Politics & Government
Budget Could Mean Slight Tax Drop
Village board members began talks for fiscal year 2011-12.
If you’re an average Romeoville homeowner, you're likely to pay a little less in taxes next year. Under the current budget proposal, most homeowners will see a slight drop—about $26—on the village portion of next year’s tax bills.
The still-struggling economy means decreased property values, resulting in lower assessments and a $6 decrease for most local taxpayers. The village will also issue a $20 credit to Romeoville residents’ October water bill, a result of decreased village water and sewer costs.
Mayor John Noak said the village won’t finalize the 2011-12 levy until next month, but it will be lower than the $1.10 tax rate approved this winter.
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“The levy will decrease from January,” he said.
“The goal here is to add on to (the decrease) in future years,” he said. “It’s a goal to build in property tax relief over a period of time.”
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Village Manager Steve Gulden presented a proposal showing a total budget of $96.2 million for 2011-12. That represents a 2 percent decrease from last year’s budget. The balanced budget also shows a $617,000 corporate fund surplus.
Priority projects
Gulden also presented a list of priority projects slated for next year. Highlights include:
- In-house street resurfacing, with a price tag of $2 million; $1.7 million will come from the 2008 bond issue that financed the new village hall.
- A $325,000 project to erect a fence along Normantown/Dalhart from Essex to Schmidt Road, funded with combination of tax increment financing dollars and bond funding.
- The purchase of four new Crown Victoria squad cars and equipment for $224,000, to be paid with a combination of budget funds, court supervision fees and state asset forfeiture funds. The board last month.
- Permanent bathrooms at . The project could cost between $100,000 and $350,000, Gulden said.
- A $75,000 picnic shelter at to replace the current 30-year-old structure, which is rusty and leaks when it rains, Gulden said.
- A $45,000 lease on a new ambulance to replace an aging 2001 emergency vehicle.
Many of the projects will be funded at least in part with bonds issued in 2008 to fund construction of the new municipal center. According to Noak, a total of $57 million in bonds were issued for the land purchase, construction and site improvements. The project came in under budget, allowing the village to use the remainder for a variety of other improvement projects.
The list of highlights represents just some of the projects the village has planned for 2011-12.
“Everyone should be proud that we can do this during these challenging times,” Gulden said.
A public hearing on the budget is slated for April 12. The board will vote on the budget proposal at its April 20 regular meeting.
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