff and programs in the fiscal year starting Thursday.

Several board members – who also are county board members – voiced support for the horse facility, especially in light of the 50 or so people who came to support it at last week’s finance and operations committee meeting.

“I think it’s been obvious that this fills a great need for many county residents,” said District 1 County Board member Suzanne Petrella.

But District 1 Board members John Purcell and John Shaw and District 2 Board member Dan Koukol voted against the budget.

During the budgeting process, estimates showed the facility could remain open for public use without horses for about $40,000 – saving the county $143,000, Koukol said. Koukol also thinks the equestrian center hurts area business.

“I thoroughly don’t believe in competing with private business,” he said.

Forest preserve President Jeff Wehrli, who also is a District 2 county board member, said a new group would be established to evaluate forest preserve venues and their associated revenues.

“I can promise you that moving forward, we will have some type of a finance group, a smaller one, to be able to look at our forest preserves,” Wehrli said.