Elaine Johnson: The Proposed FY 12 Village Budget is Pretty Good Reading

It will never make the New York Times bestseller list or become the darling of local book clubs, but the village’s proposed 2012 budget makes for some very interesting—and highly recommended—reading.

Okay, your eyes may be glazing over at the thought of wading through numbers and funds and narrative about streets and sidewalks, but at the very least, read the Village Manager's FY 12 Budget Message and Memorandum. Trust me, it’s both well-written and well worth your time.

Most of us don’t have the time or inclination to attend or otherwise tune into the numerous hearings held during the budget review and approval process. (The next opportunity to do so is at Fire Station 2.)  However, come November 8, when the Village Council votes to adopt the 2012 budget, it will be too late to make your opinions known on how our tax dollars will be spent in the coming year.

In recent years, residents belatedly registered their response to the council’s 2009 decision to suspend Heritage Fest and its decision last year to to the DuPage Senior Citizens Council’s Meals on Wheels program.

Those decisions were hard-fought by some on the council and hard-won by others who espouse a “core services” focus for the village. While we aren’t facing the dire deficits of recent years—the village has cut about $5 million in General Fund expenses since 2009—government is always about divvying up a finite pie, and commissioners are the ones who ultimately decide how big of a slice to apportion to the various programs and projects.

If you agree with Commissioner William Waldack that Meals on Wheels and the senior citizen taxi subsidy are worthy of village dollars, now is the time to say so. Similarly, if you, like Commissioner Bob Barnett, would like to see a bigger push toward putting down new sidewalks, put it in writing.

With a proposed balanced budget this year, the council may have a little more maneuvering room than in years past. Of course, all isn’t rosy. This is Illinois—and that’s enough to “scare” any municipality that depends on state revenue, as Mayor Martin Tully told the council Oct. 11.

And that’s not the only bad news associated with the state’s poor financial footing and resultant lousy credit rating. The “halo effect” of being Downers Grove, Illinois, as opposed to Downers Grove, Iowa, results in higher debt costs of 40 to 50 basis points, or $100,000 per year, according to the FY 2012 budget message.

That’s just one factoid gleaned from the document, but there are many other facts and figures, as well as historical background and future plans, worth perusing. Some other highlights:

• Personnel accounts for 77 percent of General Fund expenditures. The village will reduce staff by 0.15 full-time equivilents overall, but is adding a full-time Stormwater Administrator position and eliminating a resource center coordinator and two mentor positions at the Prentiss Creek apartments.

• In keeping with new state guidelines, the village is increasing its amortization period for police and fire pensions to 30 years from the previous 25 years. However, it intends to continue to fund pensions at 100 percent instead of the 90 percent now allowed by the state.

• The 2012 property tax levy is expected to decline by $393,104, based upon conversations with the Downers Grove Township Assessor’s Office, which expects the equalized assessed valuation of all taxable property in the village to decline by seven percent. For the owner of a $300,000 home, the lower levy will translate to $17.52 less in property taxes in FY 12.

• The village’s water sales—which account for 92.5 percent of the system’s revenues—have declined each of the last five years. In line with a Water Rate Study Report commissioned by the village, rates will increase by 14 percent in 2012.

• The FY 12 budget earmarks $4.68 million to maintain streets and $9.68 million for reconstruction of the streets in Knottingham and Valley View estates and portions of Brookbank Avenue and Grove Street. Another $300,000 is allotted for new sidewalks.

• Also of interest to residents: the village’s A, B, and C Priority projects, as outlined in its 2012-2016 Community Investment Program. Among the A priority projects budgeted for FY 12 are $126,000 for a tornado siren battery back-up and $33,800 to replace 100 parkway trees lost to summer storms.