Politics & Government

Village Budget Session: Goals for 2012 Include More Cops, Metra Station

Trustees explore possibilities for fiscal year 2012-13.

Halfway through the 2011-12 budget year, finances appear to be in good shape, according to Mayor John Noak.

Village officials met Jan. 11 for a mid-year budget review session, taking a look at this year’s finances and brainstorming for next year’s budget process.

“Right now, we have a surplus of nearly $250,000,” Noak said. 

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In addition to the surplus 2011 budget dollars, Noak said the village still has $1.8 million in building bond money leftover from the construction of the village’s new Municipal Center. The project was completed in 2010.

The bond funding can only be used for capital projects, Noak said. That funding will be part of next year’s budget, he said.

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Potential projects

After taking a look back at some of the projects completed in 2011, including the first phase of the Edward "Doc" McCartan Veterans Memorial and the sewage treatment plant expansion, trustees learned about some projects and goals for the village’s future.

Projects include:

  • Engineering for the future - $650,000 (another $4 million will come from a federal Congestion, Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant)
  • Phase II of the veteran’s memorial on the old Montrose Drive village hall site, including outdoor lighting, paving, a splash pad, playground equipment, landscaping and rehabbing for the play field shelter and restroom - $533,700 (plus another $716,000 in tax increment finance funding)
  • The - $50,000
  • New village entrance signs - $25,000
  • Development of the Romeoville Public Television studio - $25,000
  • Village-wide computer replacement - $55,000
  • Village Park renovations - $400,000
  • Dale Blum football field light replacement – $350,000
  • Lakewood Estates playground renovation - $350,000
  • Haley Meadows playground renovation - $200,000
  • Conservation Park path replacement - $150,000
  • Gymnastic equipment - $20,000

Projects that could be funded by tax increment financing (TIF) or bond funding include:

  • Downtown redevelopment plans - $2.5 million
  • Lit street signs at Normantown/Joliet roads and Belmont/135th Street - $200,000
  • Safety Town repairs - $150,00
  • Village hall parking lot - $400,000
  • Village hall exterior bathroom - $350,000
  • Fire academy building - $1 million
  • Fire Station #1 construction reserve - $250,000

Non-monetary goals for 2012 include moving forward with potential Illinois Department of Transportation-funded plans for Weber Road/I-55 interchange improvements. The village is also looking into the possibility of hosting a local farmers market, pursuing a historic designation for the Hampton Park area, creating a business retention committee and an employee health and wellness program.

Help wanted?

On the 2012 list of goals are plenty of personnel requests from various village departments. With projected salary and benefit costs, they include:

  • Three police officers - $269,600
  • Two park maintenance workers - $162,900
  • A finance department office manager - $84,300
  • A part-time 911 dispatcher - $51,100

Budget talks to begin

Village officials are scheduled to get a look at the first draft of the 2012-13 budget by Jan. 27.

A public hearing and Village Board approval of next year’s budget are set for April 18.


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