Wheaton council gets first look at proposed cuts
To balance the budget for next year, Wheaton officials are looking at the possibility of laying off nine city workers.
But it's not just staff cuts that will help trim costs and offset a projected $4.3 million shortfall in the 2009-10 budget. City council members also are looking at cutting funding for the Wheaton-based Center for History, Ride DuPage and a program to build sidewalks along school routes.
What appears to be relatively safe - at this point - is the Fourth of July parade and the downtown Christmas lights. Council members are reluctant to cut those items.
"It's something that's the fabric of the community," Wheaton Mayor Michael Gresk said.
The first round of budget cut discussions started this week, and officials expect to have the discussion wrapped up by November.
Council members already approved a 0.5 percent sales tax increase that's expected to send between $1.6 million and $1.8 million to city coffers next year. To go along with that, City Manager Don Rose this week presented a list of suggested cuts totaling a little more than $3 million.
Gresk said the city already has cut costs for several years, but most likely it's gone unnoticed.
"I think the people of Wheaton have not seen a reduction of services because staff has picked up the slack," he said.
For the next budget year, though, Rose suggested the city trim $480,000 from areas that don't affect city operations: $30,000 for the parade; $10,000 for the Fine and Cultural Arts Commission; $225,000 for the Center for History; $85,000 for Ride DuPage; $20,000 for senior meals and $110,000 for the municipal band.
Each year, the city tries to repave or rebuild eight to nine miles of road, which last year totaled $2.6 million. Rose proposed cutting $1 million from that budget and $100,000 from the program that builds sidewalks along school routes.
He recommended the city stop buying replacement vehicles next year and that some departments share cars.
He also suggested cutting the city's lobbyist, getting rid of the employee recognition dinner and not buying new Christmas lights for the downtown business district.
Rose said a total of 15 jobs should be cut next year, but six of those spots would be taken care of through attrition when employees leave and aren't replaced. That still leaves nine jobs that need to be cut. They'd come from departments "across the board," Rose said.
The next budget meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 14 at city hall.
Proposed Wheaton budget cuts
Wheaton City Manager Don Rose this week presented the city council with a list of possible budget cuts to deal with next year's projected $4 million shortfall. Items up for consideration include:
• Fourth of July parade, $30,000
• Fine & Cultural Arts Commission, $10,000
• Center for History, $225,000
• Ride DuPage, $85,000
• Senior meals, $20,000
• Municipal band, $110,000
• School sidewalk program, $100,000
• Annual road program, $1 million
• City vehicles, $29,500
• Lobbyist, $36,000
• Employee recognition dinner, $14,000
• Downtown Christmas lights, $15,000
• Eliminating 15 city jobs, $1.39 million
Source: City of Wheaton