Mundelein candidates debate budget cuts and increases
One of Mundelein's trustee candidates wants voters to consider a tax-rate increase to pay for road improvements.
Another wants the village to offer free wireless internet access in the downtown area.
A third wants to reduce the amount of money village hall spends on various consultants.
The candidates debated these and other financial issues during a discussion with the Daily Herald about Mundelein's roughly $55 million budget.
Six people are running for three board seats in the April 4 election. They include incumbents Ray Semple and Dawn Abernathy; former Trustee Robin Meier; planning and zoning commission member Scott Black; and political newcomers Karthik Chandramouli and Jeanne Cygnus.
Chandramouli, Cygnus and Meier are with the Mundelein United slate. Abernathy, Black and Semple are campaigning together but are not part of a formal slate.
The candidates were asked where officials should trim spending and where more money should be spent.
Abernathy, a board member since 2013, said village hall should spend more than $4 million annually on road improvements. She wants to put a question on a future ballot that would ask voters for the funding.
"If it passes, great. Then we know that's what the residents want and we will have that road program," Abernathy said.
Abernathy also raised concerns about proposed spending on new gateway signs and vehicle replacements. She said she'd like municipal vehicles used in other ways to save money.
Chandramouli, a business consultant, wants Mundelein to invest in technology, especially for the fire and police departments.
He also suggests the village create a free Wi-Fi network in the downtown, saying it will make that retail district a place where people want to spend time "rather than just a pass through."
As for potential budget cuts, Chandramouli said officials need to create a culture that encourages employees to identify waste and reduce costs. Delivering water bills electronically rather than through the U.S. mail is one way to save money, he said.
Cygnus, a small-business owner, called for a department-by-department review in search of potential cuts.
She voiced concern about the money being spent on professional consultants. She particularly targeted the fees that helped pay for the development of Mundelein's new logo and new signs.
"We have some local talent that could be utilized (instead)," Cygnus said. "It seems like an excessive amount has been poured into that."
Semple, a trustee since 1995, noted that employee costs such as salaries and insurance are the village's biggest expenses. He supports creating a fire district that would serve central Lake County or the entire county.
"I think we can better collaborate and think outside the box and spend our tax money better," he said.
Black said he said he doesn't know "all the ins and outs" about the budget. He said he has "no particular qualms" about how money is being spent.
Meier, a trustee from 2008 to 2015, said officials trimmed the budget during the recession and did so without harming services. Because the economy has only been strong for the last couple years, she doubts there's a lot of extra revenue today.
She didn't suggest any cuts.