DuPage County seeks input on county programs, spending with survey

DuPage County residents have a chance to provide important feedback to the DuPage County Board and staff by participating in this year's County budget survey. The survey is available online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DuPageBudgetSurveyFY2018.

Each year, the DuPage County Board asks the public to prioritize County services including public safety and court services, road and trail maintenance, services to seniors and the disabled, flood control and public health initiatives. The information helps shape the next year's budget, determining spending levels for the County's various programs. County Board Chairman Dan Cronin said the survey is an integral part of this process.

"We highly value the feedback we receive from our budget survey," he said. "Like DuPage families, we too have a budget we must live within. And like DuPage families, we must balance rising costs with available revenue. We use the survey data as a guide to develop a County spending blueprint that is fiscally responsible and meets residents' needs in the most cost-efficient manner possible."

Finance Committee Chairman Paul Fichtner said the survey coincides with the regular budget process as DuPage officials determine spending levels for Fiscal Year 2018, which begins on Dec. 1, 2017.

"We've been able to keep the tax rate flat on the county government portion of residents' property tax bill for the past nine years in a row. We are careful stewards of these funds and responsive to the comments and feedback the budget survey provides. It's an important piece of our budget building process and we're grateful for community participation," Fichtner said.

DuPage County residents may take the brief survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DuPageBudgetSurveyFY2018

or from the County's homepage at www.dupageco.org and clicking on the budget survey link at the top of the page.

Cronin will present his Fiscal Year 2018 budget plan to the County Board on Sept. 26.