Sugar Grove looks at another year of deficit

Sugar Grove officials are looking at a fifth straight year of budgeting a deficit in 2010-11.

Finance Director Justin Van Vooren told the village board this week it should expect to spend about $85,000 more in general fund expenses than it takes in.

Over the past four years, the village has spent about $600,000 of its general fund reserve.

The general fund covers the administration, police, public works, finance, information technology and community development departments. The 2010-11 budget projects expenses and transfers out of $4.12 million, and revenue of $4.03 million.

Water and sewer utilities have a separate budget.

Nobody gets a cost-of-living or merit raise under the proposed budget, except for police sergeants and unionized police patrol officers.

On the bubble is whether the village should chip in for a fireworks show this year for the Corn Boil. Van Vooren suggests cutting that $2,500 donation, as well as a $300 donation to the Kaneland High School Sports Boosters club.

Village President Sean Michels said the village should continue to contribute to the fireworks since the event draws visitors to town. "That's a point of interest we are going to revisit," he said.

The budget also hangs up the Corn Boil information hotline, and the village won't pay to send an elected official to the annual International Council of Shopping Centers trade conference in May.

The proposed budget also calls for increasing a slew of liquor license fees and police fines. The license for stores that sell packaged goods will go up 20 percent. And the fine for first-time underage offenders caught drinking or possessing alcohol goes up 43 percent, to $250.

Van Vooren expects the village to end up with a $107,000 deficit for the current year, despite instituting furlough days and closing village hall and public works at Thanksgiving, the week after Christmas and on Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Two police positions have gone unfilled, and a utility billing clerk job was eliminated.

"We've done some fairly sizable cuts, if you will," Van Vooren said.

The board will have a public hearing on the budget April 6, and vote on it April 20.

The general fund proposal can be viewed at sugar-grove.il.us/2010Agendas/BudgetWorkshops/02232010WS1.pdf.